Ever since I was a kid, my father always taught me: "If you're in the right way, stand your ground no matter what because no one else is going to do it".
With the passage of time, I started to understand the weight of that commitment it was as difficult to accomplish as it was thrilling; I may have ended up taking that to the extreme. Can't remember how many times I got into fights because of people walking from the opposite side and into my lane of the road. Something as simple as that, but I was in the right, they were in the wrong... so they must make way for me to go across.
It wasn't until I lost my first fight against one of the school's big buys that my father finally decided to give me the second half of that phrase in the midst of my mother's scolding.
"Carter, standing your ground requires strength and therefore you must be the best at anything you do and extremely wise, don't always get into fights".
For me, it sounded like he was just trying to make sure he got laid that night and not scolded; whether I paid attention to that segment or not is still within question.
We were but a middle and average family of hard workers in Chicago during the twenty-first century, I couldn't be any happier.
…
I didn't have an issue standing my ground against anyone that dared to step forward, after that little incident. I made sure to work out, get strong, be intelligent, be crafty... I started to realise how curious the world I live is.
Standing your ground in the 'right' path against those coming in the opposite direction feels like swimming against the current of the river. It felt like I was the only one that would ever stand back.
It felt desolate but at the same time... it thrilled me with dopamine to crush those that stood in my way with force and intellect. I studied as hard as I could while showing appreciation to my parents, left my place early, graduated from college and had the prestige to work in one of the world's bastions of the elite.
JPMorgan Chase.
Graduating from Harvard with honours and reaching this height from an average family had a ridiculous cost, one of them was my mentality, and the other was the development of my romantic life.
I didn't have a girlfriend, I had a tool.
I didn't have friends, I had resources.
I didn't have colleagues, I had rivals.
I didn't have a boss, I had a throne to take over.
In no time, less than a year, I became the director of the Human Resources department at mere thirty-two years of age. An unpredicted achievement within the company according to the executive chief.
Feeling so full of myself I had no idea my beliefs were going to be challenged one more time, one for all the previous ones.
A man -if I can call that miserable coward that- the son of the company director, in fact, decided to test his luck and abuse one of my colleagues, aka girlfriend, aka tool. She and I had known each other for the better part of five years, going together to Harvard and having a rather 'healthy' relationship.
She was a gorgeous British lady with connections in the banking industry, a well-deserved lucky charm of mine that allowed an average Joe like me with good marks to reach this company together with her.
My resolution was tested once again, recalling my father's words as the incident happened. I knew I was at a disadvantage and a part of me was sure to discard that 'tool' if it meant that I could still strive to reach the top.
Nevertheless, there was something else within me. Telling me from the deepest of my heart that I couldn't allow that to happen, If I had, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself.
I was in the 'right' and I desperately needed to stand my ground and protect her, protect Laurent.
To summarise the story and get rid of uninteresting words; after reshaping that bastard's face I got sacked from the Corpo and the little b*tch used his father's influence to make sure that I never found a job again in the industry.
I broke up with Laurent shortly after; my career ended abruptly after countless nights of hard work.
And so here I am today; trying to kill a wild boar with a short knife to survive in the woods.
...
It sounds like a rather abrupt twist of events, isn't it?
**
**
"Ugh!"
Wearing nothing but basic equipment, a short knife that felt as dull as an overused kitchen knife and a wooden staff, I charged forward within the plain of a desolated forest, behind me, there was the standing silhouette of my guiding light.
"Try to use your magic to heal, Banks"
Her voice was delicate like an opera from Saint Saens, whoever designed her... that fellow had style.
"How!?"
"Trigger the spell by reciting the enchant with your mind".
"I understand. Thanks, Agatha. By the way, will you marry me?" I asked just to be sure and received the thought process, either a stalled answer or a dead declination.
"We will talk about that after you defeat that boar~"
Even amidst her rejection she still sounded sweet. With her voice as my motivation I tried to chant the healing spell, according to her once you levelled the spell enough, you could switch the chant to be whatever you wished it to be. Alas, that's not my case.
'Blessing of the Light Goddess, Heal!'.
Green light covered me and increased my health back to the maximum just at the right time for me to evade the charge from this red wild boar that was half of my height.
"You can do it Banks, go go go!"
I jumped on that board and slaughtered it like a pig on Christmas, there was so much motivation in me to accomplish her task that I didn't stop until my vision was filled with censorship squares.
When I finally stood up, it was as if I had swum on a seat of tomato sauce. None of this seemed to bother my Ai teacher, Agatha who kept clapping and cheering my success as if she was my wife, by the way...
"H-How about now? Will you marry me?"
"No~"
"As expected of an NPC, so cold" I sighed in defeat, but it didn't feel bad, she's an AI after all, made for us players to play with her emotions and dialogues. I have spent two weeks with her and aside from an occasional blush here and there, she doesn't give me that much of a response. In spite of that, it is fun to flirt with her.
The dead boar transformed into pixels that translated to copper coins, experience, and several units of wild boar fur.
A pair of arms embraced me from the back, she felt warm... I didn't expect this development which was at the same time, rather desolate.
We have spent two weeks more together with her teaching me how to play this game and now that the quest is finished, she will go.
[Blessing of the Light Goddess +10]
"Congratulations, Banks. You have worked hard and stepped on the first threshold of your path to becoming a Hero. After clearing the basic tutorial, I believe you are ready. The High Gods expect your maximum loyalty and devotion within this land of corruption. I'm sure you will eventually find someone to marry here in Evanescence, don't faint".
"Thanks for everything Agatha, I will never forget you".
"We shall see each other again, soon~".
With a kiss on my cheek and a blushing wave, the blonde cleric lady disappeared, leaving me in this beautiful forest that couldn't possibly exist in reality.
My name is Carter Banks, my game id is 'Banks' and I've been playing this game, Evanescence, for two weeks with nothing but my occasional workout and meals in between.
I'm addicted, but I won't admit it. Virtual reality is amazing; It feels like I am in a completely different world. If not for my awareness that there is a real 'reality' outside, waiting for me to remove the helmet. I wouldn't tell the difference.
There are some bugs here and there, like for example: Sometimes Agatha doesn't wear panties... it is such a funny bug, not arousing in the slightest. All I can see down there is censored so, it is rather heartbreaking.
She's an NPC, an adventurer cleric belonging to the guild and the church of Light within the starting city of Bellemere.
After joining the guild if you have chosen the option of not having ever played any games, Agatha shows up with the option of going through a tutorial, I enjoyed her presence for two whole weeks while pretending I still didn't know how to play. Alas, there is always a time to let go, I'm sure she's going to be quite busy.
This is a fantasy MMO game created with a revolutionary virtual reality technology called Synapse. In order to play it you need a helmet and the price of this helmet is a whooping three thousand dollars. Definitely, not something some high schoolers can just ask their parents at Christmas.
I have plenty of money in my savings even after being laid off from JP Morgan Chase. Enough to survive for a while, not enough to risk creating a business while still living independently in New York, though. Fifty thousand can only take you so long.
It was a rainy and desolate day when I watched the ad being played on a tv shop screen.
"Play Evanescence now. Revolutionary virtual reality graphics and In-game currency available, it can be exchanged for real fiat cash!"
I couldn't give more of a da*mn about virtual reality, the moment they mentioned cash I was sold. It could have been a scam or so I thought until I did some research and witnessed how hyped the gaming community of weebs was. They were literally wetting themselves while clenching their wallets in a mixture of pleasure and hatred.
I grew curious but three thousand was a lot to pay for gaming gear, nevertheless, the unemployed me could afford it, and what's most important… you can make money by playing this game. So I was willing to find out.
One of my mentors at JPMorgan once told me that reliable and revolutionary platforms with their own ingrained economy are difficult to come by and they're also perfect spots for investment.
I had to see what this game was all about so after spending a good sum of money, I bought the console Synapse and the game Evanescence.
With my gear at home and pre-cooked lunch in the fridge, I was ready to go. My parents called me to see if everything was alright and I told them I was going to 'work'. If I told them I was playing games at this juncture, they may think I'm smoking weed.
I put on a helmet, lay down on my bed and allowed it to do all the work. Waves started to emit all over my head, caught by my brain and placing me in a trance. I found myself in a white world upon opening my eyes, it was the screen in front of me, but this trance rendered me unable to tell the difference between what my eyes were seeing and what was being shown on the screen.
The white world changed to a clearing field and I marvelled, this was an astonishing experience, completely different from looking at a laptop or desktop screen. I moved and my hands moved here as well, but they're not my real hands, that's for certain.
I saw a keyboard appear in front of me with a prompt to put different data.
My name, my age. Other options such as my address were instantly loaded and I decided for everything to stay private.
Then it came: The terms and conditions, funnily enough, there was a 'skip' button.
'Quite the perceptive developers'.
After reading the whole terms and conditions in which I made sure I wasn't going to be turned into a human centipede, I accepted. There was nothing particularly strenuous about the terms and conditions.
After everything was sorted, I finally heard a voice and the whole screen turned into what appeared to be a desktop with one single icon in there, Evanescence.
"Welcome to Synapse, Banks. I'm your personal internal AI, Peter".
"Peter?"
"Peter".
"Could we change that to Laurent?"
"Do wish you wish to switch your personal AI's gender voice?"
"Yes".
"Which one would you prefer? I, she, he, it, them, us?"
"Eh... she, please".
"Change confirmed. If there is anything you need, please call the name 'Laurent' and I'll attend to your every need right away, Mr Carter. Feel free to choose between your applications with your hands or you could use voice command".
"Play Evanescence".
"Playing Evanescence's Album, Fallen".
Rock started playing on this world from every direction, I could recognise this album, that's beyond the point, I guess an AI is always an Ai and words are up to interpretation.
"N-No... play the game I have connected to the drive, Evanescence".
"Right away, Mr Carter".
So far I'm liking all this, it could really result to be the right investment.
Of money and time.