"To see an opportunity, we must be open to all thoughts." — Catherine Pulsifer
After what felt like an eternity, the moment had arrived. Harbinger's Call was about to launch, and Claire's heart was excitedly pounding. She was more than ready to dive into the game, eager to embark on a new adventure and perhaps find a sense of fulfillment in this virtual world.
As the game launched, she felt like she was falling before finding herself on the character creation screen. After selecting the Emerald Enclave, she quickly chose the name Holly, which she found pleasant and simple.
While looking at the rest of the character creation screen, there was the race option and some subtle body changes you could make that were different from your real-life appearance in small ways.
After changing a few things to make herself look better, she looked at the race section. The main options for magical classes were humans and elves in the Emerald Enclave.
While deliberating over it, she looked at what she would look like as an elf and instantly shook.
'I look exactly like the elves from porn.'
She already felt that if she chose elf, she would get fetishized to no end. She instantly picked a human and decided to become a sorceress.
As the cinematic started, she felt the blunted feeling of being tortured. She instantly felt like this game was probably for a more adult audience than many other games rated for adults only.
As the guards dragged Claire through the tower, she was wonderstruck by the detail and smell of the game.
'A lot has improved in the last few years.'
Before long, she sat down before a beautiful female elf dressed in elegant blue and white robes. Upon seeing her appearance, Claire suddenly felt that being an elf might have been worth it; the NPC in front of her was absolutely breathtaking.
"Greetings stranger, I am Eilantha of the Etherhall Tower; I would appreciate it if you would tell me how you ended up in my private experiment room without anyone knowing."
Claire was unsure how to respond and said, "I don't know."
"Is that so? Your appearance will remain a mystery for the time being. You will need to remain here for some time so we can come to a definite conclusion, then you will be released."
'Is that a nice way of saying I am being held prisoner?'
"I understand."
Eilantha looked at Claire with a strange look.
"Human, it is better to act humbly around elves; you will only find trouble acting how you are."
Looking at the elf with a dumbfounded look, Claire wanted to say something in response, but a roar shook the sky, and the ground began to shake, signally something terrifying.
"Stay here and wait for my return; trouble has come."
Hearing the elf speak, Claire was excited; it seemed the main set piece of this mission had arrived.
Watching the elven mage leave through double doors leading to a balcony, Claire was instantly curious to watch a big fight and followed to try to see whatever she could. It could help her learn more about the game, which could be helpful in the future and lead to more money.
As the fight between various mages and two dragons started, she was wholly absorbed in the battle. She tried to look at every spell used and every dragon pattern, attempting to understand the enemy pathing and AI.
As the fight drew on, the mages started dying off increasingly rapidly, and she knew the cinematic was almost over.
As the elven mage, Eilantha, let out a heart-wrenching cry, a massive lightning bolt struck the back of the smaller dragon, instantly sending it to the ground.
The larger dragon quickly released a tyrannical breath fated to end her life; when all hope was lost, the only remaining mage shielded her with his body, and they came flying towards the tower.
Seeing they were coming straight at her, Claire hurriedly ran to the side of the double doors, not intent on being crushed by the smoldering duo.
Unfortunately for her, the two could not control their flight path and smashed through the tower wall directly in front of her. Before she could react, the screen went black, and the world spun.
Claire was once again standing next to the balcony doors, and Eilantha was calling down the large lightning bolt. Instantly realizing she had been crushed to death, she felt incredibly embarrassed. She can't be the only one that happened to, right?
This time, she stayed in front of the double doors, and the smoldering duo smashed through the same wall and were sprawling on the floor, one unconscious and one dying.
When she walked over, the name of someone who was nearing death spoke in a scratchy tone.
"Human, you must bring the lady away from here; that dragon is busy freeing Drakthor the Fellstorm, but once he is done, he will come to avenge their kin."
Looking at the man, she decided to see if there was anything else she could learn from him.
"Where am I supposed to go?"
As his final breaths approached, the man's burnt arm reached towards his neck.
"Feed the liquid inside to...her."
After saying that, he died, leaving her to figure out the rest.
Understanding the basics, she quickly retrieved a small amulet with a single drop of liquid and opened Eilantha's mouth to try and pour it in.
The liquid inside was viscous and did not drip out quickly, taking much longer than one would expect to drip out into the wide-open mouth of the elf.
After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, now willed with a dull purple light, and looked around.
"It seems I'm still alive."
Seeing her up, Claire was relieved.
"What are we supposed to do now? The other guy said to escape, but I don't know what we are supposed to do."
Seeing the other person in the room for the first time since she woke, Eilantha spoke bluntly.
"We must get to the area for the servant's stable to find a horse to escape on; I must save my strength for any enemies we face, so you must carry me."
Carry her?
"I am not strong enough to carry someone more than a few feet."