Jasmine watched the clock with hawk-eyes as the second hand slowly ticked towards 12.

Three…

Two...

One…

Finally

She stood up from her desk and shut down her computer. This job was seriously going to send her over the edge. She ignored her co-workers took out her key-card and waved it at the reader on the door. Feeling utterly exhausted she left her section of the building and walked through the long sterile hallways of the Nexus office toward the parking lot. She passed by a picture window where a technician was working on a large machine. It had a bunch of straps and wires as well as a large circular frame. It looked like some cross between a torture device and an exercise machine.

She stood there and watched for a few minutes while a technician made adjustments with a hand-held. She was trying to figure out what the thing was. The technician finished what he was doing and turned around to grab something off his desk.

He smiled faintly when he saw her watching then walked toward her and opened the door.. “Can I help you?” He asked politely.

“I’m just trying to figure out what you were working on. I didn’t mean to bother you. She answered.

“It’s one of the new prototype consoles for Otherworld. I’m reconfiguring this one for office use.” He said proudly.

“That’s what people play in? How does it even work?” She was honestly baffled. It had never occurred to her how people actually played the game. She just imagined they plugged in somehow, and laid on the couch or something while playing.

“It’s basically a Gyrosphere for motion capture, combined with a nuanced force-feedback device. The player straps in their arms, and legs, then the machine activates and they enter the game. The machine then records all of their movements with sensitive force measurements and transfers that data into the game to make their character move.” He replied with the air of someone talking about something they knew a great deal about.

“So when they run and fight, They actually have to run and fight?” She’d always imagined it as a game for lazy people but that honestly sounded like fun.

“That’s the just of it. Obviously the game modifies the data. An accountant isn’t going to be able to pick up a sword and use it effectively in a few days but we’ve actually found that over-time the game data and the raw input merge. Excluding the players attribute gains of course. Meaning that the players will eventually learn as they would in real life. We’re really excited about the possibilities.” The technician explained.

“Can I try it out? Sounds kinda fun and I’m stuck reading these reports all day. It’d be interesting to see it from the other perspective.” Jasmine asked. She wasn’t sure why she did it. She really just wanted to get home but then again what was she going to do? Watch some crappy network tv show until it was time to cook dinner, then surf the net till it was time for bed. Rinse and repeat until friday.This might at least be amusing.

He raised an eyebrow then shrugged. “I suppose so, We’ve always got a couple machines sitting around and this one was supposed to be for some new employee testing project anyway. Who’s your boss? I’ll E-mail them and let them know I’ll be stealing you tomorrow afternoon. If it goes well we might even be able to have you change jobs. I honestly don’t know how you report readers stay sane that sounds like the dullest job imaginable.”

**************************************************************************************

Sweat dripped off my nose as I inched down the small tunnel. I had very little room to maneuver and I prayed that the tunnel wouldn’t narrow as I’d have to back all the way back out. I held a guttering torch in my left hand and my knife in my right. I’d killed my second batch of rats yesterday afternoon, and after collecting another five silver, and finding another tunnel I’d decided to go spelunking today . I could feel the sweat on my back and arms turning the earth I brushed against into mud. It clung to my body, and I knew regardless of the outcome I was going to need a week's worth of showers by the time I was done here. I’d been crawling for a good twenty minutes. Luckily I wasn’t claustrophobic or there would have been no way I could navigate the narrow space. The tunnel suddenly opened and I emerged into a small cavern. The ceiling wasn’t tall enough for me to stand, but I could at least kneel and stretch my legs a bit.

Bleep

I raised an eyebrow. I hadn’t done anything to warrant a game update. Seeing nothing around I opened my log. I found the answer at the top after filtering the text.

You Have Discovered A DungeonYou Have Entered The Rat King's Tomb

“That seems ominous” I muttered looking around with renewed focus. Unlike most games I couldn’t see the status of the monsters I fought. So I had no way of knowing how powerful an enemy was. I got the feeling I was in no-way prepared to take on a dungeon at level two. Even it was just rats.

I’d no sooner had the thought when something out of a nightmare entered the small circle of light my torch was casting. It slunk forward on four powerful legs tipped with long dark claws. It had a long lean body that was slung low to the ground as it moved. It’s snout was pointed like a rats and two enormous rodent fangs protruded from it’s dripping maw. Horns and bits of bone grew out from it’s body in random places and a double set of horns curled out from it’s neck and around it’s head pointing straight at me. It was the size of a large hound, and looked like some horrific cross between a bull and a lovecraftian ferret.

“What the fuck is that?!!” I cried horrified. It was just…. wrong. On so many levels. Seeing something like that in a movie would have made me laugh but it was just feet from me and true to life. I knew every one of those horns would hurt like hell if they got into me.

My first thought was to try and escape but I quickly dismissed it. That thing would be able to move freely in the tunnel while I’d be a sitting duck. My one chance was to fight it here where I at least had semi-free movement. It didn’t give me the chance to decide. It charged forward with a shriek that echoed in the small chamber. The flickering light of my torch sending shadows against every wall giving the whole scene a sense of unreality.

I managed to dodge it’s horns but it caught me with it’s claws across one side of my chest. Blood mixed with the muddy slime and sweat that coated me and I frantically flailed with my knife. I tried my best to keep it at bay and use my reach.

I managed a slight scratch on it’s leg but I paid for it with another rake from its long claws. I shuffled backwards trying to keep away but soon my back hit the wall. The monster lunged forward deceptively fast and I struck out at it’s throat with all my strength. My knife hit a bone plate and I heard a loud SNAP as the puny weapon broke. The thing went for my leg and managed to gore me badley. My left leg was left trapped between its four horns and within reach of it’s teeth. It bit savagely and twisted its head. I heard a loud POP and white fire shot up my leg as my thigh bone broke.

I let out a roar of pain and grabbed at the thing as I tried to pry it loose from my maimed leg. It shook its head again and I screamed in agony as it jangled the bones of my broken leg. My hands found holds on its horns and I used all the strength I had to force it away. I only moved it a few inches but it freed my leg. It had the leverage and it’s claws gave it plenty of traction, while I had the wall to my back to push again. We were locked in the struggle with both of us unable to overcome the other.

It let out another unearthly screech and shook its head again but it was unable to loosen my grip. As dangerous of a weapon as the horns were they also provided a perfect place to grapple the thing. Getting desperate I shifted my grip slightly then wrenched its head counter-clockwise with all the power in my arms and shoulders. I heard bones crack and the monster lost all it’s fight. The motion threw me off balance and jostled my leg badly. The pain was indescribable and I threw up my breakfast as the world around me darkened and pitched while the familiar sound of my heart-beat came to my ears. I tossed the rat off me and whimpered as the motion moved my leg again.

I had broken my wrist in 2nd grade jumping out of a swing but this time It had been the thigh bone. The two feelings were on an entirely different level. The pain was so real and every motion that jostled it brought on a fresh wave of agony. I just sat slumped against the wall unable to move.

The monster didn’t return and after a few minutes of feeling sorry for myself I stretched out a hand and managed to get a grip on my fallen torch. Luckily It hadn’t gone out or I’d be in complete darkness.

I tossed it across the room in the direction I’d pushed the monster. The light illuminated the creature but it didn’t move. Weak wheezing sounds came from the thing. I must have broken its neck but it hadn’t died and I was too hurt to go finish it off. My head began to ache and I felt disgusted as I sat there unsure how to proceed. With nothing else to do I opened my char sheet.

Name:Noob SlayerLevel: 2Race:HumanClass:SelectAttributesStatusUBStr: 16LBStr: 12(-11) 1HP: 3/18Mana: 0/0End: 11(-6) 5Con: 16(-3) 13Stam: 1/7Panic: 9/11Agi: 9Cord: 13Hunger: 64/100Thirst: 23/100Int:13Wis:12(-2) 10WoundsRes: 10Faith: 10Leg: (Severe) Broken Femur(-70% Lbs)

Disease: (Severe) Rat Fever(-50% End, -20% Con)

Leg: (Moderate) Deep Gash(-20 LBStr)

Mental: (Moderate) Rattled (-20% Wis)SocialGuild: N/ATitles: N/AFame: 0Friend List: 0/0LinksInventorySkillsSpell BookLog

I groaned again. Great, I’d broken my leg and got a disease and all because I’d wanted some loot. The thought of trying to crawl out of here made me even more nauseous. The pain would be unbearable. I looked across the small cavern at the rat and felt sick again. The things breathing was getting weaker. It was a slow horrible way to die even if the thing was an abomination. The worst part was I couldn’t move away and even trying to turn my body sent horrible pain shooting through my leg. I was alone in the dark with monsters. A fever chill shot through me and I shuttered sending pain through my leg once more.

When I’d first discovered I was in a game I’d honestly been excited. Who doesn’t want to be a hero? Who doesn’t want to save the village, find that epic sword, and slay dragons? That’s why I’d started playing MMO’s to begin with. As I sat here in this reeking cave listening to some demon rat suffocate to death because I’d broken its neck it brought the whole thing into new perspective. I really didn’t want to be a hero. By the time the things eyes glazed over I just wanted to go home.

Ba-Ding

Bleep-be-deep-Bleep

The scratches on my sides and chest healed instantly as the flash of blue light occurred. Unfortunately my wounds were not healed. So I now had full HP, with a horribly broken leg and a fever coming on. That left me unable to move, sick, but no longer in danger of death. I sat there a while longer trying to muster my courage to face the horrible agony that awaited me if I crawled back through the tunnel dragging my broken leg.

I decided to procrastinate. I checked my log to see what the other alerts had been. My wrestling and Hand-to-Hand skills had apparently skilled up to Novice II. I honestly hoped to not use them but as things were going it would be a useful skill. Oh well, time to see how much trouble I was in.

“Details Rat Fever”

Rat FeverA common disease carried by many members of the Rattus genus. Usually transferred through contact with the blood or saliva from an infected animal. Onset is very rapid and an infected body will develop a high fever almost immediately. Subject will experience fever chills and muscle fatigue. As the disease progresses they are likely to grow delirious and lose consciousness.

Great

The corpse across the room suddenly disintegrated into a black cloud. Where it had lain a moment before a large set of familiar fangs remained. My curiosity finally did what my ambition could not. I slowly dragged myself across the room toward the fangs and torch trying to move my wounded leg as little as possible. By the time I got there I was panting with exertion, gritting my teeth against the agony in my leg, and sweating while cold-chills wracked my body. But I had my prize.

“Inventory…. Details”

Dire-Rat Fangs

(Uncommon)Crafting Ingredient

Dire rats are a vicious species. They start life as normal rats but due to the influence of dark magics, cursed objects, or other anomalies are warped into abominations who crave blood and violence. Usually they inhabit large cave complexes but occasionally make their way into more inhabited areas.

The fangs are rather sharp and nearly as hard as steel. They are useful to blacksmiths and other craftsmen as they can be used to make quality tools and weapons.

I raised an eyebrow. Maybe I could sell them to the smith for a decent bit. God knew I needed the coin. I could only run around in a pair of shorts for so long the and ones I was wearing now were basically rags. I needed to purchase a new weapon, some armor, tools, a pack, and a laundry list of other supplies. Being brought the edge of death every fight could not continue. Resigned to my fate I began to slowly drag myself back down the tunnel towards Sten’s inn, feeling sick, miserable, and depressed.

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