** Edited on 8/26/18**

**Chapter was last edited on 7/10/18**

**Chapter was last edited on 7/6/18**

Alakir.

The name had sounded so right all those nights ago when Darren was laying in bed, dreaming of the better life that he would make for himself in the game. He had drawn the name over and over. It was memorized, practically tattooed on his skin. He saw the word in his sleep, floating just above him and just beyond his reach. And now, Alakir was real, alive, moving.

Darren looked over at Dante and the dark-skinned man smiled. He pulled his hood over his head as he said, "Whenever you are ready to choose a faction, Alakir, find me in Veneah in the Ashford Wilds. I will be in the Sterling Stone Tavern. And I will be waiting."

The teen's eyes looked at the long dirt road that ran north from Dante's encampment. It seemed to twist off into nothing, and the longer Darren looked, the harder his heart pounded. The books in his arms made his muscles achy, even though he knew they were not real.

Dante waved a hand again and a large satchel, a simple long sword with a brown hilt, and basic armor appeared at Darren's feet. Darren quickly dumped the books and his aethys pouch inside before tying on the armor. He slipped the long sword by his side and looked up at Dante.

"Th-thank you," Darren stuttered.

"Go quickly, Alakir. The world is yours." Dante's smile was genuine, soft, and for just a moment, Darren wondered if the man standing before him really was just an NPC.

Darren nodded and slung his satchel over his shoulder. He turned to the north and his eyes locked on to the only path leading away from The Encampment. The path was old and worn and seemed to wind itself through the trees and off into nothing. Darren stepped forward, his feet falling hard on the worn down dirt.

A strange sound behind him, like the rushing of wind through a wind chime, made him turn, and Darren was shocked to see that Dante and his little encampment were gone. They had vanished, leaving behind nothing but a worn down dirt circle in the middle of the forest. Dust swirled in the breeze and Darren stood there, shocked to see that he was alone. Completely alone.

"Now what?" Darren spoke out loud.

But only the breeze in the trees answered him.

Darren looked around and considered his options. He could take on down the path and head deeper into the starting area of Black’s Forest. He could wander through the woods and try his hand at attacking some wildlife. Certainly, there must be a wolf or a bear cub or a doe to slaughter wandering around nearby. Darren absentmindedly touched the sword at his side. He had never considered that he would actually have to draw it.

A crackle of a branch and the caw of a crow startled Darren, making him turn around where he stood. His nerves were on edge as his adrenaline coursed through his veins. His fist clutched the handle of his weapon as he clumsily drew it from its sheath at his side. The boy was panting as his ears strained for another sound.

But nothing came.

Darren struggled to catch his breath as his eyes wildly scanned the forest. He saw nothing... Nothing but trees as far as his eyes could see… except for a strange purple glint in the distance. But it was more than a glint. It was glowing, pulsating with a rhythm like a breath or a heartbeat. Darren's ears strained and he felt like he could almost hear the object ringing.

"What are you?" Darren whispered to himself, filled with curiosity down to his very soul.

He sheathed his sword and stepped gingerly off of the beaten path and into the woods. He moved slowly, his steps barely making a sound as he wove around brush and fallen branch and tall conifers that raised up overhead. The air seemed to chill after a few moments, but Darren did not look up. He was watching the strange purple light that seemed to call out to him. As he drew closer, it slowly changed to a beautiful purple hue, growing in size.

Darren looked down as he drew closer. It was a berry bush, something small and simple that most would overlook. But the thing seemed to be calling to Darren, seeking him out. He reached forward and plucked one of the purple berries from the thorny bush. It glowed one final time before fading. Darren rolled the violet colored berry in his hand, pondering on how it was no bigger than a grape.

Quickly, Darren pulled out his alchemy book. He set it on the ground and in a flurry, the magical book flew open. Pages flew by in a flash before the book stopped. It laid there, still, with the page with the purple berries open for Darren to read:

Roddin Berry

Small, round berries that grow prolifically Black's Forest and are found at the base of most trees. They are purple in hue when ready to pick.

Darren grinned at the berry before tossing it in his bag. He set to work, stripping the small bush of its most purple, most juicy berries before there were none left. The bush's pulsating glow faded completely once the berries were gone and stores safely in the canvas pack.

He looked around and found more roddin berry bushes scattered around. He was soon bounding from tree to tree, looking for that pulsating glow.

The more Darren looked around, then more glowing he saw. A gray-is glow from the base of some trees called out to him. Soon he was stripping the bar from the trees, marveling at how it felt like soft wolf’s fur in his hand.

He, once again, turned to his book:

Lycan Bark

Black bark found on Lycan trees. The bark is renowned for the thick, gray moss that grows on it during the full moon.

“Whoa…” Darren murmured under his breath as he stowed the bark away.

Darren stayed in the forest just near the road, looking for more wonderful bits of nature that he could turn into potions.

And he found some, shining in olive green on the forest floor at the base of some incredibly tall pine trees.

It was easy enough to find the sap-covered, sticky needles in his alchemy book:

Silver Pine Needles

Silver Pines are found in the rolling hills of Black's Forest. The needles turn silver due to the pine resin that leaks on to them.

Soon, Darren's bag was bulging with all kinds of plant life. His heart soared, thinking about how much his things would sell for on the market. He had started with 100 aethys crystals in his pocket. Maybe these berries, needles, and bark would add to his fortunes. Maybe he would only need to gather.

"Now what?" Darren asked the forest out loud.

But nothing responded expect the birds singing high in the trees.

Darren reached deep in his pack and pulled out the map of Rimnir. He looked over the worn parchment, his eyes traveling over the ink. The continent of Rimnir seemed huge. He could see the bustling, fortified city of Veneah in the middle of the map in the zone that Dante had mentioned: The Ashford Wilds. Farther to the north was the Dragonmire. No one lived there, for it was overrun with the massive and deadly Dragonkin.

There was more to the map that interested Darren. To the west were the Coalition, the gold-clad warriors, and their plains settlements in the zone called Taltik and their main hub of Corbin that laid in the far eastern part of the zone. And on the east side of the map was Zashtol Basin, where the Syndicate members gathered. There, they resided in Adryen’s Port, a city high on a caldera that spilled off into the great sea.

Darren’s eyes looked over the map until he came back to Black’s Forest, the place where he spawned. It was the starter zone for everyone, so every player in the game would pass through there. And every player would pass through Blackstone, the biggest settlement in the forest. Darren thought back to the notes he had taken and the articles that he had read. He needed to head to Blackstone fast. There he could trade, buy, and sell the berries and herbs that he had been collecting. He could also grab an alchemy kit and begin creating potions. He should also have player housing there, too.

Darren's eyes flew over the map, but he quickly realized that he had gotten himself lost in the forest while gathering. All around him was nothing but a dense fog of plant life. There was no marker, no rock, no direction that he needed to take to get to Blackstone.

"Where am I?" Darren asked out loud to himself. His voice was tinged with a desperation that he did not know he had.

And as he spoke, a small, white arrow appeared on his map. It was facing north, just about a mile or so off of the main road.

"What?" Darren stared down at the map incredulously. Could that really be him?

He stepped forward and the arrow moved with him. He stopped and the arrow stopped. He walked to the west and the arrow moved west with him.

"Freaking cool," Darren murmured as he watched the moving arrow with amusement.

Darren stashed the map back in his pack and he began moving forward through the dense forest, pushing past brush and tree, making his way to Blackstone. His character, Alakir, moved slowly under the weight of the supplies in his pack, but Darren didn’t notice. He was lost in his head, dreaming of the aethys crystals that he would be making after selling off the goods. Maybe the berries went for a decent price? Or the bark?

He had made his way back to the road and he was lost in his ideas…

Suddenly, a crashing noise behind Darren made him jump. He turned and saw a large male player walking toward him with a grin on his face.

“Hello, newbie!” The player said with a wave of his hand, “Just started?”

Darren nodded and looked the friendly player over. He was tall, as tall as human males could be made. His shoulders and chest were broad and wide, stretching out farther than Alakir’s hands could span. The player’s gray hair was slicked back and his grizzled beard was kept combed neat. And on his chest were the white colors of the consortium.

The player extended his hand, and as he spoke, Darren could see his name plate form over his head. “The name’s Strovach.”

“Alakir,” Darren said, his hand meeting Strovach’s. The great paw of the human practically crushed Alakir’s hand, which looked wimpy in comparison.

“You pick a faction yet, Alakir?” Strovach asked, pulling Alakir close.

“Uh… no?” Darren tried to pull his character back, but it was no use. Strovach was too strong.

“Well, I can escort you to Veneah. You can just give me your aethys as a down payment. And then send me your first 5,000 aethys to pay off the rest you owe me.” Strovach grinned widely and Darren began struggling to get away.

“Let me go,” Darren grunted as he pulled his hand free. He stepped back and looked up at the looming player. Something in him quaked with fear.

“Have we got a deal?” Strovach asked, his voice menacing as his hand on the hilt of his axe that was harnessed in at his side.

“No.”