Ashley, 23 years of age. Long ginger hair and green eyes, Ashley was your average girl. Finally having graduated university a few months ago, she was in the process of looking for a job. But as luck would have it, this wasn’t turning out so well.

She tried to take her mind off these problems with the only thing that never betrayed her in her life, video games. Yet the last game she played, a VR MMORPG older than the platform it lay on, had closed its doors and servers a few weeks ago.

On the search for something new, Ashley stumbled upon Conquerors Of The Delve. The description piqued her and she immersed herself into the VR-Dive station, discovering a world like none she had met with before.

A world that so much reminded her of real life, yet with he added whimsicality of fantasy.

She liked the idea behind it but…she was honestly afraid to thread onwards. And when the chance presented itself, as the player called Raven suggested she looks elsewhere. What did she do?

“I’m a coward…” She told herself with a heavy sigh, while staring at the VR-Dive station before her. Open, awaiting her body to travel elsewhere. Ashley’s mind drowned in the words of her peers, ‘advice’ from friends and family towards her shy and sheltered personality.

“They’re right…” Ashley mumbled out to nobody but herself “I can’t go on like this…I, need to face things head on!” she pumped herself up, before stepping back into the station and preparing herself for a second dive into the dark depths that was this game.

Raven threaded through the city streets, glancing about as he searched for the market area he previously walked through. It didn’t take long to find his way back, now standing in the midst of more players than he thought would be online at this time of night (“Global servers huh?”) he pondered, before his thoughts reverted to the issue at hand.

(“How many…”) he wondered, just how many players within this large community were employed by these ‘Big Companies’? (“Enough to rile up the rest, a few guilds’ leaders would do it. Promise the members a better economy, where everyone could earn a dime or two. Who wouldn’t stand behind that?”)

Raven glanced at the picture one last time, before closing his browser entirely (“Indeed a co-ordinated group could make quite the payday through an economy like this one. Buy off the best loot players put on sale when guilds reach the Delve’s depths, withhold that loot until the corridors close and then put them back on sale for a much higher price. That’s one way…hell who knows what else these snakes came up with.”).

(“Guild wars, player tournaments, community events…there’s so much to profit from.”) He chuckled to himself, when he noticed a store’s sign nearby included a bow and quiver. (“Ah, there it is.”)

Raven approached the archery store. White stone walls like everything else, the store’s inside was mostly wooden with shelves of different types of ranged weapons, ammunition and ranger armour. From short bows, long bows, crossbows and different quiver sizes to more types of leather armour than Raven realised existed.

“Greetings…Conqueror?” The NPC shopkeeper said as he glanced at Raven’s ring “What can I do you for?” he was an elderly human man with greying long hair kept back with a strap of cloth and a rather unruly beard.

Raven glanced about the store “I’m looking for a bow and quiver, maybe a set of armour to go with?”

“Ah, must be new then.” The shopkeeper mused as he stepped around the counter while grabbing what looked like a measuring tape from within. Stepping over to the customer he quickly and swiftly took Raven’s measurements including the arm and tail-feathers. “Aye, I should have your size. Any preference or should I suggest?”

“Um…what would you suggest?” Raven asked, unsure as to what he was talking about.

“As for weaponry I suggest either a recurve bow if you’re a novice, a long bow if you are preparing for a large-scale battle.” The shopkeeper explained, seemingly in a bored and automatic tone.

“Ah…what about common use for a non-novice?” Raven awkwardly added, making the man’s eyes widen with sudden interest.

“I see, you wish to practice the true art of archery then?” He exclaimed, this time with excitement in his tone as he walked back over to his counter “I would then suggest the reflex bow, it is not as easy to use as a recurve but has the range and power similar to a longbow. More so if the user is adept.”

He brought out a strangely curved bow, its tips curved away from the string while the centre curved towards giving it the shape of two bulges. The wood began thick on either end, thinning out on the bulges before thickening once more at the centre. The bow was made of a dark brown wood with light brown cloth strapped on either bulge but not the centre, where dark leather covered the wood instead.

Raven also noted that the reflex bow was a bit shorter than the long bow “I’ll trust your knowledge on the subject then, what about quiver and armour?” he took the bow in hand, checking the string to find out it was much more resistant than the longbow’s.

“For quiver it depends, where do you prefer to strap it? Back, waist back, side or opposing leg?” The NPC asked, pointing at each area on himself.

“Waist back, what difference does it make?” Raven then asked, mainly out of curiosity.

“Some quivers need to be tightly strapped, others cannot be so. Also the shape, using a side quiver from the back will make it awkward to take arrows out.” explained the Shopkeeper, as he stepped over to one set of shelves off which he grabbed a wide quiver.

Seemingly made mostly off hardened leather the quiver was entirely dark grey with metal coiling around the top and covering the entire bottom like a lid. The top part from where the arrows where taken out was a slanted opening, one side shorter than the other to ease the motion of taking the arrow out.

“The short part is the top, strapped it off these leather belts and metal buckles here.” The NPC explained as he gestured at his own belt “Then simply drag it along the belt and to the back of your person.”

Raven nodded all the while, showing some interest and appreciation to detail before taking the quiver in hand.

“Now now…as for armour I wouldn’t suggest chain or full hardened leather, you’ll be moving around a lot more than those dubious siege archers.” The shopkeeper mused out loud as he glanced about at the stands of armour “So it’s either full cloth with hard leather pads, it will provide the greatest mobility…or leather with cloth joints and metal padding. Tougher and provides more defence but heavier and decreases mobility.”

(“So it’s defence versus mobility…”) Raven thought as he approached the two stands of armour, pressing his fingers over both before grabbing either sleeve and weighing their weight. Indeed the cloth would have been much easier to run around in, but the defence it provided was doubtable. The leather armour on the other hand was only a bit heavier, but the metal pads on the chest and legs seemed to be the main weight which he couldn’t weigh off the sleeves alone.

(“Would I rather evade a blade or take it?”) He then thought, while glancing between each set. (“Yeah I doubt a blade would have problems slashing through either…”)

“Unsure?” The NPC asked as he watched Raven.

“Somewhat, not entirely sure how effective either would be.” Raven responded honestly.

“Ah, well it depends to be honest. How do you wish to make use of the bow? To be stealthy and go unseen as you line-up your arrow or to befall upon your opponent like a falcon?” The shopkeeper asked, as he gestured at either suit.

Raven was a sniper by experience, unseen before the kill was most definitely his style. But with the limited range of the bow, and taking into account magic and whatever else this game had to offer. Stealth was for melee players, assassins and rogues. He approached the more defensive armour “I’ll take this one.”

But by heart Raven didn’t have a specific style he always went for. Raven picked depending on what he thought would work best with the skillset he had under his name, he was adaptable. In a shooter, a sniper was by far the most dangerous opponent one could face. Which was why he had picked to play as one.

But in an MMORPG? With the MMO genre aside, with the weaponry and skills available to him through the fantasy RPG setting. Raven was unsure what would work best over all, so he guessed, he theorized. He’d try, maybe fail, maybe succeed. Raven figured something will click in time.

“I shall bring you a set of your size then.” The shopkeeper said as he stepped around the counter and through a doorway, possibly into a storage room.

While waiting Raven continued to look over the suit of leather armour mixed with cloth and thin metal plates. (“I wonder if I can customize something myself…”) He thought, pondering over the game’s crafting system.

“Here ye go.” Exclaimed the NPC as he walked out with a full set of the chosen armour, neatly sorted inside a wooden box.

Raven quickly strapped on the quiver he had been still holding onto and then grabbed the crate with both hands, it wasn’t very heavy.

The shopkeeper then looked him up and down “I’ve seen many of your people over the years son, so I hope you don’t mind me saying. Rarely have I ever seen them walk by again, wielding the weapon you have chosen for yourself.”

Raven smiled, amused by his words “The blade may be more simple to use and magic more destructive. But there is no arguing against a hole through the head.” He added, before glancing down at the crate “So…how do I?”

“Equip it? Gods be, why do you people always ask that question? You put it on of course! Over the clothing you have on you right now, and strap it together through the buckles.” The shopkeeper explained with amused amazement in his tone “That piece has been specifically made for your Racial form. An don’t worry about shifting, I know from seeing friends that your race’s magic will make due.”

“Shifting?...” Raven asked as he put the crate down and began strapping on the armour, starting with the long vambraces and continuing inwards before moving downwards.

“Ye know…” The shopkeeper offered before seeing Raven’s perplexed expression “Gods be…Change! When you shape shift? Ye know, Werewolves to wolves, Mer to fishes?”

“Oh…we can actually do that?” Raven was surprised, he expected it to be a high-level skill or spell that let him do so. Maybe even it being the hidden spec everyone is keeping from him.

“Bah, not entirely no. Ye start out with small shifts, like moving ye feathers aside. I don’t actually know the details though…” The NPC admitted.

“I see…” Raven mumbled as he finished equipping the armour to himself (“Could shifting be it?...But then what about the other races? Hell what about Humans?”) he sighed, still confused and undecided on the problem.

The shopkeeper looked him up and down “Well fits ye right. Be heading to the Delves now I be guessing?”

“Yeah, I’d like to get an understanding of actual combat as soon as possible.” Raven responded as he checked the tightness of his leather pants, they fit perfectly.

“Well off you go then Conqueror! If ye come by any questions about archery, leatherworking or woodworking I’ll still be here.” The shopkeeper told him while showing him out.

Raven nodded gratefully as he headed out, glancing back before leaving fully. Seeing the NPC walk back inside he remembered he never actually checked their status.

{Holy Alliance} Retired Grandmaster Ranger Sern Viper [Level 75] (NPC)

Discordia had just finished her first quest and gathered her equipment, deciding to stay true to her previous characters and wield the Pole-axe alongside half-chain plate armour. What she could never comprehend about these games was just why female characters ended up wearing…less than effective body coverage for armour.

She wore a chain covered leather hood that was connected to a short leather sleeveless-shirt, over which patches of chain were embedded protecting her shoulders, back, neck and ample breasts. Over her arms she only had chain vambraces protecting her lower arm but full metal gauntlets protecting her hands.

On her lower body she wore what could only be described as a plate-armour miniskirt, protecting her waist and above her knees. From her knees and below she wore leather straps covered in chain similar to her vambraces while for shoes she wore full metal boots.

She could see several issues with the armour, firstly her belly was completely unprotected and the muscles above her knees were entirely open for attack.

Yet somehow she knew it wouldn’t be a problem, the full plate version after all seemingly protected those places but offered similarly…deadly openings such as little neck protection, easy to pierce belly plating and joint connections where a blade could easily sneak into. It was also much heavier and more complicated to move around with.

This game though seemed to be prideful of its realism to combat, as even the male versions were the same. As in the full plate was heavy and frustrating to move in…and the half-chain was similarly skimpy.

To which Discordia had little to argue against, unless it was a Dwarf wearing it…That was an image she didn’t want to remember.

Shaking her head to forget that nightmarish image, she looked up to see the Delve’s entrance before her. Dozens of NPC guards stood on either side, some staring at her while others glanced around attentively. This was where the monsters lay, and she knew from videos and streams she had watched that it was not just any other RPG experience.

Action and Gore were among the game’s main genres after all. Albeit one could turn gore off…Which she had at first but now Discordia felt somewhat brave, turning it on and preparing herself to enter the cavern.

“Here goes…something.” She mumbled to herself, before stepping inside. She found herself looking down at a long winding stone staircase, wide steps allowing for several people to descend and ascend at the same time. Torches lined the descent, lighting the way for her as she moved down.

Suddenly as she stepped around the first wind of the staircase, the world blurred around her before setting back. Now finding herself at the bottom of the staircase and staring at it in confusion “Well…magical elevator, who would have known?” She mused with raised brows, before turning around.

Discordia’s eyes widened fully as her jaw loosened, as she stared off into the Delve.

The cavern that lay before her was the largest opening in the ground she had ever seen in her life, real, digital or virtual. It was so vast that if someone told her she was staring at the planet’s hollow inside, she would fully believe it. Yet she knew this was only a single floor, and only one section of it at that. Who knew how many more caverns of this width lay beneath the different cities, and how many more of the same height lay below even those.

With a ceiling of stone the walls were instead made of a light green crystal that glowed brightly filling the cavern with yellowish light. The ground on the other hand was a mixture of violet dirt and strangely fluorescent green grass.

Discordia figured she was at the very edge of this Delve, and somewhere at the other corners were the corridors. She couldn’t even fathom the distance before her though, unable to exactly tell as the terrain was something other than flat. Not only hills but even tall mountains rose within the Delve. While from the ceiling and the walls, grew out long winding paths made of the same green crystal. Some of the crystal paths descended down into the ground, while others ended abruptly mid-air.

Currently before her lay a vast open field, far off in the distance changing gradually into a hilly forest of strange trees with green barks and leaves glowing violet. Beyond the forest were mountains of stone with glowing green crystal laying in clusters about the surface, seemingly in a random fashion.

It was a strange scenery, alien almost compared to the world above. Yet still beautiful, as the light produced by the ever-present crystals reflected off the seemingly smooth stone of the mountain. Flooding down upon the fluorescent forest and creating a sort of aurora effect above.

Discordia smiled widely as she witnessed the scenery, this was it. This was what she loved about these games. Not the action, not the story or the complex systems. It was the world, she lived to see these worlds.

But still she sighed, saddened albeit the wonderful view. Saddened as she watched it alone, and not alongside her old guild who she missed so much.

She watched the scenery for a few more moments before moving on and out into the grasslands, as the tall strange vegetation lay still around her. Not a single breath of wind to be felt. Looking around Discordia saw a few players walking about in groups of six, parties she guessed.

The players were threading around carefully, weapons ready as they glanced around the grass. Looking, awaiting for something.

When suddenly it happened. The grass on one side of them elongated and rose, entangling around itself to become thicker before whipping about. The thick vine of glowing vegetation lunged at them, as they quickly evaded out of the way.

But one was too slow, as the massive vine slammed down over him. A warrior Discordia thought, catching a brief glimpse of his equipment before the vine crushed him. The sound of something large and heavy slamming into the ground resounded, alongside metal and flesh being crushed and squished.

She watched, horrified as the vine untangled and spread out. Blood still falling off, it grabbed at the others who had escaped the first strike.

“Scary aren’t they?” asked a Player from behind her, as she turned to face the speaker. Not having noticed them or the other three party members at all.

“Uh…what are they?” Discordia asked as she looked the players up and down, two warriors, a mage and a rogue. All four male.

“Strangler mimics.” The mage responded, as he eyed her back. A sketchy smirk plastered on his face. “They hide in the grass, waiting for their prey to pass by before suddenly striking. They strangle less than their name implies…”

“So you looking for a party, Disc-ordia?” The first player asked, as he tried to read her name properly “We’ve been waiting for a fourth and fifth member for a while but, only smug guild members and high levels have passed by.” He then gestured at the parties already out hunting “Then those guys are full.”

Discordia thought over his offer briefly, as he sent her the party request. (“I don’t like how that mage is looking at me but…the others don’t seem bad.”) “Yeah…sure.”

TalonT has invited you to a party.

Accept?

Decline?

Block?

She accepted the request.

You have joined TalonT’s party!

“Awesome! At least now we can try something less annoying than those damn Stranglers.” Talon announced as he turned to the others “What you all wanna try? The Dires or Chaos Slitters?”

“Dires…” mumbled out the Rogue, the other two nodded in agreement.

“Bah, pussies.” Talon waved them off before turning back to Discordia “We’re already level 5 so you can piggyback us all the way to the Direbeasts, at least they are a straight up fight and not this ambush crap.”

“Y-Yeah…sure.” (“Hey…could be worse right?”) Discordia told herself as she glanced at the still going on fight, as the Strangler finally was brought under control by the party’s two tanks who began hacking its tentacles off (“I could have ended up solo…”)

She turned back to her new party “Yeah, let’s do it.” She said, this time with more conviction.

“Right this way then.” Talon told everyone, before leading the way towards the forest. They followed the cavern’s crystal wall, Discordia figured it was to evade the mimics. She followed, Talon and the other warrior ahead of her while the rogue and the mage lacked back behind them.

She didn’t think much of it, the less armoured players usually stood behind ‘Tankier’ fighters like herself. Yet she did feel a chill crawl up her spine at the thought of that mage walking behind her…She wholefully disliked creeps like him.

They walked until reaching the forest’s edge, the tree’s curling green branches and violet glowing leaves now starting to surround them. “Keep your eyes peeled, the trick on these is to see them before they see us. They’re big so it shouldn’t be hard.” Talon told her without glancing back.

Discordia did so, glancing around intently. Unbeknownst to her, what she should have been wary of wasn’t far off. Several moments of them walking through the ever-thickening forest went on, until she couldn’t hear the sounds of combat from the field anymore. Magic was quite loud as it turned out.

Certain types of magic were at least, as the slow green flash of energy that sneaked out of the mage’s finger was quieter than a mouse. As it found its way to Discordia’s back, before suddenly flashing brightly and exploding outwards in a wave of electricity. The energy surged through her body, numbing her sense of touch as she found herself falling to the ground.

She was paralyzed, unable to move, unable to speak. Barely able to feel as she glanced to her side, seeing that her party members were…surrounding her.

“Hah, too easy.” mocked Talon, as he grabbed her by the arms and turned her over. He was grinning widely, an expression nothing like the friendly smile he previously showed.

The mage chuckled as he crouched down next to her “I get first.” He grabbed her by the cheeks, moving her face left to right as he licked his lips.

Discordia was confused (“What…what is going on?”) she asked herself, as her paralyzed expression showed none of the fear she was currently feeling.

“Hey man two of them don’t need to be operational to work out, groups of two as we agreed. Switch around alright?” The rogue added as he grimaced down at the mage.

“Yeah yeah, just keep watch damnit.” The mage waved him off, the rogue and other warrior spread out to do so.

Discordia tried to speak but found that only moaning jibberish came out, her vocal cords were operational but her mouth and tongue were most definitely disabled just as the rest of her body.

“Yo help me strip her.” The mage told Talon who had crouched down opposite of him, Discordia laying limp in their midst.

That single sentence made her finally realise just what she had gotten herself into, as the chilling horror of the moment filled her entirely. As the two players stripped off her armour then clothing, she moved through trying to struggle, onto sheer panic as she couldn’t even do that.

Discordia was in denial, in disbelief as she moved around the only thing she could. Looking around with her still working eyes, she was petrified by fear as they began unbuckling their own pants. As she lay bare naked before them, even though it wasn’t her true body she still couldn’t accept it.

These men, less so in her mind. These barbarians…were about to rape her.

Denial, turned to hollow acceptance as they roughly moved down on her…As the two men pulled her limp body up into position. As she saw his face from her new elevation, as they held her up. Talon’s maddened eyes were filled with lust.

Right before an arrow pierced through the back of his neck, the arrowhead protruding out of the throat it ripped through. Splattering blood all over Discordia’s face. And changing Talon's gaze of lust, into confusion. His eyes shaking with terror as he met hers, now full of hope.