In 207X, the entertainment industry shifted away from focusing on movies and television and plowing headlong into the creation of Full Immersion Virtual Reality. While there were many attempts to make a portable dive suit as a way of reaching more consumers, none truly succeeded until SimulTech created the SynTake, or the Synaptic Intake Drive.

Consisting of a small implant placed on the portion of the brain between the limbic system and the thalamus, the SynTake allows users to intercept the sensory input and output flow of the brain and create a fully immersive virtual experience.

Players were able to utilize the SynTake to virtually interact anywhere across the world at any time, so long as who they were communicating with accepted the call. While there were many industrial applications for this product, SimulTech’s developers refused to allow it to be developed for military use, preferring to prioritize entertainment over weaponization.

The industrial applications of the SynTake made it so that essentially every job required an implant to find work. Applications were endless, even marketing companies would use the SynTake device for telecommunications. Software developers could code and render their engines in real time without ever having to plug in extra monitors or screens.

As a result of the variety of uses, SimulTech’s FIVR system took the world by storm, quickly becoming the fastest selling consumer and industrial technology in the world.

Despite this, the dangers of a FIVR system were continuously monitored by governments, fearing that in the near and fast-approaching future, users of the SynTake and similar technologies could potentially be trapped inside.

Ignoring their warnings, game development studios jumped at the chance to create games with full immersion capability. The more limited forms of Virtual Reality had already built them a strong and loyal player base, with competitive E-Sports taking over television faster than traditional sports could keep up, shifting the world’s economy to focus on the physically safer, more expansive sports within the FIVR umbrella.

By 209X, SimulTech’s gaming department, the Volund Studios, created a new game, Experia Online. Attracting players of all types with the promise of full immersion, mysterious enemies and new twists on classic RPG classes, Experia Online’s release brought in over 50,000 unique people into a new virtual world.

*****

Aiden James woke up in the morning to the smell of coffee brewing on his kitchen counter, rubbing his green eyes to wipe away the sleep.

His brown hair was messy, slightly scraggly with small sand-colored streaks. Aiden’s chin was lightly stubbled, with a thin jawline and light pink lips a shade darker than his normal, pale skin. From his looks, you could tell he didn’t get out in the sun very often.

Every morning, the same things happened in the same order. Wake up. Coffee. Get dressed. Go to work. Come home.

Then his real life began, diving into game after game and earning a legendary status as a master player. Known as “Tripper” to the competitive gaming scene, Aiden had been able to win competition after competition in the computer E-Sports league through a combination of cleverness and quick reflexes.

After conquering every type of competition there was from console to computer in shooters, strategy games and turn-based card games, Tripper had begun looking for a new experience. While his best friend and teammate Zack had been pushing him to pick up Full Immersion gaming for the chance to conquer new worlds, Tripper had avoided them, afraid of losing track of which world would be real, the one he was in now, or the one he would play in.

Eventually though, he ran out of games to challenge him. No MMO or RPG could keep up with the demand and player base of the new FIVR games and Zack, known as ZmantS, had finally convinced him to look into buying a SynTake add-on for FIVR games.

Now after work, a monotonous day of simply performing financial trades, Tripper would be buying his first full immersion game. The local game shop, Blaster’s, opened late, catering its hours to players who lived on a work schedule. The plan was for Zack to meet Tripper at the shop to help him pick out some games and the FIVR set, then head home to hop online together and start trying out different games until Tripper had a feel for the experience.

As 5:00PM rolled by, Tripper punched his time sheet on his work computer and headed to his car. The drive was quick and when he got to Blaster’s, Zack was already waiting there for him. He waved excitedly and as he rushed over to where Tripper had parked, the lights for the store’s open sign came on, flashing colors and blinking in different patterns.

The two friends walked inside, with Zack alternately pushing and dragging Tripper inside to go look at the SynTake displays.

“Come on Trip, hurry up or they’re going to sell out for the day! Also, my sister is coming,” Zack teased.

“Shut up Z, there’s nobody else even here yet. Why are you in such a rush?” Tripper asked.

“Because no matter what, you’re gonna get this game I’ve been playing in beta. It’s awesome. But first we need to get you to just test out a couple of the other ones so you can get used to the system.” Z explained.

Shelves full of games filled the walls and aisles of the store, but a special ring formed around the SynTake display with a collection of only the most premium games they had for it, quality being the driving factor in which games were most popular.

A few minutes into staring at the rows of plastic and metal boxes, Z was still tapping on Tripper’s shoulders excitedly as he steered him toward where the game he wanted was. A big display with a medieval castle dominated the sales floor, with small animated characters flying around, flinging spells and swinging swords catching Tripper’s eyes.

EXPERIA ONLINE brought to you by VOLUND STUDIOS arced over the walls of the castle, a golden sword splitting the logo in half.

“Is this it, man?” Tripper asked.

“You bet! It comes out live tonight dude! We’ve gotta get you on. Beta’s been great but this is gonna be the top title for the year, definitely GotY material.”

“Do you think I could try it too?” a girl asked.

Z turned around and started laughing. “Hey sis, what’s up?”

Rachel, Z’s younger sister, walked over timidly, excited but also nervous. “Hey Aiden, how’s it going?”

“Things are good. Your crazy brother finally convinced me to try this out.” Tripper said.

“Well, if it’s gonna be the three of us instead of two, we’ll have to do challenge mode,” Z said.

“Challenge mode?” Rachel asked, worried.

Tripper sighed, “Basically, no prep games to practice with the system first, we’re just going to jump right into the game he wants us all to play together.”

“It’ll be worth it, I promise. The game is so realistic it’s unreal.”

“Fine, let’s do it,” Rachel and Tripper both answer.

Tripper and Rachel bought the game and then all three headed home. The server was set to go live at midnight the next day.

When he got home, Tripper set up the SynTake for Experia Online, letting it calibrate based off of his physical form. Once ready, he set a timer for midnight and made some food.

“I should have enough time to play for a while and still sleep before work tomorrow,” Tripper said to himself.

Just before midnight, Tripper layed down in his bed and activated the SynTake system. In the virtual menus, he chose Experia Online, and his vision temporarily darkened before a new world appeared before his eyes.

Tripper lightly landed on the ground of a simple, grassy hill. The green of the field looked as real to him as any lawn or grass he’d seen on Earth. He looked down at his body, noting how accurate the calibration settings of the SynTake had been, getting everything from his slightly bony frame to the small amounts of freckles on his arms.

He took his first step into the new world of Experia Online, feeling the weight of gravity just as if he were still in his own home. The sky was a darker shade of blue as the sun rose above him. Walking up the hill slowly to get his bearings, his feet sunk slightly into the grass and soil, his bare feet gripping into it like he would do as a child.

Pausing for a moment, he wiggled his toes, crunching blades of grass. He knelt down, flecks of dirt and grime already on his toenails and the edges of his feet. Finally going to the top of the hill, Tripper looked out over the countryside.

The land was full of gently rolling hills, with some small cottages popping up over the landscape with tracts of farmland stretching out and past the horizon. The blue sky continued to brighten as he looked out over the land. In the distance, a large castle rose up above the farms and towns dotting the landscape. There was a small amount of smoke gently piping upward from the taller parapets and towers.

Behind the castle, a deep and dark green forest could just barely be seen, receding down below, where Tripper couldn’t quite see past.

A low-volume beeping caught his attention and the game’s menu popped up.

[Welcome to Experia Online, adventurer. Please enter your username and begin character creation.]

He entered his typical name, “Tripper,” and proceeded to character creation. Presumably, Rachel would be completing the same process now, the hill likely served as the only single-player portion of the game as a way to help the server initialize the player’s settings.

Once the username was entered, a new menu faded into his view similar to a HUD from other games. Transparent, blue-green tinted tiles formed the windows to pick classes, with short descriptions of each one accompanying a preview of how he would look for each option.

Every class also had two options for specialization, making the subclasses give the game more variety for different play styles. At level 10, the subclasses would open up and Tripper would be able to choose which one he wanted, so he had to keep the subclasses in mind when choosing his initial character type. Next to each class was a small counter displaying the percentage of players who had chosen them.

The first class was the classic Knight.

The Knight A melee warrior, skilled in one-handed with shield, dual-wielding or two-handed heavy weapons combat, the Knight class is a paragon of strength and warrior might. Upon reaching Level 10, two routes open for an adventurer to choose their destiny. Wolf Knight Embodying the chaos of battle and fate itself, the Wolf Knight is one of resolve. Wielding strong two-handed weapons such as a hammer, mace or longsword, the Wolf Knight channels the blind rage of combat and owes allegiance to the Furies, gaining power at the cost of corrupt magic to give strength to his sword arm. With abilities that carry a high risk for high reward, blitz attacks and medium armor are yours to command. Hallowed Knight A warrior of righteousness and grace, the Hallowed Knight is filled with the power of Divine Light. Hallowed Knight skills are aided by holy magic, specializing in a combination of heavy and medium armor and optional use of either a shield or dual-wielded weapons. The Hallowed Knight is a master tactician, employing healing spells and precise strikes to earn favor with the Gods themselves.

While the Knight class sounded interesting, Tripper didn’t quite feel that their style was something he’d enjoy. He moved on to the next option, the Preserver, a support class.

The Preserver A skilled healing and support class, the Preserver uses a combination of healing spells, auras and music to carry their allies to victory. At Level 10, two melodies form, allowing the adventurer to choose their Life Song. Cleric More than just a healer or shield bearer, the Cleric combines magic with music to quickly combat enemies while providing health and mana to allies. Holy damage powers their attacks while ancient songs provide stamina and healing. Armed with a choice of stave or sword, the Cleric may also choose shield or flute, playing soft melodies or blocking attacks to better aid their comrades. Bard A master of song and auras, the Bard specializes in group heals and buffs while dealing damage cast through music from afar. Favoring range and speed, the Bard may choose between lute, guitar, violin and other instruments scattered through the realms to augment their battle prowess. The Bard wears light to medium armor and may not equip heavy armor or other metal-based clothes. Divine Songs grant the Bard increased mana and health regeneration, allowing them to support their allies through battles great and small.

Looking over the options for the Preserver, Tripper wasn’t very enthusiastic. Never much of a musician, the heavy reliance on music in combat just didn’t fit his style.

Next was the Summoner class, a mage with powers based on damage over time skills and summoning of creatures and spirits to aid in combat.

The Summoner Guided by the magic of other worlds, the Summoner is able to summon allies from the Great Beyond to fight with them. Choosing from creatures found in the world or spirits and beasts from the next, the Summoner combines skills with damage over time and a constant flow of summoned partners to conquer battles. At Level 10, two paths open, allowing the Summoner to choose between Lord Death or Lady Gaia to channel their powers. Necromancer The first thing a Necromancer knows is that Death comes for us all. Choosing to summon twisted creatures and haunting spirits, the Necromancer channels death itself to fight their enemies. Becoming a Necromancer means becoming one shard of the Crystal Veil, aiding their master in maintaining the balance. Druid Druids are the favored of the Earth, becoming one with Nature. Combining the strength of the forest and the swiftness of the wind, Druids are able to channel one of the three aspects of the wild: the Bear, the Snake or the Owl. Choosing one of these Aspects increases the Druid’s strength, agility or wisdom.

While more fun than he was expecting for the Summoner class to be, Necromancers were too gross and creepy for Tripper and Druids seemed a bit too much of a hippie class for him. He continued browsing the classes and their variants, moving onto the Archer class.

The Archer For an adventurer who wants to stay in the shadows or hit their enemies from afar, the Archer class is the only true option. Boasting the longest strike range for attacks and high level of precision and critical strike chance, the Archer can choose to wield a longbow or dual crossbows. At Level 10, the Archer may choose to embrace darkness or tame the shadows. Assassin Speed, versatility and service to the dark and beautiful Lady Night. Choosing the role of the Assassin is to walk a darker path. Specializing in fast-paced combat and high range, the Assassin utilizes dual crossbows or throwing knives in combat, combining speed and skill to make quick work of anything standing in their way. Hunter To be a hunter is to see all, hear all, and walk with silence. Preferring the longbow over smaller, faster bows, the Hunter uses their long range skills to methodically and prolifically destroy their opponents. Kills are never wasted, with each death dealt by a Hunter granting tribute to the divine.

Shadows and stealth? Now that sounded closer to what Tripper liked to use when he played MMOs. Still, relying on bows and arrows meant he had to keep track of ammo and materials for crafting, something he didn’t want to do quite yet. Maybe if he made a second toon later on, the Archer would be a class he explored.

Only two classes left, both based in magic. Just his style, but with options for being more hands on. First, the Spellblade.

The Spellblade To be the Spellblade is to embrace the joining of magic and sword. Combining mage with warrior, the Spellblade uses the magic of chaos itself to fuel their power. Trained as knights but answering a deeper calling, the Spellblades breathe magic and rely on their swords to guide them. At Level 10, the Spellblade may choose a path of chaos and chance, or the call of divinity. Spellsword The Spellsword embodies not just the joining of mage and warrior, but the reality of chaos. Tapping into the magic that exists between worlds, Spellswords can see the fabric of reality and dimensions, aiding them in navigating the otherworld and giving them power over the different planes of existence. One part warrior, one part healer, one part fragment of the dimensional crystal, Spellswords are the most versatile fighters in Experia. Paladin Where one finds darkness, there must always be a light. No light is truer than the Paladin, a champion who emobides the strength of the the Divine Dragon Lucesmorn. Powered by holy magic and the Light itself, Paladins wield heavy defenses and heavier weapons, using their magic to heal, shield and shatter as needed.

The final class on the list was the Mage, a personal favorite of Tripper from his very first RPG. The Mage looked to be the go-to class for players seeking to challenge the world, based off of the pick-status displayed next to it. Tripper nearly picked it without looking over its features, but thought skipping it could be troublesome, so he dived into the descriptions.

The Mage Combining excessive damage with short cooldowns and superior mana regeneration, the Mage is a being of destruction and zone control. At Level 10, the Mage must choose to embody the strength of Oblivion or become one with the elements themselves. Striker The Striker Mage is a glass cannon, expending enormous amounts of energy and damage, but risking survival as a result. Accessing the elements themselves and channeling raw power, the Striker Mage flings spells quickly and with precision. Caster The Caster Mage is a master of patience, choosing to have damage that can affect great swathes of land or turn the tides themselves. Rather than having little health and high damage, the Caster channels the laws of nature, bringing resolute strength with their high areas of effect.

Unlike the other classes, Tripper only had to read through the menus once for the Mage. He could already see himself laughing wildly on the field of battle as he flung balls of fire or shards of ice at enemies. Deciding quickly, he finished making his character and the menus closed.

A timer started, counting down from ten seconds.

[Preparing Form] flashed across his vision, blinking with the countdown in his HUD. A mirror appeared before him as the timer finished, showing him in blue robes, with a perfect copy of his body wearing them.

Finally, the countdown finished and he stepped into the fields around the starting location, a town called Caladburgh. Some NPC guards stood watch at the city gates, but jumping up and down next to them were Z and Rachel, and one other player. Tripper approached quickly, a bright smile lighting up on Rachel’s face as her gamertag hovered over her head, “XRae.”

The other player was someone named “Jaggernaut,” and Z had chosen his usual name, “ZmantS.”

“Ready to get this show on the road?” Z asked.

“Yeah, but who’s this?” Tripper said.

“Oh! Right, this is Jag, met him in beta, he’s good people.”

Jag shoots finger guns and then bows all of the sudden. “Pleasure to meet you, oh noble one,” he snickers as he straightens back up.

Z wagged his eyebrows at Trip and the four head out into the forest to look for creature mobs to fight.