Natalie sighed in relief, she had managed to complete all her tasks again. She was mentally exhausted, she closed down the work command station. Then setting an alarm for 10am she slipped into real sleep under her virtual trees. A couple of hours later, she woke to the persistent chirping of the alarm.

"Logout please, Sam." She said.

Climbing out of the pod, she was conscious of how hungry she was, so shower, something to eat. Maybe a walk after that or gardening, to reset her brain from the constant VR. Two hours later Natalie, climbed back into her pod. Refreshed, looking forward to trying her first ever VR game.

"Sam bring Freedom online please" Natalie said.

She sat and thought about what she wanted to do in the game, anything was suppose to be possible. There was no information about exactly what you could do. She would just have a look, if it came down to it, she could always ask her brothers. They seem to know a bit about the game in some arcane, weird way.

"Freedom is online Natalie" announced her AI.

"Thank you Sam," Natalie was tingling with excitement. "Log me in please and be on standby."

Everything went dark, she found herself back in the avatar creation room, only this time she was the avatar. The mirror was gone, in its place was a doorway, it looked like any other conventional doorway. Until the words started to appear on it.

Welcome Traveller

Please take a few minutes to get use to your new body, once you are sure you can handle it with ease enter Freedom by this door.

Natalie moved around a bit as instructed, she found that her balance was off a bit. It was a little hard to control, that large fluffy tail, she had given herself. She didn't know what to do with it and it kept wagging, which threw her balance off even further.

After practicing for a good twenty minutes, she could move around, that tail was still a bother. She wondered if it was a mistake have made herself a dog avatar. She decided even if I haven't started yet, changing now would be losing the time she had used, to make this avatar.

Natalie moving to the door, there was a cold wash of sensations over her body. A bright flash as she went through, Natalie found herself, in a green field of tall wavy grass. She looked around in amazement. Even though she was used to the feeling of VR, this took her by surprise, it felt so real. She could feel a breeze ruffling, the fur on her arms, legs and head. The warmth of the sun over head, she could smell the grass, dirt and some small animal a few feet away. Wait an animal? Smell it? Did that mean the doggy nose, she now had actually worked like a real dogs nose? She giggled as images of herself with her nose to the ground, her tail waving in the air. As she followed a good scent entered her mind.

She looked around again, one side of the large field was a forest. Not an overly friendly looking one, it was crowded with bushes, tangled vines and underbrush. To the other side was a road and beyond that a fence. That blocked off more fields, like the one she was currently standing in.

Natalie looked back at the field before her, she could see houses of some kind ahead. she could also see other players, appearing, all over the field. Some standing like she was, just looking, others moving towards the village.

Natalie decided to approach the village, she was looking at the other avatars. There were quite a few humans, but also a good balance of avatars like hers. Although none of them looked as fluffy or cute, like her avatar did. She shrugged their loss and grinned. Natalie was delighted to see her grin, translated to an open mouthed panting action, just like a dog would do. Natalie knew she was being silly, not treating her first game, seriously.

The village was bustling with NPC's, they were going about, busy with their lives. She notice they warily eyed the influx of players, coming into the village, especially the beastkin like her. Most of the villagers seem to be human, here and there she spotted a beastkin, or some other race, such as dwarfs,elves and gnomes.

The village was open, it had no wall around it, in fact she could see no defenses at all. There were a few guards walking around the village, but that was all.

Natalie continued walking down the main street. The town had a medieval look about it, the houses were made of half mortared stone up to the window height. Then continued with wood, the roof which was thatched. Hung low down the walls, it was very appealing, in a rough sort of way.

She stopped at the other side, turned around looking back, nothing had pointed her in a direction. There was nothing she could see that offered her a clue, as to how to begin. Maybe she should ask one of the NPC's? Or maybe watch another player, to see how they tackled this issue.

Hmmm yes that might work she decided, another player was more likely very experienced at gaming. Natalie turned around slowly began walking back into the town. Soon she was level with the blacksmith, she had seen him working at his forge on the way down. She could see a player, standing near the smith, asking him to teach him the trade.

The Blacksmith was a dwarf, she smiled of course he would be, weren't all dwarves? He had stopped bashing his hammer onto a half formed horse shoe. He used tongs to pick up the piece of metal, turning, he thrust it back into the fire. Then turning back to look at the player.

"What makes you think I am willing to teach the trade, to a complete stranger, that just walks in and asks?" He demanded while glaring at the player.

This seemed to take the player by surprise, it was obviously not the response he was expecting.

"Master Blacksmith," he began again. But before he got very far the smith interrupted him.

"I am not Master Blacksmith," he rumbled with a scowl on his face, clearly getting more annoyed by the minute. "I am a smith by name of Brethan. Now be off, I have no need for idle strangers, that think blacksmithing can be taught in a week."

The player seemed about to try arguing. But backed down prudently, when the smith lifting his hammer, took a threatening step towards him. The player walked away, heading towards a group standing a bit further down. Natalie followed, but kept an eye on the still irritated smith, as she walked by. After glaring around for a bit, the smith returned to bashing on the horse shoe.

Moving closer to the group, she could see they were all players, she could hear them complaining to each other about the game. How it seemed to be very hard, to get any sort of NPC to talk civilly to them. To get one of them to teach them a trade, or how to hold a sword seemed impossible.

Natalie thought about it for a second, replaying in her mind what she had seen. She realised the player had been to self assured, as if the outcome had already been decided. The smith was a lucky individual, to have been chosen for that honour. She sniggered softly to herself, yeah that wasn't going to work.

She moved over to the side of a building and sat down, now her brothers had mentioned that one of the things in this game that was different from the rest. Was an inventory that was three sizes bigger, then all the other games.

To access it, all she had to do was think "inventory" as she did that, a large pale grey box appeared in front of her. Natalie smiled, sitting in her inventory was some bread. A bit of cheese and a stack of water flasks. At the bottom, there was a little spot with eight spaces, two of which were holding 2 silver coins and 50 copper coins.

She took one of the flasks of water, she had notice the dwarf seemed thirsty. Which was understandable, with the heat that was blasting out of the forge. Quietly, she approached the smith, holding out the flask.

"Sir?" She said softly, her tail wagging gently behind her. "Would you like a drink of water? It seems very hot in there."

The Smith glanced up at her, a scowl forming once more. But stopped, when he set eyes on the cutest little beastkin, he had ever seen.

"yeah thank you girl" he mumbled, wondering what this little tactic, was going to cost him. So he was surprised, when the little white beastkin deposited the water flask in his hands. Then turned around and left.

Natalie chuckled to herself, he was so surprised he hadn't even taken a drink yet. She smiled and continued further down the street, she would come back later. She hoped to at least have him in a reasonable mood to talk, by the time she was done with him. As she passed the other players, one of them snorted.

"What did you hope to gain from that? Now you are out one of your water flasks." he said.

"He was thirsty, it costs very little to be kind," she smile at the player,continuing on down the street.

She left the town, moving out into the field again. Natalie had notice a woman in the town, working in a shop with some flowers, she remembered seeing those flowers in the field.

After a bit of searching, she found a good sized patch, it took her ten minutes to harvest some of them. She was careful not to take them all, it had been difficult for some reason. Just to get the ones she had, without destroying them. Natalie had never had so much trouble, picking flowers before.

She wasn't certain yet, how resources in this game, renewed if they even did. She remembered a reality show on a game, she had followed in the past, they had made all resources limited. Once you pulled all from an area, they never came back. You had to leave a small amount behind, for respawn recovery.

She placed the flowers into her inventory, sat down for a bit, to take a drink, then eat some bread and cheese. Under the warm sun, that had been hot work. Once she recovered, she walked back to the village, found the shop with a flower sign and walked in. The woman was standing with her back to the counter working at a mortar and pestle.

"Excuse me," Natalie said. The woman turned around and looked at her, Natalie quickly put a friendly smile on her face.

"Do you have any use for these flowers in your work?" She continued politely. The woman looked at the pile of flowers Natalie had placed on the counter.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," she answered. "I had just run out of sundaisys, let me see if any you have, are worth my time, they can be spoiled easily if not harvested properly."

Natalie held her breath, hoping that at least some of the flowers, were going to be useful. She watched the woman separate the flowers into two piles, the smaller pile was closer to the shop keeper.

"Your harvest skills, could do with some work girl" she stated when she was done. "But at least some of these are useful."

"I'm sorry," Natalie said quietly. " I don't have a harvesting skill, but I did try very hard, not to damage them."

"What is your name girl?" the shop keeper asked.

"Na.. umm err, Crystal" Natalie replied just in time remembering her avatars name. The shop keeper raised an eyebrow, at her response, but didn't comment on it.

"Well, Crystal the skill of harvesting flower herbs, is call Herbalist." she told her. "It is gained by doing it, not by someone teaching you. So you will damage many a good herb, before you gain the skill itself, practice is all you need."

Natalie's eyes widened as the impact of that information settled in. Before she had finished absorbing that news the lady placed 15 copper onto the counter near her.

"Here you go, that's for the undamaged ones," she told her. "go out into the fields and forest, gather any plant you can find, that seems useful to you. If they are something I can use and not to damaged, I will buy them."

"Thank you" Natalie said, she quickly gathered up the copper, leaving the shop, very happy over what had happened. Now she had work to do, smiling, she skipped out into the field to find more flowers.