If I had known…

Oh, yes, I’ve crossed the lake.

After all, it was not that hard…

Yes, I even learned how to swim.

Just that!

And I even made new friends!

Even a beautiful girl.

Yes…

Well, water was good.

It was at least it.

I don’t really like my body.

I don’t really like water too.

And I undressed once more, as Emile was ready to keep my clothes.

And… hop! My 90 kilos in the water.

I have maybe not finished to grow, but I already reached 1m80.

A water in the water, and another one, and it’s a little Jules in underpants that is walking on the bottom of the lake.

Up to the point where I couldn’t walk any more, it was too deep.

So far, a few fishes went to tickle my legs, but it was OK.

The Offenburg lake is a place where one cannot find monsters, normally, so I thought I had nothing to fear.

“Knight Gandock, what do I do, now?”

“You just have to swim, I will show you how.”

In an instant, he had removed his boots, his skirt, his pants and was also in underpants.

The body of Gandock was filled with scars.

The most impressive was on his pectorals, left side.

A scratch from a big animal, that no one would like to encounter without being prepared.

And… plouf!

Gandock had done the big dive, and swam underwater without surfacing during 5, 10… 30 seconds…

He emerged on the other side of the lake and told me:

“Beware, Watrila is coming!”

A shadow drove me underwater...

***

I got panicked.

The Alter Life system takes everything into account for an optimal game experience.

So there is no risk to die suffocating in the capsule.

This being said, there is no zero-risk situation.

If someone stops breathing, even if it’s in the game, it will have an influence on the real body.

Maybe not immediately, but when the person will be back in the real world, if he thinks back of his in-game experience, he risks to lack air, and might as well suffocate, even with enough air around him.

For the sleeping part, there is not too much risk.

With all the technological and medecine progress, Sleep Apnea is well taken care of, and a lot of other health issue by checking all the time cardiac rhythm, number of breath per minute, pressure…

But if someone block its respiration, there are only a few minutes to act before he dies.

Even one minute is sometime enough to deal irreversible damages.

That’s why it’s possible to breath normally underwater in Alter Life, with an air bubble appearing in front of the mouth as soon as the head goes underwater.

Drove by a force that gripped both of my legs and making me fall behind in the water, I was surprised to realize that I could breath really well.

It was the first time I saw that well underwater, it was beautifull, but I was too scary to enjoy the moment.

A creature halfway between a young girl and a dolphin was turning around me after having released me and having helped me going back to the surface because I wasn’t reacting.

“Hello, you!”

***

I took a deep breath, which was a little bit stupid, as I had not the feeling of lacking air during my time underwater.

“Hey, what’s your name, you?”

“Wow, are you crazy! Do you often put people you don’t know underwater?”

“But, Gangan told me I could play with you!”

I looked on the other side of the bank, only to see Gandock knight bursting out laughing, soon surrounded by two creatures that looked like lot the one next to me.

“So, little son of man? You’re not listening when I tell you that you have visit?”

“You didn’t tell me anything!”

“Watrila, did I, yes or no, announce you?”

“Of course!”

Dots connected in my head.

“You are Watrila?”

“Of course, once again! And there, it’s my two best friends, Ryuseimar and Nuteroa. Come on, guys!”

The two aquatic creatures put their head underwater and raced in our direction.

In no time, they were re-emerging next to me.

“I am Ryuseimar, and him, it’s Nuteroa. We are undines, like Watrila. You, what are you called?”

“Me, I’m Jules. I just arrived in Alter Life.”

And at this moment, I saw the most surprising possible reaction, at least the one I could least expect from the moment I arrived in this virtual world…

“Alter Life? Never heard. What is it…”

Both of the two other undines seemed not to understand either...

***

In Alter Life, there are two kinds of characters to put it simply: human people embodying a character, those are players from the real world; and non-player characters, or NPC, that have an AI.

Peter the butler is an NPC, as well as my three new friends, the undines, or as the old man I met when I arrived in Offenburg.

Gandock and Emile seem to be NPC, but they know very well what Alter Life is as they told me about it first…

When a player talks to a character born in-game about Alter Life, he doesn’t understand what he is talking about, as they live in a beliefs system including the fact that people can appear from nowhere, just like that.

“Jules uses the métempsuksôsis. It’s normal that he speaks weirdly. He has come to become my squire, thanks to lady Priscilla.”

“Gangan, are you telling me that Pripri the kitty promised you an apprentice?”

“Better than an apprentice, a squire, but only the time during which métempsukhôsis works. After that, he will go away, so enjoy the time you spend with him!”

Why do I have the feeling they are talking about me as if I were not here?

“Hey, Watrila, who are Gangan and Pripri?”

“Well, Gangan, it’s my best human friend, your knight, there. And Pripri, it’s an exasperating hair fur…”

“Faith of Ryuseimar, a cat-woman, it’s really annoying. Gangan calls her Lady Priscilla, but between us, it’s only Pripri, it’s more cool!”

Wait… what?

My aunty Priscy sent me to a world where everyone knows her, and where she is taken as a cat-woman?

What is that story!

***

After having counted up to 10 doing the plank, I turned around and began to make the moves that my new friends are showing me.

Nuteroa supports me a little bit to help me swimming, when Ryuseimar shows me the moves and as Watrila gives me a bunch of advice on the posture and the breathing.

I just begin to understand the breaststroke moves when I arrive on the bank, next to Gandock.

I hope I will remember everything if I have one day to swim in the real world.

After all, virtual reality was first developed for training: it’s way easier to learn by doing and watching than by listening or reading…

“That’s it, challenge complete!”

“It’s a good thing, the first of the 8 steps to become officially my squire. We take a break as I need to swim, it’s excellent for a good vitality. Any knight has to be able to take a huge amount of blows, and also to carry very heavy items. For this, the best, it’s good big muscles!”

“Me, I am very muscled! Tihihi!”

Watrila is an undine is a graceful form, she seems frail, fragile…

“But, you don’t seem to be that muscled...”

“You think so? You want to challenge me? The first one to see orange as he is punched by Ryu or Nut has lost. You choose the one to beat you, they are about as fast and as strong.”

Gandock intervene:

“Take care! He has just arrived. Even with simple punches, you can easily put him on a KO.”

But Jules told:

“I take on the challenge!”