6 The World

We spent the afternoon touring about the town. Vane pointed out the weapons shops, apothecary, armour shops, restaurants, the tavern we stayed in, the fancier inn. The houses around the town were owned by players who decided to base here. We saw tons of players running about between the shops, hanging out in the square. Groups of friends gathered in the taverns, drinking and chatting away.

The cobblestone streets were uneven, but beautiful. The fading sunlight glimmered across them, and the sky was a faint pink. I had spent the day trying to memorize every corner of the layout of this town. Committing every shop and price and ware to memory. Vane tapped my arm and gestured down a side street, we walked along, I admired the trees and gardens, we walked down a row of neat brownstone houses. Finally, we reached a terrace of one of them, and he turned to the door. Pulling a key out of his pocket he placed it in the lock and twisted.

He pushed open the door to reveal an expansive, lavishly decorated anteroom. Off to the side was a living room, with a couch, table, fireplace and expensive artwork. There was a main staircase leading upstairs to a second floor. Directly in front of me I could see a hallway that led to a massive stainless-steel kitchen. I whistled.

"Wow," I said. Staring around me. He smiled and shrugged, running a hand through his silver hair.

"It's home." He said. "I couldn't bring you here last night, I didn't know if you were a serial killer yet." He laughed. I chuckled. If a beta player was killed in game, they'd just respawn at their beginning town.

"Hide your fine silver." I teased. He laughed.

"Please, you're a DPS, with how low your stealth skill is, I'd see you from across the town stealing." I smiled and sat down on one of his finely upholstered couches, placing my sword against the wall at the entrance of the room.

"This is a really nice place; it must have taken you ages to save up for it." I questioned, with a raised brow. He tilted his head to the side and smiled.

"I've been in the game for a few years now, even before launch. Money has never really been an obstacle." I frowned. His wealth reeked from the walls of this place, the fine appliances, the artwork, the drapery. I thought about my ratty apartment, the worn mattress thrown in a corner, the 70's style kitchen where the stove broke down weekly. I thought about huddling under the covers for warmth, eating canned goods for dinner.

"Lucky you." My voice came out sharper than I'd intended. I bit my lip and looked at the fireplace. He rose a brow but didn't say anything. After a while he looked at me.

"My life has had other hardships." He stated. His eyes narrowed in thought. I quirked my lips up in a smile.

"I guess we all have our problems." I said. I shouldn't be judging him based on his wealth, I don't know what's going on his life. Or anything about him.

"I'll tell you about them, one day." He smiled. I leaned back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, taking in the moment of rest.

"Where do we start?" I asked. He had experience in this game, he could teach me some valuable skills on how to survive and level up.

"We're going to start with cultivation and training. You need to level up and gain access to your skills before you can even hope of going near a dungeon or first level boss." He sat up, staring at me intently.

"So, we're going to do quests in town and fight enemies?" I summed up. He nodded.

"Exactly." He waved in front of his face and opened his menu. He opened up the page to my stats. "Your level 5 now, so we can go to an area just outside of town after you do a few quests in the safety of here. First, we'll have to get you better gear, even though we'll have to continuously improve it as you level up."

He waved through the menu and brought up my sword, the stats and traits of my weapon were laid out. He pointed to the numbers.

"Good thing is this weapon is designed to level up as you do. It will gain more abilities as you level up. Each character has one affinity ability inherent to them, we'll have to see when you unlock yours. So, it looks like with your weapon auto upgrading, we'll have to focus on your armour and accessories. Make sure you study your weapons skills, knowing what they do and how to use them is crucial." I nodded in understanding. I'd already studied my skills. I know that its best to use Slash followed by True Strike for the best combination of damage.

"So, tell me about the game, how the dungeons work, the bosses, levelling etc." I leaned forward, giving him my full attention. He closed his menu and sat on the armchair across from me, he leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.

"Wow, you really are green. Have you gamed much in the outside world?"

"Not much. I couldn't really afford it or find the time." I admitted. Gaming was a luxury I couldn't afford. We couldn't afford food, let alone a gaming system. Vane nodded.

"Aether is a vast kingdom made up of fifty different areas. The areas are interconnected by roadways and bridges. You are meant to progress through the areas in a linear fashion, but you can teleport back and forth, it just costs money, or Ren. Each area has a main city and multiple smaller towns and outposts within. There is a level recommendation for each area that increases as you progress." He paused to ensure I was still with him; I nodded my understanding.

"Each area has a dungeon with a boss. Once you have cleared the boss, you may proceed to the next area. Many players stay in their beginning towns and set up shop and economies. Other players try to form parties to attack the boss. Very few are solo players." He waved in front of him again and pulled up a large map. It had what looked like a series of interconnecting circular areas, each designated with a level recommendation.

"The next area is level 15 and above. So, I'd recommend we get you to that before taking on the boss. You also have to decide if you want to form a party." He said. I looked down in thought.

I've always been a lone wolf, doing things on my own. Yet my life is on the line here. I also didn't know if I could handle being partnered with beta-players, going through this for fun. Apparently, there were 100 of us Lost Souls. Where are the rest?

"I think I'd like to go it alone." I said finally. His eyes widened.

"Are you sure? It might be easier to form a party and tackle it that—" He started.

"I'm sure. I need to be strong enough to make it to the end, I need to start toughening up now." I explained. He nodded and sighed. I swear I heard him utter "women" under his breath.

I looked out the large bay windows in his living room, the sun had set, and the moon had risen. The full harvest moon shone beyond the glass, illuminating the room as well as the fireplace. Vane rose from his seat, looking at his menu briefly.

"I have to go, when I come back tomorrow, we'll start training. You can go anywhere in town you like but stay out of duels and stay in town." He said. I nodded.

"Are you sure its okay if I stay here? I feel like I'm freeloading." I said shyly. He laughed and shook his head. I admired the crinkle of his eyes when he laughed. His face looking boyish.

"Stay, please. Someone should get some real use out of this place." He smiled and waved before his figure disappeared in a blue light, signalling he'd logged out.

I sighed and stared at the empty walls around me. So much space, for one person. I looked at the large bookshelves stacked to the brim, and I thought about how Emily would love to curl up in front of this fire with a book. My chest felt tight, I clenched my fists. I let a tear run down my face. This was the first time I'd really been alone since everything happened. The only way was forward, I'd have to play by their rules for now.

I went to the bookshelf and pulled out The Count of Monte Christo, must be one of his favorites if its logged here by name. I sat on the couch in front of the fire and pulled open the pages. I drifted off to sleep there on the couch, with words filling my dreams.