0 || Renovel

Foxes, wolverines, ferrets, and racoons the size of wolves shoot out from the forest and out into the opening in shades of red and blue, for Riversword is known for its Water Aural Beasts as well as Fire! Their size is an indication that this wave of animals had reached at least mid stage Skin Igniting!

The two sides are equal in number. However, with the combined might of the warriors and mystics, the first wave is cleared away with little difficulty.

Following that is piercing roars and yips. Among the second wave of the former Aural Beasts are Flare Wolves and Vapor Jackals, and most frightening is the high stage Blood Directing River Apes riding on the back of giant Coal Moose!

Fire red wolves and ice white jackals weave in between the warriors, blade ends and arrow tips catching air. Charcoal gray apes scratch and punch from atop their mounts that are like unstoppable moving fortresses. One of the apes goes for a fifteen-year-old warrior girl. She stumbles onto her backside as this combination of forces charges towards her. She closes her eyes with death upon her.

Looking after hearing the sound of skin being broken but no pain to her, she finds the small form of the child who had been with the Hufang Matriarch over her!

***

For some time now, virtual realities have changed the face of gaming and social connection. Two startups had invested heavily when the virtual reality industry was in its infancy. Neither would have guessed that it would have made them household names practically overnight. Starshine Industries became the number one developer of gaming consoles and helmets. The Blueriver Company became an invincible, legendary gaming organization within the Eastern United States, sweeping through every virtual reality they stepped in for decades to come.

With the tales and drama from virtual reality games well into the social consciousness, the world was abuzz with energy. A new one was going to be released with the claim that it will revolutionize the field.

The newest generation were eagerly rushing to stores as schools let out. Rumor was that Starshine was giving away a hundred thousand of their new helmets in every nation.

Those youths that had already prepared beforehand headed home in groups of ten to twenty. They have dreams of creating Workshops, a team of independent players under one name, and getting popular enough to end up scouted by a company or absorbed into a well known Guild.

Guilds are gaming organizations sponsored by companies or even governments. There are four others that reached Blueriver's level known as Ultra Guilds. Veterans were discussing whether they should play something new or stick to similar Classes they had chosen in the past. Many were eager to make a name for themselves under this new system and possibly end up a member of their Guild's core team.

A sleek black car hovered off the ground as it drove through traffic with precision and speed. A young man in a suit with a driver's cap keeps his eye on the road. In the back seat sat a young teen and his charge. The girl was already listening to every news report she could find.

"It's said that Renovel was created by a coalition of numerous companies calling themselves Orange Ocean," A reporter says, "It's speculated that Starshine is so willing to give away so much of their new gear thanks to government initiatives to create more accessibility and bring up a new generation. Most believe this is because, while still hotly debated, that virtual reality or virtuality games improve brain function and enhance memory."

One of those reports was done by a famous Young Adult author and renowned psychologist--" The other reporter was cut off, as there was a knock on the dividing window.

"We're home, Ms. Prakash."

As soon as the car pulls up, Tara Prakash bolts into her home. Finally, it's her fifteenth birthday! She's finally old enough to play her first virtual reality game!

Her mothers' had said she needed to wait when she first showed interest a few years ago. She had been bubbling with excitement for a year and was eager to see the accumulation of the creators' efforts. Following her mama Karuna's instructions, she quickly changes into her pajamas upon entering her room. Stepping into the game room, the sight of two women greets her as she enters.

"And you're certain she's not going to get, like, stuck in there?" Xia Jiang asks, both her and her wife unaware their daughter has arrived.

They stood before a bed setup connected to a variety of machines and she wasn't entirely clear of their functions. She had never joined a virtuality game before despite her grandfather's insistence.

"The helmet was specifically crafted so that I and 40 other people can monitor her condition at all times. And if something happens we can easily eject her from the virtual space. Tara won't even feel a thing." Karuna Prakash assures Xia.

Tara can't help but roll her eyes: it was routine for her mother to worry and her mama to soothe said worries. Tara clears her throat and they both spin around.

"Starlight, so you've arrived," Karuna smiles warmly, beginning to check over Tara's helmet. Xia immediately hugs her daughter on sight and even spins her around like she's six years old again before sitting them down on the bed.

"The game has two modes: Story Mode and Adventure Mode! The former is more of a solo experience. Your statistics--what determines things like physical strength and agility--are randomly chosen and you can't view them, but you have the opportunity of a more open world without quests or other players. Basically, you become the hero of your own story. The latter is more like a massively multiplayer online scenario, like a regular game." Xia says, having some knowledge of what was in store.

"More will be explained when you enter the virtual space but know time functions differently within games." Karuna continues, squeezing Tara's hand in comfort.

Tara nods as Xia scoots off the bed so she can lay down. The helmet was comfortable and just her size, a sleek snow white with the five-sided star shaded in Starshine orange. There's a flash of light and Tara's suddenly hovering in an empty white space. She's dressed in a simple white sundress. Tara flexes her fingers and it really does feel like she can reach out and touch objects.

As she lingers on how surreal an experience simply being in the virtual space is, a black door and a white door appear. On the black door was the symbol of a white book while on the white door was a black sword.

Tara stretches a hand towards the first door with the book:

[A mystical world created at random. No other realm is like it. Each holds their own mysteries to unravel and legends to discover. Not beholden to quest lines, your growth and fate will have untold rewards awaiting you if you can cross into Adventure mode.] A multilayered voice of the system reads out.

Tara can't help but smile. It did sound fun and interesting to carve out your own journey. Tara lifts a hand towards the other door with the sword.

[More aligned with classic multiplayers, one gains levels and unlocks new skills to help them fight against monsters and gather treasures. Create your own legacy and stand at the peak above all others while making your own Story.] The System declares.

Tara weighs her options and decides that Story mode was more to her liking. The idea that she could become stronger for the Adventure mode all on her own was pretty exciting. Tara turns the handle of the Story door and pulls it open before disappearing.

As soon as she's gone the two doors fuse together before changing the shape of the twelve-sided die. They then split up into a multicolored set of eight. Four of them had white numerals while the other four had black numerals. They spin in place for thirty seconds before halting.

With Adventure Mode, a person's character would take on their current appearance while they could choose from a number of clans or tribes and classes. Story Mode was different from where everything from the world to your tribe was chosen at random while one started as a child.

Ànying Suo was the name of the world created for her Story. A world of martial skill where people's bodies are the strongest weapon in the end.

Her background has Tara end up adopted into the Hufang family, a noble family within the country of Riverwsword. Tara was given the basics of her world, such as the currency, basic history of her nation and family, and that a week of eight days equaled twelve hours in physical reality. Once the week was up she would end her session and carry on her daily life.

The powers of her world were divided into eight elements: Fire, Water, Stone, Wind, Metal, Lightning, Light, and Darkness. Together they were called the Prismatic Elements. The people within this world used a martial art called the Body Altering Technique