The Game's Release and the Regulator

Void-Gate Studios

That was the name the four siblings decided to give to their studio. Ever since the group had come to this world, they had been planning on how to retake what their family had lost.

There were a few twists and turns along the way of course, but they figured it out in time.

The basic idea was simple. They would create an army of lifelike puppets and allow the player to customize their own puppet, or 'character' when they started the game inside the character creation screen. The players would control their 'characters' through the VR system, similar to controlling a drone, however, they wouldn't know that. The players would serve as lures for the world's energies and add a certain level of unpredictability to anything they did, and the puppets would serve as vessels for the world's energies and give the siblings a method to control the players' actions to a certain degree.

They would design quests and have the players control their characters to fight on their behalf, all through the guiding hand of the interface. And the best part was, they didn't even have to lie that much, since just feeding them a bunch of half-truths would be enough. There was no need to lie about their father's death or their role as soldiers, they just had to make it look like a game.

The puppets themselves would be made using a mix of Abyssal Magic, Earthen Technology, and some special techniques born from a fusion of the two. As they played, the puppets would use the players' presence to gather the energy of the world, which would be displayed to the players as experience points, or EXP, and then stored within the puppet's body. Thing is, the various energies of the world only responded to the presence of a soul, so the moment the humans disconnected, the process of gathering energy would stop, as the puppets didn't possess, by themselves, the soul needed to attract, absorb, and refine the world's energies.

Of course, there were many more details than just that, such as amplifiers and dynamos to boost the gathering effect, emitters to allow the use of skills and spells, sensors to transmit feeling to the players, and a host of other internal components, such hidden arrays, inscriptions, gears, motherboards, and far too much tape, but that was the basic idea.

The puppet's design was, by then, fully tested and proven ready, and the game system was done too. All they needed to do before releasing to the public, were beta testers.

~~~~~~

"So did you guys finish checking all the programs and equipment," Aaron asked.

"Yes," both Maria and Ellias responded at the same time as they entered the room. The group was currently in their studios' office.

"Ok so then we should be ready. Hey Sylvia, you got the list of people we want to send it to first."

"Yup." She answered from her seat not so far away.

"Perfect, let's get started then."

~~~~~~

The group sent emails to a hundred different people, almost all of the professional gamers and streamers, inviting them to beta test their game.

[You have received an email.]

"Hmm? What's this?" Jason wondered as he received a notification. He went to his email and clicked on the latest one.

[Hello Sir,

We at Void-Gate Studios are happy to announce that you are among the 100 people chosen to beta test our new game, Fantasy Abyss. Fantasy Abyss boasts a massive open world and detailed storyline, with real one-time-only events and thousands of items, quests, locations, and people. We welcome you with open arms to the game of the century.

Here is your free copy of the game. Your entry code is 645872.

Thank you for your time;

Void-Gate Studios]

As Jacob read, he found the offer interesting, so he decided to try it out after doing some research.

"Let's see, what can I find on you guys. Oh, it seems you're pretty new, which explains why I've never heard of you before. Can't find much else on them though, though that's to be expected considering how new they are. I guess I can spare some time to review their game." Jason, considering his options.

He then opened up the link attached to the message and found himself at their website. It was a small website, but also neat and elegant, and it had all the normal functions. The game was pretty much the only thing on the site, and a large portion of the site was dedicated to advertising the game.

"Hmm. The file is pretty big. But it is supposed to be a VRMMO game, which is usually big so I guess that just adds to its credibility." He said as he began the download.

"Ok, so the download time is 3 hours huh. That's reasonable." After the download began and the completion bar appeared, Jason lifted himself off his chair to go and get some food for himself.

...

"Ah, it finished." Jason couldn't help but notice as he returned to his room. He had been away for longer than expected due to several different kinds of traffic and happened to arrive just in time to see the game finish downloading and installing.

"Good. Now then, let's see what we are dealing with." He navigated his computer and opened the game's file. As the game loaded, he grabbed his VR equipment and wore it. With the equipment secured onto him and the game fully loaded, he connected the equipment to the computer, and dived into the game.

A vast field of white spread out around him before splashes of color invaded., Everything went black, and then he found himself standing in a sea of stars. All around he could see galaxies and right in front of him was a rift or tear of sorts. A man clad in full black robes which hid in features stood to the side, and above the tear, he could see the word's 'Telios Void'. Behind the tear meanwhile, was an ever-changing landscape, sometimes showing a massive castle surrounded by a large city, at other times a dense jungle or a cliff by the sea, and occasionally a vast desert.

A screen appeared before Jason.

[Telios Void]

[Begin Playing

[Control Settings

[Graphic Settings

[Game Settings

"These guys went all out with the art, huh. The actual menu is pretty streamlined too though. Whoever worked on this knew what they were doing. Let's see, before I start messing around with controls, I should get a feel for the game, so 'Begin Playing' it is."

A cutscene opened. An aged voice sounded in Jason's ears as the cloaked figure walked toward him.

[Welcome Traveler. Before you continue, may I know why you are here.]

[Please type in your Entry Code:

______________________________

...]

An illusory keyboard appeared before Jason for him to type the code in.

[Oh you are one of those warriors those 4 said they would find to help the Abyss. Hmm, you look like you are the kind who would enjoy a good story. Ah, but the full story is a bit long and we do need to get going. What do you think?]

[Do you wish to hear the story?]

Y/N]

"Hmm. Sure, why not." Jason decided.

The man pulled out a scroll from within his robes and opened it, before showing it turning to face Jason and covering his vision with it. Various images appeared on the scroll as the man spoke.

[Alright then. Several years ago, the Abyss was a better place under the reign of the first true Emperor, Emperor Telios. You see, Telios was once a farmhand from a small village, but he discovered he had great talent in the way of the sword and magic, and began to pursue a path in both. After years of struggle and hard work, he became the first in all of history to unite the entirety of the Abyss. He brought an end to many dangerous and malignant beings as he rose to power, and was dearly loved by all the people as a fair and just ruler.

But all good things must come to an end. You see, before Telios set off on his journey, he swore an oath to his grandfather that he would never accept the help of others, for the world was treacherous and nothing was more dangerous than betrayal. And when he was older and had become the Emperor, he swore that he would protect the people even if it meant his death. Now I'm sure you can see where this is going but let me continue.

As the Emperor's power grew, others became jealous of him and desired his status for themselves. "Why is he the emperor and not us? Why are we here and not living lavishly while the world worships us? No, we refuse to allow another to rule while we cannot." I'm sure they said. And so they gathered and marched upon Telios' people. They pillaged and slaughtered and burned down villages for the sake of their merciless pride and despicable greed.

Telios, like a true Emperor, kept his oaths and rose to face the enemy the same way he had always done, with courage, might, and a severe lack of help. With nothing but his own sheer will, strength, and skill, he personally held back thousands upon thousands of enemy soldiers for several days while the people, his own family among them, ran towards whatever safety they could find. Sigh. Sadly he died during that battle, and now the ravenous crows that laid siege to all the land have split the abyss among themselves. This once beautiful world is now filled to the brim with war, terror, and famine. The people die and suffer while those vile lords gorge on their ill-earned spoils and bicker amongst themselves.

Dark times have come indeed. But, well, that is why you are here, is it not? You and the thousands of others who have traveled alongside to fight alongside the last remnants of the Emperor's legacy, his four children and their supporters, for the sake of the Abyss. I must say, I am thankful that you are willing to risk so much for this world. Ah, do you have any questions?]

The scroll was closed and returned to its place in the cloaked man's robes.

"Questions? Hmm. Why is this place called the Abyss?" Jason asked.

The man once again took out a scroll, opened it, and covered Jason's vision with it.

[Well, you see, a long, long ago, one of the inhabitants of the world, the Great Sage Aydogran, wandered the lands. He observed all there was beneath the sky, and at the end of his journey, he settled down and built the first city. On the day his city was finished, he said to his people, "This land is endless and without limitation. I shall call it the abyss, for it is truly an endless void that encompasses all wonders. Now spread the word of what has been done here, for the future of this grand Abyss is at hand."

And so the Abyss gained its name. An interesting bit of trivia isn't it. Ah, do you have any other questions.]

Once he was done, the scroll returned to its place, the same as before.

"Let's see. Oh, right I forgot. Who exactly are you?"