Chapter Zero: Prologue

Graduating high school was the beginning of everything to Raid. Before it, he lacked the leisure time necessary to commit his life to his passions. Homework, quizzes, projects, finals, extracurriculars, and part-time work were beasts that could never be satiated. They ate at his time until he had none left, leaving him only to dream of fun.

In the fantasy of free time he had built in his head, conventional gaming would leave him bereft of the excitement he yearned for. In his search for entertainment he came across many varied genres, but only one left him without want.

Authority Fought For--commonly referred to as "Aff"--was just one among many fantasy adventure virtual reality massive multiplayer online games, but only its advertisements struck a chord in Raid's heart.

Simply put, Aff was simple. Other much more complicated VR titles that looked just as fun existed, but their barriers to entry stood ridiculously high. Most "hardcore" fantasy VR titles contained tens, if not hundreds of Class and Race variations, requiring new players to study for hours to days on end before even beginning to play. Aff, however, only had a "Human" option for Race, a handful of base Classes that would naturally evolve with one's playstyle, and only a single starting point in its world for all players.

Additionally, Aff didn't merely focus on the player's fighting capabilities. It incorporated some of life's little qualities, from the option to buy and decorate land, to the discovery and naming system of new plants and metals, to the ability to stray from any given storyline or even make your own.

It was little details like that that fostered Aff's potential for fun while still allowing players to aim high. Although Raid didn't have such grand aspirations as building or destroying civilizations, storylines, or mountains, he knew he needed more than a complete focus on combat in his chosen game.

Specifically, Aff's advertisements highlighted how everything in the game was ranked, not just player levels and things related to combat. Apparently, individual fame among the NPCs, the scope of one's in-game business, and most importantly...how cool one's plot looked, were ranked!

Raid looked forward to owning the most envied player-built den.