Post by vixi on Dec 12, 2014 10:05:18 GMT
The wall shook with the arriving force as the frail wooden door slammed into its place, knocking about a few pictures that hung from the wall they took on a new position, hanging lop sided from before. Tears streaking down from her puffy red eyes the girl pushed an assorted pile of junk from the nearby chair, its blackened material shinned dimly in the low light of the screen that rested on a desk. Worn and tore like many of the objects in the room the desk seemed to fit in quite well in its environment, the only thing that stood out from the rest of the furniture was the desktop, its sleek metallic frame that glowed with white lights through out its container, nestled quietly below the desk, its low repetitive hum could be barley hear over the shuttering sobs that filled the once silent room.
"I hate...all of them." Her words came out almost broken as she plopped down angrily in the chair, leaning back till her face was directed towards the greyness of the ceiling. Today had been...like the day before... and the one before that, so far back that she didn't even bother to count anymore. Life at school was one she would rather not think about, and her home...was not something she would call stable, if it wasn't for the brief break between the two for work she might have gone insane by this point, but even there she was harassed consistently by customers... she hated her looks.... Leaning forward in the chair she pulled back on the bands she kept in her hair letting the bright orange locks of hair fall down past her shoulders, flipping her hair about vigorously till it was a wreck of its previous appearance. She was home now, why should it matter how she appeared to others, it was probably for the best anyway. Sniffling through her blurry tears she sat up in the chair making a high pitched squeak come from it, reaching out for a box of tissues she quickly blew her nose, the material was hard against her smooth skin but at least she could breath easier now. Tossing the wadded up tissue away she sighed heavily glancing down at her palms, small patches of scars ran their way down her right hand ending short of her wrist.
"Right...the glass...." She thought back in memory of that day, she tired so hard to block it out, not even thinking about it till she glanced down at her hands. The sharp stinging pains came back to her mind but that day was years ago, it almost seemed like a dream, almost forgotten but still faint images lingered in her mind. Brushing her fingers down her hand she felt the small bumps in her risen skin, she had healed but never fully recovered from it, the scar would ever remind her of how it started. It had been a deep cut, she was sure that her hand would be lost but as young as she was of course even a drop of blood could be compared to death. The trip to the hospital had been a short one but even as skilled as the doctors where she was sure that a few shards of glass where still embedded into flesh... though she counted herself lucky, another millimeter and they said it would have severed her nerve...not something she wished to remember.
A flash of anger flew through her skull as she let her arms go limp, dropping down to her sides as her attention shot to the computer screen before her. It was an older monitor, she was surprised that such an older model would work anymore but with enough tinkering she had managed to get it working, more or less, sometimes it would crash and other times it wouldn't work at all, she was just glad that the desktop its self was in good condition. Though her job paid little it was more than enough to save up for something she really wanted, and with little social life she had turned her attention else where, worlds where a no body could crave a new face,a new body and wield weapons hand crafted by others and venture out into unknown world, seeking treasure or glory. There she could do things that no person could do in real life, though, she was still new at it all, a novice when it came to playing these games, often times she got lost for hours at a time, even with the help of a map. It was basic mechanizes but even still, aside from the down sides of getting lost she enjoyed it, the graphics of these games was as if she could have been there herself, and with her HUD turned off it was if she was looking through a window into a magical realm where she could never fully reach.
Noting the brightness of the screen had changed her eyes wandered up to face the old monitor, thinking she must have nudged the mouse when she was moving about she shrugged her shoulders, pushing her chair up to the desk she placed her hand on the mouse. Even though her eyes where still watering she looked over the screen at the many icons that where showing, though she already had a impressive display of games she thought she would try out the newest of them.
"Elder tale...." She mouthed the letters on the icon as she clicked on the small image for the game, she had only played it once before, even though her skills in MMO's where terrible she rather enjoyed just walking around and looking at the sights and wonders that the world had in store for her. Her level was still only one due to the fact she hadn't even bother doing the starter quests, just walked right out of the starting area to explore some, she quickly found out that leaving the main paths was not a smart move as the enemy NPC's torn through her armor quickly leaving her a bloody pool on the ground in a manner of seconds. Even with that in mind she still took to exploring in area's that where way beyond her own level, she didn't care about death, after all it was just a game, she would lose EXP if she had any, or gold but without a dime to her name there was little penalty other than the walk back.
Waiting for the loading screen to finish her hand wandered over to the side of her computer where a set of augmenting goggles lay, charging for the next time they would be needed. She didn't even know the game had virtual reality till she was logging out last time, something up till now she was excited too see. While she had spent all her earning from work on the computer its self the goggles had been a gift from her aunt, she was a sweet woman, maybe the only one who she would ever actually open up too, it was a shame that she lived state side, otherwise she might be able to see her more. Sighing with the thought the game screen changed too the main menu where it asked for her display name and password. Typing the keys out quickly like she had done before the name "Tami" appeared in the first blacked bar, then her password, with a stroke of the enter key the log in process was starting, apparent by the fact the VR goggles lights were glowing a bright green.
"A few hours then I got to study." She made a mental note, if she didn't want to work at a coffee shop forever she would need to ram those books into her brain. Flipping her long hair out of the way she gently placed the set on her head adjusting its straps to make sure that it wouldn't fall off, she wasn't a very vigorous player but better safe than sorry.
Having only used the headset a few times before it still took some time to adjust, it was an odd feeling having a semi helmet to play a game but it did make it much more real to her. The flashing lights of the loading screen faded seeming mere inches away from her face as if she could almost reach out and touch them though she knew she would just end up slapping her face, something she really didn't need right now. Bringing her into the world something felt odd right off the bat but thinking it was just the goggles messing with her head she shook the feeling off, appearing inside the chapel Tami felt confused.
"This wasn't where I logged off...right?" She pondered the thought as her eyes glanced around the London Chapel, she always thought the building was beautiful though she had never seen it in real life. Living in Ireland she often wished she could have visited London at least once but it wasn't in their budget to send her away on a vacation, but with the goggles on it really seemed as though she was there for the first time.
"Well...maybe I forgot to log out and something... someone came along and killed me...ya, that makes sense... or maybe it was that big patch they had, think it was for a new expansion." Her mind went back to the day prior when she had gotten the e-mail about the newest expansion...though she never remembered buying it... maybe it was free?
"Best things are free...awesome...well lets go see what this new expansion has in store." Her voice piped up. So concerned about the sudden change of where she had been she didn't even take notice of the others that also packed the halls of the chapel, each one seemed lost in a daze of what to do while Tami cheerfully walked towards the grand oak doors that led out to the rest of the world.
Thinking the ideas over in her head she felt something rub the bottom of her chin, a soft almost velvet object but at the same time it felt as though she could control it.
"What the-?" Her eyes shot down to see a large furry tail rubbing the bottom of her chin softly but as her eyes wandered to its source she found that it was her own...wait...what! She had a tail? Grabbing onto the base of the tail she gave it a swift yank till she found out that it caused considerable amount of pain, but...this was just a game...how could it do that?
"Maybe these VR goggles are really advanced... I didn't think a game could be so realistic...wow...wait...does that mean....!" Her hands wandered up to her head where a pair of furry ears sat upon her skull.
"I do! They're so soft!" She giggled as she prodded them with her finger, with each tap they flickered slightly, she hadn't paid much attention to the noises when she first arrived but she noticed that she could hear everything in a finer detail.
"This. Is. So. Cool. Wow, I really need to thank auntie next time I see her, this is great!" Her chest pooled with excitement with what else she might be able to do in this world, so far everything seemed...so life like.
"I wonder if there are new areas to explor-" Her words cut off as she pushed open the doors to reveal the green over grown city before her, many buildings appearing as if they had been covered in foliage for years at a time, other where cracked and their foundations destroyed.
"...wow...when they make an expansion they really take that extra step... sad though, not...as pretty...." She wasn't quite sure what to make about what she saw before her, while before the city streets were lined with many shops and lovely crafted gardens now it looked as though an army of bulldozers had a wrestling match through out the city. At the same time there seemed to be some beauty to all the chaos and destruction, the way the trees grew through the buildings, as if they were reclaiming the lands they once owned. Whatever had happened it seemed to bum a lot of people out as her eyes began to wander over the players as they looked distraught about the sudden changes.
"Geez, it's just a game, why are they so bummed out?" She wondered, it was not a few players here or there it seemed to be...well everyone...everyone held a darkened haze over their faces, a few even seemed to be crying.
"Wow...I guess some people really get into their games." She mumbled.
"New huh?" A voice call out from over her shoulder, like a cat she jumped a few inches till she spun about seeing a older male standing over her.
"Umm...ya... second time playing." Her eyes locked with his as she spoke but she wished that they hadn't, she hated making eye contact with others, but once it was established there was noting she could do about it.
"Sucks to be you. Guess you haven't heard yet." His voice was deep, almost to the point where she could feel its vibrations inside her chest.
"Heard what...I mean I can see the game has changed...." Her voice seemed to grow weaker with each passing second, something about this man was putting her off but she wasn't sure just what it was.
"This is it, no going back now." His tone was calm but a hint of sadness in it.
"What are yo-" She was cut of as he interrupted her.
"There's no way out, check your log out screen."
Flipping her HUD open before her she found it a bit odd not using a mouse but her hands seemed to be able to do all the controls that she normally did. Still being fresh to the game it took her a few seconds to find the options but as her fingers moved down the options she noticed the log out button was greyed out... almost as though someone had used an easier to remove part of it.
"Well I'm sure its just an error...after all there was an big up-"
"No one can log out, and there are no mods. It's been this way for a few hours... like I said, sucks to be you. Can't believe this isn't on the neeping news." His voice grew harsher as her glanced over the people in the streets, unlike the rest of them he seemed rather sure of himself, either he didn't care as much as they rest or he had gotten over the shock of it all quickly.
"...we can't log out...."
"No, seems we are stuck here."
"...No going back?"
Everything was starting to seep in, the noises, her sense of touch, everything seemed so real... was it really? Was she seeing bits of data that formed a image or...was this real? At first she thought it just the VR goggles, she had used them so little before she hadn't really known what to expect from using them but this...this was.....
"What did I just -"
"Free? I'm free?" A small smile appeared over her face as Tami jumped with glee at the thought of never going back, a few others that sat nearby where confused at her sudden out burst of joy, such an odd sight at the given time.
"Don't take the news so harshly now." His raised his eyebrow in confusion at Tami.
"This...this is great...well I'm off! Gonna go explore!" Tami felt as though she could fly with the way her heart fluttered, nothing before could hold her back anymore, she was free to do what she wanted. She wasn't sure just how long this would last for but damn if she wasn't going to enjoy every second of it.
"I'm sure that they will fix it in no time...but till then, I'm gonna have some fun."
"I hate...all of them." Her words came out almost broken as she plopped down angrily in the chair, leaning back till her face was directed towards the greyness of the ceiling. Today had been...like the day before... and the one before that, so far back that she didn't even bother to count anymore. Life at school was one she would rather not think about, and her home...was not something she would call stable, if it wasn't for the brief break between the two for work she might have gone insane by this point, but even there she was harassed consistently by customers... she hated her looks.... Leaning forward in the chair she pulled back on the bands she kept in her hair letting the bright orange locks of hair fall down past her shoulders, flipping her hair about vigorously till it was a wreck of its previous appearance. She was home now, why should it matter how she appeared to others, it was probably for the best anyway. Sniffling through her blurry tears she sat up in the chair making a high pitched squeak come from it, reaching out for a box of tissues she quickly blew her nose, the material was hard against her smooth skin but at least she could breath easier now. Tossing the wadded up tissue away she sighed heavily glancing down at her palms, small patches of scars ran their way down her right hand ending short of her wrist.
"Right...the glass...." She thought back in memory of that day, she tired so hard to block it out, not even thinking about it till she glanced down at her hands. The sharp stinging pains came back to her mind but that day was years ago, it almost seemed like a dream, almost forgotten but still faint images lingered in her mind. Brushing her fingers down her hand she felt the small bumps in her risen skin, she had healed but never fully recovered from it, the scar would ever remind her of how it started. It had been a deep cut, she was sure that her hand would be lost but as young as she was of course even a drop of blood could be compared to death. The trip to the hospital had been a short one but even as skilled as the doctors where she was sure that a few shards of glass where still embedded into flesh... though she counted herself lucky, another millimeter and they said it would have severed her nerve...not something she wished to remember.
A flash of anger flew through her skull as she let her arms go limp, dropping down to her sides as her attention shot to the computer screen before her. It was an older monitor, she was surprised that such an older model would work anymore but with enough tinkering she had managed to get it working, more or less, sometimes it would crash and other times it wouldn't work at all, she was just glad that the desktop its self was in good condition. Though her job paid little it was more than enough to save up for something she really wanted, and with little social life she had turned her attention else where, worlds where a no body could crave a new face,a new body and wield weapons hand crafted by others and venture out into unknown world, seeking treasure or glory. There she could do things that no person could do in real life, though, she was still new at it all, a novice when it came to playing these games, often times she got lost for hours at a time, even with the help of a map. It was basic mechanizes but even still, aside from the down sides of getting lost she enjoyed it, the graphics of these games was as if she could have been there herself, and with her HUD turned off it was if she was looking through a window into a magical realm where she could never fully reach.
Noting the brightness of the screen had changed her eyes wandered up to face the old monitor, thinking she must have nudged the mouse when she was moving about she shrugged her shoulders, pushing her chair up to the desk she placed her hand on the mouse. Even though her eyes where still watering she looked over the screen at the many icons that where showing, though she already had a impressive display of games she thought she would try out the newest of them.
"Elder tale...." She mouthed the letters on the icon as she clicked on the small image for the game, she had only played it once before, even though her skills in MMO's where terrible she rather enjoyed just walking around and looking at the sights and wonders that the world had in store for her. Her level was still only one due to the fact she hadn't even bother doing the starter quests, just walked right out of the starting area to explore some, she quickly found out that leaving the main paths was not a smart move as the enemy NPC's torn through her armor quickly leaving her a bloody pool on the ground in a manner of seconds. Even with that in mind she still took to exploring in area's that where way beyond her own level, she didn't care about death, after all it was just a game, she would lose EXP if she had any, or gold but without a dime to her name there was little penalty other than the walk back.
Waiting for the loading screen to finish her hand wandered over to the side of her computer where a set of augmenting goggles lay, charging for the next time they would be needed. She didn't even know the game had virtual reality till she was logging out last time, something up till now she was excited too see. While she had spent all her earning from work on the computer its self the goggles had been a gift from her aunt, she was a sweet woman, maybe the only one who she would ever actually open up too, it was a shame that she lived state side, otherwise she might be able to see her more. Sighing with the thought the game screen changed too the main menu where it asked for her display name and password. Typing the keys out quickly like she had done before the name "Tami" appeared in the first blacked bar, then her password, with a stroke of the enter key the log in process was starting, apparent by the fact the VR goggles lights were glowing a bright green.
"A few hours then I got to study." She made a mental note, if she didn't want to work at a coffee shop forever she would need to ram those books into her brain. Flipping her long hair out of the way she gently placed the set on her head adjusting its straps to make sure that it wouldn't fall off, she wasn't a very vigorous player but better safe than sorry.
Having only used the headset a few times before it still took some time to adjust, it was an odd feeling having a semi helmet to play a game but it did make it much more real to her. The flashing lights of the loading screen faded seeming mere inches away from her face as if she could almost reach out and touch them though she knew she would just end up slapping her face, something she really didn't need right now. Bringing her into the world something felt odd right off the bat but thinking it was just the goggles messing with her head she shook the feeling off, appearing inside the chapel Tami felt confused.
"This wasn't where I logged off...right?" She pondered the thought as her eyes glanced around the London Chapel, she always thought the building was beautiful though she had never seen it in real life. Living in Ireland she often wished she could have visited London at least once but it wasn't in their budget to send her away on a vacation, but with the goggles on it really seemed as though she was there for the first time.
"Well...maybe I forgot to log out and something... someone came along and killed me...ya, that makes sense... or maybe it was that big patch they had, think it was for a new expansion." Her mind went back to the day prior when she had gotten the e-mail about the newest expansion...though she never remembered buying it... maybe it was free?
"Best things are free...awesome...well lets go see what this new expansion has in store." Her voice piped up. So concerned about the sudden change of where she had been she didn't even take notice of the others that also packed the halls of the chapel, each one seemed lost in a daze of what to do while Tami cheerfully walked towards the grand oak doors that led out to the rest of the world.
Thinking the ideas over in her head she felt something rub the bottom of her chin, a soft almost velvet object but at the same time it felt as though she could control it.
"What the-?" Her eyes shot down to see a large furry tail rubbing the bottom of her chin softly but as her eyes wandered to its source she found that it was her own...wait...what! She had a tail? Grabbing onto the base of the tail she gave it a swift yank till she found out that it caused considerable amount of pain, but...this was just a game...how could it do that?
"Maybe these VR goggles are really advanced... I didn't think a game could be so realistic...wow...wait...does that mean....!" Her hands wandered up to her head where a pair of furry ears sat upon her skull.
"I do! They're so soft!" She giggled as she prodded them with her finger, with each tap they flickered slightly, she hadn't paid much attention to the noises when she first arrived but she noticed that she could hear everything in a finer detail.
"This. Is. So. Cool. Wow, I really need to thank auntie next time I see her, this is great!" Her chest pooled with excitement with what else she might be able to do in this world, so far everything seemed...so life like.
"I wonder if there are new areas to explor-" Her words cut off as she pushed open the doors to reveal the green over grown city before her, many buildings appearing as if they had been covered in foliage for years at a time, other where cracked and their foundations destroyed.
"...wow...when they make an expansion they really take that extra step... sad though, not...as pretty...." She wasn't quite sure what to make about what she saw before her, while before the city streets were lined with many shops and lovely crafted gardens now it looked as though an army of bulldozers had a wrestling match through out the city. At the same time there seemed to be some beauty to all the chaos and destruction, the way the trees grew through the buildings, as if they were reclaiming the lands they once owned. Whatever had happened it seemed to bum a lot of people out as her eyes began to wander over the players as they looked distraught about the sudden changes.
"Geez, it's just a game, why are they so bummed out?" She wondered, it was not a few players here or there it seemed to be...well everyone...everyone held a darkened haze over their faces, a few even seemed to be crying.
"Wow...I guess some people really get into their games." She mumbled.
"New huh?" A voice call out from over her shoulder, like a cat she jumped a few inches till she spun about seeing a older male standing over her.
"Umm...ya... second time playing." Her eyes locked with his as she spoke but she wished that they hadn't, she hated making eye contact with others, but once it was established there was noting she could do about it.
"Sucks to be you. Guess you haven't heard yet." His voice was deep, almost to the point where she could feel its vibrations inside her chest.
"Heard what...I mean I can see the game has changed...." Her voice seemed to grow weaker with each passing second, something about this man was putting her off but she wasn't sure just what it was.
"This is it, no going back now." His tone was calm but a hint of sadness in it.
"What are yo-" She was cut of as he interrupted her.
"There's no way out, check your log out screen."
Flipping her HUD open before her she found it a bit odd not using a mouse but her hands seemed to be able to do all the controls that she normally did. Still being fresh to the game it took her a few seconds to find the options but as her fingers moved down the options she noticed the log out button was greyed out... almost as though someone had used an easier to remove part of it.
"Well I'm sure its just an error...after all there was an big up-"
"No one can log out, and there are no mods. It's been this way for a few hours... like I said, sucks to be you. Can't believe this isn't on the neeping news." His voice grew harsher as her glanced over the people in the streets, unlike the rest of them he seemed rather sure of himself, either he didn't care as much as they rest or he had gotten over the shock of it all quickly.
"...we can't log out...."
"No, seems we are stuck here."
"...No going back?"
Everything was starting to seep in, the noises, her sense of touch, everything seemed so real... was it really? Was she seeing bits of data that formed a image or...was this real? At first she thought it just the VR goggles, she had used them so little before she hadn't really known what to expect from using them but this...this was.....
"What did I just -"
"Free? I'm free?" A small smile appeared over her face as Tami jumped with glee at the thought of never going back, a few others that sat nearby where confused at her sudden out burst of joy, such an odd sight at the given time.
"Don't take the news so harshly now." His raised his eyebrow in confusion at Tami.
"This...this is great...well I'm off! Gonna go explore!" Tami felt as though she could fly with the way her heart fluttered, nothing before could hold her back anymore, she was free to do what she wanted. She wasn't sure just how long this would last for but damn if she wasn't going to enjoy every second of it.
"I'm sure that they will fix it in no time...but till then, I'm gonna have some fun."
