Chapter #3Giant slayer, the videogame...or not! by: Mary shrink   Your name is Chris , short for Christopher, and you are at a video game convention. This is the world's latest gaming Tech, the Cutting Edge, fresh from the labs, somewhat experimental hardware and software. Is convention is held once a year in different parts of the world, it's like the comic-Con and Olympics of video gamers, in this year you were lucky enough held in the US just one state over from you. It may have cost arm and two legs to buy a ticket, but it was so worth it.
You're a pretty awesome gamer, even won some awards in the more minor tournaments, but physically you were rather average. Brown fluffy hair that came down past your ears and stuck up in odd directions, green hazel eyes, pale-ish skin from too much indoor gaming, average height of 5 ft 10 in, and you're not fat by any means , you have only the minimal amount of muscle mass. Overall you looked like a very average, slightly scrawny, 17 year old.
Are you walk through the convention, occasionally stopping to check out new consoles or games, you Came Upon This more secluded area. You didn't know why so few people were around, the exhibit looked awesome. Some men in suits stood in front of a big black, silver, and white sphere. One man who was shorter and more friendly then the others spotted your interest and came over.
"greetings." he had a foreign accent that you couldn't place, it seemed Asian like his facial features, but you weren't sure. Years of online gaming with an international crowd had given you a knack for spotting country of Origins, but this guy had you stumped. " would you like to test our latest virtual reality chamber?" he asked, already putting his hand your shoulder and encouraging you towards it.
Not seeing the harm and having of Interest in this Tech, you allow yourself to be led over. The man goes over his company and they're driven interest in developing vR technology, but you strangely find it hard to listen, your gaze continuously being drawn to the sphere.
"so, would you like to test our companies top game inside?" the man asks, drawing your attention back to him. He holds out a game case, on it is a picture of a small warrior facing away towards a massive shadowy giant that takes up most of the cover. The title is in Chinese, you're not fluent but you get the gist, 'giant Slayer.'
Thinking this was an amazing opportunity, you happily agreed. The other, somewhat intimidating, men show you inside the sphere, the other man continuing a commentary on what's what inside. You're given couple bracelets that act as sensors as well as basic controls, and then put on a helmet with a visor. As the men leave, they tell you to hold perfectly still where are they left you so the computer could do a full body scan, then they closed the door and left you in temporary Darkness.
Light fills your visor, a message saying don't move and giving a countdown from 10. Once it reached zero, the game begins
" greetings, warrior, you have been deemed Worthy and given the mission of slaying the barbaric Giant that has been plaguing these lands. You have made the journey to the Giant Slayer and found the Beast is not home. You lie in wait for your opponent to return. Can you defeat him? Or will you die painfully or cowardly has so many have before you. Beware, the Giant has never failed defeat his opponent. Will you be the first? Good luck brave Warrior, I wish you well."
And with the introduction complete, the screen flashes a multitude of colors. You feel the room around you shift and cool air blast you all around. Was a final jolt of electricity that leaves you a little concerned about the tech, everything clears up and you can see the world around you.
The realistic detail of this VR is amazing. You find yourself in an immense cave, the ceiling soaring so high above you it almost makes you dizzy. The rest of the room is equally ginormous. To your right are some Boulders piled on top of one another with a long, flat stone your cul-de-sac (houses included) sitting on top as a sort of crude table of sorts. Next to it armoire piled rocks, except these are together by a bunch of trees bound around them buy thick rope, on top is a mound of what look like animal skins and leafy brush, a seat cushion. Atop the table is an assortment of clay bowls and cups, some massive candles, and what look like bags of herbs and probably dried meat.
To the left there is what looks to be a nest-like bed. A combination of animal furs, tree branches, and some sort of fluff all tied together circular wooden frame piled high with softest things the giant could probably find. It actually looked like it could be comfortable, if it weren't for how grungy it all looked; he wonder if the giant ever bothered to wash his sheets, or furs or whatever.
Behind you was a huge fireplace. A stone hole had been broken into the wall and floor, deep enough that there was little worry of a stray amber popping out and lighting something up. You were surprised at the heat radiating off it, you could actually feel it. Inching forward a little, you could see some still lit coals smoldering away and keeping the slightly stuffy cave pleasantly warm.
And then in front of where you first appeared, a towering doorway stood partially open. A massive Boulder, clearly meant to block it entirely, leaning a little to the side; if you wanted to run, there was certainly enough space to slip through. Next to the door sat some crudely woven baskets and what look like giant weapons or tools: A knife, ax, and astonishingly long spear...
That got you thinking about what you might have on you. You were supposed to slay a giant after all, had to have a weapon of some sort, right? Looking down at yourself, you saw that your clothes have been altered. Your gray hoodie was now made of sturdy but flexible leather, as wear your pants. A much harder leather was used to make shoulder pads that were sewn in to your hoodie, as well as made arm and leg guards. Surprisingly, you still look to be wearing sneakers, they just lacked any sort of branding and we're now a very dark brown. All your clothes were now different shades of brown, mostly in the darker Spectrum.
Looking over your shoulder, you finally found what you were looking for. Strap across your back, a long broadsword sat ready to be drawn by your left, dominant, hand. A backpack rested over the sheath, the straps tight around your shoulders to help keep everything steady.
Reaching back, you draw your weapon, surprised at its weight. He figured the game designers were doing for realism, but you would have guessed that this would be an exception to that, snoopy easier for the player to be able to wield their sword; especially since the game dropped you right in the middle of the Giant lair from the start.
Still, though it's a bit difficult, you are able to hold the sword with one hand. Looking down at it, you are amazed at how real the sword looks, this VR system truly is a Wonder of Technology. The metal gleams in the dim light of the cave, the edges looked so sharp. Acting on a whim, you reach down with your other hand and run your finger along the edge I keep seeing characters in a few movies do.
You quickly pull back with a cry of shocked pain, almost dropping the sword. Holding your finger up, you see a drop of blood welling up and slipping out of the fresh cut. It hurts, you think in shock, that actually hurts! That shouldn't be possible, even if this is a super realistic VR and all, it shouldn't cause this much pain. If it's still feel a slight sting has the cut met fresh air.
You start getting worried, this was very new technology after all, maybe there were still some bugs. Yeah, that's it, bugs. Before you came in here, the man said to pause the game and access the menu, all you had to do was tap the top wrist.
Putting your sword away, carefully, you bring up your hands and tap your left wrist. Nothing happened. You tapped it again, still nothing happened. Starting to panic a little, you tapped your other wrist, nothing. You start tapping and rubbing both wrists frantically, soon you begin moving hope your arms and giving yourself a full-body pat-down. Nothing! You can't even feel the big clunky helmet you had been wearing.
It says you are starting to really freak out, you heard a distant boom, quickly followed by a light vibration in the floor. Then another boom comes, and another vibration, this time louder and stronger. The Rhythm continues, with the boom / vibration happening closer together as they both grew more distinct. Your mind randomly thinks about lightning and thunder, first you see the lightning Flash and then hear the thunder because light is faster than sound. Another boom and rattling vibration, they are practically one in the same now. They say that if you count how long it takes between the lightning and thunder, it can tell you how close the storm is. Boom/Shake. Boom/Shake. They're happening at the same time now.
Of course, given Where You Are and why you were sent here, not to mention that one famous dinosaur movie, it's easy for you to link the booms to the sound of massive footsteps. Looking around, it's hard to tell exactly what the size difference is with all the crudely made furniture, but you guess from the doorway that you're about 2-4 inches tall compared to the Giant; no way you can fight him.
Looking around, you don't see many options for hiding, the bed / nest has no underneath space, the table has some rather uninviting knives on it - and all you can think about is that old giant story about using bones to make bread - and the fireplace still had some burning coals. There is a house sized pile of furs by the fireplace that could be a seat, a blanket, or a pile of dirty clothes from the smell of it.
The booming is right outside by the sound of it, you have minutes to decide what to do. If this isn't a VR, if this is really real, then your life may depend on your next choice. What do you do!?!.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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