7th Realm

[warren_bearclaw]

~~ Okay, so I had this idea for a (sorta) RAFfic, and I'm gonna jump on it, though I'm gonna say clearly that this is different than the other RAFfics. I'm going to be using RAFians as characters here, who I've already chosen. Sorry, chances aren't good on me taking requests for people to be added.  Feel free to comment if you like. ~~

"Make sure you take your dear sweet time now, lady. I'm not in any rush at all!" I said rather sarcastically at the car in front of me. I know, I know... yelling at traffic isn't helpful at all, it's a really bad habit, it's not nice, yeah, yeah, I've heard the whole spiel... but seriously, this lady was slower than Christmas! My dad's old car that I was using was about to overheat, we were going so slow. It wasn't often that I got stuck in traffic like this, but today was the exception. I was headed for perhaps the coolest place on the planet, which just so happened to be stuck in the middle of downtown Dallas. I'd been waiting ever-so-anxiously for this Thursday afternoon to come.

After a couple more red lights, (yes, they had all been red lights...) I made it to my destination. I pulled in to the parking garage, made sure to take the little ticket it spat at me as I entered, and hurried across the street. A fresh blast of cold air greeted me as I opened the double doors. The receptionist looked up from her monitor as I entered.

"Hi, welcome to SyncroConnect!" She said with a nice smile. "Is this your first visit with us?"
"No, ma'am, I've been here before." I said, flashing my Profile Card.
"Glad to hear it!" She said. This lady obviously didn't hate her job. Waaay too perky. "What can I do for you today?"
"Is there a spot open for 7th Realm? I'd called ahead, and the lady said there'd -"
"Certainly!" She bubbled. "Not a problem at all. Right this way!"

I followed the lady out of the lobby area and into the main Arcade Room.  Some pretty decent Techno music was playing quietly. Hanging from the walls were several brightly-colored neon lights in cool designs, but other than that, the room was pretty bare. Filling the room was row upon row of what could best be described as berths. There were close to a hundred of these narrow, high-tech sci-fi looking beds called 'Ports', some of them occupied, others not yet. I looked to see if I happened to recognize any of the other guests, but wasn't surprised when I didn't. The people I'd come to meet wouldn't be here at all. 

Only one of them even lived in the same state, and he was hours away at that. Normally, this would make it difficult for us to hang out as often as we did, but no way was distance going to stop us. I'd actually met these people on an internet forum about a year back. I'd only registered there to talk a bit about this book series I liked when I was a bit younger, but I soon made some pretty great friends. It wasn't long before I went beyond the forum to using instant messaging programs, too, where I'd 'wasted' even more of my daily life chatting with these crazy people. But obviously, nothing compared to the latest in social networking technology.

These days, Total Immersion was where it was at.

Virtual Reality had been around for a while. I'd given it a shot once or twice, but I wasn't a fan of the big clunky goggles, the treadmill-like platforms, or the awkward gloves I had to use. Sure, they were neat, but they were just another video game system. Only somewhat recently had they made Total Immersion tech available to the general public. The military and a few major corporations had had access to it for years, and when it was finally opened up to people across the globe, it instantly became a major component of society. Now, within minutes, you could be speaking face to face with anyone in the world, travel to almost any place you could imagine, and do just about anything you could ever want to do, all while taking a light nap.

Basically, Total Immersion Virtual Reality systems 'uploaded' part of your conscious awareness to the Hypernet, as it had come to be called, and placed you in a simulated environment. Let's say you entered a virtual conference room, one of the most common themes. Thanks to the direct mental connection, there was hardly any way to tell it wasn't real. All of your senses were convinced that you were sitting in a high-rise office building; The way the light reflects off the polished table, the way the air conditioning sounds as it comes out the vents, the way the warm roasted coffee in the mug in front of you smells... it was flawless. As you might have guessed, this has hundreds upon hundreds of uses. Companies use it for business meetings, families use it for reunions and get-togethers, the military uses it for combat training. And lots of people, including myself, use it simply for entertainment purposes.

My 'internet friends' and I had become quite addicted, you could say, to meeting up in cyberspace. Oftentimes, we simply Uploaded to the more basic scenarios, such as a mall, or park, or whatever, just so we could all hang out in the same 'place'. Truth be told, it's probably one of my favorite things to do. But occasionally, a few of us will be a bit more adventurous and try out one of the thousands of games they have available. Racing games, fighting games, puzzles games... there were so many to choose from. Perhaps our favorite game though was this one RPG Adventure called '7th Realm'. It was extremely popular, and had been for a while. And for good reason, too. I was excited, now that I was moments away from diving back into the game with my buddies.

The arcade attendant stopped at Port #36, and opened the clear hatch. I hopped up, and took the helmet device from its cradle. I had to adjust the strap on it a bit, but soon had it secured rather securely.

“You sure look like you know what you're doing.” She said as she strapped a sensor-cuff around my upper arm. “May I see your card?” I handed over my Profile Card, which she swiped on the side of the machine I was now laying on. I could see all my stored information pop up on the little screen, displayed under my screen name: 'Warren BearClaw' (And no, my name isn't Warren... it's a long story, don't ask). She took a short breath, and then began with the little speech they were required to give everyone. “Thank you for choosing SyncroConnect Arcade Systems, Inc., my name is Jennifer and I'll be monitoring your visit today. In just a moment, you will be Uploading to the 7th Realm server – a great choice, I might say. As goes for all of our virtual environments, it will appear to be entirely real. You will see, feel, taste, smell, and hear everything just like you would in real life. Unless you have selected to opt out on your Gamer's Profile you may also experience mild to moderate exhaustion, discomfort, and even pain, with the exception of extreme cases, such as death. That pain will not be felt.” Ms. Jennifer worked quickly while she talked, flipping switches, making adjustments to a strap here and there, and finally shutting the clear plexiglass cover. I could tell she'd said this same exact thing to at least a dozen other people today alone.  “Once Uploaded, you will have the opportunity to take a tutorial briefly explaining the game, which will count towards your total game time. 7th Realm sessions last 45 minutes in real time, which equates to approximately three days in-game. When you have finished, common reactions include dizziness, nausea, slight headache, brief disorientation, and soreness. Your vital statistics will be watched closely by our team of trained professionals during your visit to ensure the best Total Immersion experience possible. Thank you again for choosing SyncroConnect, have a great time. Game on.”

“Thanks...” I just barely managed to say before I began eagerly drifting out of this world.



~ *Has stayed up WAAAAAY too long writing this, and must now go to bed* ~

Comment, please!

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

Oh, man, I love the concept of this!  That would be so cool, RAFians being able to meet whenever they like!

I'm interested as to what this 7th Realm will be.  I'm predicting a heroic adventure.

Can't wait for more!

[DinosaurNothlit]

Wow, I am very very excited to read more of this!  It's great so far!  Hehe, I lol'd a bit at the overly-perky attendant.  I've definitely met people like that.

[RAFrukh]

This sounds like so much fun! MORE MORE MORE!

[warren_bearclaw]

*will try to post more tonight.*

Yes. Heroic Adventure indeed.

[radgeek]

This tech would make being a RAFian so much easier.

[warren_bearclaw]

Took me long enough, but here's the next Chapter:

Chapter One
=MAIN MENU=

It's an interesting sensation. The actual Uploading process isn't like anything else that I've ever experienced. I'm told that it's similar to suffocating, but... in reverse. Yeah, I don't get it either. Anyways, it's weird as all get out. I drifted into a conscious state, and found myself standing in the dark. There was nothing, nothing at all. Seconds later, a thin rectangle of light appeared in front of me. Just like it did every time I entered a virtual environment. With a flourish, and a slight squeak, the door opened wide, flooding the room with blinding light. It faded quickly, and I found myself standing in an area much like a bus station terminal. There were benches arranged in a circle, with several doors bordering the room.

“BEAR! YOU'RE HERE!!!”

I didn't even have time to realize what was happening. I was hit from the side by a large flying object, and knocked rather uncomfortably to the ground. “Ooomph!” Only then did I realize that the flying object was a friend of mine.

“Yeah, Seal, glad to see you too.” I said, shoving her off me. “I coulda sworn that we'd talked about you tackling me like that.” I grinned. It was kinda a running gag between us. I sat up, rubbing my shoulder, when I noticed two sets of feet standing beside me.

“Need a hand?” Rad said, holding out her hand.

“Sure, thanks.” I said, taking hold and lifting myself up off the ground. “So... how long have y'all been waiting?”  I asked.

“Real time, or game time?” The fourth member of our group, Goom, asked. “No clue about real time - a minute or two, I'd guess - but I'd say it's only been twenty minutes at most since I got here. Seal got here pretty soon after, and Rad was a few minutes after.”

“But it's felt like FOREVER...” Seal said, now flopped on one of the lounge chairs in the waiting room, which was essentially the 'Main Menu'. After everyone was here, this was where we'd enter the game from.

“So, who else are we wait -”

BEEP BING!

There was a little beeping tone, indicating someone had entered the server. I looked over my shoulder.

“Hey Rukh! Glad you could make it.” I said with a wave.

“Sorry I'm late, guys, it took me -”

“RUKH, YOU'RE HERE!!!” Seal shouted, shooting across the room to tackle-hug Rukh just like she had me. Rad chuckled, and I facepalmed.

“Seal, do you *have* to tackle everybody that enters the room?” I asked.

“Not really. It's just fun is all. Gotcha, Rukh.”

“I feel so welcomed...” He muttered, as she helped him up off the floor.

“I just didn't want you to feel left out is all.” Seal said with a highly exaggerated expression of seriousness.

“Gee, thanks.” He said, rolling his eyes. “As I was saying though, it took me forever to get here. One of those protest groups was standing outside the arcade again. They actually had to have security lead me through the crowd just so I could get inside.”

“Yeah, same thing in Chicago.” Seal said. “I don't get those people. I mean, seriously, it's just a video game. Why don't the go wave their signs at the movie theater, or anywhere else?”

“Because 'Video games are stealing our children's youth'” Rad quoted. “Like we didn't have this problem before all this virtual reality stuff... No one made such a stink about it when there were still controllers and cables involved.”

“And yet, here we are.” Goom said. “I must be pretty comfortable with 'throwing my life away' since I keep coming back.”

“That implies you had a life to begin with.” I joked.

“True, true...” Everyone laughed a bit.

“I'm kinda excited guys. Are we waiting for anyone else, or can we get started now?” Rukh asked. This was his first time playing 7th Realm. We'd finally managed to drag him away from  that Star Trek game long enough for him to join us here. I knew he was going to enjoy it.

“We're waiting for Dino to get here, then we can go.” Goom said.

“Ah, okay. So... is there anything I need to know before we do? Is there a tutorial or something I can try out.”

“Oh gosh no, anything but that.” I said. “That thing is so annoying, no way. Don't worry, we'll make sure you learn everything you need to know, dude. The game's not too hard when you get the hang of it.”

“Thank goodness. I can't stand the tutorial.” Goom said.  “Basically, what you need to know is that we're going to start out in a little town, and have to do a bunch of boring little missions before we can move on. With six of us working together, that won't take too long though. You start out with three lives. You can get more, but try not to die before we get out of the village at least. It's really not that hard, and frankly, it makes you look bad if you do. Oh, and don't forget to pick up the Shinies.”

“...the what?” Rukh asked.

“Shinies.” Goom continued. “That's the money you use in the game. Little coins, jewels, treasures, and things like that. It's really useful later on, so grab as much as you can.”

BEEP BING!

“DINO, YOU'RE HERE!!!”

“Ack!”

Dino and Seal tumbled to the ground. “Oh, hi Sealie... mind if I stand up now?”

“Sure, why not?” Seal sat cross-legged on the ground next to Dino, who I helped get to her feet.

“Hey guys, nice to see everyone again. Is.. is this everyone? It is, right?”

“Yep. All here.”

“So... dang it, I'm last, aren't I?”

“Yep.”

“Sorry about that...” she said. “It took me a second to get here, I -”

“Was there a crowd of protesters at the door in Kansas too, Dino?” Rad asked. “Oi, they just don't -”

“No... I just had to grab something to eat first. I don't play well on an empty stomach.”

We laughed, again. That was pretty common for our group. We're a kinda crazy bunch, as you might have already noticed.

“Okay guys, let's go then. Time's a wasting.”

That said, the six of us walked toward the large double doors in front of us. They opened by themselves as we got close, leading into an empty white-walled room. After we were all in, the doors closed, and melted into the walls. “Well that's weird..” Rukh said. The room was brightly lit, and shortly, it really wasn't much of a room anymore. Without us noticing the transition, we found ourselves simply existing in open the white-space of nothingness. “Yeah... totally weird....”

--Greetings, fearless adventurers.--
Dramatic music drifted in from nowhere as the introduction began.

--Before you lie mystery, grandeur, wonder, far greater than any seen before. Trials, treasures, terrors, triumphs... all within your grasp. It is up to you, brave ones, to decide not only your fates, but the ultimate fate of the 7 Realms. Destiny is yours. Wield it wisely.--

The music softened into a gentle repeating pattern as we set up the game specifics. 3 lives each, with extras obtainable. Unlimited inventory and cash storage. Minimum settings for sleep and hunger rates. Cooperative play format. Difficulty levels set to Adaptive.

“...I've only played on 'Normal' difficulty... What's 'Adaptive' like?” I asked, feeling like I should have known by now.

“Adaptive means that the game adjusts to your performance and behaviors. If you're creaming all the baddies without breaking a sweat, it'll bump it up just a bit. If you're dying constantly, it'll make things easier. Basically, it makes it more user-friendly, and a lot more fun. It's only as hard as you make it to be.” Goom said.

“Cool.” Rad said, with just a hint of recklessness in her smile. “Let's do it.”

“Almost done here...” Goom said.

--Would you like to activate Tutorial Assistance?-- The voice asked.

“NO!” Everyone shouted together. Man, did I hate that tutorial... that stupid little ball of light would *not* shut up. I only made that mistake once. I'd learned my lesson. Once was enough.

--Game settings saved.--, announced the voice. --Prepare to enter the First Realm--

The music faded away on a dramatic note while we faded into the white-space as well. I grinned. This was gonna be a blast. “Game on”

[DinosaurNothlit]

EPICNESS!  Thankyousomuch for including me in this, it's going to be so much awesome!  *can't wait for more chapters*

And sorry I was late, by the way.  But, you know how it is, if I don't eat before going into a video game like this, sometimes I'll forget to eat altogether, and that usually doesn't end well for me.

Lol, I loved the comment about the 'little ball of light,' who 'wouldn't shut up.'  Hmm, what video game character does that sound like? 

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

*pokes Dino* HEY! LISTEN!

XD

Sorry....I couldn't resist....

But yes, this is awesome!  I can't wait for what twists lie ahead...and what the heck the 7th Realm is.

BTW: Me tackle-hugging everyone?  YES.  So, totally, utterly, me. 

[RAFrukh]

“I'm kinda excited guys. Are we waiting for anyone else, or can we get started now?” Rukh asked. This was his first time playing 7th Realm. We'd finally managed to drag him away from  that Star Trek game long enough for him to join us here. I knew he was going to enjoy it.

^^

[DinosaurNothlit]

Tackle-hugs are the best hugs. 

Seal, I will fully expect to receive at least one tackle-hug when I come to Chicago.

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

Finally, my life's mission has been received.  *serious face*

[warren_bearclaw]

*needs to be pestered more to write here... *

[Saphire]

X3 I'm onto you Bear! Hahahahaha, I"M ONTO YOU!!!!

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

I used up my pestering quota yesterday.