Sarah quits her job at Digidream, the company where the most amazing and immersive game is being made. But it won't be that easy. Out of fear and despair, she will immediately be forced to enter the gameworld in order to save someone she cares for...
The forest looked exactly like it did a few hours ago when she tested the new suspension system. The breeze felt different on her skin, though, now that her body was big, hard and powerful. Sarah wouldn't have been able to find the words to describe this difference exactly, but it was there, as evident as the green in the leaves of the trees in this virtual world.
She turned around to assess the situation and found no traces of the pink room, no debris, no shattered glass, no hole in the ground where it had crashed. The impact had felt weird, more like a change of phase than a real crash. She was now on her own, and she thought it would be a great thing if she had some kind of map in order to orient herself. She immediately regretted not chosing the fairy or any other character with the ability of Flight. But Strength and Endurance would get her further if slower, she concluded.
She tried to visualize a map or guide. This was the canonical method to invoke menus and options ingame: "calling" them with your mind. Other stuff would appear on its own with various kinds of corporal feedback, like the buzzing sound and tickling sensation when she received a notification of a level up, a skill increase, or a new quest. But nothing materialized in front of her.
"Map," she tried. She spoke it aloud just in case. It would be the equivalent of just thinking of the word, making it a request for the game. But saying it had a different psychological effect. It felt more solid and effective.
Nothing.
"Guide."
Only the breeze and the sounds of birds, frogs and squirrels answered her command.
"Chart."
No dice.
She wondered if Shi would be anywhere near at this moment. It might be too soon for her to have established a link... maybe only a minute had passed in the real world while Sarah was playing the game, because of the time dilation effect. And even if Shi was connected and talking to her already, this time difference would mean that anything she had to say would appear with a big delay or spread out along a certain period of time.
No, I'm alone until further notice, she thought.
She started exploring the forest, letting the breeze bring her all the scents and sounds of nature... and some of possible supernatural origin, too. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and opened them again.
She had heard a faint, almost hidden sound of water. A tiny creek that crossed the forst, probably. She looked in the direction where it would be.
Let's walk that way, she told herself. In the absence of a map, it's as good as any other.
She started walking. There was no proper path to speak of, but she found a trail, and then another. Animals or other creatures had found the best ways to get from one place inside the forest to the other, just like in nature or even in big cities, where "desire paths" get collectively drawn by thousands of feet, often ignoring the lanes and sidewalks provided by the city itself.
She was not surprised when, after a while of following a trail toward the course of water, she was greeted with a notification.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
