Chapter Nine

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Ben watched the news reports with delight. People were loving it! Photos and videos from in-game poured in continuously. His holo-watch lit up with notifications of colleagues and acquaintances congratulating him on the launch. He realized he didn't have many close friends. He didn't have much family either. His mother died when he was young, and his father didn't handle that very well, retreating into a bottle for much of the rest of his life.

Ben spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make him less miserable. He was never able to. He still lives in the same house Ben grew up in surrounded by the memories that have held him prisoner.

Ben decided in college that he would give people something real to escape to. A place where they can be someone the can't be in the real world. And he had finally done just that. It felt good to have that accomplishment. To have created something that will add some color into people's lives.

Sarah called him up just then, and he answered immediately, "Hey Sarah! Did you see the crowds? It's a hit!" He sounded absolutely ecstatic.

"I know I saw! Congratulations Ben! I actually just picked up a copy. Showing my support and all." She feigned mock resignation with that, and Ben imagined she had a sly smirk on her face.

"Oh yeah, just for the cause. I know you are excited to get in there and slay some orcs!" He joked with her, but he knew she was almost as excited to play this as anyone else.

"Well how about I run home and get a character going and we can run some quests. You can give me all the pro-tips."

"Sounds good to me Sarah, I still have to make my personal account to play. I'll see you in-game!"

"Ben wait.. did you think about it at all?" She sounded hesitant. Like she was afraid of what his answer might be.

He paused, disappointed in himself that he hadn't read her notes yet, "I still need to look over your notes.. I'm sorry I just got really busy with all of this, but I promise I will."

"Alright Ben, please don't brush it off.. I'll see you in haven!" She ended the call and Ben climbed into his reclining chair and strapped on his helmet.

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They had been in Haven now for a solid 3 hours. With Bens inside knowledge, they had acquired a fair amount of good loot, giving them a little bit of a boost when in combat. Ben's Elven Ranger wore simple leather armor and carried an iron sword and dagger. His long white hair was pulled tightly into a braided top-knot in classic Elven fashion with a few strands tucked behind a pointed ear. The hood of his cloak left down, allowing him to feel the gentle breeze.

Sarah's human mage wore a white and gold robe and had an oak staff in one hand and a sweet roll in the other, "I know it doesn't taste as strong as the real thing, but these rolls are pretty tasty. I can even feel the warmth!" her silver hair flowed out like a waterfall across her shoulders.

"Its pretty amazing! It really is almost just like the real world. It's easy to forget we aren't really here." Ben had been in Haven many times, but always as a test character. It wasn't the same thing as starting his own persona. Having a character created based of his own thoughts and desires.

That was one of the greatest things about haven in his opinion. The hardware uses it's AI analysis tools to work out exactly what kind of character you would want to be. An elf? Done. Half-elf? Sure. There had not been a single case so far of the screening process in the character creation pool failing to give the player a character they loved.

A band of kobolds approached them from the south, descending a small hill. They were questing near Westwood Forest, as they had both started near the Wood Elves Capital. Ben being an elven ranger himself, and Sarah to be able to study the arcane secrets of Haven.

"Ill take this one." Ben approached the leading kobold and dispatched him with a quick slash across it's neck, using his sword to push aside it's crude mace and his dagger to finish the job.

A second kobold came in and nearly managed to land a strike with it's club on his knee, but his Elven dexterity allowed him to dodge the blow. He spun around backwards, and swept the creature off it's feet with the heel of his boot, making easy work of running his sword through it's heart.

"show off." Sarah sent a harmless bolt of light at Ben, leaving a dark mark on his armor.

"Oh come on, I'm just trying to have fun! I'm not sho.." Ben stopped mid sentence.

"Do you smell that?" He asked her distantly, scanning the valley they stood in.

"what?" She asked him nervously.

"Everything. I can smell everything. It's so vivid. Here, feel the grass." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the ground.

"Ouch! Don't pull me so hard.." She pulled her arm back away from his.

"Sarah, please tell me you didn't actually feel any pain from that." Ben's face was stone white. Sweat was beading up on his brow.

"Dont worry about it. It didn't hurt too bad. No big deal." she smiled at him to say it was ok.

"No Sarah! It's not all good. Something is wrong. This is a game. You aren't supposed to feel pain! We have to go. Meet me at my building as soon as you can."

Then as quickly as he sensed the increase in his sensory perception, it went away. Back to the normal level. The level he had intended the game to provide. They sat down and crossed their legs and waited for the headset to recognize they wanted to remove the visor, and Ben found himself back in his small office. His thoughts on fire with the possibilities of what they had just experienced.

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