Let me level with you. Some things on Earth are awesome. Things like the phones that operate from the inside of your body and respond to your thoughts? Pretty awesome. The new hoverboards? Pretty fucking awesome. Virtual reality MMORPG's?
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Fucking... GENIUS!!!
But seriously, lately there has been this massive hype for a new game series called Sword Art. It's supposed to be a massive VRMMORPG that is being released world-wide where you need to clear 100 floors to beat the game. Once that is done, you can challenge bosses over and over again to get the best loot to become the best player in the world.
For me? Meh, never was too big on playing with others. I know there's the whole 'Oh, you can play with your friends and it's easier!', but I like playing by myself and with a challenge. And I'm also not too good with lots of people.
Oh, sorry for not introducing myself. In the online world I go as Enzo, which is a substitute of my name in another language. Not gonna tell you what it is though. Anyway, Enzo is the name that you will know me by.
What was I saying? Oh yeah! Going on, There are two versions of Sword Art being released. The first, which is by far the most popular, is called Sword Art Online (SAO) and the other is called Sword Art Solo (SAS). By the second day after the announcement of Sword Art's release date, all the stores in the area had all of their stocks from the first shipment of SAO pre-ordered. SAS? Not a single one.
I'm serious! No one had gone to buy it! So what did I do? I walked in the local EB Games and said to them:
"Can I pre-order Sword-"
"All out. Sorry." The person behind the counter said in a bored, flat monotone like he'd been doing it all day.
"Did you know what I was going to ask?" I retorted, slightly annoyed.
"Yes. Everyone comes in here daily asking the same thing."
"Well, I want to pre-order Sword Art *Solo***." I said, putting an emphasis on the 'solo'.
If someone was playing a record, this would've been the perfect time for one of those scratch-stop things you see in movies. It even had the person in the doorway looking at me awkwardly. Everyone else in the store? Stopped everything and were just staring at me.
"I'm sorry sir, can you repeat that?" The man behind the counter asked me.
"I would like to pre-order Sword Art Solo." I repeated, but slower. I swear I actually heard one go off this time and there were somehow even more people staring at me. When I looked around, I found out why: Someone was standing there with a record and a needle in their hands.
"Would you like to pick it up in-store or have it delivered to your house?"
"Delivered, please." I answered, turning back to the cashier.
"......That's $79.99 in total." I nodded and handed him two $50 notes. He gave me the change and I wrote down my address before leaving.
That brings us to today. I finally got my game delivered. As soon as I saw the man outside my door with a package from EB Games, I signed the form and sprinted upstairs to my room. I ripped open the package and took the clear covering that is wrapped around any new game these days. When I was finished, I stared upon the game in all it's glory.
(A/N: Think of the cover size like that of a PS4 and the blue plastic.)
It said at the bottom of the cover 'Sword Art Solo: Equestrian Edition' with a picture of a grand city hanging off the side of a mountain with the sun setting in the distance. First thoughts? Pretty cool, but I wonder why I got this 'Equackrian Edition' or whatever it said. Equestrian, I dunno.
Anyway, I opened up the cover and saw a disk with the same design as the cover on it, but smaller. I popped out the disk and held it gingerly in my hands. As I gazed upon its magnificence for probably way more time than what is healthy, I put it into the disk drive that's hooked up the the ElectroReceptor.
The ElectroReceptor is pretty cool. It reads the signals that you send throughout your body from your brain and intercepts them before they do anything, making you immobile once playing, and redirects them as what your actions in the game. The design is pretty much a black motorcycle helmet with 4 different options.
You can either go for all black, electric blue, blood red, or white. The colour of the visor changes with the patterns that run around the helmet changing depending on what model you get. I chose electric blue because I think the look of it is badass. Once the game had been loaded into the ElectroReceptor, I put it on.
Very slowly.
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What? So what I like being dramatic. Besides, it's not like anyone is watching me.
"That's what you think..."
I feel as though I just incurred the wrath or attention of a crazed god who can do whatever they want to me.
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...
Not sure how I feel about that. Anyway. I finished putting it on and lay down on my bed, making sure I was in a comfortable position. When I was, I shouted out the words to start it up.
"Game launch!"
For the next bit, all I knew was darkness.
??? POV
I waited until Enzo had started up his little machine before quickly putting him asleep and moving into position. I looked down on his covered face and chuckled darkly.
"Do not think you can just ignore this like most other things. This time, you'll have to see this to the end..." I said as I placed my index fingers on both sides of his head and closed my eyes.
"Or DIE!" They snapped open and glowed a menacing red. I stepped back and inspected my handiwork. "Nearly done." I muttered to myself. I touched is arms, legs and chest in the same way as with his head. When I stepped back again, I smirked, happy that my work was done.
"Don't disappoint me. I'd hate to see one of my best endeavours fail on me." With that, I walked out the house, leaving it barren.
