MMORPG: Shattered Land

Proud Master was silent for a while before responding.

"That is a large number of coins. I can pay it but it will exhaust all my liquid funds."

Marius nodded. "I understand. But, I am also sure that you can recoup the expense if you act fast. I assume that you are a part of a team?"

"Yes. We are all level 6 and there are 10 of us." proud Master replied.

"Excellent. Then you have nothing to worry about." I guarantee that you will be able to profit from this exchange." Marius knew he could sell the sale. It was about making it worth the 20 silvers that was the problem. So long as Proud Master did not know the value of the Elemental Stones there shouldn't be a problem.

"Brother Solitude. If you don't mind me asking. Just how valuable are the Brutal Arrows in your opinion?"

Marius took a moment before responding. "When you start hunting Large Boars, you are going to have some trouble getting through their defenses. I would estimate that they have close to double a Grey Wolves defense and has much more Health. Having Brutal Arrows will help take out a substantial amount of the danger. Plus, taking out 100 will take some time and splitting the exp 10 ways will slow your team's growth. So It would be a good idea to have a more efficient way to take out the monsters rather than needing higher levels."

"Of course, like anything, the value of Brutal Arrows will decrease as the player's level gets higher. It's up to you whether you want to gain a small advantage."

"Done," Proud Master replied. "I'll send you the 20 silver immediately."

"I'll be heading back to the Village. I'll send you the method when I get there."

Marius ended the conversation and ran back to the Village, enjoying the extra speed of his movements. Even as a young man he had never run so fast, nor had he enjoyed this level of endurance.

Looking at the clock, Marius was stunned. it was 10 at night. He had been playing for 6 hours straight. It was well time to call it a day. But first, business to finish.

The moment he entered the village the 20 Elemental Stones appeared in his inventory.

(Proud Master sent you 20 Silver coins.)

Marius quickly sent Proud Master instructions on how to obtain Brutal Arrows before going to to the Village Leaders Hall.

His rewards were quite good, yielding 1 Gold coin and 110,000 experience, leveling Marius up to Level 9.

As Marius expected he also gained an additional item.

Hunter's Emblem - Gold Grade

Effect: Increases damage done to monsters by 20%

Marius equipped the item and left, not bothering to get any more quests.

The whole Village was a safe zone so Marius logged out, leaving the virtual world.

His house was dark when he took the Virtual reality Gear off. And it was cold.

Shivering, Marius crawled up to a sitting position, wrapping his old, withered arms around himself.

"Stupid." He cursed himself. He hadn't expected to play this late. hadn't expected the game to be so addictive that he'd lose track of time.

His stomach was empty and his body was shaking as if he's run a 10-mile sprint. The room spun around him and he collapsed on the couch, shaking and weak.

"Damn it. DAMN IT!" Marius shook even worse as tears poured down his face. He was old. He was weak but for a brief time, he had escaped this hell. This cage that kept him from living the life he had chosen for himself.

For years he had suffered the weakening of his body. The shackles that time, age and illness had placed on him and he believed he had come to terms with it.

What a lie.

He was angry. He had felt so powerful in the game and now, he couldn't even be compared to a newborn babe.

The tears eventually ran dry and the old man, cold and weary dragged himself into his bedroom. He would eat in the morning but for now, he wanted the escape of sleep.

Though he knew there would be no bliss in it. Just memories that were no better than nightmares.

"Being old is a curse," he growled weakly as he closed his eyes.

When Marius opened his eyes next he felt like he hadn't slept. Rolling over he saw the clock read 9:53. He had slept through his alarm.

Shakily, he got up, careful of his old joints. His mind was blurry, making it difficult for him to focus on anything.

Food.

The thought was strong enough to make him walk to the kitchen, through the entertainment area, past the couch with that damned Virtual Reality Gear hanging off the side.

Ignoring it, he busied himself making breakfast. Slowly. Carefully. It had never taken him this long to pour himself a bowl of cereal or make a coffee. And yet, today it took an eternity.

Finally, he began to satisfy his hunger but the moment he began to eat, his stomach clenched and his appetite fled him.

"Damn it." he cursed as he forced the food down his gullet.

After the first few mouthfuls, the knot in his stomach eased and the food went down. No sooner did he finish the bowl did he feel a wave of hunger wash over him. Downing the coffee, he went about preparing another serving of food, steering clear of the cereal. He had no appetite for that.

An hour later, he finished eating. His belly felt like it had grown three sizes and despite three cups of coffee, his mind was still unfocused.

"I best sleep some more." He growled, making his way back to his sheets.

It was late the next morning before he woke again.

Brrrr. Brrrr. Brrrr

The irritating sound of his phone roused Marius from his slumber.

Rolling over he saw that it was 8 in the morning. An entire day was lost for the sake of playing for 6 hours on that stupid game.

Marius ground his teeth as he reached for his phone.

"Marius, why haven't you been answering me?" Rajan's concerned voice asked on the other end of the phone.

"I've been, under the weather," Marius replied testily.

"Oh good. I was worried something bad had happened to you. Your account is Midnight Solitude right?"

Marius rubbed his face as he replied. "I'm fine and yes. What about it?"

"There just hasn't been any activity from it. it caught the attention of some of our Moderator's because of the huge amount of progress done on the account. I figured it had to be you."

"Did you need me for something," Marius said blandly. Rajan was beating around the bush and Marius had never had time for it.

"I was just worried. Your activity log said you'd been playing for 6 hours and you hadn't logged back in since."

"What am I?" Marius asked.

"Ah? A Night Stalker?" Rajan replied.

"No, you idiot. I'm fucking old." Marius' anger exposed itself, leaving him feeling like a child, lashing out because he couldn't eat some candy.

"Fuck. What happened?" Rajan swore in concern.

"Don't use that language with me." Marius admonished, forgetting he had sworn just moments ago.

Rajan was silent.

Marius relented.

"Playing for 6 hours straight exhausted me. I was dumb enough to play late on the couch and got a chill. I've mostly been asleep since." The admission tore at the old man. He had rarely exposed his vulnerabilities since his wife had died. And he never wanted to let it out now.

"I'm so sorry," Rajan said sadly. "I didn't think what the game would do to your health."

"Pfft. What health? I've been losing that stupid thing for years. I've been one walk in the wind away from pneumonia for years."

They were silent for a while. In the background, Marius could hear Rajan's wife talking to him. How long till that devil of a woman started pestering him? Marius did not look forward to that.

"Do you plan to keep playing?" Rajan asked.

"Undecided," Marius spoke simply.

"Ok."

"Don't worry about me Rajan," Marius said calmly. "Whatever I choose to do will be on me. Not you."

With that he hung up, cutting off any response from the Indian man.

What a weak way to end an argument, Marius mocked himself. Gone were the days where he had the energy to browbeat anyone into doing what he wanted. It made him sad. He had lost his edge in more ways than he thought.

Carefully, he got out of bed. Oddly, he was feeling refreshed, more energetic than he had in years. Even his aches and pains were less noticeable.

Taking the initiative, Marius took a shower and then went to the kitchen. He hadn't cleaned up his mess from the previous morning and was shocked at the state of the kitchen.

"It's no wonder it felt like I made so much food." he cursed to himself. He actually had and most of it was splattered on the bench. Looking down at his front he saw a mess of food residue and coffee.

Suppressing his anger he went through his pantry, taking out the paltry leftovers that he hadn't wasted in his near delirious state. He made a quick breakfast and spent some time putting the Kitchen into order before going and collecting his phone.

He called a number and quickly made an order before returning to the couch and the dreaded VR gear.

It was time for some hard truths. He held the gear in his hands.

"I want to go back in." He muttered to himself as he toyed with the headset. "In that world, I am not this pathetic old man. I have an able body that isn't a cage to my mind. There are boundless opportunities and adventures to be had. Of course, I want to go back."

"But I do not have the reserves to do it." He thought back to the 6 hours of joy he had felt followed by the near incapacitation. "It's like a drug. The longer I succumb to its addictive influence, the more it affects me afterward. But damn it, it's still better than just waiting to die."

He knew he'd made up his mind. His desire to feel that freedom had more allure than any drug he'd ever encountered.

"But I need to be careful." A realization came to him.

He needed to be careful so that it didn't significantly affect health. He felt it. Coming out of the game that night he had been the closest to taking that permanent dirt nap than he had ever been.

If he had kept playing for a few more hours then the chill really would have set in then his quality of life would deteriorate at a speed that terrified him.

It would have handicapped him even more. Then killed him.

The idea of dying did not scare him. He had been waiting for the inevitable end for over a decade, its influence on him was long gone.

But further incapacitation. That scared him and it made him want to keep it at bay at all costs.

"I won't quit the game. And I won't let it take me." Marius decided

Moderation would be key and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

If 6 hours was too much then he wouldn't play for more than two. If he split his day properly he could have a period of time to play, a time to rest and a time to keep his body healthy with exercise.

In his mind he formulated a plan, making estimates on the amount of time he would need for recovery.

Brrrr. Brrrr. Brrrr.

The doorbell rang and Marius stood up. He hadn't realized how long he had sat in contemplation.

On the security panel, he saw the familiar Elizabeth and opened the door.

"Hey Mr. G. Need a top up already?" She said brightly.

Marius smiled. "I had a slight disagreement with eth bench. It wanted to be clean, I felt it need to be covered in food. It was an interesting conversation."

Her laugh made the old man feel a dozen years younger and he wished he could bring himself to laugh like that again.

"Well. The bench looks tidy now." Elizabeth observed, placing her box of goods on the bench.

"Well, if life teaches us anything is when you make a mess, someone has to clean it up." Marius kicked a dark thought from his mind.

"That's what my mum always says," Elizabeth said, her eyes picking up the VR gear on the couch. "How was Shattered Land?" she asked.

Marius smiled. "It was perhaps the best experience I've had in years," he said honestly.

Elizabeth laughed. "That's what my friends said. But I guess it means more coming from you."

Marius smiled, knowingly. The game was an attractive past time.

"Do you have many deliveries today?" Marius asked.

Elizabeth poked her tongue out. "Are you trying to get rid of me, Mr. G?"

"I wouldn't dream of it. But I do have a few things that I need to take care of soon."

Elizabeth's face changed and for the first time in years, Marius couldn't read it. "Are you ok Mr. G? It's not coming back is it?"

Marius smiled. "Don't worry kid. I'm fine. It's just a bowel issue."

Elizabeth blanched before heading to the door. "Catch you later." her cheery farewell made Marius smile.

"She's a good kid," he said before going about setting up his day.