MMORPG: Shattered Land

6:00.

Marius was awoken by his alarm clock.

Rolling out of bed, he carefully stretched, flexing his aged body into activity.

After working the kinks out of his tired old frame, he left his bedroom.

First things first. Breakfast, coffee, toilet, and shower.

By the time he left the bathroom, it was close to 7:30.

Stepping into the entertainment area, Marius began his forms, training for an hour before resting on the couch with his laptop.

For the next hour, he scoured the forum, searching for anything new. Satisfied with his efforts, he returned to his room and got into bed.

He had decided that this was the safest option. Not that he thought he would go overboard again like the first time he took the plunge, but because it just removed the possibility of a chill completely.

Nice and comfortable, Marius set the timer and pulled the headset on. It was 9:30 at this point.

2:00:00

Marius found himself at the edge of the Village where he had logged out. Immediately, he took off towards the Elemental Squirrels and began his one-sided slaughter.

This time, Marius noticed it took him far less time to finish his slaughter, taking only 3 minutes instead of 4. This meant that he could grind 32,400 experience within the hour. With the remaining time before he had to log out, he could also grind an estimate 17,000 experience.

It was a definite improvement. And Marius wanted to get faster. He barely registered the Elemental Stones as he pocketed them. He was much more concerned with grinding the Squirrels for their experience.

0:14:34

Seeing he had little time left, Marius finished off his last swarm of squirrels and headed back to the village.

Like last time, when he reached the boundary, he entered the Village and logged off.

11:30.

The grinding had worn Marius out this time, but he ignored it as he rose from his bed. He went about doing his necessary jobs and found a comfortable spot on the couch.

He had decided that he would have a space of at least 6 hours between his play times. As such, he would not be going online again until at least 5:30 in the afternoon.

This meant he had a lot of time to spare. So he started cooking.

Being a Bachelor for most of his life, Marius had enjoyed a life of eating out and trying as many new foods as his palette could withstand. It was only when he met his wife did he begin to master the art of cooking.

The reason for that was very simple. His beautiful wife was a talented career woman with interests and hobbies that rivaled his own. Her cooking, on the other hand, was a thing of nightmares. Their first date had been her making them dinner which resulted in both of them getting food poisoning.

That had sparked his passion for cooking. What had started out as a joke for a second date turned into a private affair of one-upmanship, romance, and culinary experimentation.

Though his love for cooking had died with her, he still had many of the skills to make a meal fit for a king. Or at least a wealthy butler.

So Marius spent the afternoon preparing meal after meal. Each one would suffice for a quick feast on short notice and could be stored in the freezer.

High cuisine on ice.

After indulging himself on his last creation, Marius took himself back to his bedroom.

It was 3:00 and Marius felt it would be a good idea to take a nap before returning to his new treasure land.

Brrr. Brrr. Brrr.

The doorbell rang as Marius was about to lie down

Reluctantly, he made his way to the door and peered at the security panel.

"Rajan, what do you want?" Marius asked when he saw the familiar man.

Rajan looked into the monitor. "Can I come in?"

Sighing, Marius opened the door.

"Marius, what the hell were you thinking?" A shrill voice demanded from behind Rajan.

"Shivani," Marius replied, turning a glare to Rajan.

Rajan rose his hands in defeat as he entered, followed closely followed by his wife, Shivani.

Rajan had chosen a beautiful woman to be his wife. Poised and proud, with a slim waist and charming smiles.

Of course, that was 40 years ago. She was still the same woman but five children, a workaholic husband and looking after her aging parents had made her a strict taskmaster.

Now it seemed she was targeting him.

"You didn't answer my question." The ferocious woman said, her eyes begging no alternatives.

"I thought it was a statement of fact, not a question," Marius replied, walking towards the couch. "I would offer tea but ....old." he waved his hand as if he were frailer than he was.

Rajan laughed. Shivani fumed.

"Is this about the game?" Marius asked, getting to the point.

"Of course it's about the game." Shivani all but yelled. "How could you exhaust yourself to the point where you were incapacitated for a whole day?"

Marius waved his hand, offering them a seat.

"As for playing the game. I believe I am an adult who can make their own choices. As for playing to the point of exhaustion. I believe I covered that when I said 'Old'."

A flicker of sadness flitted in Shivani's eyes. Marius felt a moment of pity. She was at the age where people started dying all around her. He couldn't blame her for trying to keep one more from the grave.

Then the flicker was gone, replaced by indomitable will. "You shouldn't be playing it if it tires you out so much."

"Shivani. I love you like an adopted daughter, but do not tell me what to do. I may be old and frail. You might even be able to beat me up. But you do not have the capacity to make me do anything." Marius spoke calmly and as steadily as he could.

Rajan sighed. "I told her you would say that. She still insisted on coming over to try."

"Try what Rajan?" Marius asked calmly. "Keep me from aging and getting closer to dying?"

He saw the hurt in both their eyes and felt ashamed he'd put it there.

Raising a hand he apologized. "That was too far. I am sorry. But have either of you played the game?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"Then please try to understand. Rajan, I suspect you have an inkling of an idea which is why you put me onto this in the first place. Shivani, I know you get it more than you let on. But just so we are clear. I am done."

Looking at them both in the eye, Marius took a breath. "I am old. My body is just about done. My old friend is back and he isn't going away again. I have no reason to want to prolong my life and the only thing left of me that isn't broken in my mind. And I'm not even sure how long I will have that."

"That game is like a release. In there I am no longer a dying man trapped in a broken body. I am young and strong with an adventure ahead of me instead of a travesty behind me."

"You are right. I went overboard before, but that won't happen again. I intend to keep playing this game. I'd even say that I'll play it even if it kills me, but let's be honest. It will have to get in line."

There was a tear in Shivani's eye when he'd finished. Even Rajan's were damp.

"You didn't tell me it was back," Rajan whispered.

Marius gave him a tired smiled. "It never really left."

Shivani shuddered. "You lied to everyone? You've been waiting all this time?" she whispered.

Marius nodded, his secret was finally out.

"I would appreciate it if you guys didn't tell anyone," Marius said. "The last time everyone found out they made a fuss. This time, I plan on just letting it run its course."

There was a heavy silence.

"What do you plan to do?" Rajan asked.

Marius grinned. "Exactly what I said I'd do. I'm going to break your game."

Shivani and Rajan were stunned. Then Rajan smiled.

"One last conquest before fate wipes the floor with you. Guess this is how you'd want to go out."

Shivani looked at her husband but he silenced her.

"You know, I did want you to actually help me make the game better. I didn't intend for you to actually try breaking the game."

Marius laughed. "Then shall we compete for a little while? You can have the home ground advantage."

Rajan nodded. "Do you need anyone here to keep an eye on you? No fuss. Just a carer to make sure you don't trip over in the toilet and drown in your bowl."

"Ha. You're more likely to drown in a bowl of Shivani's rice." Marius shot back. He could feel a little bit of fire in his belly as he spoke.

Fighting words.

Finally, Shivani rolled her eyes. "You two are as bad as each other," she complained.

"Are you two satisfied?" Marius asked as they stood up.

"Sure. Knowing you, you'll outlive both of us anyway you rotten old bastard." Rajan said, reaching out his hand.

Marius took it, pulling himself up. "Please don't curse me with that long a life. This one has been plenty long as it is."

Rajan smiled and turned to leave.

"Oh, before I forget. Have you decided on an occupation in the game?" Rajan asked over his shoulder.

"Nope," Marius replied honestly.

"Choose Beast Tamer," Rajan said opening the door. "It's the most difficult and most rewarding of them all."

Marius smiled as he farewelled his two old friends.

"Beast Tamer aye?" he said to himself.

He had thought about that for a while. Occupations added very little to increase combat power. Most acted as a support role. Such as a smith being able to craft better weapons or an alchemist making equipment that could recover mana.

The beast Tamer, on the other hand, was somewhat special as it focused on a player tracking down and forcing monsters to become pets. The Beast Tamer could learn to refine those monsters, making them stronger and more adaptable in battle.

However, the consensus was as Rajan had said. It was a difficult occupation and it directly tampered with grinding experience.

It was like any specialized occupation. A few elites could provide for a large number, so few would select it and just reap the rewards for someone else's hard work. Of course, reimbursement for the effort would occur, but that was not Marius' concern.

he needed to make his character the best. And Rajan was right. A Beast Tamer would be an effective tool to make that happen.

But Marius was getting too far ahead of himself. He couldn't unlock an occupation until he reached one of the Main Cities.

So his first priority was to actually get there.