Respawn Online World RPG

Chapter One: An Unusual Discovery

Callie enters her shabby apartment and sits down at her desk in her living room. She mimics a nauseously high pitched voice. "A luxurious 'living room' that also happens to be a kitchen, and a bedroom. A third of the space for the exorbitant price of all three. There's nothing better than sharing so there's no bathroom in here! Share one with the entire floor."

She peers at her reflection at a table mirror kept on her desk. Her mimicry of the landlord's smile fades to a neutral expression. Callie's eyes are a benevolent dark pink color. She has black eye liner and lipstick. She has white hair in a voluminous bob that slightly curls into multiple points. There are small curls pointing beneath her eyes and large curls parting from neck length outwards. Callie is wearing a black crop top shirt that exposes her stomach. The shirt is complimented by a black skirt with decorative frills.

"Great, I haven't spontaneously died and turned into a zombie."

She scrolls through social media on her phone only to be bombarded by unpleasant topics recommended to her. The latest topics read, "War will never be the same. A new military grade artificial intelligence has been created...", "The victim was found murdered in the park. The suspect is still at large...", and "The cost of living is expected to rise by as much as twenty percent yet again by the end of the year..."

"Why is everything always so damn depressing?" Callie sighs. She closes the app and switches to a different app. Callie plays a video with a more interesting topic.

A news reporter states, "Today marks the third anniversary of Respawn Online World. The famous VR RPG that came out of nowhere and took the world by surprise. A game that boasts an active player-base

of several million players daily. I have a guest with me by the name of John Reel Man. So tell me, John. Do you think we will ever see another game as innovative as ROW?"

"Of course I do. The real question is when? The technology behind ROW is ahead of our time and a very cautiously guarded corporate secret. A year ago, anybody in the field of technology would have told you that replicating the five senses of taste, smell... in a game is unheard of."

Callie skips to the end the video.

"Players can expect to ROW, ROW, ROW, their boats gently down the stream in this new limited time event that introduces a new quest line accessible at level seventy. The quest line takes place across the seas as part of a voyage across the world."

Callie scoffs. "Great update developers. Not only do we have to be level seventy to participate, we have to have access an expensive-ass boat capable of sailing across the virtual sea. Exactly the kind of update that I want to see."

She turns off her phone and retreats to her bizarre-appearing bed. Her bed looks more like a containment pod out of a science fiction film or a coffin connected to a mess of thick cables and wires. There is a metal hinge on the side connected to a cover that she closes once she is comfortable.

A screen turns on with a flash. An automated voice plays. "Bio-metrics scanned. Username Callie Graph Reed confirmed. Logging into ROW."

Callie spawns in the middle of an overgrown forest. There are some brick walls that appear out of place and the little rubble that remains of an abandoned town. There are vines and moss covering practically everything in sight. There is a river flowing through that provides some calming ambiance.

She checks her menu. She takes a moment to check her quest list. There are a number of ongoing quests that she ignores for the time being. "I still need to collect some monster drops for the guild and some more four leaf clovers to upgrade my wand. The recommended level for the monster hunting quest is level thirty two. I am the same level."