There were people all along the roads, but something about them was different. They walked around almost aimlessly and as Wesley paid them more attention hebrealized they were not actually moving forward. They were moving backward. Surprised, Wesley turned his gaze downward toward his hands. His fingers twitched involuntarily qas if some prior gestures he had made had immediately replayed themselves. His heart raced as he tried to understand what was happening. “This couldn’t be right," he whispered. “I’ve fallen into another glitch.”As he walked forward, the world around him was moving in reverse. The marketplace was incredibly active, it seemed like someone had pressed rewind on a film reel. Merchants put the fruit back on the stalls, children picked up their coins that they threw on the ground, and birds flew backwards through the air.They spoke in reverse too, their words becoming an indistinct murmur that buzzed through the atmosphere around them. Wesley’s eyes widened and his
As Wesley proceeded into the next space, the air became thick and offensive. In front of him lay the Swamp of Death, an evil and eerie place, filled with crooked and twisted tree trunks, and stinking water that was very stagnant and bubbly. Thick, green fog rolled across the surface of the swamp, carrying a stench of decay so strong that Wesley nearly gagged. A disembodied voice, which was cold and mechanical echoed in his head, "Beware. The Swamp of Death. Few who enter never return. Choose your path wisely." Wesley stopped at the border of the swamp and looked for a cross means without any sign on the horizon. His foot descended into the green ooze and it seemed as though the earth wanted to pull him in further with each step he made. Despite lurking threats in the air, it was impossible to turn around and go home. The noise of splashing water beside him made him stop immediately. Out of the corner of his eye he caught some movement, a creature coiled and wriggling through the
"You... I remember you. The first time we crossed paths, I barely made it out alive." Wesley said. "Ah, yes. The trembling player who thought he could escape my grasp. How foolish." The zombie lord said. "I was weaker then, now I know this world better. I know you better."From the swamp of death, Wesley was lifted into another level. He had passed the trial needed to get to the next level, although he wasn't aware. Earlier in the game, Wesley had confronted some mini bosses, all fingers- associates to Shadow, the grandmaster of the dark world. He would now subsequently come face to face with those mini bosses one after the other. The first of them being the Zombie Lord, he was in charge of dispatching and commanding zombies to do the bidding of Shadow. He had his own mini kingdom however - moreso, an area he had jurisdiction over. "You've grown stronger, true. But strength alone would not save you here. You're still bound by the same rules, Wesley." The zombie lord explained.
Roaring in rage the health bar drops to 60. "You insolent little worm" the zombie lord said and a dark aura activated, causing the area a wide fear status. You cannot withstand the darkness of the cursed realms. Wesley under the effect of fear vision felt himself loosing. "What The...? my movement speed just dropped by 50% what's this?" "Your time is up! you will be another soul trapped here for eternity!" the zombie lord said, charging forward with his sword raised. "Not so fast! I've got one more trick up my sleeve!" Wesley said. Cleansing orb of purity inventory warning: one left. This better work... He uses the orb and boom, the buff removed! No more fear! Hissing in anger the zombie Lord said, "impossible! no one has ever survived my fear aura before!" "Guess I'm not no one," Wesley smirked. He dashed in, activating 'power strike combo'. "Time to bring that health bar down. Strike, strike, strike! Crut gut! Down to 35%! You're loosing this fight, and fast." Staggering,
The path forked ahead, and Wesley brought up his map. Two options: the Crona Sapphire to the north or the remembered Spiff to the east. The sapphire was marked with a hazard icon -likely toxic environments or poison enemies, which meant he'd have to chug antidotes regularly. The spiff, on the other hand had a skull icon over it, indicating that a boss lurked within. Wesley smirked, after taking down the zombie lord, he was ready for any other challenge. He directed Thorn towards the remembered Cliff and as he approached, the screen flashed red- Thorn's health bar dropped by a quarter. A faint hiss echoed from behind. Wesley's eyes widened. "Poisoned?" He hadn't even entered the sapphire yet. Spinning the camera. Wesley spotted the culprit: a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes crouched low behind a broken statue. It was an assassin, a classic ambush enemy. The figure dissapeared in a blur of motion, leaving behind a puff of dark smoke. Thorn's health continued to tick down from t
During the course of the game, Wesley had vanquished many foes and explored many dungeons; however none could compare to the warmth he felt by being with his family. Thinking of them was like taking a magical elixir that would revive his spirit and restore his strength.He opened his game’s inventory and looked at memories placed in his virtual backpack. Every one of them, from precious relics to the simple potions, made him remember the real life experiences he missed. His brother had challenged him to have better performances in gaming and that had been his drive while his parents’ words gave him the morale boost.While sitting by a fire Wesley remembered the relationships he had with his family. It was not like simple buffs or debuffs, as they were in truth the essence of who he truly was. The virtual world might have imprisoned him but home was always his beacon of light even when he was trapped in the midst of the dark dungeons.He finally got up and with yet a deep breath prepar
The name ‘The Abandoned Desert’ flashed on screen as the sweat on Wesley’s forehead dropped and he wearily clutched the handle of his sword. "Okay, deep breath... I just need to get through this level. There must be a way out of this game…”. He and his companion, Thorn, were traveling across a barren region under the scorching heat of the sun. A thick sandstorm surrounded him and obscured his vision. ‘Be careful about your health, player! You’re low on energy now. Drink a potion before the next wave hits’ a fellow player suggested.Wesley rummaged through his stash and pulled out a health potion off his bag. “Well, that should suffice me for the moment.” He moved forward and in an instant, the screen blinked. The ground seemed to buckle and move, and there, just for a moment, a familiar sight flashed before him, a memory. Mom’s garden in spring, beautiful and ringing with colors. His dad laughing from the outside and his brother and other friends coming down the street on their b
"Maybe your save file is corrupted. Happens sometimes. Just reset your console, dude." "No you don't get it, we're trapped here. Time has passed. Weirdly, actually. Everytime I close my eyes, I spawn back at the last check point." "Wait. Are you serious?" "Dead serious? Remember that forest level, where you have to dodge the traps? I've run through it over a hundred times." "Dude, that's impossible. Respawns only happen when you die. Right?" "Except I haven't died. I just reset, like the game's looping " 'New quest unlocked: BREAK THE CYCLE. Objective: ESCAPE' The game AI said. "See that? It's like the game knows I'm trying to break free" "Okay, let's think this through. Maybe there's a hidden mechanic, like a secret quest line you haven't triggered." "I thought so too. Tried everything. I've collected every item, completed every side quest, maxed out my XP. Nothing changes." "Have you tried multiplayer? Maybe someone else can pull you out." "No one els