1 Chapter 1 - A new beginning

"Have you heard about the new game?"

"No? What is it?"

"Seriously? It's called Settlement. It was made by the same company who made last year's game of the year."

"Yeah so? It doesn't mean it is going to be as good."

"No no no. Look at the trailer."

"Are you serious! Look at the graphics! I can practically drink that water and feel the heat of those flames"

"YES!!! There are elves!!!"

"Look at that dragon at the end of the trailer absolutely stunning"

…

Settlement, the new game produced by Lotus. I got this game after hearing everyone talk about it on my way back from work. Whether it was teenagers, middle-aged men, or women, all I heard from their mouths was that Settlement is the next-gen game.

"Well, at least I haven't stopped playing games since high school. Might as well jump on the hype train." 

I sat at my desk and turned on my computer, and the familiar beeps and boops filled the room as I slouched in my chair. For a moment, I closed my eyes and thought back to the good old days when I could happily play games every second of every day, not worrying about a thing. Everyone around me, friends and family, would always be grinding to improve just so they could rub it in each other's faces the next day. Letting out a deep sigh...

"I miss them..." 

It's been 4 years since my parents passed away in that unfortunate car accident and I have been living alone since. I distanced myself from my old friends and colleagues, and now only work at the local convenience store to get by. I used to be that happy-go-lucky child who did whatever they wanted, from sports to music to camping to playing video games, but now I sit at my computer playing games after I return from work, sleep and eat.

I shake my head and turn my head toward the computer.

"Enough, no need to reminisce on the past. It's time to look into this game." 

I sit up straight, crack my knuckles and search for 'Settlement' in the web browser. Clicking on the first link takes me to the homepage of the game, welcoming me to the trailer as well as some other links but I click on the 'Forums' tab first. Seeing how active the forum is by the sheer number of upvotes, already speaks to me about the popularity of the game. New posts appear every time I refresh the page, but the most eye-catching one is a moderator-pinned post with a title in bold red font.

"Things To Know Before You Play!!" - Elves_or_Nothin

Clicking on the post, I'm presented with some basic information about the game, created by the user Elves_or_Nothin

1. You start with nothing. NOTHING!!

2. The aim of the game is to create a city how do you do it? IDK!

3. The world is 10 times as large as the earth and incorporates fantasy elements (as shown in the trailer) LIKE ELVES! HOT BLONDE BUSTY ELVES!

4. Players are spawned in random locations

5. There is NO inventory like other games

6. There are NPC humans in the world that I assume you can befriend or maybe enslave?

7. Watch the trailer. IT'S AMAZING!

I will post more when more information comes!!

I close it and go back to the home screen to watch the trailer following Elves_or_Nothin's advice. The video loads as I put on my virtual reality helmet to get the full experience, waiting for the trailer to start.

[Loading Settlement Trailer...3...2...1...Start]

The trailer starts from the perspective of the player observing the environment and listening to the sounds of nature.

I see the clear blue skies, the emerald grass and the soft whispers of the wind fill my ears. It feels like standing in the middle of the North American prairies as the sun washes over my body and the breeze brushes against my skin but then the scene suddenly changes.

Replaced by the hot, damp forests with large trees and rushing rivers. I hear an unfamiliar language and the neighs of horses as two females ride past me close enough to touch. Their skin, spotless, with long pointy ears and waist-length platinum blonde hair. Their mounts were white horses with blue eyes and a silver mane and at the top of their heads was a golden horn. Just as I was about to reach my hand out to touch them the scene changed again.

Salt lingers on my tongue, as raging waves crash along the nearby cliffs as giant twin waterspouts gather water, similar to the ones that occur near Nassau. the force of the winds pulls me into the storm together with various kinds of debris, trees, boulders, and tips of waves as they bend to the might of the storm.

Hearing a thunderous rumble near me, I assume it was raging grey Columbus above but no... Looking up, I observe boulders both large and small rolling down the cliff, tumbling toward my fragile self. I try to let out a scream, but before it lands on me the scene changes once more to that of the interior of a cave.

Silence, except for the sound of my breath. No wind, no rain or water, no footsteps. Just breathing. Then, suddenly the sound of a creature inhaling. Soft and gentle at first, then aggressive and fast, as the heavy stomping of a creature echoes in the cave. Much like its breathing, it starts low and slow gradually picking up the pace until I can gradually see its large yellow eyes with jet-black serpent-like slits in the depths of the cave. Crimson red scales, human-length claws, large spikes around the skull, and folded wings dashed past me.

Seeing the edges of flames lick around its mouth ready to burst out and wreak havoc on the world, causes my body to shudder. With a final step outside of the cave, it spreads its massive wings larger than its body and raises its head towards the sky. The unbearable heat, the strength of the winds, and the echoing roar created by the creature were the end of the trailer.

"Interesting, the realism in the game is definitely top-tier. Elves, dragons, and I bet there will also be the classic goblins and orcs even though it isn't shown in the trailer. What's more, is the environment I can be spawned in any sort of biome from plains to deserts to mountains and a snowy field. It's going to be interesting to see what I can do and what other players can do as well. Well then, let's get ready - it's almost midnight." 

Turning off the computer, I complete some simple tasks as I wait for the server to go online. Taking a shower and having dinner for just a few. Once I had food in my stomach I lay down on my bed and place the virtual reality helmet on. I look at my ceiling for the last time before I dive into the new world and right on cue,00:00 midnight, my vision blurs before being replaced by golden light, fluffy clouds, and a girl.

She was not that much taller than me, but with the addition of white angel wings and a halo, I couldn't stop myself from feeling amazed. She looks at me with her blue eyes and smiles. She pushes her white hair to the side and speaking to me in her soft angelic voice.

"Starting from here is where you will create Civilization"