Chapter 3: A World Out of Balance

Wushuang's mumbled reply hung heavy in the air. The woman with fiery red hair, studied him intently, her gaze lingering on the strange sword in his hand. Finally, she spoke, her voice laced with suspicion, "Lost your memory, have you? Convenient timing, considering you just saved our hides."

He stammered, a torrent of words wanting to spill out. He longed to explain, to confess the fantastical truth – the virtual reality realm of LOTSF, his countless victories as a seasoned warrior. But shame and a strange vulnerability held his tongue.

The burly man with the broadsword stepped forward, offering a hand. "Huiying, enough chit-chat," he rumbled. "We need to get you inside before another one of those things shows up. Our weapons are on their last legs and we're running out of potions too."

Wushuang took the man's calloused hand, surprised by its strength. He allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, wincing at the throbbing pain in his ankle. Huiying, the acting leader of this ragtag group, surveyed the crumbling stone structure with a grim expression.

"We can't hold it much longer," she muttered, her voice heavy with worry. "We need to get back to City A before nightfall. The Blightwolves get bolder after dark."

Wushuang had no idea what "Blightwolves" were, but the urgency in their voices was clear. Fear gnawed at him, a cold unfamiliar sensation that tightened his chest. Confusion swirled in his mind. What was this place? How did he get here? Yet, beneath the fear and confusion, a flicker of recognition sparked in his memory.

A distant howl pierced the air, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Wushuang's spine. It was a sound he didn't recognize, yet somehow felt strangely familiar.

They scrambled through what seemed like an unsteady archway of a portal. Like the ones on LOTSF that's designed to transport players from fantastical realms back to the central hub of LOTSF – City A. As he stumbled out the other side, a wave of nausea washed over him. The scene that greeted him couldn't be real… could it?

Towering buildings of burnished steel and gleaming glass pierced the crimson sky, their windows glowing with an electric light. Steampunk contraptions – airships adorned with billowing sails, massive automatons lumbering down cobblestone streets, and carriages propelled by hissing steam – filled the bustling avenues. It was a world eerily familiar, yet vastly different – a warped reflection of the modern city he once knew, twisted by the ingenuity of steam and gears.

Disbelief warred with the dull ache in his ankle. This couldn't be real. Yet, the sights, sounds, and smells bombarded his senses, leaving no room for doubt. He was no longer in the world he remembered. He was somewhere entirely new, a world teetering between the fantastical and the mechanical. It was… City A. The very same City A he'd spent countless hours exploring in the virtual realm, a place that mirrored his own real-life city but with a fantastical twist of steam and gears.

Except, this City A felt… different. The air crackled with a raw energy, the tang of industry heavy in the air. This wasn't the meticulously crafted world he remembered,

A chilling realization dawned on him. Had he somehow been pulled into the virtual world? He clutched the strange sword in his hand, the faint hum resonating with a strange familiarity.

LOTSF, he remembered internally, was a virtual reality realm where players like him honed their combat skills in fantastical worlds. The goal was simple: defeat the Gatekeepers guarding various "Gates" scattered across the landscape. If a Gate fell, monstrous creatures would spill out, wreaking havoc upon the world. The Gate of Beginnings, however, was different. It served as a training ground for new players, a stepping stone before they ventured into the more dangerous realms.

Huiying looked at him expectantly, her face etched with worry. "Welcome to City A," she said, her voice barely a whisper above the cacophony of the city.

The weight of her words sank in. Blightwolves, a fantastical escape into a steampunk city – his world had been turned upside down, and the line between game and reality had blurred beyond recognition. He glanced down at the strange sword in his hand, the faint hum of power resonating once more. Wushuang steeled himself for the unknown, a stranger in a strange land with a fight for survival just beginning.