[i]Keep calm, focus on the plan.[/i] West repeated this phrase over and over in his mind. He was scared, he wasn't really used to being scared, and his mind and heart were racing. He had played numerous games in his lifetime and had certainly died in each before reaching the end goal. His plan was in shreds, there was no more trial and error permitted within the game. Every move West made from this point onward, he had to be certain of the outcome. He made himself promise that he would trust only in the numbers. This was still a game, games could be exploited and he would find a way to make himself strong enough to survive. No risks, only numbers. He stopped sprinting and slowed into a jog, swiping the air in front of him and bringing back his map.

Luckily, the first area had been well mapped out by beta testers, meaning he knew exactly which route to take to maximize EXP, but his original plan had accounted for proximity to graveyards. He jogged slower as he moved markers on his map, finally settling on a plains east of the village to start his leveling. The area was slightly higher leveled, but it was out of the way and not one of the beginner zones, which meant he would have almost exclusive access to the mobs there, making it the perfect place for him to...

West was interrupted from his train of thought as a girl sprinted past him in a mage's outfit, obviously in a panic from the town square. West stood and watched as she darted into a nearby forest, running much faster than he possibly could. At first, he thought nothing of it. He shrugged it off, told himself to focus and started running towards the field he wished to level in. But, a slight wave of dread washed over him as little things from his memory started to slot together. He quickly pulled up his map to confirm his suspicions.

The forest before him wasn't exactly a high level area, but it certainly wasn't for beginners either. The zone was listed as having giant wasps, enemies that individually were weak but as a group they could take out any new player without breaking a sweat. Without another player beside her, the girl wouldn't stand a chance. It took West a moment to realize the implications of this. That girl would die is she went too deep into the forest without knowing what she was doing. She would die if he didn't help.

No risks only numbers. He repeated this phrase to himself a couple of times, hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword as he stood, part of him telling himself to leave her, the other to run into danger to save her. After a couple of seconds that felt like hours, he closed his eyes and darted into the forest after her, moving swiftly along the path, eyes open for any signs of enemies. Luckily she hadn't made it far into the woods before he found her, resting against a tree. He slowed to a halt in front of her. He merely stood there, looking down at her for a second, trying to remember how to properly act in this situation, before realizing that there wasn't exactly a social protocol for 'you're going to be devoured by virtual wasps in a sadistic lethal video game'. Instead, he thrust out his hand.
"This area is dangerous. We got to leave. Now please."