[center][h2]Kajin Najin[/h2][/center]

Lucas examined the wave gear nervously. A fervent gamer, his excitement for Talrae was palpable. His siblings didn’t overlook it either, teasing him about it anytime a commercial played or he started rambling about it. They said his eyes turned to stars and the room would glow like he was in love. As soon as the release date was announced, his best friend and Lucas set up everything they needed to camp out in front of a retailer a week in advance for a chance at the system. But he bailed. That whole week, he barely even saw his siblings much less the only one that could drive the hour away the retailer was. Livid only scratched the surface of his mood that week. It was the game of the millennia really and the beginning of real VR, a full VR interface. He stopped talking to anyone in the house four days before launch. 

He almost refused to speak to his siblings when they did finally show up. But he did, begrudgingly. He was a burden enough; he couldn’t expect them to cater to him all the time. They wheeled him into the dining room. He broke down sobbing. A full wave gear system was on the table. His family had taken turns waiting at the store for him to get it since he wouldn’t have anyone to camp out with him if he had done it alone.

The wave gear offered Lucas more than just entertainment. Sure it was good enough at that but it could give him something modern medicine never could. Ten years ago, his father picked him up from a friend’s house drunk. No one in the other car survived when he t-boned them at a red light. Lucas broke his back and lost the use of his lower body for life. Doctors reassured him that his brain wasn’t damaged, just the nervous system down his spine. Talrae offered him a chance to escape the wheelchair, even if it was just for a bit. Talrae could make him feel useful in some regards.

Hesitation stilled his hand. What if the doctors were wrong? What if it was his brain? What if the game wouldn’t load because he was damaged or worse, he still couldn’t walk? The familiar tightness gripped his chest and nausea started boiling in his stomach. He slammed the wave gear on and lay back, taking deep breaths. “Link… start!”

[center][pre]Welcome to Talrae.[/pre][/center]


The world stole his breath away. Every cobblestone, every blade of grass, every drop of water shone in the sunlight, seemingly more real than reality. He bit into a sandwich and the flavor burst across his tongue. A breeze wound its way through Genesis City, as crisp and refreshing as the morning air at home. NPCs and player intermingled, nearly indistinguishable in mannerism. Lucas- now Kajin Najin, the game name he used every time- had to double check everyone, looking for the NPC tag, before approaching them they were so realistic. But these things pale in comparison to one fact: he could walk again.

The first thirty minutes of his gaming experience consisted of running around town, jumping and laughing. He had never let himself dream of escaping his wheelchair, of feeling a slight burn in his legs and the force of a step. Though just for a moment, he forgot he couldn’t. 

His competitive side reared its head. A mile wide, it reminded him this was a game and games had an objective to complete. To beat. A smirk settled on his face and he zipped round, picking up armor and a staff, a sewing kit and a few other bits and pieces he thought would be useful. Teaming up with a rather friendly marauder, they set out to explore the surrounding areas. He felt a tinge of regret watching his partner dance around the fight but magic was his first true love. Plus, it was much easier to find parties as a healer. Who didn’t want a pocket healer after all?

Hand outstretched a weird jolt as everything moved in and out of focus interrupted his cast. The game went blank. All sensation vanished. Just a constant white light everywhere his eyes could see. Then it populated. Genesis City surrounded him as other players appeared in previously empty spaces. At least the likelihood of forced logs was low. Sporadic screen changes often indicated server errors and Kajin wasn’t ready to leave just yet. The relief was short lived as the final boss, Malgoth, announced their own apocalypse. 

[hr]

All Kajin remembered from the event was the absolute depravity echoing through the booming voice and the much quieter backdrop of shattering glass. [b][i]"Or die trying."[/i][/b] The statement- no, death sentence- pounded in his ears. He stood, muscles frozen. A girl’s body shattering into pixels replayed over and over again in his mind. He shook violently. His staff slipped unnoticed to the ground. [b][i]"Or die trying."[/i][/b]  He slammed his hands over his ears. Blood roared in his ears. [i]This couldn’t be happening.[/i] His chest tightened. [i]This was supposed to be fun.[/i]His breath came out in shaky gasps.[i] This must be an error.[/i] His stomach churned. [i]It’s just a glitch.[/i] Bile pooled in the back of his throat. [i]Someone help me.[/i] His vision faded away…

“Identify the problem.” Kajin choked out. His autopilot kicked in, catching him just before he fell into madness. That’s right. What’s the problem? Being stuck inside a death game was the problem. “What is the solution?” Beat the game. Other means result in death. “So what are the challenges?” Too low level, under geared, no party, don’t know the starting point, don’t have- “Prioritize two and finish them. Then, two more and two more after that.” Right. Focus on parts of the problem to solve it as a whole. His chest loosened and his vision slowly returned. Step one, find a  party. Low health and attack power makes me vulnerable. Next step in to figure out where to start. Hopefully step one brings in others with some thoughts on the subject. New people brought new information so it would be killing two birds with one stones. 

His breath steadied, vision returned, and his stomach settled, Kajin picked up his staff and shook his head slightly. This was still a game, as lethal as it was. This was still his territory. With a plan in mind, Kajin felt like the situation was at least manageable. He still trembled slightly but nothing unbearable. He looked across the main plaza. Many players still jammed angrily at the Log Out screen, other wandered aimlessly, and other wept and screamed. No one seemed stable enough to consider- Kajin’s eyes landed on a female player observing the others from a stone bench. There’s a possibility. At least she didn’t seem to be freaking out. Kajin made a beeline for her, weaving and dodging through the crowd and giving wide birth to a man shouting and flailing around. He plopped down next to her.

“Sorry for the forwardness but I figured the whole trapped in a death match thing trumps manners in this situation.” Kajin beamed and extended his hand, “Kajin Najin, mage and healer at you service! And for the low low cost of making sure I don’t get cut too badly, I can be your pocket healer and patch us up! What do you say, party up?”

[right][sub]Interacting with:
[@Tybalt Capulet][/sub][/right]