CHAPTER 3

Ky walked over to his bathroom to start the long grueling process of trying to figure out how to get ready before going out.

Ky- "Well what does everyone else at work do?"

He stared into the mirror for a long time pondering the answer to his question. Anxiety started to kick in. For the first time in his adult life Ky felt legitimately scared. He was starting to get so nervous he was about to throw up. He quickly ran over to the toilet and held his head over it and vomited. He raised his head back up, and asked himself, why he was doing this in the first place. He already had his own friends and yet he was about to go off and celebrate a birthday for a guy he's never even met before. 

Ky- "Why am I doing this to myself. I wonder what they'd think if I..."

He stared back at his computer for a moment and contemplated logging on. As he sat there unsure of his next action, he started walking over to it as if not by his own will. But as soon as he sat his hand onto the power button something came over to him and he lifted it back up. He wanted to talk to his friends. He wanted to tell them about this evening and ask for advice, or maybe he just wanted to see if he had their blessing. He glanced at his phone to check the time. It was only 9:00 am. 

Ky- "(Sigh) This is gonna be a long day."

For the next several hours Ky festered about this upcoming evening. With a few more trips to the toilet and many more moments of approaching his computer and failed attempts to rouse himself to log on, he finally shuffled through his closet and grabbed his gray and black coat off the hanger. He set it down on his bathroom counter along with a pair of black slim cut jeans and a black shirt that had a typical Umi'z design on it. He hopped into the shower and stood under the running water. As the steam built up and the plume of hot vapors billowed out, he started to think back at the moment he met everyone online. The day his whole world changed. 

It was a day just like any other. Ky had just finished up an interview with a prospective employer. A man named Umi Izawa. The owner of the popular clothing retail store Umi'z .Ky didn't have much hope in his mind that he'd fit in there at all but still something drove Ky to make the attempt anyways.

Ky- "Well I'm pretty sure that was a complete waste of time. I don't know what I was thinking. Like I'd ever stand a chance at getting a job in a place like that. Well, they were the ones with the help wanted sign up in the first place, so I guess it was worth a shot."

As it turned out Ky was exactly what they wanted. The next day he got a call from the store owner Izawa. He told him that the job was his if he wanted it and he could start the next morning from then.  

Ky- "Oh, really? I mean, thank you sir yes, I'm still very much interested in the job. 

Izawa- "Great, I think you'll be a good addition to the team so what do you say? Can I count on you?"

Ky- " Yes, yes sir. I promise I won't let you down."

Izawa- "Good, then I'll see you tomorrow at work."

That was all Izawa said before he abruptly hung up. Ky sat at his gaming desk and looked over at his computer screen. A tab was up that read "Heros Of Adell" LOADING. There was a bright blue bar against a white box indicating that it still had a small amount to go.

Ky- "Well that was unexpected. But now at least I don't have to keep asking my parents for money anymore."

Ky's parents had agreed to help him with rent and living costs for a little bit as long as he either got a job or went to college and moved into a dorm soon. 

Ky- "It's a good thing I got this job because this game wasn't cheap."

The loading screen finally finished, and a new screen popped up. " Download finished. Would you like to open Heros Of Adell?"

Ky- "It's ready!"

Ky clicked on the app and the title screen pooped right up.

Ky- "Hmm. The graphics are pretty pixelated. I wonder if I should just delete it...Nah, I guess I'll give it a try."

Ky spent the next few hours griding through levels and raising his character's stats. As he worked diligently trying to level up enough to make a name for himself and possibly join a guild, he came upon a floating island. He'd already heard about this island from some of the other players gathering in a fortress town he visited earlier. They all talked about how supposedly no one's ever made it up there. Some were even starting to believe that it was an unreachable place and that the game designers just placed it there for the atmosphere. Ky on the other hand wouldn't accept this theory until he had seen it himself. Once he got to the spot he looked up at the island and said.

Ky- "There's no way that's just up there for looks."

Ky walked around the area and scouted around for any kind of clue that might lead him to figuring out the mystery of the floating island and maybe a way to reach it. As he continued to search around the area, he came upon a small pond which sat in the middle of a heavily overgrown thicket of trees and bushes which appeared to lie directly beneath the island. He approached the pond and saw that the water was completely clear. Beneath the water he could see what appeared to be an opening to somewhere. It looked to be made of smooth stone and some bright green jade with ornate designs decorated on the open doors. It had a strange symbol above the opening. Ky made his character jump in and began swimming down to the mysterious entrance, curious as to what he would find in there. Once he reached the bottom of the pond he swam through the opening and emerged from the water on the other side. He was in a room that almost resembled a dungeon. There where streams of water falling into small fountains and one single door in front of him. He opened the door and instantly found himself in a boss's chamber. The boss appeared to be some sort of armored warrior who introduced himself as the protector of the island above. He went on to tell Ky.

Warrior- "Ye who is so bold as to enter into this lair! Be you worthy to reach the world above us; you must pass this trial and defeat me in glorious battle. Only then will I grant you the honor of laying eyes upon my home!"

Ky whispered to himself.

Ky- "I knew it! There is something up there!"

Warrior- "Have ye what it takes foolish traveler to prove to me that you are worthy?!"

A message popped up on the screen that read. "You have been challenged to a battle against the Sky Guardian...Accept? YES/NO.

Ky- "Well duh. Haha."

Ky clicked yes and was instantly locked in a battle against the Sky Guardian. The warrior produced and incredibly large sword and marched over to Ky's character. He swung his mighty sword, but Ky was able to jump out of the way. Ky's character was wielding a basic short sword and shield which stood no chance against the guardian's attacks. So, he dodged as much as he could trying to limit the damage he took. He knew he may only have one chance to beat him until someone else found out about this place. For all he knew he could have been followed here. So, he fought hard and chipped away at his opponent's health, slashing away at his armor and dealing what few attacks he had in his arsenal at the time. Upon the last and final attack from Ky's character the mighty warrior fell to his knees and used his sword to prop himself up.

Sky Guardian- "Well done brave and noble warrior. Ye have felled the protecter of the island and proven yourself worthy of laying eyes on my beloved home. I grant ye passage from this room to the island above. Travel it freely with remembrance of this day. Please accept this token as a memento of this glorious battle as well...My duty is finally complete. I may rest now. Please take care of my island for It belongs to you now brave ruler! Remember me, I shall always be with you in battle."

The Sky Guardian's body faded out and vanished in a frenzy of colors. A few messages appeared on Ky's screen.

Congratulations! You have defeated the Sky Guardian! 

After that, he watched his stats jump up and more notifications popped up.

Sky Guardian's sword.

Island in the sky.

Ky- "Oh heck yeah! I got his sword! What a memento! Oh sweet, looks like I own the island too now but what about the passage?"

As soon as he said that a door opened Infront of him right in the spot where his opponent lied in wait. Ky walked through the opening and was instantly transported up to the sky and onto the floating island.

Finally, Ky had managed to make it up to the island in the sky and found something incredible. Not only was the island totally reachable but there was a beautiful courtyard on top of it with water flowing from the sky into fountains. On the other side of the courtyard there was a building which appeared to be of some importance, so Ky made his way over to it. Inside there was a large room filled with treasure and goods which practically covered the entire floor. On the other side of the room sat a treasure chest so Ky walked over to it and opened it up. Inside he pulled out a set of black and silver armor pieces with the same symbol that the sky guardian wore. Ky gathered all the treasure and placed it into his inventory and his cash count quicky leaped up. He walked out of the building and with no further business there he left to return back to the land beneath. 

When he returned to the chamber where he fought the Guardian there was a portal which he used to warp back to the outside of the pond. He pulled up his map and set a way point to a town where he decided to head to next. As soon as he put his map away, he was met with another character approaching him. Through his head set he heard a voice come on.

-" Aww man! No way! Someone already beat me to it! Did you just come from that place up there?" 

The character pointed to the island and Ky responded. 

Ky-"Huh? Oh, you mean the floating island? Yeah, I was there."

-" What?! No way man! I thought I would finally be the one who solved the mystery of that thing. Tell me, what did you find there?"

Ky- " Um, not much."

Ky turned around and tried to continue on until he saw the other character unsheathe his sword.

Ky- "Huh?"

- "Ok look man! Here's the deal you're gonna hand over whatever treasure you found up there, or I'm gonna cut you down and take it myself, got it?!"

Ky- "Here you go."

- "Wait what?"

Ky handed the stranger the note to the island.

Ky- "It's the title of ownership to the island. I haven't got any use for it, and I was just gonna sell it in town anyways but since you want it, take it. It doesn't hold any value to me."

-  "Huh?"

Ky -"Just take it."

Ky started walking away when the player spoke out again. 

- " Hey man! So... You're really just gonna give this to me?"

Ky -"Yeah sure. Like I said, I don't need it."

- " You do realize, you're literally handing me a legend told among gamers throughout Adell right? You could be a hero with this thing. Not to mention the value it must be worth."

Ky- "I know."

- "Hey what's your name anyways. I should at least tell people the name of the guy who really found the place."

Ky- "Tell 'em you found it."

A while later Ky eventually made it to the town he had set as his way point. He hadn't managed to get rid of the stranger from before, however. As he walked along the streets, he stopped occasionally to check out shops and stands where he could improve his stats and buy various goods. 

- "Hey man! I'm bored."

Ky -"Hm? Well, there is lots to do here in this town. Why don't you go hit a pub or something?"

- " Hey great idea dude! Let's go!"

Ky- "Well I wasn't exactly talking about both of us going."

- "Buckle up."

The other player speed traveled both Ky and him to a nearby pub where they were immediately seated at a booth.

Ky- "Hm, so this is an in-game pub huh?"

- "First rounds on me, uh...

Ky- "Oh. Ky."

- " Ky! Well then, let's drink till our livers burst Ky! Cheers man!

Ky- "Um. Cheers I guess."

The two proceeded to pound beer after beer in the bar. At first with each drink Ky watched his characters health stat raise slightly but after several beers his stats actually started falling until the bar tender kicked them out and they were booted out into the town streets. As Ky started walking away the other player followed him again.

- " Dude I can't believe that! You can actually get kicked out of bars in this game if you drink too much! Hahahahaha... So anyways if you don't mind me asking what brings you to Adell? You in a guild or something?

Ky- "Well no, not exactly. I mean I just started playing and I haven't really...

- "Say no more. I get it now. You're a noob! Is that right?"

Ky- "I mean I guess so, but I don't really like..."

- "I got an idea. Why don't you join our clan!"

Ky- "Your clan?"

- "Yeah man! I'm a member of a decent sized guild. We're real serious about gaming and Adell but were all really close. It's like one big family!"

Ky- "Well, that sounds great and all but that's not really my scene."

- "Sweet! C'mon I'll take you to go meet the others! Follow me!"

Once again, the eccentric gamer transported Ky and himself to a new location but this time they landed in a small cottage in the middle of a large forest. The hearth was lit and there were several other characters hanging around. 

- "Hey everyone, I'm back!"

As they walked in several voices rang out greeting them.

- "Hey welcome back. Who's your friend?"

- "Oh! this is my new buddy Ky."

- "Hey Ky, how you doin?"

Ky- "Oh, I'm fine thank you."

The player from before guided Ky further into the cottage.

- "These are some of the members of our guild, the others must be out on a raid or something."

- "Hey Ky, welcome to our club house."

Said one female voice.

- "Ky's new to this game and looking to join a guild."

- "Is that right? Well Ky, if you wanna join us we'd love to have you!"

A message popped up right above the female players character reading, you have been invited to join this guild. Accept? YES/NO. Just then the alarm on his phone went off.

Ky- "Oh shoot! It's already 10:00 I need to get to bed, I'm starting my new job tomorrow."

Ky put his phone back down onto his desk before speaking into his headset.

Ky- "I'm sorry you guys I have to go get ready for work in the morning. I'll let you all know tomorrow about joining."

- "Hey wait! Hold up a sec."

Ky received another message. You have a friend request. Accept? YES/NO>

- "There! Add me back, ok? Even if you decide not to join, we can still be buds and grind together!"

- "Oh yeah me too!"

- "And me!"

- "I'll send one too."

Suddenly Ky's screen lit up with a burst of friend requests from the other members of the guild. As he logged off, he sat in his chair for a second and cracked the slightest grin. He stood up and walked over to his bathroom and started up the shower. As he stood there letting the water fall onto him, he began drifting off into a daydream.

All at once Ky was snapped back into the present time when his phone buzzed again. He threw the shower curtain open and looked to see who was texting him. There were several numbers. It was clearly a group text and all the text said was. "Hey Ky, It's me! You're logging on today, right?"

Ky- "What the."

Ky's heart felt like it sunk into his stomach as he read this text. Confused and slightly unsettled he stared into the screen of his phone as his nerves started running wild once again. 

Ky- "How? Wait what am I going to tell them... (Sigh).

 

THIS IS GONNA BE A REALLY LONG DAY.