Pandora's Box

Chapter 11: Clara

The Sealing

***

As the world faded back into view around her, Clara was startled by the sudden change of scenery. The bright, lively world that surrounded her moments ago was gone, replaced with dark and gloomy skies and crumbled ruins. Both the NPCs and players were nowhere to be found, leaving her seemingly alone. Just as she was about to call out, a deep voice suddenly boomed from the sky.

WELCOME CLARA. ARE YOU PREPARED FOR YOUR RETRIBUTION?

"Uhhh, sure?" Clara hesitated. If she wasn't being teleported out of the game, then her next-best guess was that this was the kick-off event that she had heard about. However, this definitely wasn't how she pictured it occurring.

GOOD. FROM NOW ON, YOU WILL CALL THIS WORLD YOUR HOME. THE ONLY WAY OUT IS BY COLLECTING THE UNHOLY RELICS AND DEFEATING THE FINAL BOSS OF THE GAME.

Clara winced a little at the "only way out" comment. She knew that this would cause players to start looking for the log out button. Once these efforts proved fruitless, this would only elevate their panic. However, before she could contemplate that any further, the voice suddenly made something clear to her.

The lack of a log out button is purposeful. You truly will not be allowed to leave this world until the end conditions are met. If any effort to remove your Virtuo headset is made, the headset will emit a charge that will leave you braindead at best, and entirely dead at worst. This charge will also be administered if you die in the game at any point going forward.

Those prior feelings of uncertainty and fear that Clara had felt suddenly ramped up. She couldn't tell if this was some kind of sick joke, or if there was any credibility to those words. She knew from her internship that the Virtuo's components did have the ability to administer a charge to the user on a smaller scale, but could this game really cause something that powerful to occur on command?

As I speak, the world is realizing the truth surrounding the game. Hundreds of players have unfortunately already lost their lives due to the unauthorized removal of their headsets.

As the disembodied voice spoke, article headlines and news pages suddenly began to pop up around her. Each of them had similar warnings: "wide scale deaths associated with Pandora's Box launch" and "experts advise against the removal of Virtuo headsets until further investigation". Clara's mind was now racing even faster, as her anxieties tried to override rational thought.

"This has to be a joke," Clara uttered quietly. She frantically pulled up the HUD, once again searching for anything that could possibly be a log out button. However, the HUD now showed even fewer options than before. The abilities to monitor in-game friends and teleport on command were gone, which only added to her feelings of isolation.

In a moment, you will be teleported back into the main town along with the rest of the players. Talk to NPCs to find out where to start. Above all else, pray that the gods hold you in their favor.

Still unable to find a log out button, Clara closed the HUD in frustration. She once again scanned her surrounds, hoping to find anything that could possibly point to this being a prank of some kind. However, as the booming voice finished speaking, she watched as the world suddenly began to shift to white again, signifying her teleportation. Her protests never escaped her throat, as the world was gone once again.