Aceldama [NaNoWriMo13]

Chapter One

Chapter One

November 6, 2078. Jakarta, Indonesia.

Suriyani picked up the helmet with a sense of being neglected. An opened package emblazoned with colourful pictures promoting the product as the first of its kind in the gaming world sat on the counter before her. Shredded newspaper and bubble wrap surrounded the box.

“Non, is everything alright?” asked the maid who brought the package.

“Did my father send anything else, Ani?” asked the nineteen-year-old girl, staring at the helmet.

Ani held out a small card. “This was attached to the box, but had fallen off, Non.”

Suri snatched the card away before the maid even finished her sentence and quickly read it before her face fell in disappointment. She barely glanced at Ani as she stuffed the helmet back into the box with the instruction manuals and tossed the card in.

“Non?” Ani called out, slightly concerned.

“Please clean up the mess, Ani,” said Suri tiredly, as she picked up the box and left the kitchen.

Her furry panda slippers barely made a sound as she padded her way up to the second floor of the penthouse. Resting the box against her left hip, Suri pushed her bedroom door open. She ignored the canopy queen-sized bed to her right and the walk-in closet on her left, flopping into the comfortable armchair near the window directly opposite the door. She set the box onto the coffee table before her and pulled out the instruction manuals after carefully putting the card aside.

Blessed with a somewhat exceptional memory, Suri skimmed through the manual, mentally storing away important bits of information. This took the better part of an hour and, by the time she set the manual down on the table, it was barely past nine in the evening.

Picking up the helmet once more, Suri briefly considered the time and shrugged off those concerns. She took the charger for the helmet and plugged it into an empty power socket. After checking that everything was in order, she flipped the helmet over her head and powered it on.

She had to blink as a screen with rapidly appearing words filled her vision and a pleasant female electronic voice sounded in her ears.

“Thank you for trying our newest product, the first in its field to revolutionize the world of gaming.

“In a few moments, you will be connected to the main gaming server for an out-of-this-world medieval role-playing game.

“Due to the nature of the device, your brain will be directly immersed in the world of the game. Please do not be alarmed. There are safety protocols in place to prevent direct harm. Brain activity is constantly monitored to ensure the safety of users. At the first sign of danger, the user will be pulled out of the game.

“Thank you once again and we wish you a pleasant gaming experience.”

Everything fell blank and silent. For a moment, Suri could feel the helmet on her head, her hands clenching into fists, and the coolness of the air-conditioned room.

In the next moment, Suri was wrenched away from all of that and found herself wincing in the bright sunlight. She was in a clearing in a forest, wearing a plain brown, short-sleeved, ankle-length dress with a golden sash wrapped around her waist. She felt a soft breeze blow as leaves rustled softly in the wind.

“Hey newbie!”

Suri whipped around, her long black braid following after. She found herself face to face with a young man in brown leggings and a green long-sleeved tunic. He was holding a repeating crossbow. A quiver of arrows was slung on his back, and he was running towards her.