Infinite Storm

Chapter 1

"Honey, don't forget to do your homework before playing," Cliff's mother reminded him, but there was no reply. He had already entered the virtual world.

"Drago, I've come for my revenge! Be prepared." The Shadow Knight as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"And who are you?" He replied sarcastically. "Ah, I remember now. The Shadow Knight, isn't it? Cliff, yes. What a surprise to see you here."

"Quit talking and fight me. I demand a rematch. Yesterday's battle was unfair. I got some sort of vision which got my mind out of the fight." Cliff tried to explain.

"I refuse to challenge a puny opponent who tries to find invalid reasons of his defeat. It just wastes my energy and time."

"Or maybe you're just afraid to lose. If it wasn't for that short vision, I would have defeated you."

"Hmm. I guess one more battle won't hurt me. After all, the result has already been determined."

Cliff started off with a strike, but Drago easily ducked and brought the Shadow Knight down with a sweep. But he didn't stop there, the golden warrior slashed again. Thanks to his lightning fast reflexes, Cliff rolled aside just in time to dodge the incoming attack.

With Cliff down on one knee, the golden warrior attacked again, this time blocked with a parry. Cliff immediately slashed through his legs, and now Drago too, was down.

The Shadow Knight tried to stand up, but The Dragon Knight pulled his legs down once again. He stabbed Cliff's right foot. He countered and kicked his foe in the face, then brutally jabbed him in the heart. Drago's HP dropped to red, which meant that a few more hits could kill him.

Out of the blue, a warning sign popped out in front of Cliff. "Warning! Your battery has run out. You will be automatically logged out in five seconds." a voice said.

"No!!!" Not now!"
"5, 4."
"Dang! Why did I forget to charge it yesterday?
"3, 2, 1."
"Drago, this is not---"
"0."

And then everything turned black...

"--- over!" Cliff shouted, but he had already got logged out. Well, that's what he thought should have happened. In fact, he found himself lying down on a bed in a small hut made out of straw, which he definitely knew was not home.

He rushed out and scrutinized his surroundings. "Bolgara City? But how? I thought my Nerve Gear ran out of battery."

"I see you've awakened," a foreign voice said.

"Who are you?" Cliff asked as he took a glance to where the voice came from. It was a tall and fit yet old man. His armor was red and in its center was a symbol of two blades intersecting each other, forming the letter 'X'. His blood-red eyes glared at Cliff like a cold-blooded predator.

"I am Blood," he introduced himself. "Captain of the guild Blood Knights."

"Well, that explains the red. Why is it that all guilds have the word 'Knights' in them? Anyway, back to the point. My name's Cliff. How long was I unconscious?"

"Around four hours."

"What! I need to log out now! I haven't done my school homework..." Cliff muttered that last statement to himself. He went to the pause menu to log out. But there was just one problem. There was no pause menu...

"Where is it? The pause menu?" Cliff asked with worry. He scrolled up and down and rubbed his eyes to see if there is any mistake, although he knew that nothing would be able to change that fact.

"There's no use. The pause menu is gone."

"This isn't real right? It must be a bug or something..."

"No. It's real. It's been happening since a year ago. Everyone here, including me, are just like you. We are trapped."

"But how? My battery ran out. I should have been automatically logged out and be in my room right now."

"Exactly. Every single player here experienced the same thing. That's why we always keep getting told to not forget to charge our Nerve Gears."

"But where is this place?"

"It is still Infinite Storm. But just a different server. We all were transferred here by force. The pause menu is gone, which means you won't be able to log out, save, or change the game settings."

"Then how do we get out?"

"There's only one way. Complete this game, meet its creator, and he shall grant you any wish."

~Infinite Storm~

"So what else can we not do?" Cliff asked.

"Well, that's about it. You're still able to check your profile, stats, friends list and inventory. Anyway, what level are you?"

"Uhh, 39," he lied. (no I'm not going to tell you his true level)

"I see, that's actually quite high. You could actually join our guild. I believe you'll do great. Each week we see who in our guild has the highest level and we make that player our captain. Seems fair, don't you think? If you join us, you'll be our second best player. I've been first for the past six months, being at Level 45. It'll be interesting to have you. Who knows you might be able to catch up with me?"

"Sorry, but I prefer playing solo. I don't like being a burden to others."

"What a shame. But if you change your mind, please inform me. I'll add you as a friend so you can contact me anytime."

"Sure," Cliff replied, as he accepted the friend request. "Um, I better get going now. I need to complete the game as soon as possible."

"Leaving so soon? Trying to play hero, eh? Well, good luck. Let's see who completes the game first, me or you," Blood said with pride. "Oh right, one more thing. You better prepare yourself before you leave the city. Buy potions and armor or anything. It'll help a lot. Because here, you MUST NOT die."

"Why? Since I can't log out, won't I just respawn at my last checkpoint?"

"Nope. In this server, Infinite Storm isn't just a game. If you die here, then you die in the real world too."