Fantaisy world online I : New Roads

New RoadS! Chapitre 1

Chapter 1

My name is Benoit Maximilian de Verand. I know, it's a mouthfull. My friends call me Ben.

I'm a twenty-two single guy who spends half its waiking time working in an office and the rest playing online games. No girlfriend. A little sister in university and divorced parents.
My father got remaried and is now living with his new familly. My mother is retired and likes spending her time gardening paiting or reading. She lives an hour away by car in a small town.
My sister, Annie, moved in with me about a year ago when she started Uni. Needless to day that since then i learned to keep my apartment clean and started to actually cook.

Usually my day starts whith her, we share breakfast, i drop her at school, go to work and spend 7 hours in front of a computer, verifying data logs about insurence complaints for actual insurance company.
I once got a bonus for managing to find a way to counter a client's claim allowing a company to avoid paying a billion dollars to a poor guy.

Yes, life is a joke.

But that's not important what is important is what i do back home. Once i made sure Annie's day was fine and that she has diner, i lock myself in my room and start playing.

I love games. when i was a kid i used to play all sorts of games then i tried an mmorpg. That's when i got hooked. From then on i tried them all. Shifting from one to another.

In 2023, the RetroGame corporation lunched their own platform called "The Path". It was a futuristic open world of the sise of Australia where players had to battle invaiding alliens and bandits. Throughout the game your actions would lead you to become the leader of a figting squad, the owner of a land, an outlaw, a spy or a simple soldier.

Needless to say it was the biggest platform ever online. The game quickly became the most played in the world. I was instantly charmed and awned by that world and started dedicating myself to this sole game. When i started the game I was sweet 17. I created several accounts, one for each class of character and made them all join the same guild, mine. slowly but steadily i raised them. My sister would sometimes help me, borrowing one of my avatars. A few friends would too.

Without my knowledge people started considering my guild, The Verand, an elite group of players that rarely came together and were shrouded in mystery. This impression, re-enforced by my constant refusal of new members exept my friends and some high level players i would sometimes team up with, was totaly oblivious to me as i only played for fun and didn't pay attention to the blogs and sites related to the game.
When i became major i started selling my unneeded loot on an online auction site. Thats how i became a professional gamer. Simple right? Still it was not enaugh to pay my half of the rent hence the crapy job.

But that's not the story. No the story is that two weeks ago RetroGame Corps announced that they would be presenting their brand new game that utilises a brand new technology in a live television show. It is the first one they lunch since The Path so the entire game world is holding its breath. Including me.

It is now the last friday of january, 19h25 and i am waiting in front of my Tv with my sister for the interview to start. The star presentator of the game specialised channel is talking to a gamer that has tested the game. The guy is around 30 and has black hair.

"So, tell us Jeremy, this new game, how is it?"

"To say it simply it's unlike any other game i've played so far. the platform is the sise of the earth divided in several continents and lands. Each has its own history and culture, clothses, foods, architectures, hirarchic system, climate, flora and faune... it changes everytime."

"Whoaw! that indeed seems amaising. Tell us more about it"

" Well to help you understand i will tell you about my Avatar."