Limitless Seas, book 2 Introduction.

Here's the start of Limitless Seas 2, it's been a while, so is anyone interested in reading the recap before we dig in? Let me know in the comments and I'll post it later.

Introduction.

Sally looked around the hotel room, questioning her actions. Should she really be here? Was seeing her brother worth all the hassle of playing a stupid game? They hadn’t spoken in years, and showing up in a digital world wouldn’t change that, would it? She was sure he was the same person online, with the same flaws and foibles, that he was in the real world. Still, this was the only way she could see him now, and this might be her last opportunity.

The real question was what she wanted to get out of this. She was under no illusions that Craig Larson would suddenly have a change of heart at seeing her and apologize for the way that he had treated both her and her late husband over the years. Perhaps it was all just an effort to have closure before her brother passed away, at least she wouldn’t regret making the attempt.

“What I might regret is dealing with all this nonsense,” Sally muttered to herself, looking at the ridiculous gaming pod sitting next to the far less comfortable than it looked hotel bed.

The pod itself was surprisingly comfortable, and she considered sleeping in it tonight rather than the actual bed. With a sigh of resignation, she hit the activate button on the device, wondering what she was getting herself into as the clear lid closed and the machine activated around her. The same introduction video was there, and her perspective flew through the sky, watching the various things going on in the world. She didn’t have much interest in gaming, and the images of battles and monsters didn’t hold the same thrill she was sure that others felt when they logged in each time.

Welcome to the Limitless Lands, your first steps on the path of adventure begin at the humble commencement commissary…

Rerouting guest to server a128.alpha. Loading monstrous race pack D1.

Her vision returned and Sally found herself standing in the old empty shop once more. The small guy, a halfling she now knew they were called, waved her over. She felt a bit self-conscious after her last visit. The elderly AI that ran things was explaining about creating her character and she kind of panicked, logging out abruptly. Everything felt different this time, the company, Qualitranos, had been patient with her, surprisingly understanding her reluctance. The delay did allow them to send over this newest pod, supposedly the next generation in tech, not that she had a good feel for what the old generation was.

Everything around her seemed real, she could even smell the dust in the air and feel the wood grain on the counter. She hated to admit it, but the experience was much more impressive in the new gear. The guy at the counter looked up from the ledger he was thumbing through. Somehow this game created character looked and acted annoyed. It was astonishing they got the detail so accurate.

“Oh, you came back, Clio said you would, but I had my doubts. Now, do you plan to stay this time, or should I just go back to work and pretend you were never here,” the guy said.

“Hey, no need to be rude, I just wasn’t ready before, but I think I’m good to go this time,” Sally replied.

“Well, never let it be said that Finley wasn’t a patient employee. Step up to the counter and we can start with your character creation. You’ll be on a test server, so options will be limited to the dragons you discussed with Clio, and your interactions in-game will be mostly with what are called NPC’s which stands for Non-Player Characters. A few updates have been added to help you on your way, a simple orientation for someone who hasn’t played before,” Finley said.

“What do we do now?” Sally asked, and Finley turned the ledger around for her to read. When her eyes hit the page, she found herself in another room, surrounded by statues of six monsters, which, based on their look, must represent the dragons she had to choose from.

Welcome to the character race selection menu, since this is your first time playing Limitless Lands, additional support will be offered. Please note that your choices are limited due to your participation on the test server. Look at each option to see more information.

Sally didn’t want to do all this, she wasn’t here to game, she just wanted to get inside the game and do whatever it was they wanted her to do in order to see her brother. Looking at the various dragons, she pointed at the red one, which seemed the most familiar to her since it resembled the things she had seen in movies.

“I’ll take that one,” she advised.

Are you sure you wish to select Red Dragon as your game avatar? Once made, this choice can’t be altered. Select Red Dragon, y/n?

Sally hit yes, watching as the game showed an overview of species. As she suspected, her dragon body would be powerful, and shockingly, was intelligent and able to converse. Breathing fire might be nice, and it very well might be the first thing she did once she saw her brother. She figured a giant dragon breathing fire would beat the snake thing he had turned himself into.

“Ah, you’re back, that was fast. I take it you didn’t wish to delve into the lore and abilities of the various dragon species?” Finley asked.

“No, I’m ready to get started, flying and breathing fire and all that,” Sally said.

“Well, the example in the creation menu is of a late-game version of yourself, I think you’ll find that you start from a much humbler beginning. Take a second to look over your new body while I get you into the game.

“Hey, that’s not…” was all Sally could get out before the world around her went dark. She had only caught a glimpse of her “dragon” body before Finley had wised her away, and instead of a powerful dragon, she was a red leathery egg.

Welcome to a new world and a new life as a mighty red dragon. Limitless Lands is a realm of wonder, but it also holds danger. Face your first challenge and grow in power. The egg chamber you are in is being destroyed, escape and find a place to recover.

Sally could see a small pinprick of light, the glow from which illuminated the egg around her. Pulling back her view, Sally could see that she was a tiny little dragon, something called a dragonling, and she needed to claw her way out of the egg before the timer expired. Why did she have to do this? Who knows, but gamers must have loved this kind of stuff. Without any controls, or a mouse, or anything, she tried to move her arm, surprised to see the front claws of the dragonling body respond. Giving the egg a tentative jab, she found the claws at the tips of her fingers cut easily into the leathery eggshell.

Move quickly, once you emerge from the egg, your soft scales and natural weapons need time to harden. Scavengers are closing in on the hatchery and you’ll need to be in top form to defeat them.

The warning flashed red, and a timer started to tick down. Not sure what else to do, Sally started to hack at the egg she was encased in. Claws did well against the shell and to her surprise, the mouth full of teeth she had worked even better. It was a strange feeling, but the motion of biting with her long snout wasn’t difficult. A few snips of her teeth and the shell split open, and with a gross sloshing noise, she poured out onto the floor along with some egg goo that she could have done without.

“Okay, that’s gross, now what,” she muttered. Finding it funny how the little dragon mouth she had was able to form the words. There was a slight hiss to her speech that might become annoying over time, but when coming from her little dragonling body, it was kind of cute in a way.

Congratulations, you have overcome your first challenge in this new life, sadly, you’re the last survivor of your clutch, and your mother is gone. Use the weapons at your disposal to defend yourself against the scavengers that are now approaching, they’ll gladly add dragonling to the menu if they can.

Sally found herself in a large cavern, the glow of lava shone from a path deeper into the earth, and the night sky could be seen in the other direction where a tunnel exited the mountain. A path in that direction was highlighted for her to follow, and Sally was happy to have all the hints the tutorial wanted to give her. The heat in the cavern should have been unbearable, but Sally found it comforting, like a warm breeze on a summer night.

Trying to stand, Sally’s feet slid on the slimy floor, spilling her to the ground. Her claws scratched at the floor and she slid once more, but this time, she slid past the gooey remains of the egg where her traction should be a bit better. After another couple of tries, she started to get the hang of it. Her first steps wobbled a bit, walking on four legs took some getting used to. So far, there weren’t any wings on her body, so flying was out of the question, at least until she grew a bit more.

With the challenge of walking without falling conquered, she made her way toward the cave entrance. Behind her, the rest of the eggs lay crushed by the collapse of a nearby wall. Movement among the ruins of what would have been her siblings was seen and a creature only a bit smaller than her crept into view. It was a monster-sized rat, one that licked its lips and clacked its teeth before moving in her direction.

“No, I hate rats,” Sally complained.

“Then do something about it and stop whining!” She could imagine her brother saying. Well, he might have been an insufferable lout, but the imaginary advice wasn’t too far off the mark.

“Time to see if a baby dragon can beat up a rat,” Sally growled as she raised her claws and hissed a challenge.