Ona

Level 1

The game menu opened with a short animated introduction. The narrator said, “Welcome to the world of Ona.”

“No no no no no!” said Loaf.

“Not good!” I said to Loaf in the virtual reality game. “Restart the tutorial level.”

The world of Ona was a  fantasy themed virtual reality game. A world of simulated mountainous landscapes with castles, towns, villages, and underground caverns to explore. The developer stopped releasing updates when the subscriber levels fell below a thousand active players.

My best friend purchased the equipment needed to play from a local video game store. He found a pair of matching virtual reality headsets and link cable so I could guide him through the first levels of the game. I was a professional gamer in high school and retired after I started a career in social work. I help people in tough situations, and his character name ‘Loaf’ was a perfect description of his real life personality. He was the student character profile in the game.

The name of the mentor character I chose was ‘Bromme’ to match the name of the castle at the start of the first level. I figured we were going to spend most of our time in the castle. I respected the work the developers put into a virtual world and it seem unfair to watch a game fade into history within a few short years after launch.

I won the tutorial and reached level one in about five minutes. I decided to get lunch, but the connection was slow and it took another few minutes to disconnect from the virtual world.

The summer was hotter than I remembered from past college breaks, and the air conditioner was on night and day. A good night of sleep was a challenge, so I floated between the real world and a dream world.

I returned to see a message on the screen. “Bromme, where are you? The controls are not responding and all I can do is walk in a straight line.”

The shared link feature included a remote control, one of the first to get positive reviews from gamers. I helped Loaf pass the basic movement tutorials, and watched as he started to advance in the training sessions

The door of the tutorial room opened and a girl stood watching my student fail to complete another round of basic control tutorials.

The girl said, “I will drop the game difficulty to the lowest possible setting.”

Loaf was so determined to play the game he bought at a discount, he repeated a basic jump between platforms at least twenty times. He paused to catch his breath and send a message. “I need help.”

I replied, “The group lessons are starting in the castle training field according to the game menu. I think you should learn the basics with other first time players.”

The girl said, “He is the only real player in the tutorial. The characters you see in the castle are the memories of the past.”

“A recording of the movements of past players?”

“Yes.”

“Why is the game still online?”

The girl said, “I see all things in this world, and three real players are currently in the game.”

“Are you the other player?”

“No.”

“I am Ona.”

In an instant, the castle dissolved into a three-dimensional world as I stood motionless. The slow loading time made the world shimmer into a void of nothing for a split second.

The forest in the west appeared, as the game continued to load, a vibrant forest below a background of  rolling hills. The mountains in the distance were the only other notable features, all with  snow capped peaks.

The girl waved goodbye. “Remember, I am Ona, but with more fire than grace.”

Loaf was still inside the castle, but with our shared link he overheard the conversation. “Not one of these players is real…” He stepped into a courtyard filled with fully costumed players and laughed. “I can play a real fantasy role playing game ALONE!” 

The girl stepped into view and said, ““Emotion is the end and the beginning.” 

Loaf shouted to the other characters, all with medieval costumes, but  walking around like robots.  “Is it true? Is this a virtual reality game without a bunch of pro gamers ruining the fun!”

“Hey Loaf,” I said into the crackling microphone of the used equipment, “I was a pro gamer.”

Loaf danced around like he won the lottery.

Ona said, “No more delays, he can play. I will start a quest!”

The forest shook as loud footsteps trampled trees and approached.  A ten story giant crashed through the trees, wearing heavy armor and holding a wood club with metal spikes.

Ona said, “Emotion is the end and the beginning.”

I turned to run back to the castle and shouted, “No no no…”

The giant slammed his club into a stand of trees, shaking the ground like an earthquake. I stumbled and fell to the ground.

The girl stood at a distance and watched the battle..

“The giant has no eyes,” I shouted.

Ona said nothing.

“Loaf, stay close to the castle,” I said in the microphone. “It’s going to take everything I have to keep from guiding you through the game.”

Loaf responded. “I’ll call when I need you.”

The giant was fast and was soon standing like a tower overheard, blocking the sunlight of the virtual world. His close range attack missed by several yards. “Level 1 has no good boss battles and the only interesting character is the weird little tutorial guide calling herself Ona.”

Ona stood at my side, a silent figure watching the giant approach with increased speed. “Run.”

I ran into the forest, not looking back. I could feel the club narrowly miss on several occasions, but the giant soon disappeared and the world became eerily silent.

“Ona…was your world abandoned before the software was completed? The game has no background sounds or music in the forest.”

Ona turned bright red. “The world was abandoned by the players, not the creators. Level 2.”

© J. Bateman

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