Ding!
Hob, Kelly, and Ryan hunched together against a wall some hundred feet from the exit. They waited for an explosion. It didn't come. After several seconds, they looked up. No explosion. Hob began to laugh.
"Why did we ever think it would be a bomb?" Hob was doubled over.
"Well our resident linguistics expert read between the lines, of course." Kelly replied, laughing equally as hard.
Ryan was the only one not laughing. "It could still be a bomb! We don't know!"
"Whatever you say, kid." Hob replied, shaking off his chuckles. "More importantly, that changed." Everyone's gaze followed his finger. Where the previous message had been, a new one had appeared.
Thank you for your patience! The IDAS has created proper dimensional links! You may now access your menus! Please proceed outdoors at your earliest convenience. Good luck, prospective heroes!
The timer over the door was gone. No one moved towards the door immediately.
"Menus! See that people? Menus! That's another check on the list!" It was Ryan's turn to be giddy with laughter.
"You're enjoying this way too much, Ryan." Said Kelly with a slight look of contempt. "How do we access that, anyway? Is there a phone app for dimensional menus?"
As a response, Ryan reached his hand out and concentrated on the space. A box like the messages came in appeared in front of him, though to everyone else the box was blank. "Well, look who's right again? Just focus on the idea of it, it'll happen! I did the hand thing but I don't think that actually matters."
Hob did as Ryan said, sticking his hand out and concentrating. Menu. Menu. Men-no way. The menu appeared. For an average young adult, the menu would be confusing, but vaguely reminiscent of an RPG. For Hob, a 43 year-old with zilch for video game experience, it was decrypting some forgotten language. "Okay Ryan, I see it, but what is it."
Ryan did not immediately respond, being lost within his own menu. After a moment, he spoke without looking up. "I'm seeing three very important things right now. First, stats. That's on the main page you should see. It looks like there would be a way to add points, no one probably has any yet though."
As he spoke, Hob searched for this. Sure enough, a list of stats could be found. Strength, 7. Agility, 4. Intelligence, 5. There was also a note saying, "As more stats become relevant, their base values will appear."
Ryan continued. "Second, the quest menu. There's a button to go to that from the main page. Right now I just see one, called Tutorial. You'll want to read and do that."
Hob found what he was talking about.
Tutorial:
- enter and complete a tutorial level dungeon
- reach level three
- ???
The first two tasks made a little sense, but the third was strange. What's the question marks for?
Ryan continued. "Finally, your class. There's a pop up for it. That's going to be essential."
Hob searched his menu, and quickly found the pop up.
Select character class:
Options:
Please reach level three to unlock options.
Hob figured it must be a part of that tutorial then.
Ryan spoke once more. "Listen, that might be the most important part. In every story I read, one of the biggest thing that let's you get ahead is your class. Never pick something basic like a knight or a mage. It might even be better to wait to choose a class, that way you can unlock something rare before finalizing your choice."
Something about Ryan's logic seemed off to Hob, but before he could say anything the trio had their attention drawn back towards the door. It was now open, and the crowd had reappeared to look outside. A few daring individuals had already stepped out. The group made their way towards the door as well.
"It looks very... normal?" Kelly voiced everyone's thoughts. Nothing has changed. Hob stepped outside as if in a trance, looking for any difference. Kelly followed him out, and Ryan stood at the front of the crowd but hesitated to follow.
Hob stood outside, taking in his surroundings. The greenery looked normal, no weird trees. The path was the same. All the other buildings seemed fine. Once he turned towards the center of campus, he noticed the change. A bright green light was emanating from somewhere in that area. The few people who had exited early were already making their way towards it.
Ryan, able to see the light also by peeking his head out, found some courage to step out upon seeing it. "That must be the tutorial dungeon! We should head there immediately, the first people to do anything are always awarded."
Kelly objected. "Okay, bomb theory again here. Is there nothing suspicious about a glowing green light? Shouldn't we wait and make sure it's safe?"
Hob spoke. "No, Ryan is probably right. So far all the details have lined up. We should find out what it is. As long as we're cautious, it should be okay."
Kelly looked down. "I know. I'm just worried."
Hob felt a sudden fatherly urge to protect her. "It's going to be okay. We'll stick together."
With that, the group headed towards the light. As they walked, they saw some others standing around, cautious to approach the light. Reaching the center of the campus, they saw what was creating the light. A stone arch sat in the center of the path, while a shifting green fluid filled it's frame. A crowd had gathered here around it. One man was heading the crowd, practically giving a speech.
"Listen everyone, I know it's scary and unknown, but we will be fine. I have read the prophecies. If we stick together, the threat will be practically nonexistent."
He continued on, rallying his army. He wasn't necessarily wrong, but the man who couldn't be older than twenty playing general was humorous to Hob. The man was your average athlete type. Most likely a football player. Handsome by the standards of any cheerleaders assessing the team. The type that people tend to blindly rally behind no matter how dumb they are. Hob felt grateful that he didn't seem excessively dumb.
Kelly spoke. "We should probably stick with him. He has the right idea." Hob and Ryan both agreed. They joined the crowd, which was now lining up in front of the arch. The resemblance to an army was growing.
Ryan spoke up, addressing the crowd. "Everyone listen! Open your menus, there should be an inventory tab you can access! Find it and take out any weapon you have!" Hob, along with everyone else in earshot, listened. Sure enough, an inventory appeared with a single slot filled.
Common - longsword.
The basic weapon of a soldier. +1 damage.
He looked around to see that many had pulled out their weapons. Surprisingly, there was a slight variety. Most people had various iterations of basic swords, with a few more unique options such as a spear or a bow. Ryan had pulled out a short sword accompanied by a small shield. Kelly held a battle axe. Hob looked back to his inventory screen, unsure of how to make a simple icon of a weapon appear in his hands.
"Hey Kelly, how'd you get your axe out of the inventory?" Hob whispered.
"Just like, point at it? Or click on it, I guess?" She replied. It was hard to explain. "It's intuitive, just do what you think will work."
Hob did as instructed, pointing towards the item. A message popped up in front of him.
Equip?
Yes No
Hob pointed towards the yes, and felt the sword fill the empty space in his extended hand. "So what, we just walk through the magic portal now?" He asked to no one. The man leading the pack had already walked through, and a few individuals had followed him. More were approaching without hesitation. Hob was amazed by how quickly the same people who had become so panicked just five minutes earlier had now picked up weapons and marched towards danger.
Kelly leaned towards Hob and Ryan. "Listen, we'll go with the group for now, but the second things get sketchy, it's us three. We have no clue what's in there." The two men nodded in agreement, and the group joined in walking towards the arch.
"Anyone still betting on that bomb?" Hob asked. Anything to lighten the mood. No one laughed. The three were now feet away from the arch, no one else between them.
For some reason, Hob held his breath as he walked through. Probably because it looked like liquid. Surely the others had done the same. For a brief moment, the light enveloped him. Never in my forty-three years...
Stepping onto stone, Hob found himself in the mouth of a cave. Behind him was a forest with dense trees that seemed off. He couldn't place what was wrong with them. The shape of the leaves, perhaps. The pattern of the bark. It was still unmistakably a tree. It's oddities were enough to make Hob believe that he may truly be in a different dimension. Looking forward, the cave looked normal. Lit torches lined the walls and the path curved out of sight. Signs of habitation.
The surreal nature of his environment was even enough to make him not immediately realize that he was alone. Everyone else was gone.