First Steps into the Night (Eternal Night #1)

An oval, metallic bright red helmet that looked like a bastard cross between science-fiction and a motorcycle helmet held the attention of the leggy brunette as it lay on her bed. Kylie Porter bit her lip as she stared at the Novacore’s Virtual Reality helmet, forcing herself to draw and exhale a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“This is your first assignment. Brent, that rat bastard, won’t buy the piece if you don’t write it. You can’t write it if you don’t go in. Come on, Kylie. All the studies say it’s fine. There’s no danger,” the brunette whispered to herself in a surprisingly low, husky voice in an effort to psych herself up. The truth was, for Kylie, it was not about the danger to her mind or body that the VR helmet exemplified but what came afterward. “You know Johnathan won’t wait long for you. If he doesn’t show you around, you don’t have a chance at writing this.”

As she chewed on her lower lip, Kylie looked out of the eleventh-floor window of her apartment. The downtown skyline of Vancouver still glowed with reflected electric light, even years after the ‘night sky’ legislation had passed. Beneath her, she could hear the low rumble of electric busses and grid-connected shared vehicles carrying the residents to the latest party. A part of Kylie desperately wanted to be out there, in the press of humanity, rather than in here, staring at the helmet. Then again, she barely had enough money to make it through the month. Existing on the minimum basic income was tough—especially for a single woman without roommates.

Kylie sighed and turned away from the window and back to the helmet. She finally forced herself to pick it up, and she slid it over her long, silky hair. As she adjusted the straps, Kylie lay down on the bed before she touched the side of the helmet, engaging the program.

A brief moment of disorientation later and light blossomed around her eyes before it faded away, gray and red titles floating into her vision. “Welcome to Eternal Night. Eternity Awaits All!”

Kylie found herself in a cream-colored foyer with no furniture, only a single pedestal. As she walked up to it, she marveled at how real everything felt—the soft caress of the silk dress around her thighs, the clack of her high heels on the marble floor, and the floral notes that tickled her nostrils. It took her a brief moment to realize that it was a touch too realistic as her small breasts shifted unsupported under her dress—the lack of underclothing an unpleasant surprise. A further, more pleasant surprise appeared in the form of her greeter—Bill Lawry, the debonair and charming silver-haired Englishman who had appeared by the pedestal.

“Ms. Sugard,” Bill said in that deep, rolling voice of his that had made him a favorite celebrity for decades. “Welcome to Eternal Night. I will be your guide during the character creation process. From the details of your account, this is your first Virtual Realm game?”

“Yes…” Kylie said. She found herself slightly breathless as she stared up at the older man. She was not too modest to admit that she had a crush on the celebrity and finding herself in his presence—even a recorded, virtual presence—was closer than she had ever expected to get.

“Very well then.” He smiled at her and waved to the pedestal. “If you will put your hand on the pedestal, we need to finish the legal agreements first. After which I will explain the character creation process and guide you through the tutorial.”

“Oh! But I have a friend who is showing me around,” Kylie blurted out, her eyes growing wide. “How long will this take?”

“A few hours at most, Ms. Sugard,” Bill rumbled. “However, if you wish, we can skip the tutorial aspects for now. You may return to the tutorial at any time while in a safe location. We will still, however, have to complete the legal agreement and character creation.”

“Of course!” Relieved, Kylie smiled and placed her hand on the pedestal. In front of her, a long document listing the terms and conditions of the game appeared.

“Do you wish me to read them to you?” Bill offered, and for a moment, Kylie almost agreed. The journalist in her wondered how many women actually did agree—certainly, if anyone could make dry legal text sound exciting it would be Bill Lawry.

“No… just let me know how to agree,” Kylie replied. As Bill led her through the necessary steps, she settled in to complete the character creation process as quickly as possible. As it stood, she had dithered long enough already. She was afraid she would be late for her appointment.

Release Date: 1. November 2020

Pages: 31

Genre: LitRPG Fantasy

eBook ISBN: 9781989994139

Language: English

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