It was endearing, and almost fit her typical playing style. Athios had loved the Portal series and couldn't help imagining herself creating tears in space-time. She could already see the potential and thought about how she would utilize the abilities both for combat and, more importantly, whenever she'd need a moment alone. It was important to always have a quick escape route in case you were outnumbered, or if someone was talking too much. She read over it again. And then a third time in a row.
"Fuck it," she said aloud. "If I hate it, I'll just restart and pick something else."
Her eyes hovered over the 'yes' option and she affirmed her decision with only the slightest, final hesitation.
Once this decision has been made, it cannot be reversed. Are you sure you wish to choose the Dimensionalist?
Yes or No
"Yeah, I'm sure," she said, flicking the burning embers into the ocean and turning to walk back inside. "Sure I could use a drink before I decide..."
A bright light from her center MENU panel flashed in congratulations and the panel right of the main menu displayed her Profile screen. A strange feeling bathed her in a woosh of what-the-fuckness and the light from her panels entered her person in a way that made her feel somewhat violated. When the blinding flash faded she glanced at the Profile partition, blinking rapidly.
Athios took in the sight of herself. Nothing seemed different from what she would have seen in a mirror. She saw a scrawny girl with dark hair, showing hints of gray very prematurely. Thin eyebrows she'd given up on trying to draw in like other girls her age did, eyelashes that were long and dark but uneven from when she would pick at them nervously. And, of course, all the same physical insecurities she'd always had. All the things she changed on her avatar when playing real RPGs.
‘What just happened?’
Athios’ eyes were drawn to the hands of the holographic representation of herself on the Profile screen. They almost looked as if they were fading away, like something superimposed, the hands of a ghost between two planes of existence, or between two dimensi…
"Oh, you've gotta be freaking kidding me!" she roared. "I said ‘yeah, I'm sure I need a drink’ - not ‘yeah, I'm ready to decide’!"
The accidental Dimensionalist calmed down by reminding herself that at least she wouldn’t have to think about that decision anymore and was finally able to move on to what happens next. As much as she hated the idea, Athios readied herself to interact with others. She tied her hair in a ponytail and practiced her breathing exercises - two-second inhales through her nose, four-second exhales through her mouth. She grabbed a box of energy bars and a few bottles of water and set them down on the table, then opened her backpack to put them inside. Then, something occurred to her. She opened her MENU panels and focused on the Items icon. Her inventory partition opened to the left of the main MENU, displaying a grid of mostly blank squares. She pulled a bottled water out of her backpack and a black, hand-sized disc appeared in front of her. She slowly reached out and pushed the bottle through, then retracted her hand quickly and the bottle was gone. She looked at the grid again and saw a new, filled square with a little blue water droplet icon.
‘Okay, that's pretty cool,’ she thought. ‘I should just go to the school. All I'm doing here is torturing myself with the idea of social interaction - it's never as bad as I make it out in my mind,’ she (poorly) convinced herself. ‘But first…’
She found Garath on her friends list and checked his location, he was on the move and she figured he would be at the school within a quarter of an hour. She expanded the Messaging option, then wrote and deleted a few sentences - nervous to say the wrong thing, but eventually settled on a message.
Private message from Athios to Garath - 00/00/00 @ 01:24AM:
I'm heading to the school now. You mentioned the outdoor basketball courts, isn't that next to an old church?
She nervously read her own message three times, wondering if she should have said something else before the response finally came.
Private message from Garath to Athios - 00/00/00 @ 01:26AM
Yeah, big red brick building. We'll be there soon. I look forward to meeting you in person! :)
‘Well that makes one of us,’ she thought. ‘But it probably beats going it alone, The Culling doesn't exactly sound cuddly. I would rather go it alone than have to rely on some newbs to watch my ass, but having experienced gamers around could be beneficial. Garath, why is that name so familiar? Had he played Frozen Throne Online?’
She put that thought to the back of her mind and opened the cabin door of her shoddy old boat. As she looked into the dark night, still reminding herself to breath with every inhale, Athios hoped she was making the right decision to group up with some guy she had never met. Even with an event designated ‘The Culling’ only hours away that promised 24 hours of monster attacks, meeting up with some guy from a mysterious apocalyptic system forum made her feel like she may as well be taking an unregistered taxi to meet a tinder date in a dark alley.
Chapter 6
Transformation
“I'm not going anywhere,” Mark stated firmly. He took off his rimless glasses and pressed his thumb and index fingers to the bridge of his nose. The middle aged banker sighed heavily. “Besides, I'm sure the authorities will handle everything.”
“The authorities? Seriously?” Garath asked incredulously with both hands raised in irritation. “Do you really think the authorities are going to be able to do anything to help? In
