It was precious to him, a whole realm steeped in magic, mystical beings,
and exotic beasts, fraught with peril and horror, but also brimming
with rare treasure and true friends. Wil yearned for such a life. He had
to hide it from his uncle, this book called Holos Compendium 1st
Edition 2051. A fantasy book and therefore 'not real', but the radio show
broadcasting daily out of Bordertown said it was a real enough place.
Radio was for low-tech homesteaders like his uncle. The show which
played in the evening described the lives of professional gamers going
adventuring for days or weeks at a time. Like in their own bodies.
How could that be? As warriors, wizards, or fey, they gain power, all
the time leveling up with the potential of becoming something like
demigods in-game. The radio show would say: lucky dogs, the rest of
us must watch their adventures with envy through special monitoring
tech and hope to one day join them. Was this trickery or was it the real
deal? Wil wanted to go to Bordertown and find out. He made a promise
to himself that someday he would.
