Monstar Saga: Exiled Read online

  Monstar Saga

  Exiled

  Book 1

  Eden Redd

  Monstar Saga: Exiled: Book 1

  © copyright 2021 Eden Redd

  All Rights Reserved

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  Editing

  Lucid Dream Editing

  “Everything is true. God’s an astronaut. Oz is over the rainbow, and Midan is where the monsters live.”

  ~Peloquin, Nightbreed

  Monstar Saga

  Exiled

  One

  The fluorescent light flickered overhead. The sudden shift of light and dark woke Kevin from his daydreaming.

  His eyes focused as he looked ahead. A small line of people waited at the pharmacy counter. A kaleidoscope of neatly packaged boxes, items, and small toys ran to either side of the line leading up to the counter. Their mere presence was deafening to Kevin’s senses as thoughts spun and caressed his inner mind.

  A woman and her son were before him. Kevin’s gaze lowered to the young boy clutching a teddy bear in one arm and holding his mother’s hand with his other hand. The mother was staring straight ahead, waiting for the person before her to finish speaking with the pharmacist at the counter. The young boy looked around with dreamy eyes, taking in the world around him with a wondrous gaze.

  Kevin lifted a scarred hand and fixed the scarf covering the lower part of his face. He tugged on it to make sure it was still secure. It wouldn’t hide the scars around his eyes and forehead, but he hoped it was enough for anyone not directly looking at him to notice.

  Once the scarf was secure, Kevin’s thoughts drifted into contained excitement. The day’s agenda was simple: pick up his medication, some snacks, and then head home. The beta test for the new MMORPG, Monstar Saga, was going live in just a few hours and he didn’t want to miss his first day. It was Friday and his whole weekend was planned, playing the game until he passed out and resuming it after he woke up. It had been a year since the announcement for the new multiplayer online experience. Once it was announced, it was all he could think about. There were plenty of online games out there, but none of them focused on a purely monster character build and stories. It was a refreshing change from the usual fantasy classes and Kevin dreamed of a new world to explore.

  The young boy let go of his mother’s hand and spun around, caught in a moment of silly delight. Kevin looked down with amused eyes as the boy spun and spun. The small laughter from the boy caused Kevin to grin behind his scarf. Slivers of pain stabbed at him, but he ignored it as he watched the boy continue to spin.

  The boy teetered as he laughed. The stuffed bear slipped from his hand and flew a short distance, striking Kevin’s leg and bouncing off. The teddy bear landed on the floor and Kevin looked down at it.

  The boy stopped spinning and laughed. He tried to regain his balance before he looked at his bear.

  Kevin didn’t think as he bent down and picked up the stuffed bear. He stayed on one knee and looked at the young boy. He lifted his hand with the bear and held it out to him.

  The young boy was all smiles, his hand reaching out to take the bear when he noticed the man’s face wrapped in a black scarf and odd scars around his eyes and across his forehead. The boy hesitated with wide, curious eyes. He stared at the man holding his teddy bear and drank in the strange scars.

  “Here you go,” Kevin said kindly.

  The boy reached out and took hold of the bear. Kevin nodded and his scarf shifted. The simple nod was enough to dislodge the scarf and it fell away, exposing his face.

  The young boy didn’t let go as he was frozen on the spot. He looked at the nice man with thick scars crisscrossing his entire face.

  Kevin’s hand shot up, took hold of the scarf and tried to cover his face again when the boy’s mother turned and looked down. Her eyes widened, not in wonder, but in small horror.

  Kevin internally sighed as the mother reached down and snatched the stuffed bear. She pushed it hard to her son’s chest and the young boy stumbled back into her other hand. She took a step back, bringing her son with her as Kevin slowly stood.

  “He dropped his bear. I was just giving it back,” Kevin explained.

  “Thank you,” the mother said the words with a polite edge, but her expression told a different story.

  Kevin kept his eyes neutral. This kind of exchange didn’t happen too often, but it did happen enough for him to be as non-threatening as he could. For the most part, people were generally understanding of his unusual looks, some being very polite to not even show a sign of being uncomfortable. Then there were those, like the mother before him, who only saw the surface and acted from some primitive instinct to cringe.

  Monsters have feelings too.

  Kevin never held anything against people like the woman before him. It had become normal over the years and he simply endured it with a calm demeanor when it happened. On bad days it would sting a little more. It didn’t bother him today as he had an exciting weekend planned.

  The mother turned and stepped to the counter, the previous person long gone. The young boy continued to look back at Kevin, eyes still filled with bright curiosity.

  Kevin waited patiently as the mother quickly picked up her prescription. The moment the bag touched her hand, she rushed off with her son in tow. The little boy waved to Kevin and he waved back until they left the store.

  Kevin turned and approached the counter, the pharmacist waiting with a small smile.

  “Hi Kevin,” the pharmacist greeted.

  “Hi Jacob. Just picking up my pain meds,” Kevin said.

  Jacob nodded, turned and moved to the shelf with the pre-prepared prescriptions.

  Kevin stood, his eyes losing focus as his mind drifted. The boy’s smile lingered in his mind and his heart warmed.

  Maybe, one day, everyone will look at each without so much judgment in their eyes, like that little boy.

  The pharmacist stepped back to the counter with a little paper bag. Kevin pulled out his card to pay, his weekend plans swirling back into his thoughts.

  ***

  The front door swung open to the apartment and Kevin stepped in with bags in his arms. Once inside, he lifted his leg and slammed the door shut with his foot. He marched into the kitchen and put the bags down on the counter. His hands moved quickly, pulling off the scarf and letting it hang around his neck. He then moved to the bags of groceries.

  Kevin’s heart swam in excitement as he put the groceries away. Fantastical thoughts glowed and the young man caught himself smiling. Once everything was put away, he quickly rushed out of the kitchen and to his living room.

  The living room was packed to the gills with bookshelves, a couch, wide flatscreen, his gaming chair and a Mind’s Eye game system by the flatscreen. Paintings of dragons hung on the walls and small, dragon statues lined the bookshelves. They were painted in many colors and each one was in a different pose. A few had a highbrow, regal appearances. Others were in flight and fighting poses. A few were in a sleeping pose, eyes closed and carved smoke rising from their nostrils.

  For a brief moment, Kevin let the calm sanctuary wash over him. Living alone, his living room functioned more like a den than a place to host guests. Everything was in its place and the entirety of the room was the only place he felt he could be himself.

  Taking hold of the scarf, he pulled it from his neck and threw it on the couch. Kevin turned his attention to his gaming chair, seeing the Mind’s Eye Gear helmet on the seat. He made his way to the chair, each step filled with growing excitement.

  His scarred hands took hold of the helmet. He lifted it up, turned around and planted his butt in the comfortable seat. With precision, he put the helmet on and touched the ac
tivation button on the side of it.

  Countless memories and hours touched his thoughts as the MEG console hummed to life. With the wireless connection established, Kevin lifted a hand and swiped across. He didn’t enter a virtual world. Instead, 2D holographic appeared before him. Messages populated his inbox in one screen, a list of fellow players and friends populated another.

  Alerts blinked and Kevin smiled. The alerts grew as his friends wanted to talk to him. Kevin closed his eyes and shook his head. They all wanted to beta test the game and he was lucky enough to snag an access code.

  “Might as well get it over with,” Kevin said to himself before opening a voice chat room and tapping a virtual button to allow his friends to enter.

  The room was flooded with thirty friends and the voice chat turned into a storm of voices.

  “Kevin! You ready?”

  “I’m jealous, you lucky freak.”

  “When do you think they will open it to more beta testers?”

  “I’m foaming at the mouth to play! You have to give us the details!”

  “Monstar Saga is going to put Lewd Saga to shame! Details mate!”

  Kevin grinned. “Everyone, everyone, I’ll give details after my first session. The creators have been hyping up the game for over a year and they want the beta testers to get the word out.

  “When I disconnect, I’ll update here and take questions. Until then, I’ll be in the game, most likely the whole weekend.”

  “You can’t do this to us! Tell us after the first hour, please!”

  “We understand and enjoy the experience!”

  “I refuse to give Kevin any slack until he updates us. He just made the list. I don’t know what that means, but he won’t get off the list until I see updates.”

  “Kevin, don’t listen to Karl. He’s just mad it’s you instead of him.”

  “You’re damn right I’m mad! I want to play!”

  The chat room turned into a soup of noise and laughter. The last two voices cut through the chaos. Victoria and Karl were friends from many other virtual communities. Kevin enjoyed their many virtual adventures together. A thin shadow crossed Kevin’s thoughts as he hadn’t met any of his online friends in real life. He preferred it that way, sparing them the awkward moments of trying to not notice his scarred features. The chronic pain didn’t help either, Kevin often hunched forward because his body never fully healed right. It was better all-around to keep everyone at a safe distance so he could enjoy his virtual lives without pity and misguided attempts of trying to understand why he was the way he was.

  Kevin woke from his thoughts, the voices growing louder as everyone was excited for him.

  “Okay, the game is going live in a few minutes. I’m going to sign off and get ready for it. I promise to update the moment I take a break. It won’t be a long update because I’ll be spending my weekend in the game, but there will be updates.”

  Two dozen voices wished him a great experience. Kevin listened, the kind and glowing words helping him feel better and adding to the excitement.

  “Kevin, we hope you have a great time,” Victoria’s voice cutting through the noise and touching his ears with genuine honesty.

  Kevin’s smile grew wider. Victoria was always a good friend and lived in the same city he lived. A small piece wished they could meet in person. He often thought about it and would let the thought go, knowing it would change their friendship because similar situations had happened too many times in the past.

  “Love you guys. I’ll update on my first break. Kevin out.”

  Kevin silenced his feed to the chatroom, but didn’t end it. He could see sound bars rise and fluctuate, knowing that his friends were all talking about the new game.

  A beep touched his mind.

  Monstar Saga is live! You may now connect to the servers.

  The moment the alert scrolled past his eyes, the login button appeared and his access code was already populated above it. With a simple mental command, the login button pressed and faded away.

  Kevin closed his eyes as the MEG helmet opened the connection and light streamed around him. Despite his closed eyes, Kevin’s virtual eyes were wide open as he sped along streams of light. Information was fed directly into his brain and translated into visual displays. A portal opened at the end of the streaming light and it grew wider. Kevin grinned as he approached and, in a blink, he disappeared into the light.

  Kevin opened his eyes to see a lush, green field of grass around him. Brilliant sunlight bathed the area in a warm glow. The edges of a dark forest surrounded the immense, grassy field. Birdsong touched the air and a gentle breeze caused the tall grass to ripple with hypnotic power.

  Kevin let out a long, relieved exhale and turned around. He soaked in the virtual world, feeling every breezy nuance and drinking in the incredible detail. When he had nearly turned fully around, he spotted a lone tree about twenty feet away. An angelic woman stood with black wings and a kind smile. She wore a long, silky silver dress. Her hair was straight and down, framing her porcelain like features.

  “Welcome to Monstar Saga,” the woman beamed.

  Kevin nodded and began walking to her. He had played enough games to know she was a starter tutorial and would assist with character design and creation. It still didn’t detract from her beauty and warmth as he approached. When he stood before her, the player waited patiently so she could begin the intro and character creation.

  “My name is Viz. It stands for Visual Information System. I’m here to introduce you to Monstar Saga and create your character.”

  Kevin nodded and raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t your name be Vis, to match your designation?”

  Viz let out a haughty laugh. “You would think so, but I am a fully aware AI, with my own personality traits and thoughts. I have access to the information databases, but I can explain the game in my own way. The creators felt this added dynamic would help with player integration.

  “Shall we get started?”

  Kevin nodded and smiled.

  Viz grinned with her eyes closed, “First, let’s begin the introduction to the game. Monstar Saga is a fantasy MMORPG where there are no human characters. Here, a player may try any of the dozens of races that populate the world of Voldor. Each one will have unique classes and abilities, depending on their race. But this is not just a quest driven fantasy game. There are farmer and kingdom building options as you progress through the game. Monstar Saga is truly an immersive world, meant for deep character play and growth.”

  “Is it true that Monstar Saga is built off the Lewd Saga game engine?” Kevin asked with curious eyes.

  Viz opened her eyes and nodded. “Yes, the basic game engine has been used since Star Bridge Corporation bought the rights after the controversy. It has been heavily modified to create a new and incredible experience. The world has been updated with new AI’s and not scanned minds like in the original game. Much of the previous Lewd Saga lore has been purged and updated with brand-new content.

  “But I’m sure you didn’t come here for a history lesson in reality. How about we jump into character creation?”

  Kevin nodded.

  A mirror appeared before the player. Kevin looked at his reflection, seeing that he was a featureless white humanoid. He had no eyes, nose, hair or any other defining features. For all intents and purposes, he was truly a blank slate.

  A floating 2D screen appeared to his right. Kevin looked over to it and saw a listing of fantasy races and a small image of their basic appearance. On automatic, Kevin lifted his hand and touched the screen, scrolling it up as he looked at each race in turn. Kobolds and goblins scrolled past, as did nagas, trolls, spider folk, fae, and harpies.

  Kevin’s heart thudded in his chest. This was the very starting point he wanted to be. For a year he thought about creating his character. Thoughts filled his head of a backstory of his own design. How he wanted to be a warrior and diplomat between kingdoms. The game creators posted snippets of the game’s backstor
y and lore over the last year and Kevin absorbed each one the moment they went live. It gave him a rough picture on what to expect and he was ready to bring his personal quest to life, bringing the many different races together for a brighter future.

  Amid the exciting moment, a glimpse of a dark memory touched his mind. It crawled along the edges of his thoughts on how his life was forever changed. How his own personal ambitions and desires were forever dashed on the rocks, never to truly be realized.

  If I can’t live that life in reality, I’ll live it here.

  Kevin pushed away the dark thoughts and noticed he stopped scrolling. He looked down on a character species and smiled.

  A humanoid dragon stood in simple, medieval clothes. The name “Dragonkin” glowed above it. Their body was smooth, except for scales running along the outsides of their arms and legs. Their head was dragon-like, with a small pointed snout and horns stabbing out the back of their head. Kevin noticed they didn’t have wings or a tail.

  Kevin began cycling through the colors until he reached a dark, almost burgundy red. There were aesthetic sliders for the horns, facial features and body types. He kept the character male and the starter horns. He gave the character a blending of yellow eye color with specks of orange. He then looked at several body types and settled on one closer to a physique he wanted. The dragon humanoid had an athletic T shape. Lanky arms and legs completed the look.

  Viz smiled. “Dragonkin is an excellent choice. They have great warrior and mage potential. The only drawback is they are feared a little by the other races. Are you confident in your choice?”

  A glowing “Accept” button appeared under the character design. Kevin didn’t hesitate as he pressed it. He then turned to the standing mirror and watched as his blank form filled with swirling colors and his body changed. He grew slightly taller, horns stabbing out from the back of his head. A snout appeared and grew a few inches. Scales covered his body in a symmetrical pattern. His eyes glowed yellow for a moment before they settled to a subdued color.