ALEKOR ONLINE is a VR-MMORPG game that gained worldwide popularity due to its large, expansive, and revolutionary world and the freedom players had within it.
It was played through a neuro link that could be plugged into a headset, and was revolutionary once it came out, far overshadowing all of its peers in game design and accessibility.
The world of ALEKOR was a high fantasy game, set in a vast world filled with mysticism and magic, swords and steel, giants and dragons, and boasting endless content that seemed to last forever.
There are many races available in the game, from the regular human to the demi-human orc, dwarf, or elf, to the more unique races, like a spriteling that was literally a sentient being of light, a floating skull, or a golem that was made out of more little golems-the list goes on.
It also contained a variety of heavily customizable classes that players could unlock by meeting its requirements; one could even have multiple classes if they wanted, but many argued it was quite inefficient, and when it came down to it, there was really no limit to what players could do. Truly, it was as vast as the sky.
It was frequently regarded as a whole other world and was a global phenomenon on a massive scale, garnering attention rivaling that of sports championships or blockbuster movies, cementing itself in the mainstream.
And it all came ahead, when the ALEKORE GUILD WARS Tournament, an annual event held every year since its release, was held in the current year of 2254; the peak of the game, its true greatness was shown to all.
"You ready, cap?" An amalgam of constantly shifting, metallic purple goo said, a male voice a bit high-pitched for its odd form. It was tall and lanky, arms and legs thin, and its form squirmed and slithered like oily liquid. It had one defining feature, a white mask that was made of porcelain marble, designed with minimal color on the cheeks, eyebrows, and a red tint on the lips. A red ruby was on its forehead, and its features were left androgynous.
"Ready as I'll ever be, Creeny," another form spoke, hiding behind the shadow of a large hallway.
"Hah, c'mon, that's not the captain we know! Where's the spirit in your gullet gone? This is the last step to victory, my friend, and unfortunately, you're the only one we can rely on. Don't get cold feet now."
Another figure calls, a female voice with a gruff Scottish accent, and she was not quite human. She was an insectoid that resembled a rhino-beetle, with two large, two-pronged horns on each side of her armored face, large beady eyes, spiky mandibles, and a stout upper body with tetrapod legs that had shields equipped to each of them.
"RoRo, always the motivator," the figure said sarcastically.
"Don't listen to him, captain; you'll do great, you always do! Now go out there and do your thing and kick some heads!" Another voice called out, another strange and enigmatic figure, a nightmarish-looking fairy that looked like a human black widow, with eight sharp spider legs and fly-like wings.
"You better, we've been busting our butts off to reach this far," Roro retorted, which earned him a stern hit on the head by the black goo.
"Yeah," the figure spoke, ignoring them, "It's thanks to all of you that we've reached this far. Really, thank you all."
The figure hidden in shadow stepped forward onto a platform.
"And don't worry about it, you know me, I'm going to bring it home, just the way I always do."
The platform rose with a hiss, and light shone down on the figure as the sky opened up. The figure wore a robe, and on the back of it, glinting in the light, was a symbol, flowing like a flag behind him.
A symbol of a throne surrounded by roses.
# # ## ## ###
1, 2, 3 LET THE GAMES START!
The voice shouted out, accompanied by the booming sounds of trumpets and horns and triumphant orchestral music.
A tiny figure suddenly appeared dramatically in the dark, flying still in the air, small in size, with its head bigger than its body, and what seemed like a jetpack on its back. With a dramatic pause in the music, the large eyes on its oversized head opened, illuminating like saucers in the shadow.
Suddenly, the entire expanse lit up, revealing a large arena of pure mineral white.
It was a platform of pure white material, covered full with cybernetic circuits like veins, throbbing with color, with pure white blocks in varying sizes scattered across the surface that was fully covered by a dome.
And in its center, now clearly visible, was a hovering robot.
"Hello! Cyber netizens and battle enjoyers alike! Welcome one and all to the final round of the official GUILD WARS World Tournament!"
The robot shouted out in a raspy, grown voice, completely out of place for their small frame.
The bot then raised its arm and, with its open palm, launched out blazing trails of light that shot up in the air and exploded into bright, colorful colors.
"EVERYONE, ARE YOU READY!"
Multiple blue screens suddenly appeared outside the dome, numbering in the thousands, then in the millions, then in the innumerable billions, dotting outside the dome in a blue stars.
That was the audience tuning in to the digital arena, watching from various corners of the world and watching from any device imaginable, and they made their excitement known with cheers in the form of emoticons that flowed out of the screens, all raring for it to begin.
The bot raised his hand, extending out of it a microphone, and yelled:
"TELL ME, EVERYONE! ARE. YOU. ALL. EXCITED!"
Another collection of emoticons exploded.
"HAHA," a laugh sounded, "I LIKE THE ENERGY!"
The bot clapped its hands together.
"Now, now, now, I need everyone to settle down, continuing, because today is a very special event! Today marks the end of the Guild Wars World Tournament and its 4-month-long run. 40 of the most legendary guilds came and competed head-to-head in cutthroat matches, events, and more, and at long last, the day has come when there are only two remaining, with their leaders deciding the outcome!
The bot then dramatically inhaled.
"A guild! On this day, will become world champions of ALEKOOOOOR!"
A collision of cheers ruptured out of the blue screens, dinging with emoticons that came like rain through a storm.
"VIEWERS! ARE YOU READY TO SEE A BATTLE OF THE CENTURY! ARE YOU READY TO SEE OUR TOP PLAYERS FIGHT TO THEIR VIRTUAL DEATH!? ARE YOU READY TO SEE THE BIRTH OF NEW CHAMPIONS!"
An overwhelming flood of reaction from the screens erupted again, and it was all the robots needed.
"THEN LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT OUR COMPETITORS!"
Each side of the platform suddenly opened in a puff of steam, the hatch doors moving to the sides, revealing a hollow space, before figures in the left and right directions slowly rose up in a lift.
"HERE THEY ARE! GRACING US IN THEIR MAGNIFICENT GLORY!"
The millions of screens suddenly flooded in a tidal wave of emoticons, a constant spam of fiery cartoon faces that couldn't possibly match what they were actually feeling beyond their screens.
"Everyone! Allow me to introduce the candidates to take home the crown!
He dropped down, straight to the center of the platform.
"IN THE LEFT CORNER! Representing the mighty guild, 'GOOD4ALL'! It's second in command! You all know him as the emerald colossus, with his immaculate mastery over magic abilities that leave us breathless, and possessing some of the highest Defense and Health stats this game has ever seen! The player BrOIn4rms!"
Suddenly rising on the left side of the platform, a massive figure loomed, hidden beneath a cloud of smoke.
The giant roared, displacing along with it the smoke that covered him and making himself visible.
He was a giant in size, his body made like trees filled with moss that were constructed together to form a somewhat humanoid-like figure with movements that doddered and lurched. His appendages were large compared to his body, broad shoulders with tall, thick legs, and his arms were large, with an extra little arm on his right shoulder that held a staff with a blue gem on its tip
And hanging from his shoulders was a red coat with a fur collar, with so many golden accessories.
"Everyone, here he is in all his awesome glory! The colossus of bark!"
The figure, BrOIn4rms, or should we say, the tree giant, then raised his arms in a boastful fashion.
"RAAHHH! LET'S GET THIS GOING, I'M GONNA WIIIIIN!"
He roared; not his PC, but the player himself was the one who screamed.
"HAHAHA! We all know and love his charismatic bravado, his confidence, his showmanship! And as the final contender! He certainly has the power to back it up!"
Cheers came like a blaring ensemble, and a chant for his name broke out in chat boxes on the streaming sites this was on, the screens popping with countless emoticons venerating him as he appeared.
This was the player known as BrOIn4rms, who had reached the top apex of tank players, the possessor of one of the highest Defense/HP stats ever recorded in ALEKOR history, with the help of his race called 'Ent King', the subclasses he leveled, and an amazing build that maximized both defense and offense.
He was a top-tier player all around, though his personality was questionable.
"HAHA! HERE HE IS!" The bot announced.
The left side suddenly sounded with a loud click, and another figure appeared, and was also covered with a veil of smoke.
"BAHAHA!!" The bot laughed dramatically, albeit maniacally, almost crazed.
"AND HOW COULD I FORGET!! THE ALL-STAR!! THE ONE WHO WILL BE FACING OFF AGAINST BrOIn4rms IN THIS EPIC BATTLE!! THE LEGENDARY GUILD LEADER OF THE ACEUS MELINOE GUILD! THE NUMBER ONE GUILD IN THE WORLD!" The robot exhaled for dramatic effect.
"THE PLAYER KNOWN AS MBL33!"
The shadowy figure in the smoke raised his hand and, with a quick swipe, fiercely batted away the smoke, and a menacing figure, clad in dark purple and black, made his presence known to all.
He was adorned in an ornately designed wizard robe, all colored in the deepest black, filled with marks and sigil-like designs, all shining with a violet sheen that reflected whatever light was shone on it. Sashes of orange and gold lay flying on his shoulders.
He had four thin, long arms that were all gaunt and withering away within the robes that strongly resembled dried-up leather, clawed and threatening. Each of his fingers wore rings that were embellished with jewels of different kinds, and hanging silver threads wrapped around them like a tangled web.
The other pair of arms was placed on his stomach, holding a massive grimoire.
His face, the very definition of a monster, coal colored, ashy, and gray, with the same texture as his slender arms; his mouth was filled with rows of jagged and sharp teeth like a crocodile, his nose was just two slits, and his eyes were covered by a golden eye mask, with a single, large orange and amber cyclopean eye in the center.
This was the player MBL33, considered to be one of the most powerful and most versatile players ever in the Mage/Support classes, and he was the leader of the Aceus Melinoe Guild.
"HERE HE IS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
The player, MBL33, also known as Melee, scanned the arena with his one singular eye, marveled at the sight, and breathed a sigh of relief, taking it in.
We finally made it, everyone. I wouldn't have done it without you all.
"RAHHH!"
The emerald colossus roared, startling everyone as he left his platform and walked toward Melee.
Oh? Melee turned to the giant.
"Hold on, mister colossus! The match hasn't started yet!" The bot announced frantically.
"OUTTA MY WAY, BOT!"
The colossus then swatted the bot away and finally reached Melee.
He loomed over him like a tree the size of a mountain, looking down on him with a menacing stare. Melee only stood, looking up at him with a blank face.
"Just so we're clear, Melee, or whatever, I'm gonna win this, and you're goin' to lose. I'm takin' that number one spot, and there ain't nothin you can do to stop me."
He stretched out his pointer finger that was like a root and poked Melee's chest.
The millions of screens trembled all at once, and they waited in anticipation for Melee's response.
He grabbed the oversized finger with his empty hand, and the wooden finger suddenly began withering, the tree-like bark turning black and cracking like dried skin.
"We'll see about that," MBL33 said as he cast a spell that blasted him away.
"WHAT!?" The green giant screamed.
The giant was sent back in force, and as he swatted away the dust, he growled. The player, by the way, not the character.
"You're going to regret that!" The colossal giant raised his arm, and the vines that formed his arm began untangling into multiple tendrils, from which a barrel was formed, and a shot of energy came toward MBL33, which he swiftly dodged to the side.
The energy blast landed behind and exploded into a high mushroom cloud.
The bot interrupted.
"Well, it seems there is no reason to delay this further! Everybody, get ready for a battle of the ages! Players! LET'S FIGHT!!!"
.....
"Haaaah," a sigh escaped from a monster's maw. "Those were the days."