Civilization

"Ian… Wake up… How long do you plan on sleeping?" - Rebecca

"What…?" - Ian

"Are you okay? You don't look so good. Your face is pale and your eyes aren't focused." - Rebecca

My head hurts, and my eyes couldn't focus as I try to open them. I hear Rebecca's voice, but the world is spinning around me. I grip my head with my left hand as a sharp pain pierces through my brain, like I was struck by lightning. Wincing in pain, I close my eyes tightly as I wait for it to fade away.

I feel Rebecca placing her hand on the right side of my cheek. Her soft palm brushing against my rough skin. I open my eyes and her face was right next to mine. Her eyes were closed as she brought her forehead closer to mine. In panic, I softly push her shoulders back.

"I'm fine now. Sorry." - Ian

She opens her eyes as I unexpectedly push her away. She was wearing a pink shirt with a small white flower in the middle, with black leggings. I feel my face flush as I quickly turn my head to the side, looking at my phone.

"You know, it's almost midday." - Rebecca

"WHAT?" - Ian

"Yea, I left the game when the servers stopped running and went to wash up. Usually you would be up getting ready to go on a run, but I didn't see you, so I thought you were still sleeping. After a while, I came in to check, and you were just sleeping there. I let you be thinking you had a tough game last night, but it's almost midday and I got worried, so I went to wake you up." - Rebecca

I pick up my phone to see missed calls and unread texts, as well as the time displaying 1152.

"I can't believe I slept for so long." - Ian

"What do you mean? It was only for almost 6 hours." - Rebecca

"No, it was longer. I got killed in the game, so I left it much earlier. From what I remember, it wasn't even night yet, and I had died. I probably got out of the game somewhere around 0200 last night." - Ian

"Hmm, well, I think you might want to call Kingston. He tried to reach you but I told him you were sleeping. I'm going out to eat some lunch, do you want me to bring you back anything?" - Rebecca

"Umm, just a sandwich would be fine." - Ian

"Got it." - Rebecca

Rebecca leaves the room while smiling at me. After a wave goodbye, she leaves to get lunch. I unlock my phone and look through the unread messages. Most of them were from Kingston, as he exited the game sooner than I did and have been waiting for my reply since. While some of them were also from Sabrina, and Evan. It seems there is some new intel on the forums, but Kingston comes first. I dial his number and let out a small sigh, preparing myself for the conversation.

"Ian! What took you so long?!" - Kingston

"Sorry, I pretty much collapsed after getting back from the game and only just woke up now." - Ian

"Goddammit!" - Kingston

"Are you okay? What happened after we got separated?" - Ian

"Am I okay? AM I OKAY? HELL NO, I'M NOT! I WENT BERSERK, MAN. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AFTER I WENT CRAZY!" - Kingston

" So nothing comes to mind? What was the last thing you remember?" - Ian

"Umm, I remember jumping off the dinosaur and dodging some attacks. I remember getting attack from behind by its sound attack thingy, and then the next thing I remember was a lot of words around me. " - Kingston

"Words?" - Ian

"It's very vague and hazy, but I know I was surrounded by red text. Everywhere I look, it was just red text. Some of it were shiny, though." - Kingston

"Anything else you remember?" - Ian

"No… The next thing I remember was that I woke up in my bed. My whole body was aching all over and I had a head splitting headache. I woke up my parents from their slumber with my scream, but they couldn't see anything wrong with my body. In the end, they rubbed some ointment on my body and massaged me until I eventually fell asleep." - Kingston

"I see. Well, I can tell you a bit about what happened afterwards but I didn't get to see the whole picture." - Ian

"You were there while I was berserk? WHY DIDN'T YOU KILL ME IMMEDIATELY?" - Kingston

"Kingston! I couldn't. I didn't get there while you were in a berserk state. I arrived near the end after you entered a new state." - Ian

"What…? What are you talking about? My only skills were the ones you gave me, sand armor and endless rage. I don't have anything other skill." - Kingston

"That's where you are wrong. I think you might have acquired it during your berserk state, that's why you don't know about it. Luke arrived before me and he was fighting you. Only he knows specifically what happened to you. When I saw you, you were covered in a bloody red armor with black horns and a red skull as your face. Your spear had become twice its length and was a deep crimson color from what I remember." -  Ian

"A transformation? Like how Luke has the golden ascension?" - Kingston

"Similar, but more sinister. You looked like a demon. Someone born and raised in hell but funnily enough you got completely destroyed by the monsters that came afterwards." - Ian

"Monsters?  What the hell happened while I was pretty much gone?" - Kingston

"Firstly, a humanoid dragon chimera hatched from a floating egg. That monster defeated you. Then Casper appeared and started to beat him. Then a giant upside down mountain pierced through the sky and golems came falling down from it. Casper turns to dragon form and beats them. Fires off a super hot laser kinda thing and I die. That's the shortest recap I can think of for what happened." - Ian

"What the f-" - Kingston

"Yea, it's a lot to take in. However, from what I saw, we are so weak compared to everything else in that game world. I know that we have seen stronger monsters like the spider queen, but Casper and the army of golems is on another level. We have literally no chance of winning against them unless we gain something that will boost our overall strength." - Ian

"I'm still dumbfounded about what happened. I became a demon-like thing and I still get destroyed. Man, aren't I supposed to be unbeatable in that state?" - Kingston

"Maybe against other players and some monsters, but monsters on the same caliber as Casper or even the dragon chimera Deino, you were nothing but a fly." - Ian

"So, what are your suggestions? Can we even become stronger?" - Kingston

"More hunting, more fighting, and let's not forget the copper that we are digging up. We should head back to HavenFall and find out the situation on that." - Ian

"Right… Hey Ian." - Kingston

"Yea? What's wrong?" - Ian

"I don't know what is wrong with me anymore. I feel rage and anger inside me at random moments in the day, but in mere seconds, I return to normal." - Kingston

"Is it like the time when you came out of the Ikanda?" - Ian

"Similar, but that was mainly the feeling I had in the game. This is in real life. In realty. I shouldn't be feeling this, right?" - Kingston

​ "I told you before about Rebecca, how her skill in the game felt like it was happening in real life, but it ended up being nothing much. I think what you are feeling is the residue anger from your berserk state, and your brain is still feeling the effects of it because it was so prominent. Do your best to stay as calm as possible in any situations, and maybe avoid people. Relax by yourself until you go back in the game." - Ian

"...Alright. I'll do my best." - Kingston

"Text me if you need anything, okay?" - Ian

"Got it. Talk to you later." - Kingston

I end the call and let out a sigh of relief. My body was tense throughout the whole phone call. Kingston's situation wasn't that great in the game since he ended up versing some dangerous foes and eventually fighting Luke, who was the strongest NPC in HavenFall. While he did get stronger by the new demon state, it also looks like he is starting to lose himself. I can only hope nothing bad will happen.

Looking at the rest of my unread texts, were the ones from the group chat. Evan was mainly telling us about the new information in the forum and telling us to look it up, while Sabrina and Sam were discussing it with Evan.

Since I had finished my talk with Kingston, I decide to look up the new information on the forum. I don't look at the forum too much, mainly relying on Evan to tell me any news, but if he is telling us to look at the forum then it is something big or long that he doesn't want to summarize. I boot up my computer and load the forum and immediately, I see why Evan told us to look on the forum.

[Information About Some 'Generals' in the King's Army ( Not complete ) - X_MarksThe_Spot]