Click, click, click!
In the corner of a dark room illuminated only by the light of a computer screen, a young man is busy playing a game that has become popular recently.
Click, click, click.
As he was hammering away at his keyboard while basking in the joys of playing the game, the display showed that the time was 21:46 and the date was 2036/12/26.
The young man was playing a game simply known as retribution online. This game revisits the events that happened six years ago that nearly wiped humanity from the face of the earth.
On January 11th, 2030, humanity was faced with a disaster that technology couldn't solve. Dimensional portals known as gates appeared simultaneously all around the world, and without warning, these gates burst open and unleashed hordes of monsters onto Earth. About 65% of Earth's population was wiped out before even a glimmer of hope arrived. As days went by in this unprecedented apocalypse, people with amazing abilities that allowed them to defeat monsters and conquer gates appeared. These individuals were later given the name of players for their physics-defying game-like abilities.
As more time went by, people started to notice that certain areas all around the world were devoid of monsters, and these areas came to be known as safe zones since no monster could approach them. Additionally, humanity started flourishing again as they began to rebuild their once destroyed civilization.
Retribution online is set in that chaotic period where humanity started finding its foothold in the apocalyptic world. It follows a narrative where different kinds of individuals must escape monster-infested areas to reach safe zones. There are different maps in the game, and in each map, there are different numbers of playable characters.
In the map the young man was playing, there were only two playable characters, one was a pregnant female, and the other was a one-eyed military veteran. The goal of the map is to form a team and escape the danger zone to reach a safe zone in the west.
The young man had dedicated almost 69 hours to the current map, and his character was on the verge of awakening a random class.
Click, click, click.
"6 ogres west!"
The young man spoke up in the microphone on his gaming headset to notify his companion about the impending monsters to the west of the compass shown on his display.
"Roger that!"
A deep voice escaped from the headset, as another guy whose username was registered as 'guest0695b12' answered and began shooting ogres coming from the west. This guy was playing as the one-eyed veteran; hence, his character's vision was limited, and he had to rely on the young man to point the direction from which enemies would come.
"We are almost at the end of the danger zone, so hang in there, Asher."
Guest0695b12 voiced his sentiment to the young man, knowing fully well that the pregnant lady character was about to faint from severe exhaustion.
Retribution online was notorious for its realism and difficulty. In fact, all characters come with one or more status effects that debuff them and limit their capabilities. However, for fairness's sake, 2-person maps feature a complementary set of characters where teamwork really makes the dreamwork.
Bang...swoosh!
Just as the young man was about to reach out and click his keyboard, the computer screen suddenly exploded, sending shards of glass everywhere. He was violently thrown to the other side of the room, and before he could fathom what was happening, a dimensional door opened where his computer used to be. It sucked him inside and left everything else behind.
The gate disappeared as soon as it appeared, and soon darkness enveloped the room as if to quietly swallow traces of the brief chaos that was there. The night became tranquil, and the young man disappeared without anyone's knowledge.