"...Hey! Come on, Wake up already! Player 11124!!"
A guttural voice caused Vox to slowly open his eyes. He was greeted by darkness, illuminated only by blue torches hanging on rocky, jagged walls.
He tried to sit up, but a massive spike of pain hammered into his skull.
"Argh..." He winced, clutching his head.
As his vision cleared, he realized he had been lying on a slab of stone so smooth and black it looked like dark glass.
He caught his own reflection on the polished surface, and saw a young man with shoulder-length white messy hair and eyes wide with confusion.
"Wait, I've never had hair this white before and why do I have emerald green eyes?," Before he could process his own face, a shadow fell over the slab.
"Player 11124! Thank goodness you're awake. You owe me 500 crystal shards for sleeping on this stone slab. Took me 500 hours to craft, that did."
Vox rubbed his eyes. Once. Twice. He blinked, trying to make sense of the figure standing before him.
The man was short—barely reaching Vox's waist—with a beard that looked like it was made of tangled copper wire.
"...A gnome?" Vox questioned, his voice raspy.
"...A gnome? A gnome? Do I look like I specialize in pointy hats? I am a Dwarf! And you are an annoying looking human who owes me 500 Crystal shards. Oh, I'll add 100 more for the insult. So, you owe me 600 crystal shards, Player 11124!"
Vox raised a brow, jumping down from the stone slab. "...Wait, wait... First of all, I'm sorry for getting you angry—"
"...You owe me 600 crystal shards. Continue talking and I'll add 100 more," the Dwarf yelled.
Vox took a deep breath. He realized this short, bearded man would keep adding costs to a debt he didn't even understand.
He forced himself to speak calmly.
"..Sir..."
The Dwarf tilted his head.
"Oh, Dwarfs don't like being called Sir?..," he muttered that statement before continuing, "I mean, Mr..?"
"Mine Dwarf."
"Huh? Wait. Is that a title or your name?"
"...Oh, WOW so do you have an issue with my name?" The Dwarf snapped back, "Is Player 11124 your name or a title? Is 'Human' your name or a title?...Of course, MINE DWARF is my NAME!"
"Okay, sorry. Mr. Mine Dwarf, please, where am I? How did I get here? Why is the..." He pointed toward the torches on the wall. "Why is the fire blue?",
"....."
The Dwarf stared at him for an uncomfortable moment, his eyes scrutinizing Vox like a piece of ore.
"...Player 11124," The Mine Dwarf suddenly spoke up, "You owe me 600 crystal shards! Better you start digging through the Starry Caves and getting those shards before I bury you and use you as the crystal shard."
Vox froze, He realized this man wasn't listening, "Sir... Mr. Mine Dwarf... please. How did I get here? Why is the fire blue?"
The Dwarf didn't answer again, but he just stared. For a long, suffocating minute, Then, his jaw moved, "Player 11124, you owe me 600 crystal shards! Better you start digging."
Vox hearing this threw his hands in the air, "Yeah, definitely... He isn't listening to me," Turning back to the Dwarf, he asked, "Wait, why do you call me Player 11124? I have a name. It's Vox."
Suddenly, a sharp, digital 'Ding!' resonated inside Vox's brain. A translucent blue box appeared right in front of his eyes.
[Username Updated: Vox]
"Whoa! What the—?!" Vox swiped his hand through the air, but his fingers went right through the blue light....
"What is this?," His voice cracked, "No—no! Get it off me!"
The box flickered twice and vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving Vox blinking at the empty air.
He then turned to the Mine Drawf, "Did you see that? That screen... That blue screen?"
The Dwarf mumbled, "And they say I'm the Crazy one"
Vox decided to play along, arguing with a grumpy Mine Dwarf would lead nowhere. "...Fine , but I know what I saw. How can I start mining... I need to get a Pickaxe—"
The Dwarf pointed ahead. "There's a Store not far from here. You can purchase any tool you need. Better start going so you can pay what you owe.... GO ON THEN.."
Vox continued down the cave tunnel, his hands shaking, he kept touching his face, and the memory of that blue box, all seemed too real.
The path was repetitive, nothing but blue torches and gray rock, but as he followed the signs, Vox found himself standing in front of a rusty-looking shop, with a broken door wide open.
He stepped inside. "Hello..."
Another Dwarf answered from behind a counter. He looked identical to the first one. "...Welcome. What would you like to purchase?"
Vox looked back at the door, confused. "...I just spoke to you. You were at the stone slab."
The Dwarf shook his head. "That's the Mine Dwarf. I'm the Store Dwarf. What would you like to purchase?"
Unlike the Mine Dwarf's leather gear, this one wore a clean white shirt and green trousers. He offered a stiff, welcoming smile.
"...Oh, okay. So I met this grumpy Mine Dwarf who said I owe—"
"What would you like to buy?" The Store Dwarf interrupted, a hint which Vox picked instantly. A hint for him to go straight to the point.
"A pickaxe for mining."
"I have a collection." The Store Dwarf pointed to a wooden rack.
As Vox looked at the tools, glowing text floated above them:
[HANDMADE PICKAXE] (250 Usage) — 100 CRYSTAL SHARDS.
[BRONZE PICKAXE] (500 Usage) — 200 CRYSTAL SHARDS.
[STEEL PICKAXE] (1,000 Usage) — 500 CRYSTAL SHARDS.
Vox almost bumped into a shelf. "You seeing this? The words? They're... they're floating!"
The Store Dwarf didn't blink. He didn't even look at the text. "What would you like to purchase?" He asked again, his smile identical to a doll's.
Vox felt a cold sweat breaking out. He looked at the cheapest tool—a rusted piece of junk not even on the shelf. "Do you... do you rent?".
*****
Minutes later, Vox stepped out of the store holding a tool that defined the word "garbage." The handle had so many termite holes the insects had probably moved out from lack of wood, and the metal head was orange with rust.
"... I hope this one has a usage up to 10...? If not, that Mine Dwarf would definitely make me a Crystal shard..."
As he walked, he saw a weary-looking Dwarf sitting on a jagged rock.
Just as Vox passed, hoping not to gain any attention, the Dwarf spoke,
"If you are looking for the Mining area, it's just straight ahead."
Vox paused. "Oh, thank you—"
"We are all doomed," the Dwarf interrupted, his voice hollow. "No one can save us."
Vox frowned. "...What do you mean?"
"....The Dark Lord will kill us all. The realms will fall into the Darkness..."
Vox stepped closer, reaching with a hand, for the man's shoulder. "What are you talking about?"
The Dwarf's head snapped up, and Vox's heart skipped a beat at those glazed eyes. "If you are looking for the Mining area, it's just straight ahead." He looked back down at the floor immediately after the sentence finished.
Vox panicked. "Why are you repeating yourself?"
The Dwarf looked up again. "We are all doomed. No one can save us."
Vox backed away, the rusty pickaxe trembling in his hand.
The repetitive lines. The identical faces. The floating blue screens that only he could see....
"No..." Vox whispered, a realization hitting him that was scarier than the debt. "It's not just a cave... I'm in a game..."
His voice dropped low, "... And I don't think I can log out."