Liam Barrett:
"EpicFailers," I start, looking around. "If Honeywood is a cozy, little breeze, then Briardstead is a giant, freaking tornado."
My jaw drops, and my eyes stretch as they try to take in everything at once. As soon as I step through the wooden gate and past the cobblestone wall, I find myself on a road with dozens of buildings on both sides. My legs somehow walk by themselves. They lead me along the road and guide me past a blacksmith, one bigger than Rogar, with a tall woman with long brown hair. Across the blacksmith is a smaller store. It looks more like a house than a store, with a triangular roof and a square base. If it weren't for the sign hanging above the front door, the one that read "The Hungry Frontimen", I wouldn't make a mental note to enter it later. Reaching the end of the road, I now find myself in what I think is the city's main square.
The main square is filled with even more shops. Rows and rows of stalls are everywhere, selling everything from brightly glowing swords to rotating meat skewers over a massive fireplace. The square is booming with voices. Adventurers, both NPCs and players, are bartering with vendors and stallowners who shout at the top of their lungs about whatever it is they're trying to sell.
"EpicFailers," I whisper, my head snapping right and left. "Check this out. This, this is the real deal!"
As I reach the other end of the main square, I see a medium-sized building where armored NPCs are walking in and out of constantly. Hanging above the front door of the building is a bright-red banner rippling in the wind. On the banner is a lion with a sword in one of its paws, and a foaming mug in the other.
"The Drunken Lion," the iron sign reads. "Okay. That explains the mug, but not the sword."
Curious now, I push open the heavy wooden door and walk inside. Not exactly sure what to expect, I'm surprised to see a long, firepit built into the floor with a handful of adventurer sitting around it, mugs in their hands. Near the firepit is a counter with three stools and a woman standing behind it.
"Hello, adventurers," the woman says. Wiping the counter with a towel, she stops when she sees me. "How about some food and a drink?"
Walking up to the woman, I look above her head and see her name, Marta Stewwell.
"Is this an inn?" I ask while looking around.
"Yeah. Welcome to the Drunken Lion. We have rooms for rent and plenty of food and drinks to slake that hunger of yours."
"Uhhh, sure. Hit me."
Another menu appears in front of me, this one with a brown outline, a large, black box near the top, and a bunch of words all over the bottom half.
"Cooked beef," I read. I tap the words, and a picture of the cooked beef, a large, juicy brown steak with grill marks, appears in the black box. Seeing the steak, my stomach grumbles.
"Aw, man," I say, putting my hand over my stomach. "I really should've eaten something before waiting in that line."
I can't tell if it's all in my head, or maybe it's the Gaming Cube, but I think I can actually smell the cooked beef, and it's very annoying.
"Please have enough. Please have enough. Please don't be too expensive."
Looking at Marta's menu, I see the price of the cooked beef in the lower right corner.
"Only 40 gold coins? Yes!"
Tapping my wrist and bringing up my inventory, I see the number 241, besides a picture of some gold coins.
"Trade. Trade! Trade!"
The number changes from 241 to 201, and in one of my inventory spaces, the cooked beef appears. I reach out and pull the beef from the space. It's in my hand now. Warm and smoking, I take a large bite, and my mouth fills with hot juices and tender meat.
"Yesss," I cry, with tears in my eyes. "This is awesome."
Talking with a mouthful of cooked beef, I thank Marta for the food. Thinking ahead, that maybe I wouldn't mind trying out some more of Martha's cooking, I purchased three bowls of stew, one cooked chicken, and a bunch of desserts.
"Andddd I am broke. I can't believe I spent almost all my gold on food."
Thinking it over for a bit, I shrug.
"Still worth it. Hmm. Now I know how Jordan feels when he does the grocery shopping."
Walking out of the Drunken Lion while eating some honey-glazed nuts on a stick, I notice my red health bar rising slightly. I slap myself on the forehead.
"Liam, you idiot. This is a game. You're eating food. Food fills your health! I should've saved this for a fight."
Stopping dead in my tracks, I then picture myself sipping a bowl of cabbage and salmon stew, holding the bowl with one hand while fighting wolves or bandits with a sword in my other hand.
"Maybe not."
Finishing the honey nuts, the empty stick disappearing from my hand, I pull back my head.
"That's...helpful. I don't have to look for a trash can."
Patting my full stomach and health bar, I spot something else. A small, single-story building almost directly across from the inn.
"Pella's Potions," the sign reads.
"A potion shop? Awesome!"
I run right into the potion's shop, and the first thing I see are shelves, lined up with dozens of bright, glowing, colorful potions.
"Hello, adventurers," another woman says, waving at me. "Welcome to Pella's Potions. My name is Pella Dewspark. How can I help you today?"
"Ummm....," I start, my mind going blank at first. Shaking it, my head filling with words again, I look at Pella. "Do you have any health potions?"
Pella's in-game menu shoots out in front of me. Seeing a small, red potion, I tap it.
"125 golds? Aww man. Nevermind. Sorry, Pella."
As I close Pella's menu and walk out, I notice something in the corner of my eyes.
"What the--"
Stopping, I look closer and see some invisible words floating in a small black box.
"Are those...dialogue options? The game had dialogue options? I've been talking without dialogue."
A little curious how the dialogue works, I read one of the choices before saying it out loud.
"What can you tell me about Briardstead?"
"Ahh, the city of Briardstead," Pella starts, her eyes sparking like something out of an anime. "A beautiful city, Briardstead, sits at the very center of Aetherion. It is the crossroad of trade. Every traveling merchant and caravan comes through here. The city is connected to the 12 other cities, as well as many villages and towns. Briardstead is the heart of commerce, the jewel of Aetherions."
"Wait, wait, wait," I say, shaking my hands. "You're saying Briardstead is, what, like the marketing capital of the entire world?
"Yes," Pella says with a nod and smile.
"Yes," I think. "If Aetherion really is the marketing capital of the whole map, then there must always be something going on here. I just found clickbait gold!"
Turning around, about to leave the potion shop, the door opens first, and a girl with a staff in her hand and a light blue cloak and hood walks in. It takes me less than a second to remember her.
"EpicFail," the girl says.
"SkyGlimmer."