Stars of Gerhana

I was standing in the middle of a busy street. There were people walking around me wearing fantasy attires. Some of them wore armor, some of them wore robes, and some of them even wore suits. Most of them carried their bags filled with items as they passed by me.

The ground below me was made of rocks. Each of them was the size of my feet, enough to tile the streets unevenly. The cracks between rocks made for a very textured experience.

Bordering the streets were buildings. They have a medieval look to them, but each one had a unique personality from the others. There was a shop next to where I stood, 2 stories tall, painted green, with a sign hanging by the window. Beside that was a very wide blacksmith workshop. There were no less than 5 workers clanking at their metals when I watched them.

Across the street, there was a building 5 stories tall. The size of it shows that it might be a hotel or something. I'm not quite sure myself.

It was sandwiched in between more buildings that have their own uses. Each and every one of these buildings was so different from one another. Leaves hanging down from windows, little pots of flowers in front of the shops, windows showcasing the current trending attire of the day.

It was magnificent!

I couldn't help but keep walking around to explore more and more of this town. There were windows begging to be seen through, there were open shops calling for customers, there were people sitting around casually drinking outside. As I walked through the streets, more and more of this city fascinates me even more.

I passed through shops and cafes and restaurants and food courts. Below the arching bridges and above the streaming rivers. There were smells and sounds of all kinds filling the scenery. It was sensory overload!

I had never seen such a beautiful town in any game. It's amazing how immersive this new VR tech is. If every game was like this, I would never want to logout. Everything in this game felt so much better than what real life can ever offer.

I have yet to realize how long I've been exploring town.

----

My exploring led me to a wider street where people were densely packed. I couldn't see what they were doing there. It was just so jam-packed and most people were taller than me. Curiosity strikes back as I wondered what they were doing there.

Squeezing through the crowd wasn't easy. People were wearing all kinds of robes and sharp armor. Sometimes these fantasy attires poked and scraped my skin so much that it'd hurt. Moreover, the surrounding people were wearing fancy sandals and shoes. They kept stepping on my feet without noticing my presence. It doesn't hurt as much as I'd imagine it does in real life, but I was still surprised that the game simulated pain for the players.

After a very hard and squeezing crowd, I finally managed to get a peak of what they were doing.

There was a sign with the written words "Get your maps here!". A bunch of arrows pointed to a crate filled with folded paper. Looks like people were queuing up to pick up maps of their own. I thought it might be worthwhile for me to get myself one. So, I joined the queue.

----

Though the line moved quickly, I still think I have 5 more minutes before it was my turn. Boredom told me to listen it to the crowd as they spoke to one another.

"Is that the new map?"

"Yeah! The Scribe just updated it like, today."

"You think that coffee shop got its own symbol yet?"

"Is this a map for the whole game world?"

"No, just for this town."

"Come on! Go faster! I need to find this shop ASAP!"

There were a lot of random stuff being talked about. It seems like there's a person who makes these maps periodically. The people here seem to have some respect for this person and their maps.

----

The line before me got shorter and shorter. Until finally, it was my turn to take a map out of the box. Just 5 minutes ago, the crate was basically filled to the brim with maps. But as I looked into it, there was nothing left but 1 piece of folded paper. Looks like I was lucky enough to have been here at the right time.

Serves you right foot steppers.

As I took the folded paper out of the crate, sparks and colors flew out of the crate, signifying that it was completely looted.

Suddenly, someone ran over to the crate and checked it. He then announced loudly, "There are no more maps in the crate! The people in line, please stand back. We will be back in an hour for a 3 crate restock!"

I could feel the death stares of the crowd behind me.

A lot of "Aww"-s and "Oh man!"-s were uttered as the crowd disbanded. I slid out of the scene as stealthily as I could. Afraid that they'd chase me for the map, I broke into a sprint and ran away from that general direction.

----

After I was sure that no one was following me, I found an alley that was empty. It was the perfect place to rest and check out the map.

I unfolded the paper to reveal a surprisingly gigantic map of the city. It was large enough that I had to place it on the ground to be able to look at the whole picture. A brown-ish color tainted the map, giving it a somewhat old and ancient feel.

On the back of the map, there's an orthographic picture of the town. It was definitely not painted by someone, rather someone probably imported a shot of it onto this paper.

Surprisingly, the picture can move! I can faintly see birds flying around and smokes rising from chimneys. It's like a looping animation of the city. That's really cool!

Looking back at the map, I can see that the city is large. Each and every building has been labeled with a symbol that fits its actual use. There were blacksmiths and shops and hotels all across the city. There was even a marketplace so large that, on the map, it was the size of my palm. It marks streets and alleys where there would be a lot of traffic in weekdays and weekends. It marks important landmarks that players need to progress through the game.

Most importantly, it marks a beginner's area that's located just southwest of the city center.

I just need to go there then.

Locating the beginner's area was easy, it was clearly labeled with a gigantic block of text on the paper. The hard part was figuring out where I was currently standing on the map. Looking around, I can see shops, blacksmiths, restaurants and street stalls. But even with that info, the map was so large that there were a number of clusters that have those buildings in the exact same relative positions as the ones around me. I couldn't tell where I was even after looking at it for a few minutes.

If only I had a vantage point, I could reach where I can tell my surroundings a little better.

…

Well.

I looked up. There was a perfectly great vantage point right in my line of sights.

If I can figure out how to get to the roof, I would have a higher view of the city. I would actually be able to tell where I was. These buildings had a wooden frame that I could definitely climb to reach the top. An added bonus would be if I could reach the beginner's area by jumping rooftop to rooftop. It would be a shortcut compared to following cursive streets and crowded areas.

With my conviction in my hand, determination filled me. I folded my piece of paper and held it in my mouth. If I'm going to climb these buildings, then I'd need both hands.

The wooden frames were unexpectedly easy to hold on to despite me having no experience in climbing. With both my hands on the ledges, I took a leap of courage and lifted my feet off the ground.

I was successfully dangled off the ground. I thought that my weight would be a problem, but the game was generous enough to make feel less weight while climbing. If I can reach the next ledge, I could climb with no problem.

I placed my feet on the wall, hoping that the friction might help me climb. I let go of the wall in one hand and tried to reach for the next ledge.

My hand reached the ledge! I was actually climbing! Sure, I looked like a spider while doing it, and this is not how real life climbing works. But I was able to climb in the game, and that's what matters.

Little by little, I moved upward in the same pattern. Grab a ledge, stick my feet on the wall, grab another ledge, stick the next feet on the wall… Until finally, I reached the roof.

It was quite the effort, but the prize was priceless. The rooftop view of the city was so much better. Rooftops decorated my scene with colors and shapes I couldn't've imagined before, not unlike a really architectural abstract art. I felt like I was standing on top of a forest of buildings.

Telling by my surrounding buildings, I was near the center of the city, to the north. All I have to do is jump from rooftop to rooftop in a straight line to reach the beginner's area.

Another problem has emerged. How do I jump across a street to the next rooftop?

Going from one rooftop to another in the same row is as easy as skipping on stepping stones. Meanwhile, there are some roof dead ends that force me to jump to the building across the streets. Even with a sprint, I don't think I can reach the other side of the street.

…

『Would you like some help?』

"Bah!"

My heart jump when the voice of a girl suddenly rang in my ear. I looked around to see who was talking, but there was no one around me. The voice was so loud I thought it spoke directly into my mind.

『I am speaking directly to you, Hallowell』

"Whoa, hey… Who's speaking?" I didn't even say anything. Was it responding to my thoughts? That's not possible…

『Do you need help to cross the gap?』

…

How does it know what I was thinking about?! "Who are you?! Why can't I see you?!" I kept spinning around to try to find the person speaking. The dizziness kicked in.

『I am your personal AI guide, Celeste』

Exhausted, I took a sit on the roof as my dizziness tried to settle down. "An AI guide?"

『I will help you in your journey to become a great adventurer』

An AI guide? I read nothing about this on the online forums about this game.

『You said you wanted to cross the gap?』

"Uh… Yes."

『Try sprinting and jumping』

"What? No! That's a stupid idea! I can't get the speed to cross the gap."

『Don't worry, the game eases the gravity when you attempt a long jump』

"Really?"

The gap was large; it was just barely too far to reach if I sprint as fast as I could. If the AI is right, then when I jump, I fall slower and I could potentially reach the other end. But can it be trusted?

『I am an AI guide, Hallowell. I can be trusted』

"Wha—"

There it is again! I didn't even say anything! How can it know what I was thinking?! Maybe it was a coincidence? No, that answer is just too on topic.

『I can read your mind, Hallowell』

"Really? Is that how it is? Why?"

『It's handy』

"… I guess that's a fair statement."

I succumbed to the AI's will. She must have a pretty high authority if she is allowed to read my mind. I think I'll trust the AI just this once.

"If I fall, I'm reporting you to the game devs!"

I backed up, giving myself a little bit of space to sprint. A deep breath in, a deep breath out.

My feet released with a burst of energy. Every step I took cracked the tiles of the roof under me. Speed quickly built up as I gain momentum. Just as I was about to reach the edge of the roof, I kicked my foot off the roof, sending me flying through the air.

I felt so much air rush around me. As I reached the peak of my jump, I could tell that I was somewhere in the middle of the gap.

The moment I sped up downwards; I could feel my body getting lighter. It was like gliding through a sea of air. My speed was much more than needed to cross the gap. As the AI had said, the gravity decreased as I was jumping. It was a miracle!

Thud!

My feet had landed on the rooftop across. It was exhilarating!

"I… I actually made it!" I chuckled, remembering how much I hesitated from doing the jump.

『I told you』