The Quest in the Game
The ships in the sky sail like giant whales swimming against a bright sun. Down below, you run on the green hills with your winged boots to a town in search of your final quest. The video game does not care if you go there or not. The hills, the river, the mountains, the forest, and the dunes of this enormous world, can sustain you and entertain you forever. But you want to find out about the flying ships. The melody of a clarinet accompanies you on your travels.
It nears the end of the day as you arrive to town. You have some furs from animals you killed with your bow and arrow. The game allows you to trade these for money. You pay for a hotel night, save your progress, and recover your health. It is boring to see you sleep, so you press a button in your controller and skip it. The night comes and goes in seconds. You are well rested in the morning.
The day is sunny, and the locals are friendly. A young lady playing in the town’s fountain tells you of a wise old man who can help you. He lives in a small wooden house on the outskirts of town. You go to it. Inside are many books, flasks, and plants. He is an old thin man with a crooked spine and one eye larger than the other. He takes one good look at you and asks:
“Do you seek a quest?”
“Yes,” you say
“You may choose the following:
1. The Treasure in the Swamp.
2. The Bow of the Last Ranger.
3. The Floating Ships. "
There is no hesitation. You did the first two and grew strong from them. You want to touch The Bow of the Last Ranger on your back. You choose number three.
“Ahhh. It’s a difficult quest you choose. Few are experienced enough to try it. The way to the ships, is on the dragon’s back. But you must defeat him in battle to earn that right. Go to the Land of Fire and find him at night.” The old man says.
It is a long and arduous trip, and you are attacked by thieves and beast numerous times. The game is programmed for these random encounters. It takes you two days in the game––it takes you an hour––to reach the Land of Fire.
It’s an intimidating sight at the gates. The ground is black cracked clay and the sky is full of ash. The clarinet that played in the background has stopped, but you hear new sounds. A volcano in the distance erupts continuously; its bright red lava shoots up in the stormy sky and creates rivers that look like an angry man’s veins. There are other volcanoes and pools and rivers of lava all around. You wonder what the night will look like. You are nervous, anxious, afraid, and save the game––the game lets you do it at the gates––and decide to take a break before entering the Land of Fire.
You come back to the game, go in, and are surrounded by the sounds of explosions, grating, cracking, and the discordant fizzles of the lava cooling. You imagine the smell of it: metallic, sulfuric. You keep on.
Night approaches, and you need a safe place to hide. You find a nook in between two enormous rocks, but there is not enough room to lie down, so you rest against the wall. You wish to recover the life energy lost from fighting “random stupid monsters,” but the game does not allow you to regain your full health in this uncomfortable position. Furthermore, you want to save your healing potions for battle. Darkness covers the land, and all you can see is lava. You wait for a sign.
A powerful and screeching noise torments the land. You come out and see nothing until a line of fire grows and moves in the sky. The dragon, as you guess correctly, lands on a clearing at the foot of a volcano. It is too far away and too dark to see him accurately but the fire around his den gives you a hint of his shape twisting like a murderous snake. Your confidence shakes. But you waited the whole game for this. You are maxed out on the amount of levels and experience allowed and have the best weapons suited to you––a ranger. You take note of the direction of the den’s location; you will have to wait until morning. The game does not allow you to skip the night by pressing a button this time. You wait it out. You go brew yourself a cup of coffee.
The morning light shapes the lackluster land as you sip your cup of coffee. You are ready to start for the dragon’s den. You encounter a few problems on the way and get hurt a couple of times, but nothing major.
You reach a lake with steam gliding off its surface. In some places, it boils. You guess that it is hot and know you are right because you won’t go in. You look around and see the sides of the lake extending out of sight. Then you see a small boat approaching and distinguish a man in a black robe that looks like the Grim Reaper. You are disappointed at the game developer’s lack of imagination.
“Are you here to slay the dragon?” the man asks in a cadaverous voice.
“Yes.”
“Do you have five gold pieces?”
You are relieved you do and think that getting back to town for these after all this trouble would be Kafkanian. You pay him and step in. He pushes off with a pole. Halfway through the lake, you decide to talk. He only says this:
“You must face the dragon head on with your sword. You must not fear him and run away.”
You get off at the other side of the lake and look at your reflection on the water. The boatman departs. You wear the Armor of the Living Bark, which allows you to recover life slowly, the Boots of the Wind, which make you run as fast as the eagles of Rodtingam, and various gems, rings, and necklaces which give you strength, agility, and intelligence. You have a mediocre short sword tied to your belt and an equally shabby shield. Your weapon of choice is your Bow of the Ranger and your poison arrows, thunder arrows, and your favorites, the Diamond Head Arrows of Dwarven Iron. You destroyed rock giants with these. Then you think of the Grim Reaper’s words. You built yourself as a stealthy guerrilla fighter––run, shoot and hide is your style––not to go “head on” as warriors––who are built to charge––do. Perhaps you built yourself wrongly and have to start the game again. But you do not have time to do that because one day you are going to die.
It is twilight by the time you get to the dragon’s nest––a round clearing in front of a shallow cave––with fire, lava, and bones littered everywhere. You find a large rock where you hide and wait.
Not long after, you hear the flap of giant wings. Then the game takes control, showing a cinematic sequence. You see the dragon up close, a flame coming out of each nostril. You see it landing, its powerful legs bending to break the fall, its tail dragging on the dirt, its neck arching backward after it settles, and its black scales reflecting the fire. It moves about menacingly and then walks to the rock where you hide. The camera shows a close up of his enormous head appearing on your side. It is as big as your body. The dragon looks at you and disappears. You hear a powerful screech.
You run away from the rock as a blast of fire engulfs and destroys it. The battle is on. You turn around and face the dragon. Now it is your turn to attack. You unsheathe your sword––and as the Reaper told you––charge. The sword bounces off against its scales, but the dragon’s lifeline shows damage. It is furious and pulls its neck up to the sky and brings it down with a breath of fire. You put up your shield, the hit pushes you six feet, and the intense heat decreases your lifeline. You charge at him again. He slashes with his claws and you protect yourself but the force is such that it damages you again. You wonder how long can you hold on. You attack again. He spits three fireballs at you. The first one misses, the second one destroys your shield, and the third one hits you––dropping your lifeline to red. There is no way you can fight the dragon this way. You think it unfair that the game favors warriors over rangers. Maybe if you trained differently. But all this thinking is not doing any good. You take a healing potion and run for cover. You will fight your way. The dragon fires again but you run far––none hit you. You are good at taking evasive action. You run again while the Armor of the Living bark heals you. The dragon throws fireballs and one damages you slightly. You take out your bow and your poison arrows. You miss, but next turn you hit him and the poison takes effect. The dice are on your side. The poison debilitates him over time. Now it is time to switch to the Diamond Head arrows––and maybe later, to freak him out a bit, to the thunder arrows.
The fight goes on until you do not know whose hours you’re counting. You notice, later on, it is already mid morning.
Then you are not attacked; the dragon is not following you. You go back and see him lying on the grass. You are both out of the Land of Fire. You get closer to him and admire all the damage you did. There are many wounds, some arrows stick out of them; the dragon’s body heaves and bleeds under the sun.
It speaks depressingly:
“You defeated me. Let me heal and I will take you to the flying ships.”
His lifeline is regaining points. You think:
Should I trust him? What if he recuperates and attacks me? I do not have any more healing potions and my health is low. It can surely kill me. I should finish him now. One shot to the head.
You decide against it.
Its wounds heal as his lifeline increases. Suddenly he rises.
“Fucking dragon, you better keep your word.” You curse.
It flaps his wings, as if to test them, and asks you to climb on top of his back. You do, and you fly away.
From above, you see the world you got to know so intimately. You feel nostalgia. The game is about to end, and it was good. The dragon flies higher; you are nearing the clouds and the ships––which look more like submarines––, and a new clarinet song begins as the credits roll in. You wish you could go on, but this game does not go forever.
It nears the end of the day as you arrive to town. You have some furs from animals you killed with your bow and arrow. The game allows you to trade these for money. You pay for a hotel night, save your progress, and recover your health. It is boring to see you sleep, so you press a button in your controller and skip it. The night comes and goes in seconds. You are well rested in the morning.
The day is sunny, and the locals are friendly. A young lady playing in the town’s fountain tells you of a wise old man who can help you. He lives in a small wooden house on the outskirts of town. You go to it. Inside are many books, flasks, and plants. He is an old thin man with a crooked spine and one eye larger than the other. He takes one good look at you and asks:
“Do you seek a quest?”
“Yes,” you say
“You may choose the following:
1. The Treasure in the Swamp.
2. The Bow of the Last Ranger.
3. The Floating Ships. "
There is no hesitation. You did the first two and grew strong from them. You want to touch The Bow of the Last Ranger on your back. You choose number three.
“Ahhh. It’s a difficult quest you choose. Few are experienced enough to try it. The way to the ships, is on the dragon’s back. But you must defeat him in battle to earn that right. Go to the Land of Fire and find him at night.” The old man says.
It is a long and arduous trip, and you are attacked by thieves and beast numerous times. The game is programmed for these random encounters. It takes you two days in the game––it takes you an hour––to reach the Land of Fire.
It’s an intimidating sight at the gates. The ground is black cracked clay and the sky is full of ash. The clarinet that played in the background has stopped, but you hear new sounds. A volcano in the distance erupts continuously; its bright red lava shoots up in the stormy sky and creates rivers that look like an angry man’s veins. There are other volcanoes and pools and rivers of lava all around. You wonder what the night will look like. You are nervous, anxious, afraid, and save the game––the game lets you do it at the gates––and decide to take a break before entering the Land of Fire.
You come back to the game, go in, and are surrounded by the sounds of explosions, grating, cracking, and the discordant fizzles of the lava cooling. You imagine the smell of it: metallic, sulfuric. You keep on.
Night approaches, and you need a safe place to hide. You find a nook in between two enormous rocks, but there is not enough room to lie down, so you rest against the wall. You wish to recover the life energy lost from fighting “random stupid monsters,” but the game does not allow you to regain your full health in this uncomfortable position. Furthermore, you want to save your healing potions for battle. Darkness covers the land, and all you can see is lava. You wait for a sign.
A powerful and screeching noise torments the land. You come out and see nothing until a line of fire grows and moves in the sky. The dragon, as you guess correctly, lands on a clearing at the foot of a volcano. It is too far away and too dark to see him accurately but the fire around his den gives you a hint of his shape twisting like a murderous snake. Your confidence shakes. But you waited the whole game for this. You are maxed out on the amount of levels and experience allowed and have the best weapons suited to you––a ranger. You take note of the direction of the den’s location; you will have to wait until morning. The game does not allow you to skip the night by pressing a button this time. You wait it out. You go brew yourself a cup of coffee.
The morning light shapes the lackluster land as you sip your cup of coffee. You are ready to start for the dragon’s den. You encounter a few problems on the way and get hurt a couple of times, but nothing major.
You reach a lake with steam gliding off its surface. In some places, it boils. You guess that it is hot and know you are right because you won’t go in. You look around and see the sides of the lake extending out of sight. Then you see a small boat approaching and distinguish a man in a black robe that looks like the Grim Reaper. You are disappointed at the game developer’s lack of imagination.
“Are you here to slay the dragon?” the man asks in a cadaverous voice.
“Yes.”
“Do you have five gold pieces?”
You are relieved you do and think that getting back to town for these after all this trouble would be Kafkanian. You pay him and step in. He pushes off with a pole. Halfway through the lake, you decide to talk. He only says this:
“You must face the dragon head on with your sword. You must not fear him and run away.”
You get off at the other side of the lake and look at your reflection on the water. The boatman departs. You wear the Armor of the Living Bark, which allows you to recover life slowly, the Boots of the Wind, which make you run as fast as the eagles of Rodtingam, and various gems, rings, and necklaces which give you strength, agility, and intelligence. You have a mediocre short sword tied to your belt and an equally shabby shield. Your weapon of choice is your Bow of the Ranger and your poison arrows, thunder arrows, and your favorites, the Diamond Head Arrows of Dwarven Iron. You destroyed rock giants with these. Then you think of the Grim Reaper’s words. You built yourself as a stealthy guerrilla fighter––run, shoot and hide is your style––not to go “head on” as warriors––who are built to charge––do. Perhaps you built yourself wrongly and have to start the game again. But you do not have time to do that because one day you are going to die.
It is twilight by the time you get to the dragon’s nest––a round clearing in front of a shallow cave––with fire, lava, and bones littered everywhere. You find a large rock where you hide and wait.
Not long after, you hear the flap of giant wings. Then the game takes control, showing a cinematic sequence. You see the dragon up close, a flame coming out of each nostril. You see it landing, its powerful legs bending to break the fall, its tail dragging on the dirt, its neck arching backward after it settles, and its black scales reflecting the fire. It moves about menacingly and then walks to the rock where you hide. The camera shows a close up of his enormous head appearing on your side. It is as big as your body. The dragon looks at you and disappears. You hear a powerful screech.
You run away from the rock as a blast of fire engulfs and destroys it. The battle is on. You turn around and face the dragon. Now it is your turn to attack. You unsheathe your sword––and as the Reaper told you––charge. The sword bounces off against its scales, but the dragon’s lifeline shows damage. It is furious and pulls its neck up to the sky and brings it down with a breath of fire. You put up your shield, the hit pushes you six feet, and the intense heat decreases your lifeline. You charge at him again. He slashes with his claws and you protect yourself but the force is such that it damages you again. You wonder how long can you hold on. You attack again. He spits three fireballs at you. The first one misses, the second one destroys your shield, and the third one hits you––dropping your lifeline to red. There is no way you can fight the dragon this way. You think it unfair that the game favors warriors over rangers. Maybe if you trained differently. But all this thinking is not doing any good. You take a healing potion and run for cover. You will fight your way. The dragon fires again but you run far––none hit you. You are good at taking evasive action. You run again while the Armor of the Living bark heals you. The dragon throws fireballs and one damages you slightly. You take out your bow and your poison arrows. You miss, but next turn you hit him and the poison takes effect. The dice are on your side. The poison debilitates him over time. Now it is time to switch to the Diamond Head arrows––and maybe later, to freak him out a bit, to the thunder arrows.
The fight goes on until you do not know whose hours you’re counting. You notice, later on, it is already mid morning.
Then you are not attacked; the dragon is not following you. You go back and see him lying on the grass. You are both out of the Land of Fire. You get closer to him and admire all the damage you did. There are many wounds, some arrows stick out of them; the dragon’s body heaves and bleeds under the sun.
It speaks depressingly:
“You defeated me. Let me heal and I will take you to the flying ships.”
His lifeline is regaining points. You think:
Should I trust him? What if he recuperates and attacks me? I do not have any more healing potions and my health is low. It can surely kill me. I should finish him now. One shot to the head.
You decide against it.
Its wounds heal as his lifeline increases. Suddenly he rises.
“Fucking dragon, you better keep your word.” You curse.
It flaps his wings, as if to test them, and asks you to climb on top of his back. You do, and you fly away.
From above, you see the world you got to know so intimately. You feel nostalgia. The game is about to end, and it was good. The dragon flies higher; you are nearing the clouds and the ships––which look more like submarines––, and a new clarinet song begins as the credits roll in. You wish you could go on, but this game does not go forever.