Elysium: Realm of Eternal EDventure

Chapter 1: Loading…

Greetings, weary traveler. You have just entered a land beyond your imagination. A land of prosperity, of opportunity, of magic, monsters and unparalleled wonder. In this land, people of all ages, gender and race have gathered and are ready for adventures of all kinds.

Here, you will make friends, battle foes, go on quests and journeys unlike anything you could ever dream of, and discover the power that lies within you. And this is only the beginning, for when you enter this new world, you will become part of something greater than you could imagine. Danger is brewing, young traveler, and you may possess the skills needed to combat it. If you are ready and willing to become part of this grand new world, then take this first step and prepare for the experience of a lifetime.

Welcome… to ELYSIUM: Realm of Eternal Adventure.

…

Edd stared at his laptop's screen, unsure of what was supposed to happen next. The introduction had just finished and now he was being told to create a profile. Was it asking for his actual information or was he supposed to build his avatar now?

Heck, Edd wasn't even sure how he got talked into this. Shortly after this game was released, it exploded with buzz and critical acclaim, and soon almost everyone he knew was going crazy for Elysium. Ed, Eddy, Kevin, Nazz, Sarah… even Jimmy and Jonny! Probably the only people in the cul-de-sac who didn't play Elysium were Rolf, due to his family's lack of a computer, Plank, because apparently he had gone hipster and didn't want to abide by mainstream culture (Seriously, what?), and up until today, Edd.

But, at last, Ed and Eddy had pestered him into it, he had paid for membership, and now here he was, dumbfounded by the vague instructions of a program Edd had no experience with. Outside of a small number of platforming and Wii games, Edd was no gamer, and he wasn't by any means a role-player. So to be thrust into this sort of cornucopia of imagination for no reason other than peer pressure didn't sound like the most enjoyable thing in the world.

So… yeah. Create a profile. What did that imply?

With an exasperated sigh, Edd stuck his headset on and contacted Ed and Eddy. No doubt they would be playing.

"Hello! I am Edon, Master of the Claws of Shock! Child of the Lightning of Luna! Defender of-!"

"Ed, it's me."

"Oh. Hi, Double D! Where are you?"

"Um… Nowhere. I-"

"Hey, Lump-anthrope!" Eddy's voice cut in. "Is that Double D? Has he joined in yet?"

"Not yet," Edd replied. "I'm just creating my profile."

"Aw, sweet!"

"Huzzah!"

"But, uh… Quick question. Am I supposed to create my character now or enter my actual information?"

"Geez. I thought you were the smart one."

"Eddy, give me some credit! This is my first attempt at joining any kind of massively multiplayer online role-playing-"

"Okay, okay! First you type in your real name and all that stuff. Don't worry; it won't be displayed for anyone but your friends to see."

"Okay…" With that cleared up, Edd entered his first and last name, his birthday, his email address and a few other attributes. Upon hitting enter, he was told that an activation key had been sent to his email, which he promptly opened, copied and pasted into the box below, allowing him to continue.

After loading briefly, he was brought to the character customization page…

At the very top of the page was the space where Edd would eventually enter his username. Underneath it, the first attribute asked of him was species, and the choices were Human, Elf, Fairy, Vampire, Lycanthrope and something called a Drake, which appeared to Edd to be some sort of human-dragon hybrid. Next was class, the options for which were Warrior, Mage and Ninja. Then there was element: Fire, Ice, Shock, Light and Shadow. And finally there were the typical stations where he would select height, skin tone, hair, eyes, clothes, accessories and anything else he wanted. All of this was next to an empty space that would eventually be filled by Edd's developing character.

"Alright," Edd said into his headset. "I'm creating my avatar now. Any suggestions?"

"I'm a Lycanthrope!" Ed proudly declared, his howling forcing Edd to lower his volume. "Yesiree, a Lycanthrope Shock Warrior!"

"And I'm a Human Fire Ninja," Eddy added. "So why don't you do something different so our inner circle will have some variety?"

The idea sounded decent enough to Edd. That ruled out Human and Lycanthrope, not that the latter necessarily appealed to him. After some debating, Edd decided to be an Elf, selecting Mage as his class and eventually choosing Light to be his element. Then, after some tweaking, he created an avatar that looked as similar to himself as he could get: medium height, minimal muscle, cream-colored skin, blue eyes, shoulder-length black hair. For his wardrobe, he selected an orange robe with yellow trim and a sash, white pants, sandals, a black headband with white and yellow gems, and a white, beaded necklace.

"Hmm… Username. What should my username be?"

"Ooh, ooh! One moment, please…" Ed seemed to be looking something up. A minute later, his voice filled Edd's headset again. "The Elvin name for 'Eddward' is 'Elrohir'."

"Elrohir," Edd repeated. "I suppose it's as fine a moniker as anything else. Could you spell that, Ed?"

Ed did so and Edd typed it in the username box. Once complete, Edd confirmed his avatar's credentials and was thrust into the game.

The first thing Edd did when it began was observe everything on his screen. His character was in a mostly-empty, white-walled room occupied only by a window, a bed and a door. "Um… Okay. What do I do now?"

"I take it you're in your room," Eddy said.

"I suppose so."

"Yeah, there's not much to it at first. You can buy stuff to decorate your house with as time goes on."

"Maybe he should check out the enclosed instruction book," Ed suggested, giggling at the aforementioned internet meme.

"That might be a good idea," Edd replied, reaching for the game's case on his nightstand and pulling out the booklet inside.

After reading up on gameplay controls, Edd experimentally hit the "I" button on his keyboard, causing several things to fade into existence in the corners of his screen. In the top left corner were two meters labeled "Health" and "Stamina". In the top right was a table labeled "Doles"; listed underneath it was "Platinum: 0", "Gold: 25", "Silver: 50" and "Copper: 200" that seemed to be stashed in a pre-equipped satchel. In the bottom left was another table that measured Skill Points in Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Illusion, Restoration and Enchantment, each currently measured at zero. And in the bottom right was a small map of the area with a red dot indicating Edd's location; underneath, it read "Sky Lands: Lux Village".

"Alright, I'm in Lux Village," Edd told his friends.

"Yep, that's the starting point for all Light users," Eddy responded. "You might wanna stay in the Sky Lands until you rank up a little."

"What do you suggest I do?"

"Your best bet? Get a job and enroll in a Mage School. Keeps the money and the skill points flowing."

"Fair enough." With that, Edd left the house and started walking around the village, ready to begin his gaming experience.

Edd quickly learned that time flies when playing video games. To his surprise, Elysium quickly grew on him, and by sundown he had earned a few more silver doles and enrolled in St. Eos First-Level Academy for Mages. Despite the fact that they were in a fantasy world of elves, dragons and the like, there was an impressive level of realism to the game.

But now Edd was returning to his home, where he would put his avatar to sleep, shut down and give himself some much-needed shut-eye.

"Alright, fellows," he told Ed and Eddy. "I'm turning in for the night."

"Aw, so soon?" Ed whined.

"You haven't even ranked up any skill points yet!" Eddy reasoned.

"Yes, but it's late and we have school in the morning. I suggest you fellows follow suit."

"Hey, you're still new to this. You haven't seen how hardcore this can get," Eddy said.

"Yeah, once you really dive in, you never wanna stop," Ed agreed.

"Well, I suppose I'm not there yet," Edd chuckled. "I'll see you fellows in the morning. In the real world, I presume-"

"Hold up, Double D," Eddy cut in.

As he asked himself what had caught Eddy's attention, Edd caught sight of a strange, angelic-looking figure on his screen. The exclamation mark over his head signified that he had something to say to Edd. Unable to hold back his curiosity, Edd walked up and initiated a conversation with him.

Greetings, noble Light Elf, the angel said to him.

Hello, Edd typed back. What troubles you?

I have a special quest for a brave, young Mage like yourself. Are you interested in such an endeavor?

Edd raised an eyebrow, unable to comprehend these implications. That depends. What is this "quest" you speak of?

Should you choose to accept this, you and a select few will be brought forth to travel the hills, the plains, the mountains, the valleys, and the seas of our fair lands on an adventure to save Elysium as we know it. I warn you, though, this quest is not for the faint of heart, but you will always have friends by your side to aid you.

"Um…" Edd awkwardly pushed his headset's microphone closer to his mouth. "Ed, Eddy, there's an… angel offering to send me on a special quest."

"Yeah, me too," Eddy replied.

"Same here," Ed happily said. "I wanna save Elysium!"

"Yeah, I'm up for the challenge! What say you, Double D?"

"I don't know. I'm still so new at this…"

"Ask the angel how long it will take," Ed offered.

Edd shrugged and resumed typing. I've only just enrolled in a school. If I accept, will I still have the opportunity to learn and expand my skill?

By all means, the angel responded. This quest shall last you as long as you please and will not subdue you from your other duties in Elysium.

"Hmm…"

"Go for it, Sockhead!" Eddy chided. "What better way to rank up than this?"

"I'm doing it!" Ed cheered. "Eddy?"

"Oh, you know I am!"

Edd smiled and sighed. If Ed and Eddy were up for whatever this mission implied, he might as well give it a try too. After all, how serious could this be? It was just a game.

Very well, good sir, Edd typed. I accept your challenge.

Excellent. Now, rest easy, noble Mage. Your ultimate adventure shall begin at the break of dawn.

Then, just like that, the angel disappeared in a burst of light.

"Okay then…" Completely dumbfounded by what he just witnessed, Edd continued on to his house. He found himself questioning what he had just agreed to. Did this mean he would play a greater role in the game now? And he agreed to it just like that? Why didn't he think this through more?

It just didn't make any sense. Who was that? What role did he play in the game? What was he expecting out of Edd? Why was he asking this of someone who had only played the game for one day? He couldn't understand what any of this meant or how it was going to affect future gameplay.

He sighed, finding no point in dwelling on something this trivial. Without any further thought, Edd put his character to bed and closed out. "Well, good night, gentlemen."

"Sleep well, Elrohir," Ed responded. "Tomorrow our journey of epic proportions shall begin!"

"Yes, it certainly will, Ed," Edd tiredly played along.

"See ya tomorrow, Double D," Eddy said.

With their final good-byes said and done, Edd removed his headset, put his laptop away and prepared for a good night's sleep. After showering and putting on his night clothes, he buried himself under his bed sheets and dozed off.

Down the street, Ed and Eddy eventually called it quits too, heading off to bed in anticipation of tomorrow's events. As they slept and pleasantly dreamed, the trio remained blissfully unaware of the chain of events that had been set into motion.

Guide to Elysium:

Species and Stats

Human
Speed: Average
Strength: High
Agility: Average
Endurance: Low
Special Ability: Willpower- Even when health and stamina are low, a human's will allows them to keep fighting, mentally adding more to each bar. More is added when ranked up.

Elf
Speed: Average
Strength: Average
Agility: High
Endurance: High
Special Ability: Regeneration- An elf's health and stamina are replenished at a rate much faster than any other playable species. It can even regenerate from near-death, albeit slower than at greater health.

Fairy
Speed: High
Strength: Low
Agility: High
Endurance: Average
Special Ability: Flight- Like many transportation creatures, fairies can fly and attack from the air. This will slowly drain their stamina, though, and they are more easily affected by wind drafts.

Vampire
Speed: High
Strength: High
Agility: Average
Endurance: Average (Low against sunlight)
Special Ability: Bite- Vampires can bite other players either to drain them of blood (thereby restoring health by draining theirs) or turn them into a vampire as well. Those turned can be cured; those who start out as vampires cannot.

Lycanthrope (when not in wolf form, stats are equal to that of a human's)
Speed: High
Strength: High
Agility: Average
Endurance: High
Special Ability: Transformation- Lycanthropes will transform during full moons. They can also transform at will, though staying in this form will drain their stamina and requires experience to stay in this form for long; this can be used once every twelve in-game hours.

Drake
Speed: Average
Strength: High
Agility: Average
Endurance: High
Special Ability: Glide- Though a drake's wings cannot support flight, they are capable of gliding on updrafts or in downward angles. This can be used to perform powerful strikes.

A/N: Well, this certainly came out of nowhere. Yes, after drawing inspiration from a number of works, I have begun a new EEnE fanfic, this time putting the Eds in a fantasy-based video game story. I'm sure you can all guess where this is going, but still, I see great potential in this concept.

Just a few things I ought to say off the bat: First, to clear any confusion, this story will be comprised of several different story arcs. No, Edd will not be the main focus of the story; all three Eds will be equally represented. I just wanted to write this chapter from his point of view so as to jump into the story immediately while also coherently introducing Elysium to the readers (because of course he would be the last to jump on the bandwagon). Oh, and some future action scenes may get a little bloody.

Well, you've been warned. Now read on!