Chapter 2: Starting Over, One Step at a Time

Isaac awoke with a start, his alarm blaring in his ear. "Time to start over, and I'll get it right this time!" He exclaimed. He unplugged the helmet and placed it on his head. He waited for the retina scan to complete and felt the familiar pull of false-slumber, then was standing on the ancient stone platform once again. He logged in, brought up the character selector, deleted the former profile, then created a new profile with the same looks and character name, and entered the game.

Isaac was once again transported to the village of Ramperia. He ran into the village, and started the quest.

*Ding* [Quest Updated: Find out what happened to the Horn] [Reward: 100 XP]

Once again, Isaac talked to all of the townspeople and got all the information he needed.

*Ding* [Quest Complete] [New Quest Acquired: Hunt down the bandits and recover the Horn of Jarem] [Reward: Horn of Jarem; 200 XP]

This time, Isaac decided he would visit the local merchant, gather some supplies, and purchase a map. That way he wouldn't get lost.

"Hello, adventurer" The shopkeeper greeted him with a sad smile. "Welcome to my shop. As a welcoming gift for your first time shopping, here is 2000 Gatz." Isaac was confused. "Sorry, but what are Gatz?" he asked with a puzzled look. "Gatz are the currency of this world. They are coins inscribed with a small tower. The tower is part of an old prophecy, and is said to be the symbol of an ancient legendary ruin holding a mysterious power, though no one has ever discovered such a place!"

Isaac was intrigued by this, but had more pressing issues, as he still had to recover the stolen horn. Plus, since the tower the shopkeeper spoke of seemed to be only a legend, it was something he decided would have to wait. "Thank you for the information. I'd like to know the price of a map, and perhaps if you have any swords available that I can use to protect myself."

The shopkeeper rummaged through some piles of paper, then produced a blank piece of what looked to be some sort of thin cloth. "Here is your map, that's 200 Gatz. As for a sword, unfortunately I don't sell any weapons here. All I can offer you is this rusty dagger I've had laying around. You can have it free of charge."

Isaac looked at the dagger. It was indeed extremely rusty, without even the slightest sharpness of the blade. He was pretty sure the tip was bent as well. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think that's going to help me. Is there a blacksmith nearby?"

The merchant shook her head. "No, but there used to be... Ivor was one of the best in the land. But he took ill a few years back and never recovered. His shop is still standing, down the street. You probably could find a sword there, however... Nobody goes in it, because it's locked up and no one has the key. The Village Elder has forbidden any villagers from entering. "

Isaac thought about it. Technically he wasn't a villager so technically he shouldn't get into trouble with the village elder for entering the blacksmith's shop. He really needed a sword if he was going to take on the bandits and reclaim the Horn. He thanked the shopkeeper. As he was about to leave, he realized the shopkeeper had given him nothing more than a blank cloth. "How is this a map? There's nothing on it!" The shopkeeper simply laughed, then apologized. "Sorry, I guess maybe you're not familiar with this type of map. This map fills itself in as you discover new places and points of interest. See? even now it's filling in the village." Sure enough, Isaac could see the village on the map drawing itself, but nothing more. He thanked the shopkeeper again, and then headed in the direction of the blacksmith's forge.

As he approached, he noticed the blacksmith's shop seemed run down and, understandably, looked abandoned. The paint on the walls was peeling, and a few of the windows had cracked or shattered glass. "I wonder what it looks like inside" Isaac thought. As he got to the front door, he noticed a giant, hardened-steel chain with a large padlock on it, holding the latch for the door firmly in place. "I don't have anything to break this lock, and I don't see another way in... The merchant said the Village Elder has forbidden villagers to enter, so I'll bet HE has the key. I didn't want to have to talk to him about it, but it looks like I have no choice."

Isaac decided the best course of action was to speak with the Village Elder about gaining access to the blacksmith's shop. "Sir, your villagers have asked me to help recover the Horn of Jarem, but I have no weapons. Would it be possible to gain entry to Ivor's shop and pick up a sword?"

The village Elder looked at Isaac with a look of anger, that was then replaced by anguish and despair. "I don't know who told you about Ivor's shop, but I'm sorry. I can't allow ANYONE to enter his shop, regardless of need or reputation. Ivor held many secrets, some of which I don't even know, and I'd be afraid of what might fall into whose hands."

"Sir, I understand your concern" Isaac said, "but in order for me to assist in collecting the Horn, I need a weapon. If it would put your mind at ease, perhaps you could accompany me, as an official escort. Should I put my hands on anything that's not a weapon, you can charge me with whatever crime you see fit, and I'll accept the related punishment."

The Village Elder looked at Isaac with surprise, then an expression full of thought and deep processing crossed his face. "I have a better idea", the Elder stated. "There is an ancient prophecy about this land. A mysterious power is said to lie locked away, deep in an ancient ruin. No one has ever discovered such a place, nor expressed any type of overwhelming power, so the prophecy has been thought by many to be just a myth, the writings of a false diviner gone mad."

The Elder motioned for Isaac to follow him into his home. Locking the door behind them, he took a quick glance out the window. Satisfied no one was watching them, he asked Isaac to follow him into his study. "However, having traveled much during my youth, I followed the stories and tales, until one day, I came across a peddler in a marketplace. I offered him 3,000 Gatz for what he thought was just a simple trinket, an ancient stone with a tower carved into it, that looks similar to the tower inscribed on our currency. Naturally he was confused as to why I would offer such an enormous amount of money for such a small item. I explained the prophecy to him." He opened a locked drawer in his desk and pulled out what seemed to be a simple stone necklace, with the familiar tower carved into it, as well as some very small script etched into it.

The old man smirked. "The merchant had heard of the prophecy, but also thought it was just a myth. He assumed this necklace nothing more than some prop for a theatrical performance about the prophecy, which was common at the time. What he didn't see was the small runes carved just at the base of the tiny tower. If the prophecy is to be believed, a great hero will use this stone talisman to guide him to the lost ruin and unlock the ancient power within!"

Isaac looked at the Elder. "So why are you telling me all of this? I'm just a regular man, there's nothing special about me."

The Elder turned to him, "Then this simple test will prove it. The prophecy states that when the great hero picks up this talisman, and places it on a map with a drop of his blood, that the map will reveal the path to the ancient tower. Let me see your finger."

Isaac hesitantly held out his hand, and the Elder pricked his finger with the tip of a small dagger. "Okay, now, do you have a map?" Isaac pulled out the map the shopkeeper had given him. "No, this won't do. This map is incomplete. I don't think it will guide you where you need to go if the map isn't filled in. Take my map instead."

The Elder reached up, and untied the tapestry hanging on the wall in his study. On the backside of it, was a map of the world, with every city, every mountain pass, every dungeon, every river and lake, all marked out in detail. Isaac had a feeling of awe. "Don't seem so surprised, my boy. As I said, I did a fair bit of travel in my youth. Ok, let's give this a whirl! Take the Talisman, drip your blood onto it, then press it into the map. If it works, the path will be revealed and I will give you the key to Ivor's shop. where you can take anything you want. If it doesn't work, then I'll have to ask you to sworn secrecy, and you'll have to find your own weapon."

Isaac hesitated. What do I do if it is me? Am I ready to be some great hero? And what if I'm not? Can I handle that kind of disappointment? "Okay, I accept your terms. Hand me the talisman."

He took the talisman, pushed it into the blood dribbling from his finger, then pressed it against the map. At first, nothing happened.... Then, there was a great flash of light, and the map changed! The drop of blood on the map began to snake its way across, stopping at multiple places to create a marker, before finally ending in the center of the Vast desert, where a small icon in the shape of a tower appeared. The first marker the blood had created let out a faint, red glow.

"Interesting. This wasn't part of the prophecy, at least not in detail. Though I suppose it DID say it would reveal the path. Anyways, it looks like you are most certainly the one! So here, take the key to Ivor's shop!" The Elder reached into the desk again and pulled out a slightly rusted key. "It should still work. Take whatever you like. And follow your Destiny, Isaac. You are the great hero! Many dangers you will face! I know it doesn't seem like it here, but there are stories of a Great Evil starting to corrupt the land. Perhaps that's why now, of all times, a hero has been chosen."

Isaac looked at the Elder, looked at the map, felt the weight of the Destiny that had just been placed on his shoulders, and fainted.