Chapter 3: A Glimmer of Hope

I logged out of my stream, leaned back in my chair, and rubbed my eyes. The weight of the empty landscape hung heavy on my mind, even more so now. My seven loyal viewers didn't seem like much, but they were something—two of them hardly ever showed up, but oh well. 

Still, the thought nagged at me: if I didn't find a way to make this game more interesting, even they might drift away. 

"Maybe it's time to find some players," I muttered. "There have to be others out there, right?" 

The servers were still open for a reason, after all. 

But for now, I had to focus on something else: my essay. 

The next day, I logged back into Tale Tale Fantasy and pulled up the world map. It was mostly barren, save for a few blinking icons that indicated other players. They were scattered far and wide, like lone stars in a dark sky. 

"Well, here goes nothing." 

I set my sights on the nearest player icon, hoping whoever it was might be up for some company. The journey was slow and painful, thanks to the endless glitches. My character still dragged its feet, and the sky continued to flicker ominously overhead. 

So far, no monsters or anything of that sort. 

After what felt like an eternity, I finally reached the coordinates. But instead of finding another player, I was met with an empty clearing. I checked the map again—no mistake, this was the spot. But whoever he was, he was gone. 

"Seriously?" I said aloud, kicking at the virtual dirt. "Where is everyone?" 

No response. I sighed and was about to log off when a notification popped up on my streaming dashboard. 

> New Subscriber: Viewer3 

Not only did I have three viewers today despite never announcing my stream, but one of them was new. 

I blinked. "Huh. That's... unexpected." 

I checked the chat and saw a message from Viewer3. 

Viewer3: Your struggle is real, dude. Keep it up! 

A small smile crept onto my face. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe my viewers actually enjoyed watching me battle against the absurdity of the game. Perhaps they found my suffering entertaining. 

'Well, they did say they wanted to see me suffer for hours today.' 

"Might as well keep going." 

I set out again, determined to find another player or at least something interesting. The landscape was still as desolate as ever, but I pushed on. Moving trees, flickering grass, virtually no monsters—this wasn't a game; it was a walking simulator! 'Then again, I'm getting some much-needed cardio, so it checks out, I guess.' 

As I wandered, I narrated my journey for the benefit of my unseen audience, describing every glitch and bizarre encounter with as much humor as I could muster. 

"Look at this," I said, pointing my camera at a floating boulder. "Defies all laws of physics. Maybe I should rename my stream 'Glitch Hunter.'" 

My viewers were mostly silent, but the occasional 'lol' in the chat was enough to keep me going. 

As I continued, I noticed a faint light in the distance. Squinting, I made out the shape of a campfire. My heart leaped. Maybe this was it—a sign of life in this digital wasteland. 

I quickened my pace, the glitches momentarily forgotten. As I approached the campfire, I saw a figure sitting by it, hunched over and poking at the flames with a stick. My excitement grew. 

"Hey!" I called out, waving. "Mind if I join you?" 

The figure looked up, startled. For a moment, I feared he might log off or disappear like the others. But instead, he stood up and waved back. 

"Sure," he replied, his voice crackling through the game's subpar audio system. "Company's always welcome." Sounded a bit ambiguous, but definitely a guy. Probably a teenager. 'Like, you're not one.' 

He was clad in dark, scaly armor, with something long and red strapped to his back—a spear, maybe? 

I sat down by the fire, feeling a strange sense of relief. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't as alone in this game as I had thought. 

"SIRANCHA," I said, offering a virtual handshake. "Been wandering around for ages. Good to finally see someone." 

The other player smiled, shaking my hand. "ShadowStalker. This game, huh? It's a mess, but I heard there's a new update. Thought I'd give it another go." 

 Golden hair, green eyes. And a rather handsome face. He was tall, and he moved with pride. I suppose he took roleplaying rather seriously. 

"Oh, you're a long-term player." 

 I was interested in his spear but I was more interested in that black scaly armor. On first glance it looked like a glob of darkness. But on further inspection, I could tell for sure, every scale was perfectly crafted. It was like a piece of art, honestly. 

"More or less." 

I glanced over at my streaming dashboard. Viewer3 had sent another message. 

Viewer3: See? You're not alone after all. Keep going! 

For the first time in a long while, I felt a spark of hope. Maybe this game wasn't a lost cause. Maybe there was still something here worth playing for. 

ShadowStalker and I chatted, the flickering flames cast long shadows around us. A rustling sound came from the bushes nearby. 'Where the hell did that come from?' I could have sworn this place was desolate. 

My hand instinctively moved to my weapon—a rusty old sword that seemed more likely to break than to deal any real damage. 

"Did you hear that?" I asked, peering into the darkness. 

ShadowStalker nodded, his avatar standing up and drawing a sleek dagger. "Yeah, stay alert. This area is known for random monster spawns." Strangely, he didn't seem to reach for his spear. 

Just as ShadowStalker finished speaking, a low growl resonated from the underbrush. Moments later, a grotesque creature burst forth, its eyes glowing menacingly in the dim light. It was a monstrosity, a twisted amalgamation of claws, teeth, and sinew—a bear-like dog that looked like a failed experiment that had escaped its confines. 

"Looks like we've got company," ShadowStalker said, readying his stance. 

I tightened my grip on my sword, adrenaline pumping through my veins. "Here goes nothing." 

The monster lunged at us, and we sprang into action. I swung my sword with all my might, managing to land a hit on its side. ShadowStalker moved with the grace of a seasoned player, his dagger slicing through the air and finding its mark on the creature's hide. 

A health bar appeared above the monster—a welcome yet unnerving sight. We were actually dealing damage, but its health was dwindling slowly. As we fought, I noticed another bar at the bottom of my screen labeled "XP." 

"So this game has levels? Could have sworn I didn't see anything in the menu." 

"Yeah, they must've added a level system with the update," ShadowStalker replied, dodging a swipe from the creature's claws. "No wonder I keep feeling weak." 

The monster's attacks were relentless. My character took several hits, and my health bar dropped dangerously low. ShadowStalker threw a health potion my way, which I quickly used, feeling a surge of energy as my health partially restored. 

"Devastator!" ShadowStalker shouted, jumping into the air and spinning like a drill straight onto the creature's head. 

With a final, desperate swing of my own, I managed to land a critical hit. The monster let out a deafening roar before collapsing into a heap on the ground. A victory notification flashed across. 

my screen, followed by a surge of XP. 

> Level Up! 

I stared at the screen in disbelief. "We did it!" 

ShadowStalker grinned, sheathing his dagger. "Well, I guess this makes the game a bit more fun… and a bit more mainstream." He almost seemed disappointed. 

I opened my character menu, a sense of excitement bubbling up inside me. The level-up screen presented me with various options: Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and several skills that could be unlocked. I decided to boost my Strength and Agility for now. 

"Looks like we're in business," I said. "Thanks for the help, ShadowStalker." 

"No problem," he replied. "Been a while since I last played. Was getting bored on my own. Let's keep exploring and see what else we can find. If you want to of course." He winked. 

"Kinda do," I chuckled. 

We shook on it. 

I kept an eye on my streaming dashboard. Viewer3 was still watching, and their messages kept on coming. 

Viewer3: Nice fight! You're getting better. Keep pushing! 

'Enthusiastic cheerer, huh?'