Sucked In

 

“My daddy says that in the ocean, there are fish so big they could swallow a whole ship.”

 

“You’re making that up.”

 

The two boys glared at each other. It wasn’t the first time they had argued about such things. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But today, something drew their attention away from each other. They both looked across the canal at the man who was causing the disturbance. His outfit looked like that of a sage, but he definitely didn’t act like it. The boys watched as he banged his head against a wall, pinched himself multiple times, and once even slapping himself. The last part was slightly awkward due to his collar. The boys looked at each other, and back at the man.

 

“I caught a big one last week, it had three eyes!”

 

“Liar!”

 

The boys weren’t the only ones staring, many other residents had paused their daily activities to watch the spectacle. Even the girl with the gorilla halted for a moment, but quickly started running again when the boy nearly grabbed it. A guard looked for a moment, debating about whether he should do something. He decided the entertainment beat out any reward he would get for catching some crazy priest.

 

 

Alright, let’s calm down. I thought. Contrary to popular belief, I had noticed the weird looks I was getting. But I was a little too freaked out to care. Somehow I had gotten dragged into the game, into my own character! If I had planned it, this would be awesome. But I had no idea how it happened, or how to fix it. Obviously, the strange guy I saw in the game had something to do with it, but now he’s gone… I’ll need to find him… but first, let’s get somewhere a little less conspicuous. The stares has diminished once I had stopped trying to wake up, but nevertheless, a new location was in order.

 

I walked calmly along the streets. Never had I thought I would be seeing the game as if it were real. Birds chirped in the distance, vendors were calling out from all sides. I walked across the bridge of the canal, and the water seemed real enough. I could even see the crabs I had collected earlier for a cooking quest. I walked through the wall into the Trade District, and saw what cemented this all into reality.

 

It was a draenei. I guessed it was a paladin, from the bright armor she wore. She was casually walking out of the inn. As she glanced around, she caught my gaze and held it. People bustling around us, our eyes remained locked. Having no idea what she could be thinking, she smiled slightly before turning and walking into the auction house. I stood still, petrified, until someone pushed me from behind. A very calm voice spoke out, “Ah, sorry…” A light purple skinned night elf walked by, obviously in a hurry. I realized I couldn’t stand in the middle of the way, and so I started walking again. Wait… aren’t these all… players? How are they acting… normal?

 

I walked around the corner and past the auction house itself. Inside, I could see multiple people standing, a few sitting down. The auctioneers on the stand were spewing out words and numbers faster than I thought possible, and many people were raising their hands as he called out bids. I saw the draenei from before as she raised her hand to claim a bid. I dragged myself away and went the other direction, into the bank. There were quite a few people inside, but not nearly as many as the auction house. As I walked by, a banker called out to me in a friendly manner. “Oh, back so soon Quill? Did you miss your meeting?”

 

I blinked twice before thinking to respond. “Oh, no I… forgot something…” The banker nodded, smiling. “Of course. You can enter your vault here.” She motioned towards a small crystal on her desk. Not knowing what to do, I grabbed it, and everything vanished.

 

When I could see again, I was in an enclosed room. Everything that I had in my bank was in this room. I could see all of my sets of armor, all of my crystal and reagents. I stared in awe before realizing that I shouldn’t take long. After all, I had said I forgot something, so I grabbed something that would be suitable for a meeting. It was a pendant, the gem being dazzling blue with a gold chain. Now… how do I open my bags? I don’t have any pockets on this thing…

 

As soon as I thought of my bag, a pack appeared in my hand. Looking at it in wonder, I realized it was no bigger than my head. There’s no way all of my stuff could fit in here...  I reached inside and realized I was very wrong. My entire arm was inside before I realized it was much more spacious then it looked. I peered inside and saw many pockets, with different things such as herbs and crystals inside. Spotting an empty pocket, I put the pendant inside. Since I made it appear by thinking about it, do I make it disappear by-yep. The bag vanished before I could even finish my thought. Ok. This is pretty awesome.

 

The fact that I was truly in this world (of Warcraft) was starting to sink in. And whether I could get out or not, I thought that this was pretty cool. I never thought of how things like my pack would work in real life. The gear that I wear never has pockets, so where would the bag be? I still had no idea where it went when it vanished, but it was awesome nonetheless. I looked around the room, which was lit but with no source of the light and saw the same crystal I grabbed on a ledge on the wall. I grabbed it again, and reappeared in the bank. The banker gave me the same smile. “Find it alright?” I nodded, smiling back. “Yea, I got it. Thanks.” I gave waved slightly at her before walking out, brushing by another human. No, wait, worgen. I thought as he bared his fangs  at me.

 

I walked out and realized that the air seemed much fresher here then it was at my desk. I felt more energized with every breath, and my steps felt weightless. Maybe that’s why the characters can run all the time? I walked out past the fountain, determination now in my step. I still didn’t know how this had happened, but I was going to make the best of it.

 

Screw the raid; I’ve got better things to do.