//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Remembering Garry's Mod // by BioChemicalWolfGear //------------------------------// The walls of the room around me were coated in blotchy green paint. The desk that held my black laptop was an oak-wood tan color. The chair I sat in was a black office chair that refused to move on the white carpet below same color as the door and closet. A queen sized bed took up one-fifth of the room while a old rocking chair was fit snugly in the far corner of the room. The black office chair was occupied by none other than me. I had black straight hair and a five o’clock shadow. I looked at my computer with a bored expression. I just stared at my Steam library, as if it would come to life and tell me what I truly desired to play. As my eyes scanned from top to bottom of the list I came across an old name. “Garry's Mod.” I stated out loud. I began imagining all the fun I had between now and the time I first got the game. It was the only game that I had over two thousand hours invested in it at the time. And according to the achievement, that was over an entire month invested in playing this one game. I wouldn’t deny that allegation for even one second, as I played it pretty much every day since I came home from high school. That game made me who I am today, to be honest. It was more because the game had so many thuggish people. Everyone was hateful towards children and the like, but at one point I joined them and then didn’t care after a while. Some children, as annoying as some were with a microphone, were actually enjoyable to get to know. Some knew their E2 very well, and surpassed me in just the few weeks that I knew him. Although to be fair I was never invested in E2, until I got some of my own through Garry's Mod, and I experimented with them. I stared at the name. The reason why I stopped playing was because the update made all the old players leave. It was just too different and so childishly built now. None of the important advanced options existed anymore, and all sandbox players hated the new layout. Some still came and tried it out, much like myself. But also much like myself, I also left to do other things. Now I sit in my room and wait for tomorrow. It was 9:00pm and I was still looking at the game library that was stocked full of games. Even Civilizations V was beginning to become dull after the many times I’ve played it. The best games of my library were the ones I also didn’t want to play anymore. “There really nothing left to play.” I admitted dully to myself, as I put both hands on my head with a sigh. I looked back at the clock on my laptop screen. It read “9:01pm” and I huffed in disappointment. I’ve sat in this seat for an hour straight, with nothing to do. My chores were done and my dilemma went unsolved. I was no closer to getting any entertainment out of today. I grabbed the mouse and opened the start menu. I then clicked on shutdown and waited for the screen to go black. When it did, I closed the laptop and spun around 180 degrees to face my bed. I stood up and without bothering to take a shower, I plopped down on the bed. I turned the bedside lamp off and plunged my room into darkness. I promptly fell asleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I shot up with a jolt. Around me was a pristine view of the ocean. I was on a beach looking out at a far light. I knew it was the replacement of the sun, but the light seemed important to me. It seemed to be almost blinding and uncontrollable. Or maybe it was just a beacon from something that I couldn’t understand entirely. The light was so bright, that the blue of the sky and the water melted into the bright light that ran along the horizon. I couldn't even see the horizon as the light covered it. I stared at it for a few moments, just looking and not trying to understand it. I looked over to my left and saw an abandoned bunker placed in the sand. I gave it little thought as I observed what was to my right. There was a viewing dock, that only slightly jutted away from the sand, and gave whoever stood there a good view of the ocean. Again I paid little attention to it as I did the bunker. There was a brown rock buried in the sand in front of me by the shore. Small waves tried to crash over it, but only managed to split apart. I looked back at the hypnotizing light and stared for a moment. I then instinctively drew my right hand behind me. But not just putting it behind me, but reaching for something. I extended my right hand as far as it could go, while I stared ahead at the light. I felt something and grabbed it. I drew my right hand in front of me and looked down at the gun in my hand. The Toolgun was in my hand. I took little thought of it and I held it in the position I was familiar with. I pointed it straight ahead like in the game Garry's Mod. The text screen on the gun, showed only one tool on it right now. I noticed there was also a display at the top left of my vision that also showed what tool was equipped. The Toolgun seemed to be stuck on the light tool. With the light tool was able to create lights and either string them up with rope, or drop them on the floor. Instinctively, I brought the gun up to bear, and pointed at the horizon. I fired off a shot with the gun and a bolt of electricity went from the gun to the horizon where I pointed it. The gun let out a small ‘Puft’ as the gun fired, and it recoiled slightly. More of a little finger push on the end of the barrel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I looked around as I found myself suddenly aware of the dream. I then looked down at the Toolgun in my hand that was at my side. I found it surprising when I noticed it not there. But I could still feel its phantom in my palm. I brought my right hand up to the level of my chest and examined my palm for the phantom gun. I realized that I could feel the warmth of my hand as I rubbed my left hand thumb across my palm. “Hello wolfGear.” A voice came from seemingly all around me. I shot my head up and looked from my left and right. I spun around and looked to the landscape around me. I was in a place completely flat and the clouds were gone with nothing but the empty blue sky. I kept spinning around in place while looking at the impossibly flat landscape. I stopped and calmed myself when I couldn’t find what spoke. But I knew something was there that I couldn’t see. I looked up and saw what I thought was the sun. But the light didn't burn my eyes when I trailed up to it and I looked directly at its source. I was astonished when I realized the bright light wasn't a sun, but just a light. No discernible center where all the light originates, and not even a shape because the light was so bright. It made the sky look just like the horizon from the other place I was just at. Only this time I was aware of what was happening rather than being an uncontrollable dream. “Do you know where you are? Or where you should be?” A male Omnipotent-like voice spoke to me. I somehow knew that this voice was coming from a creature that was far superior to me in every way. My skin was touched by an energy as its light beamed down on me, the light gifted me the feeling of trust. I nervously responded to its question. “I-I think I’m in a flat world. How do you know my alias?” I asked unsurely. “I know you. That’s how I know your alias. But you are wrong with the location. You and I are in your dream. I’ve decided to speak to you this way, so what I’m about to say doesn't seem as far-fetched.” the voice seemed to echo around me. “What do you mean?” I asked with a raise of my eyebrow. “Being inside your dream, means you would accept any reality I give you. If I appear as I do now in the real world, you would be scared... and you’d also be destroyed through the raw power my form gives off. But let’s dispense with the whole explanation as to how I’m here and get onto why we’re here.” the light explained to me. Its voice still came from all around me. I was beginning to become aware of all the events before coming to this place in my dream, and I gave him my attention. Although I kept the idea that his was just a dream in the back of my head. If it was just a dream then I’d better just continue along with it. “Now, I know you’d doubt my sincerity, but when you looked at your palm did you not feel a gun?” It questioned of me. “Uh yeah, I did. Wait, weren’t you going to say why you’re here?” I replied, this time I completely missed an obvious truth. “Yes, but first I need you to know the importance of what I have to say. And I will make it so these words will never escape your memory, until your mission is over. As you know, when in a dream you usually don’t remember feeling the objects you interact with as clearly as you do now. Not only that, but you wouldn’t still feel the influence of one that disappeared in your hand as well,” continued the Omnipotent being that added a pause after his sentence. I waited for him to continue, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to I said. “Ok?” “You’re not supposed to be here Blake.” the voice simply stated. “What do you mean?” I responded with curiosity and the crunching of my eyebrows to form a judging scowl. “And how do you know my name?” I asked. “You’re not supposed to be the way you are now. You’re supposed to create and destroy. To write and rewrite the history of worlds you’ve made. You’ve missed out on the most important footnote in your life. The experience was to change what you’ve wanted to do, and would have made a lasting impact on you, for the rest of your life. It was supposed to start in high school. But for some reason you missed it.” It explained. “…What was it?” I asked without much thought, completely forgetting my the previous reveal as to him knowing my name. “Something very important. And now I must send you to a world that doesn’t need you, but you will need that world. Your experience there, will correct what you’ve done wrong. And although it wasn’t your fault, it must be fixed by you and you alone. When you’re done and you’ve become the person you were supposed to, I will be back to collect you, and return you home.” he explained to me. “What do I have to do? Wait why was I not supposed to be the way I am now? Am I not supposed to be a game designer?” I asked the light. It chuckled warmly. “No you weren’t. You were supposed to create worlds, Blake.” “Isn’t that what I do now?” I asked. “Yes, but you don’t invent them. You don’t structure them as if they were your idea. You don’t do what you’re supposed to do.” he repeated to me. I crossed my arms. “Then what am I supposed to do?” I impatiently replied and gave him a scowl. “I will show you a world that will change you. Being who you are, accepting and conservative, you wouldn’t take an impulsive action that would ruin your reputation with the creatures I’m pairing you with.” He told me with a hint of mirth. “What do you mean? Do they have weird customs?” I questioned of him, while completely understanding the fact that the omnipotent being said ‘creatures.’ “Well, they are weird, to the average human mind.” He added with un-sureness. “So what are they?” I asked. “You’ll see.” he cryptically replied. Then the light became brighter. It was so bright, that the world around me disappeared from the light pollution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I opened my eyes groggily. I felt exhausted and tired, the same feeling you would get when you wake up and want to go back to sleep. I tried sleep on the hard ground but that proved fruitless and I tried to get up from my prone position to look around me. But I had no energy, and when I looked around I saw I was lying face-down on the grass in an unknown park. The hedges were high enough to block the view of an eight foot man. I saw that the corners of the small field had paths that led out in different directions. From what I could gather, I was in a hedge maze of some sort. I began to believe I was still in the dream. And just like how many other people try to continue sleeping, I began to doze off. I felt as if I was still in a dream like state. The world around me just didn't seem real enough to hold my interest. But the uncomfortable feeling of the hard ground made me realize I was probably not dreaming. I continued to try to move my head to scan more of the area. But as I moved, I realized my vision began to blur and I became even more exhausted. But when I stopped moving my head my eyes rested on a strange device in the grass. It was only a meter from me, and I could reach out and get it if I had the energy to crawl just a little closer. But the object was instantly recognizable as the Toolgun from my dream. “I heard something over here!” exclaimed a gruff seasoned voice. I tried to move my head again and look at the hedge path across the way where the voice came from. I was surprised to see two white horses, wearing golden armor and a spear, trot into the clearing at a brisk pace. They both spotted me at separate times and stared at me for a few moments. I began to suspect the horses were intelligent, from the fact they wore the armor and held the spears. I was surprised to see they had wings on their sides that held the spears by tucking them close to their bodies. I knew that this could be trouble so I tried to crawl toward the gun. I lifted my arm and tried to grab onto the grass. My head became dizzy, my vision began to swim, and a headache began to set in. I then brought my other arm out, and tried to push myself up. I was able to get a foot off the ground and lean forward enough to fall toward the Toolgun. But when I reached out to grab it, I blacked out.