Eternal Riders Ascension had been all the rage for the last few months, with the media plastering references to it in just about every nook and cranny they could find.  Websites spammed its advertising non-stop, and more than a few people were talking about it.  Yet images of the game itself were fleeting, with its production and contents highly secretive, to the point that no footage could be found of any of the beta testers actually testing the game.  No leaks, no nothing, just a bunch of hoaxes.  So it was certainly a mysterious thing, particularly as the anticipation for the announced date of July 14th, 2030, had been a long time coming.<br/><br/>And now, it was here!  A lucky 2000 players had been given special invites via their emails to come and be the first to play this supposedly amazing new game.  Sure, other mmos had virtual reality built in, but ERA promised to be a full body experience.  As such, it had rented the Los Angeles Parlor Convention Center and filled it chock full of the brand new 'Full Body Pods' for its players to lie down in, relax, and enjoy as their minds were fully uploaded into the virtual experience of its world.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>As each player would open their eyes, they would find themselves engulfed in the full glory of a fantasy world, with each player spawning in one large central, circular plaza where 2000 avatars now stood.  Each of them was dressed in a basic classless outfit, a plain cotton shirt of a random color, with a bit of leather lining over their stomachs to offer some realistic protection.  While the boys had thick woolen pants, the girls would find themselves in short skirts, several inches above their knees, and a clear intention to what the rest of the game was likely to be.  Either way, several players attempted to leave the plaza via the front gate, and some others through exits that would lead them into the city, but they found invisible walls held them in place.<br/><br/>"Hm... maybe we have to wait for everyone to load?" one random person suggested.<br/><br/>"Must be a scripted intro or something..." another said.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">For her part, Kimitsu folded her arms and sighed, the golden furred fox girl shaking her head.  "Great... there's gonna be sooo much competition for the early game mobs... crap."  Little did she pick out several other certain people from around her in the crowd.</span>