The game changed fully, for four of them, once, the voice said "All players ready, entering the year 1023*." Catra called out to her four friends.
"I think a fuse blew or something, Angie! Could you come here a minute? Wait... Hahahaha! Take a look at yourself, KC... Heehee, nice fancy shmancy silver bow, Artemis! Cute outfit too!"
In the middle of some woods on a path, with the smell of spring, birds in the air, surrounded by trees, stood the four. Angie made a face. "Kit Kat, we use our characters names now... And what do you mean, you think a fuse blew? The game is apparently still on. Describe what's going on out there?"
Catra's "Kit Kat" feline huntress didn't look like Catra. Unlike the other four. They would see each other as themselves dressed as their character, Zara was tall, still towering over the others (to whatever extent she did), dressed in royal robes (designed how you like) and a multi-jeweled crown (pattern?), KC had literally become the Greek virgin goddess of the hunt, bow, abilities and all, her quiver on her back, yet still recognizable to the others as KC. Angie seemed in dress to be a mage or wizard of some kind, holding a wooden carved wand. Polly was dressed in a fine gown that resembled a princess, except for the leather armour upon her, boots like a knight on a quest, and a sword in a sheath on her hip. She even wore a gold tiara, round about her head with a jewel of sapphire in the middle of the band in the center of her head. Her blonde locks were done in double royal buns, making "Callista" resembling a blonde Leia.
Catra answered Angie, or rather her avatar, the feline huntress with them on the quest did. "That's just it. The room looks to be running on generator power, everything's dimly lit, except this game."
Angie frowned. "Okay. I'll be right there..." She made the move like she was removing the virtual gear, but she didn't disappear from in front of them. In fact, they all would learn they were stuck.
A woman in a Robin Hood outfit, with the same voice as recognized that asked their names, seemed to materialize right in front of them. "Tut, tut, mage Angela, you can't just quit the quest before you start. That's not fair to the others." She bowed to the others. "Robin of Locksley at your service, I see you have chosen your names better than I and my sorority sisters. I was the only survivor, and am currently the captive of the despot king, Callista's father, actually. Now, whether my sisters are really dead... I cannot tell you for sure. All I can, is this is something along the lines of Sword Art Online, but with a true medieval Dungeons and Dragons feel, and in order to get out... You guys gotta rescue me. Along the trail is supposed to be clues as to how to get to the castle. And no, mage, you just can't zap them to me, unless you want to be the first one dead. One of my sorority sisters was a mage and did that. Got us halfway to the castle, but she went up in flames immediately. Fair warning. I've said all I am allowed. Hope to see more than just the goddess Artemis at my dungeon cell, later." With that she was gone and the quest was to begin.
"My character's dad and I'm a warrior princess?" Polly groaned capping her ears and feeling her hair buns. "Crap. I am a Leia and we gotta fight Darth Vader... I'm so either kidnapped myself or dead! Yeah, I'm wanting out.." The same thing happened to Polly. She stayed. "Oh... Shit." She mumbled in realization.
Catra's avatar spoke up. "Now I'm glad I didn't put those crazy glasses on. Especially since we could have played it out here in the real world. I don't know how many paces ahead we can go, let me scout." She bounded ahead much like a running, leaping cheetah to the fork and back. "I can't look left, but right seems to lead us to a village. I can't move towards the sign, unless we're together, apparently." She explained upon returning.
* Year is taken from Rudolph's Shiny New Year when supposedly all fairy tales were real, and really happened. This should be the clue that Robin's friends are also trapped. As fairy tale characters they'll meet along the way.