by Daniel Annan
A rip in space appeared in front of me, bringing forth a powerful Arch Demon from the 7th level of hell. This spell took me down to about 80% mana, but I rolled into my next spell without pausing for a second. Keith stopped in mid-air for a second to charge power into a leap, blasting through the airspace as he launched towards my summoned creature.
For that matter, the abomination with wings, a maw full of misshapen fangs, a red pockmarked body with pronounced musculature and longsword length claws screeched and lunged for its hated enemy, one of the warriors of light. The two met in mid-air, the Demon’s talons raking against The Lightbringer’s shield. The Paladin brought his holy blade in an overhead sweep meant to cleave the demon in two, but the sword only met the air.
The monstrosity cleared the area of attack and looped around the Paladin to attack from behind. A clever, ingenuitive tactic by a well-designed AI, but such a method would never work on a seasoned player. Keith shifted to the side at the last minute, using his shield to bash the beast away, before striking it with holy lightning called from the heavens.
The demon shrieked, a horrible sound that made me want to remove my VR headset – akin to listening to Lil Pump and Young Thug – and wash my ears out. I could see it had lost more than 20% of its HP due to its weakness to light based attacks. Still, it recovered and resumed its hate filled assault on the Warrior of Light, swiping rapidly at his vital spots, giving him a hard time with it’s speed and ferocity. He parried all the attacks and even got in a few hits, but that did not matter to me, no.
Any summoner worth his salt knew that your summoned creatures were not there to fight your battles to conclusion. They were simply there to function as a tank by drawing aggro and giving you enough time to launch powerful spells with long cast times. Like right now.
Keith was so pre-occupied with the demon I summoned that he was largely unaware that I had spent the past 30 seconds casting one of my three most powerful spells – sending me to 3% mana immediately – which would turn the tide to my favor.
“Starstorm,” My character intoned in a deep and powerful voice.
Immediately, the heavens above the arena opened up, revealing a sky filled with beautiful, luminescent stars. It was almost as if I had parted the atmosphere, allowing us in the arena to gaze into space as if it were nighttime.
I could hear exclamations of surprise from players – after all, NPCs wouldn’t react to such a thing – but Keith did not bother to look up from his slaughter of my minion, feeling that whatever I summoned could not weather his defenses.
Oh how wrong he is.
Soon, the exclamations of surprise and wonder turned into worried chatter and ‘are you for real?’ as the stars being displayed intensified rapidly, as if someone were using a dial to increase their luminosity. Barely three seconds passed before the only sound I could hear in my headset was ‘holy shit!’ and ‘that’s not gonna hit us too, right? right?’ as the stars detached themselves from the ethereal mural and turned into hurtling masses of space debris coated in flame.
I heard a final and pain filled screech as Keith dispatched the arch demon – extravagantly no doubt – and turned to regard my incoming attack. I floated smugly, waiting to hear him beg or try to find a way to counter the attack. Some part of me hoped that he’d even try to buff his defense so I’d have the extra pleasure to see him wiped out like the bug he was. One thing was for sure, I never expected what came out of his mouth next.
“Well spank my ass and call me gay. You legit used one of your top 3 so early? Damn, I had no idea calling you a pussyboy hurt so much. Thanks for revealing that to me,” he stated calmly while squinting at the incoming meteor shower, “but I’m not sticking around to see how that feels, not in the VR suit. Fuck that. I forfeit.”
He just used his God’s Foot ability to leap into the stands, seating himself between Alan and Kathy – who were both still observing the starstorm – as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with what he just did. I only had time to shout one hate filled declaration before the fanfare played, crowning me the victor of the 10th tier.
“Dude, I’m soo gonna fucking get you back for this!”
He just snickered.
Chapter 2
Welcome to The Realm
“Delete my number after this man. I never want to see you again,” I muttered sullenly as I linked up with my group after the award ceremony was over. Alan, Kathy and the evil one were waiting for me outside, each of them smiling normally on the outside, but applying enough twist to the lips in the way only close friends could to make you know that they were smirking inside.
“Ah, if it isn’t the proud winner of the 10th tier, ‘Legendary Sage’ Jax!” Keith exclaimed with a bow, eliciting a round of snickers from passersby as well as my group. “Did I forget to add that it was by forfeit? What a heroic way to win the most competitive competition in the game. Through the mercy of your opponent.”
I was inches away from dueling him on the spot, but the arena grounds were a safe zone, meaning no PVP. Our one and only group ‘mother’ felt the need to interfere here. “Stop that Keith. What you did was low and very shameful. You know how much it means to Jax. I think you should apologize to him.”
He turned to look at me with a somber expression, clapping his hands behind his back. “Is it true? Is what she’s saying true?” He then leaned forward and sneered at me in the rudest way possible. “Did I hurt your feelings by having mercy on you, Soyboy?”
For my part, I did my best to ignore his jabs, but inside I was seething with murderous rage, counting the steps till we exit the PVP zone where I could thrash him royally. The very thought of it brought some intense relief. How I’d make him swallow those words and beg for mercy!
“Um, excuse me, are you Jax?”
The voice came from behind us, and I whirled to meet the one who would approach me in the open while my comrades kept walking on. It turned out to be a strange looking girl – and by strange I meant absolutely out of place.
While everyone in the game – even the high-tier and the pay to plays – had very RPG centric gear and outfits, some even wildly exotic in both pricing and display, she was on a whole other level. What stood before me, with a very slight stoop, was the physical manifestation of a nerdy gamer chick. She had a brown sweater that exposed her shoulders that was partially tucked in her thigh length booty shorts. Coupled with her thigh-high socks – no shoes – and round rimmed glasses, she hit the look off well.
What offset that however, was the human in the clothes. She had short auburn hair that was furled around her scalp in a mess, with piercing hazel eyes that unsettled me a bit. She had a cute heart shaped face which belied her obviously eye catching… assets. What was most unsettling however, was that she radiated an aura of… otherworldliness. Which was strange, seeing as I was viewing her through a game set in a fantasy world, but I couldn’t help the vibes I got off people.
“Uh, yeah, I’m Jax. You are?” I asked tepidly.
She just smiled – revealing a set of dimples – and reached out a hand. “You may call me Vena.” Her presentation reached maximum awkwardness as my hand clasped hers in what I thought was a handshake, but turned out to be an invitation to kiss her hand.
Does she think she’s some sort of Princess? Well, whatever.
I obliged her and straightened, looking around quickly to make sure no one saw that weird exchange. She however, looked like she couldn’t care for anyone except me right now.
“So, the number one player, huh? I find you interesting, Mortal,” She cooed softly, with dark sensuality. “I have a proposition for you. A deal you can’t refuse.”
I involuntarily took a step back. This girl turned from strange in a cute and weird kind of way, to a dangerous and predatory kind of way. I also had the obvious, but sneaking suspicion that I was the prey.
“Uh, which would be?” I asked warily, taking a few steps back to see if I could call my group for a quick evac.
She must’v
e read into my hesitation and plan of action, as she simply snapped her fingers once, doing something I never thought possible.
She paused an online game.
“There, now no one can disturb us.”
“Are you a dev? How did you do this?”
“A dev? Um, you could call me that for now, if you want. Now back to my proposition: I’m recruiting the best players from a variety games into a makeshift world which merges all the fundamentals of each game while keeping them separate. The goal is the same as any battle royale, ascend as quickly as possible and wage war on other continents to claim victory. Or to put it simply, the last man standing wins. The overall winner shall receive a God-tier gift from me… personally.”
I blinked in confusion. Was I being invited into a secret competition for elite players? Her proposition made me lose a certain amount of wariness I had for her. She was clearly a developer for some studio or a rich kid who had too much money to spend and was choosing to fund this little side project.
But merging elements of each game world? That would be a herculean task for any studio… without enough funding. How rich was this girl to be providing such funding, assuming she was the one? If she wasn’t, then who was? Questions started rattling off in my brain faster than I could pose them.
“Here are the rules. One, I am the game master. Two, you cannot log out until a victor is decided or you are eliminated totally by another player. Three, if you agree without further delay, you will be given three permanent boosts that last until you are crowned victor. So, what is your answer?”
If anything, I was even more confused than before. Cannot log out? It took me almost a year of sleepless nights to complete both sections of Ivory Online, much less the scope of what she was propositioning. Then again, I assumed that if I got tired and did log out, I’d just be eliminated. Oh well, at least there’s that.
The only reason why I haven’t entered into a flurry of questions was because she was looking at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. Yes, you guessed it, the gamer in me – which is 99.99% of my being with the remainder being a wealthy inventor – quailed at the chance of passing up this opportunity. This was clearly a once in a lifetime thing. And those three boosts! I would be a fool to let my indecision lose them and grant other contestants an edge over me.
Besides, it wasn’t like I’d be entering this competition straight away. There’d probably be a few days till it began, allowing me to prepare and cancel anything on my schedule.
Maybe I might use that new virtua-pod the Japanese invented which allowed one to stay immersed for a maximum of seven days. If everyone else used one too, it meant the competition would last a week at best with Vena’s rules.
If I couldn’t dominate something like that, then I’d never call myself the Master Hand ever again. I might ask Rama to take care of my body – and property – while I was immersed too. I could ask Keith and I knew he’d make sure I was alive and well, but I wasn’t willing to tempt the devil. Anything could happen from that arrangement and none of them good.
So, Virtua-pod and Rama. With that in mind, my answer was simple.
“Where do I sign?”
She smiled and placed a hand on my chest, a gesture I found to be very… suggestive. She spoke in a smug tone, as if I’d told her she’d won a million bucks. “Your words are enough for me. Enjoy your gifts and use them wisely. You’ll need them where you’re going.” Without giving me a chance to reply to her advice, I felt a strange light envelop my body and pull me away from the game.
For some reason, I realized I could no longer speak. Though it might have something to do with the fact that my corporeal body – in the game – was… disintegrating rapidly. The last thing I managed to do before being swept away was to look up and see the smarmy grin plastered over her face.
God I’m so stupid…
◆◆◆
“Master. Master, please wake,” a small and high pitched voice whispered into my ear. I shook it away and turned over, mumbling incoherently.
“You have to wake. It’s important, Master!!” came the voice again, but with a little more huff. Righteously, I ignored the one who would selfishly try to part me from my bed for their own purposes, lying to me that it was actually for my own good.
“*sigh*… maybe you’ll forgive me for this later…”
Hm? Forgive them for wha-
“Yeaooowww!!!” I howled as I launched from the bed straight onto the floor with a loud thud. One of my best faceplants too. If I knew Keith – and I did know him - this one was going into the photobook. I pushed myself up groggily, moaning like a lost soul, searching around for the perpetrator of my pain. What I saw more than surprised me.
It’s a… a pixie? A small – no tiny – pixie, barely the size of my middle finger with glowing brown hair and a fae-sized brown toga, hovered around my face with a mixture of worry and anger on her face. After checking me up and down to see there are no problems, she started talking. Naturally, I was too awestruck to do anything but listen.
“You’re so stubborn, Master! I tried waking you up gently but you told me to go away! Frankly, you hurt my feelings! So I bit you… very hard. I’m sorry, Master, I didn’t mean to hurt you… it’s just, your words were very hurtful and it was urgent… will you forgive me?”
Her tirade snapped me out of my temporary spell of confusion, primarily because she spoke faster than a bullet and she was so damn adorable. I reached out and gently palmed her. She idly sat in my palm while looking at me with confusion. Out of pure curiosity as to what would happen, I used my index finger to tickle her tiny abdomen.
The results were more than satisfactory.
“Hahaha! Stop that, Master! Haha… ohhh, stop that! It’s ticklessss!!” She exclaimed while laughing and trying to escape my assault.
I lost myself in playing around with my new bite sized companion that my human sized one went unnoticed for a few seconds… which she definitely did not appreciate. I discovered that when a small fireball blazed past my head, striking the wall beside my face. The sheer heat from the blast made me break out in a sweat instantly.
“Good to see that I now have your undivided attention, my Lord,” spoke the well-mannered voice of my assailant. Part of me knew that I’d meet her, since the pixie familiar was an integral part of the Ivory Online RPG mode and here she was, in the palm of my hand.
That stood to reason that the other companion from the RTS side had to be present as well. Knowing that I’d meet her and seeing her in the game did not prepare me for the real thing. Let’s be honest, MMO companies leaned towards creating attractive advisors who ended up getting rule 34’d to heaven and back and there was no exception for the advisor in Ivory Online. The only problem was that the devs went a little bit extra in creating her, making her not exactly inhuman, but one of the most beloved cross species in Anime culture.
A bunny girl.
A real bunny girl is before me. Upon sighting her, I felt something burst in me. It must’ve been my frustration or eternal curiosity to see what one of these beloved semi-humans would look like in the flesh.
The answer was yes.
With pure white hair flowing down to her hips – which were sufficiently wide – and a small, round face emphasizing cute cheeks meant for pinching as well as a white body-fitting robe that looked more of a second skin than a dress. What really rounded her off and sold her appeal to me – and fans of Ivory Online – was her bright green eyes which radiated life and vitality.
“M-My lord? Why are you staring like that…?” She asked worriedly, noticing my intense appraisal of her. “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Oh nothing’s wrong with you. I was just taking in the sight of my assistant… I assume?”
“Yes, that is correct. I’m pleased to inform you that your Lordship has been given hold over this recently conquered land from the former Ekreain Dynasty by Her Majesty Queen Erea. As your appointed advisor, I, Usagi Mira of the Usagi clan will guide
you in your duties, keeping you within the maxims of Her Majesty’s directives.”
Lines straight out of the game. So that meant I’d be going through the tutorial? Boring. Then again, since this wasn’t a hundred percent Ivory Online – despite the clear copy and paste – it might do me good to get a refresher. Who knew, there might even be some boon to help kick start my early progression.
“That sounds grand, Mira. Could you please take me through the basics of Lordship?” I asked while idly stroking my pixie familiar, who was happily purring in delight at the pampering. Mira nodded respectfully and beckoned me to follow her. As we walked through the halls of what I assumed to be the Town Hall – which must’ve been prepared for me by the devs – I noticed how… modern it looks.
Where normally, Town halls were made of stone, this building was made of concrete. Similarly, unlike the typical fare we got – like in the actual game – the walls were all painted in a myriad of colors in each room. Along the hallways had a table with a covering cloth coupled with a vase of flowers at each pillar. The floor was fully carpeted, meaning anyone could walk around barefoot. Amen to that. I wasn’t gonna wear shoes while I was inside my own crib.
As I took in the unique design of my base of operations, Mira came to a halt, gripping my shoulder as I almost waltzed by her. Grinning toothily as she shook her head, she directed me to an altar set in a small indentation in the second hallway away from my room.
“Please place your hand on the altar, My Lord,” she instructed me.
I complied with her request, curious as to what was supposed to be achieved here. I wasn’t and don’t plan on being too religious, but if it’s formality’s sake, then I’d put up with it.
“By the Power of Gaia, Goddess of the Earth, I hereby bind you to the will of your Liege, that unto death, you shall uphold her will.” Mira intoned in the voice of a priest.
I lost track of what she was saying as a pop-up appeared in my view.