“Don’t mind?” Schnoogles asked, again removing his finger from his nostril. “We love freaking watching walls. The paint drying on a wall is particular favorite of mine.”
“The paint drying on the underside of bridges too,” added Mitchell, who was busy scratching his ass. “But walls are fine, painted or otherwise.” He burped. “Sorry. Anyway, as long as we have a comfortable place to stay…”
“It will be incredibly comfortable,” Miles assured them, not at all fazed by the trollish behavior. “And aside from the basic structure, which is for aesthetics, you will be able to design it in any way you’d like.”
The royal blue banner appeared before me and I accepted the changes. As had happened with the cabins, the small cottage sprouted from the ground and the wall formed.
“Now, there are still things to be done,” Miles said as the trolls ran over to their new cottage. “For one, you need a mining operation. And since you have a pond, I suggest adding a dock so that your mythcrea can fish if they so wish. And swim. A diving board would be fun. I used to love going to my family’s summer house on holiday where we had a diving board. What a time!”
“A dock will be fine. And tell me more about the mining operation,” I said as we stopped in front of one of Aya’s jungle gyms.
“I’d suggest you add a small mining operation past the meadow, as a way to constantly increase your funds. A basic mining set up isn’t cheap, but it does find gemstones to sell, sell them for you, and then add the profits to your bank account.”
“What’s our bill so far?” I asked, and as I did, the architect’s thin smile turned into a frown.
“As I said previously, we will bill you at the end.”
Iris placed her hands on her hips. “You will at least give us an estimate now, in writing. This ‘bill you at the end’ model may work on other Alphas…”
He chuckled. “You are right, it has worked in the past. Right, let’s see what you’ve spent so far.”
An itemized list formed in the air:
“You are currently 46,000 Proxima dollars over the amount allotted to you by your gift card, an amount which, as you can see, includes the mining operation,” he said. “If you prefer being billed later, we will add a six percent tax on whatever the final balance is.”
“I need to discuss this with my counterpart.”
“By all means,” he said with a tight grin.
I stepped over to Iris and gave her a ‘should we do it?’ shrug.
“We’ll be able to recoup that money fairly easy,” she said.
“Yeah, but I was hoping to exchange some PD for USD, so we could get more gear.”
“Again, we’ll be able to take care of it. Do some brawls tomorrow, do some hunting, some fusing, sell what we have. Okay, maybe just one brawl because we won’t make much money that way. Catch and sell though…”
“And tournaments.”
“We can look for a tournament too. And we can explore some of EverLife.”
“Let’s hold off on the mine, for now,” I told her after I crunched the numbers again. “That will give us something to work with.”
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I glanced at my dashboard bank account.
Proxima Dollars: $16,750
Spent: $54,500
Loan: 0
At least I didn't have to take a mortgage out, nor were we back down to pocket change. Going without the mine, for now, was the way forward, and it gave us some money to work with. Over sixteen thousand Proxima Dollars wasn't too bad at all, especially considering how broke I’d been just a week ago.
A little disgruntled that he wasn’t able to sell us more, Miles Kilometer bid us farewell, reminded us to give his firm a call next time we needed architectural innovation, and with that, he disappeared.
I took a look at our upgraded Dojo.
And hell, the wall running along the northern entrance wasn't too ostentatious. It was nice seeing the Huntresses’ cabins too, as they had been bugging me about them since we first met.
Damn, was I glad that Iris had given me the Monster Hunt code.
“What are you thinking about?” Iris asked.
“Life in general.”
“Ha, don’t get too contemplative,” she said with a yawn, a bolt of lightning reflecting off her glasses. “I think I'm going to head back and get to bed. Are you staying? You look like you want to stay and explore.”
“How can I look like I want to stay and explore?”
“Just a hunch.”
“Well, I was thinking about it…”
“Go ahead and stay. I mean, why not? This place is interesting, and I can't wait to explore it. But I have class...”
“We need to do some more hunting, and some fusing,” I reminded her. “But that's tomorrow, and the music store is tomorrow as well.”
“Okay, see you when I see you,” Iris said as her form pixelated out of existence.
Naturally, I turned to Lady C.’s cabin.
The Metican warrior opened the door before I could knock, already in her pajamas. Her hair was still braided at the side, and as she let me in, she started taking the braid out.
“I was hoping you would come,” she said as I took a look around the place.
Lady C.’s cabin already felt cozy, mainly because of the fact that she had a couple of candles going on the windowsill and she'd already furnished the place with a nice sofa that sat in front of a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, which wrapped around the right-hand side of the room.
It was two rooms actually, but the living room was where she had all her books.
The bedroom was feminine, frilly, and her linens were lightly colored, matching perfectly with her pearl dresser and nightstand. She also had a white four-poster bed, and cream-colored drapes covering the window that looked out to the meadow.
“I like what you've done with the place,” I told her.
“I'm still working on it,” she said as she entered the bedroom.
Her pajamas faded away; she now wore a lacy purple chemise that barely stretched past her ass. Covering her lady parts, or better, barely covering her lady parts, was a black thong, which matched her knee-high socks.
“Wow…” I started to say something else but couldn’t find the words.
“What?” she asked me as she walked past, lightly flicking her fingers against my arm. “Get comfortable. Aren't we going to sleep?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, as I took off my shirt.
The lighting in the room began to dim, the room and its lighting simply tied to Lady C.’s wishes.
As it dimmed, a new flame flickered into existence in the corner.
I hadn’t noticed the wood-burning stove in the corner, but as I crawled into bed, I appreciated the ambience of the fire.
“I’m so excited to have you all to myself,” Lady C. said as she moved closer to me.
“It’s definitely exciting.” I placed my hand around her waist.
She pressed her body into mine, and I was just about to kiss her when the room lit up with flashes of light.
Lady C. was out of bed in a matter of seconds, her sheathed swords appearing miraculously at her sides, even though she was still in her sleepwear.
She drew one of her blades, and it instantly sparked with fire.
I quickly slipped into my pants and put my shirt on.
By the time I reached her in the living room, the Metican warrior was decked out in her battle gear, crouched near the door, peeking out the windows.
“False alarm,” she said, the flame on her sword going out as she sheathed it. Lady C. stepped out of the cabin, nodding at me to follow her.
My eyes fell upon a procession of lightning horses in our Dojo’s field.
The men riding the horses wore elaborate white armor accented with yellow. Their heads were shaved, many of the riders had darker skin, and a few had white lightning tattoos that spread from the corners of their eyes to the skin over their ears.
“Good evening, Chas
e Knowles,” the man on the lead lightning horse began. “And welcome to Kingdom Lume. We have brought a procession of our strongest Lume warriors for you to admire so that you may feel welcome in this Kingdom.”
“You should have come in the morning,” Aya said, sheathing her buster sword on her back.
The man continued, “Taxes will now be levied, an upfront fee of 6,000 Proxima dollars for joining the kingdom. From that point going forward you will receive messages regarding when the next rounds of taxes are due. I am assuming you have not yet traveled to many of the other kingdoms, and when you do, you will see that these taxes help keep our kingdom safe, beautiful, and well-managed.”
“Got it,” I told him.
I never liked these types of introductions, and I would have rather read it than had to sit through it, especially when Lady C. and I were about to get down to business.
“There are other kingdoms, most notably the Kingdom Mortem, that do not collect taxes, and they do not have roads, nor do they have people guarding those roads, nor do they have public services, or a thriving Center Dojo. Each of the twelve kingdoms of EverLife has their own ideas of governance, that vary as much as their climates. Since we are in the southeast corner on raised hills and mountains overlooking the center of the great world, our lives here are very different from, say, someone who lives in Kingdom Ignis, or someone who lives in Kingdom Algo.”
“Good to know,” I told him, hoping he’d wrap it up soon.
“Yes, it is good to know! And it is also good to know that the taxes you pay also allow for you to have lightning fast travel around the twelve kingdoms. You see, Chase Knowles, as soon as we leave here, you will be granted seven lightning horses, the fastest way to get around Kingdom Lume and the rest of EverLife. To call your horses, simply whistle, and they will appear in the sky. Don't touch them too soon, or you risk being burned. Give them five seconds or so to cool off.”
Some of the Lume warriors behind him chuckled.
“Yes, they know all too well what it's like to get burnt by a lightning horse! Should you have any questions, or want to visit the great libraries of the Center Dojo or the armories, or the wineries, as Kingdom Lume is known for its great wine, simply call on one of your lightning steeds! Now, our greetings here are finished. Godspeed, and enjoy EverLife to its fullest extent.”
He gave the other warriors a signal and their horses leapt into the air, catapulted upwards by lightning.
“Well, that was interesting,” I said as I noticed that my bank account was now six thousand Proxima dollars lighter.
“Yes, it was,” said Lady C. as she looped her arm through mine. “Now let’s go back to bed.”
Aya started to laugh, but she didn't say anything as Lady C. dragged me toward her cabin.
Chapter Three: The Battle for Retail Supremacy
I awoke a couple of hours later, Lady C.’s warm body next to me. She was just in her panties now, and as I turned, she tucked her head under my chin.
My hands around her waist, I could hardly believe that this wasn't real. I'd never had sex in a Proxima world before, and there really was no way for me to tell the difference between sex here and sex in the real world, aside from the fact that my viewing pane was filled with a bunch of information.
But then again, my pane of vision in the real world was also filled with a bunch of information because of GoogleFace, from its alerts to messaging, to other social media apps that were constantly running.
So there were definitely similarities.
I could see now why someone would stay permalogged into the Proxima world, not just because of the sex part, but because as long as your real-world body was being taken care of, possibly in one of the many dive locations for long-term gamers, anything and everything was possible here.
Anything.
My bank account flashed, reminded me again that the fearless Lume tax warriors had taken their cut.
Proxima Dollars: $10,750
Spent: $60,500
Loan: 0
Fuckers.
I slowly pushed away from Lady C., and stepped out of the bed. Over to the window I went, where I peeked out between the drapes to see the meadow beyond.
It was early morning in EverLife, and the meadow blinked with fireflies. I had the urge to explore, so I slipped into my pants and quietly tiptoed out of the room.
Once I was outside her cabin, I turned to the meadow, and saw Joe Camel looking over at me. He had been absent earlier, when Miles was here, which meant he didn’t get hooked up with anything, aside from the chirping birds now fluttering in the breeze above the meadow, a few swooping down for insects.
I noticed their unique calls and squawks as I approached the allocamelus. As I moved closer to him, the funny song I’d written about him came to me, accompanied by a bass line.
Allocamelus, you have an ass for a face, an ass for a face, and a camel for an ass …
I stopped before him, humming the song, and as I did, he dropped his head down so I could climb on his back.
Joe never spoke to me, not like Rose could; he simply turned north, toward the meadow and the rocky terrain beyond. As we rode, I grew more used to the feeling of sitting atop a camel. I noticed a few bunnies hopping in the distance, their fur reflecting the streaks in the sky above. I heard the bubbling brook that Miles had mentioned, which connected to the Lume River.
There was no moon in EverLife, only sun, which was currently covered by a dark cloud, the rest of the sky accented by blips of lightning and the Proxima Galaxy’s colorful streaks, caused by electrical phenomenon.
It was gorgeous.
I imagined living somewhere with the Northern Lights would be like this, something otherworldly, something that felt like it should always remain a secret, an ethereal destination.
We continue through the meadow, and we came across a small cluster of trees.
I was startled when an owl swooped down from the tree closest to us, caught a rodent, and flapped its big wings as it returned to its perch.
We continued up the path, and from there, onto a narrow lane that circled around a rocky hill. Once we reach the top of the hill, I got off Joe Camel and sat on the hill, facing the Dojo. I could see the Steeple of Litur and Industria in the distance, its top changing from violet to red, which I noticed matched the color of the sun that had come out from behind a cloud.
I would log out soon, but for now, I just wanted to enjoy the view.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
It was just after six in the morning.
Iris was passed out next to me, and once I put my glasses on, I sat up and moved off her futon as quietly as I could, placing Thad’s NV Visor in my place.
Iris turned in my direction, her eyes blinked open once, and then she was back asleep instantly.
I had this weird sensation that New York City was the dream and that EverLife was reality. This thought lasted only for a few seconds, but it made me think deeply about what all this meant.
Some people spent their entire lives in the Proxima Galaxy, totally abandoning the real world.
I even had the thought that maybe I should try out an instrument there, and see if the instrument felt the same as it felt here.
I doubted it would, but everything else felt the same there, including sex, so who was to say that playing music wouldn't?
So I added ‘test out an instrument in EverLife’ to my to-do list.
The urge to surprise Iris came over me, so I quickly placed an order over EBAYmazon. Aside from a do-it-yourself breakfast, I also ordered two cappuccinos, but I had them scheduled to come twenty minutes later to give me time to cook.
I didn’t have to wait long to get the alert that the breakfast kit had arrived. As quietly as possible, I went outside to get it and returned, cracking my fingers in front of me as I began.
The directions were pretty much self-explanatory, and in the end, I ended up with vegan eggs, New Orleans hash browns, and sautéed green beans.
Of course, th
e smell had already woken Iris, who sat on the futon watching as I cooked.
“That's really cute, you know,” she finally told me as I placed her plate on the table.
Exactly as I had timed it, I got a notification that there was another EBAYmazon package outside, and I went to our stoop to find the two cappuccinos, delivered by drone.
I brought the cappuccinos in just as Iris was taking her seat.
“And a cappuccino?”
“That’s right.”
Iris raised an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like you've done something bad?”
In actuality, that was the furthest thing from my mind, but now that she mentioned it, I realized that it did actually look like that, especially after what Lady C. and I had gotten into last night. And what we would probably get into tonight. Because why would I ever not be doing that with such a beautiful and amazing woman?
Instead of answering, I just took a sip from my cappuccino.
“Well?”
“I just wanted to do something nice.”
“Oh,” she said, her cheeks reddening. “In that case, that’s very sweet of you.”
We ate for a moment, then to break the silence I brought up the music store that we’d be going to later.
“I love going to music stores,” Iris said. “Most things you can just order and have delivered to your door directly. I guess that's why they started charging to enter music stores, because a lot of people just go in to play the instruments, and then go home and order them.”
“Yep,” I said as I shoveled some eggs into my mouth. “But I'm planning to buy today, supporting local businesses.” I swallowed, and apologized for talking with my mouth full.
Iris laughed. “No need to apologize, you seem excited.”
“I am excited, and I'm ready to do some hunting and some brawling. And EverLife. I have to tell you what happened last night. I was just chilling with the Huntresses when freaking horses made of lightning came down from the sky and we were greeted by administrators of Kingdom Lume, who levied a tax on our Dojo, and told us we now have lightning horses that we can ride. So we should do that. We should really hit EverLife hard tonight, and see what's going on.”
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