0.1

“Noun: Mycology

/mʌɪˈkɒlədʒi/

The scientific study of fungi. A boring, not plant that doesn't do anything interesting unless you get really into it.”

“Have you heard about that new game?” Matt asked, feigning nonchalance.

My eyes unconsciously shifted towards him as he asked the question, but that was enough. In a rapid set of hand motions, Matt’s character did a sweeping leg kick and knocked my character down, before unleashing a barrage of fists.

“Fuck!” my attention quickly jumped back. Five hit combo and still rising, I started randomly hitting buttons and moving my joystick, but it was no use. He had me in an iron grip. The screen flashed ‘Game Over!’ just as Matt reached a twenty-eight combo.

Matt smugly turned towards me, “Alright, where’s my drink?”

I sighed, already pulling out my wallet, “What do you want?”

“Lemon-lime bitter,” he replied, rising from his own arcade seat.

The side of my eyes twitched, he couldn’t have picked a coke or something? The cans for those are freaking tiny and they cost more!

I sighed again, a bet was a bet. I might as well get myself something to drink as well.

“So have you heard about that new game?” Matt asked.

“Ah yes,” I replied in a dry tone, “I completely understand which game you’re talking about without you ever mentioning the name.”

He snorted, “Don’t be salty, anyways the game I was talking about is Eternal World Online.

“Eternal world online? Is that an MMO or something?” Those tended to have ‘online’ pasted at the end of their names after all.

“Yeah but-”

“Not interested,” I interrupted. “Grind curve is too annoying.”

He lightly kicked me in the leg. “But, this one’s supposed to be a V.R. game.”

I paused, “Like goggles on your face V.R. or virtual reality V.R?”

“Virtual Reality.” He replied, “This one’s supposed to be the first true vrmmo! The trailer came out in the morning.”

“Another one?”

He kicked me in the leg again, “What do you mean another one?”

I snorted, “You said the exact same things last month, and a month before that about Steampunk Online.”

“I swear, this one is going to be different!”

I rolled my eyes as we reached the vending machines, “So, what’s the deal with Eternal World then?” I asked as I offered him his can.

He took it and answered, “Dude, its gonna reshape gaming as we know it, and when that happens I’m going to be riding the wave of history without you.” he swiped his hands in front of him a few times, “Here, I sent you the trailer.”

I heard a ding as a mailbox at the side of my vision gained a red ‘1’ and non-discreetly rolled my eyes in front of him, “You have said that with literally every vrmmo that came out in the last decade.”

“Nah,” he denied, “This one's different, they’re going to be using quantum computers for the servers.”

I raised an eyebrow. That could work… It would certainly get over the server limit problem. Everyone and their hamster knew how much processing power was needed just to have a single person experience a virtual world in any realistic way. But I couldn’t concede now and deal with Matt's smug face for a week. “A good computer does not a good game make,” I replied sagely.

He lightly jabbed me in the side, I responded by quickly throwing out an arm to try to headlock him. He got away before I could get a good grip on him, slippery fucker.

Matt’s own can popped open. “Where to next?” he casually asked as if he didn’t just deck me in the gut.

I popped open my own coke, “Hmm… the retro racing section now?-” I heard an alarm go off at the back of my head. A message popped up in front of me.

Saturday 8:00 pm alarm. You have tutor tomorrow idiot.

I sighed, “I’ll have to go soon, I have tutor in the morning tomorrow.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “Come on Declan, one more game.”

I made a show of rolling my own eyes, “That’s what you always say before an all-nighter.”

“Then don’t lose all the time.” He smirked, but quickly changed his approach when he saw my unamused expression. “Come on Declan, think about it, when you’re old and looking back on life, do you think you would’ve been happy going home early to sleep for some stupid tutor or do you think you would be happier having another game with your friends?”

I rolled my eyes again, “Yes and-”

“When you're lying on your deathbed and you have the flashbacks of your entire life, would you really not regret playing a game with your best friend one last time?”

“This isn’t the last time I could play with you-”

“What if tonight the love of your life is just out there waiting to bump into you, do you really want to play with fate Declan?”

“I really have to go to that tutor tomorrow.”

“You think when you’re older and you’ve got a job you would be happy to go to some stupid tutor to get some dumb degree?”

“Yes,” I stressed, “That degree is probably how I got that job.”

“These are our glory years Declan, do you really want to sit and watch them go by?”

If I could roll my eyes any harder than now I would’ve seen my brain. Matt was really trying to force it.

“Declan.”

“Yes, what?”

“If you play one more game-”

“I’m not playing another fucking game Matt,” I interrupted.

“-I will buy you a drink.”

I glanced at the opened can of coke in my hand. Then I looked back at him.

“Alright sure,” I agreed.

I took a sip out of my lemon-lime bitter as I checked my messages. One from my parents; ‘When r u coming home?’ I quickly typed up a reply saying that I was already on a bus.

It was pretty late now, Matt and I ended up playing another hour together, retro-style arcade games were more fun than I thought they would be.

That reminds me, what was the game Matt wanted me to check out?

Hmm, I swiped open my messages and checked the preview he sent me. Ah, Eternal World Online, I did a brief search online. The screenshots looked pretty nice, I guess I’ll put it on my wishlist-

It happened too quickly. There was the sound of metal crunching and the bus suddenly stopped. Momentum violently rocked me forward then threw me back, my head crashed into something and before I knew it I was lying on the aisle in between the seats.

There was a dull pain on my nose, was it broken? I opened my eyes, blurry; I must’ve teared up on reflex. Red warning signs were filling my vision. Vitals. I thought, and my vision was temporarily filled with dozens of graphs, before quickly being replaced by a summary.

No damage to vital organs.

Pulse: Rapid, Assistant recommends taking deep breaths to calm down.

Pain experienced shows you have suffered a:

Broken nose.

Left upper arm bruising.

Minor damage suffered in:

Left lower arm.

Upper right arm.

Lower right arm.

Left thigh.

Head.

Lower torso.

…

...

An ambulance has been notified.

Do you wish for the somatic implant to limit pain signals?

“Yess.” I hissed out.

Pain signals lowered.

Please wait for a licensed professional to assist you.

Fuck that. I groaned, rolling onto my back, taking the pressure off my left arm. Leaning on a chair with my good arm, I lifted myself up. I let out a sigh of relief as my implant slightly numbed the pain.

Something was weird here, the bus crashed into something, and car accidents were supposed to be one of those things humanity left behind in the 21st century. This was no accident because accidents don’t fucking exist anymore, I sure as hell wasn’t just going to lie here to find out what-

I heard a clear ding. My augmented reality interface started acting on its own, opening one of my apps.

I got a message.