Tobias removed his VR headset and grabbed the white terrycloth towel from the stack next to the gaming console. He wiped the sweat from his face, then ran the towel over his hair and down the back of his neck. He tossed the towel into the hamper in the corner, then grabbed an antibacterial wipe and wiped down his VR headset. He placed the headset in its cubbyhole next to the gaming system computer, then did the same with the high-tech gauntlets, making sure his equipment was properly cleaned and stored. The sensor vest came off last and was hung on a peg on the wall. He still marveled at how lightweight it was, considering that it not only had dozens of sensors, but also a battery pack that allowed for twelve hours of nonstop gaming. Plus, the communications modules that interfaced with the VR headset, gauntlets, and the gaming system.

The Epic Blade Gaming System—at least the one he played with—was the pinnacle of VR gaming. It tracked his every move and translated it into the game. It was as close to actually being in a game as anyone had ever gotten.

In addition to the equipment he wore while playing and the high-end gaming computer, the system also had sensor bars on the floor, ceiling, and midwall all the way around the multidirectional treadmill he played on.

The treadmill was an engineering marvel. It allowed him to move in any direction in the virtual world as fast or as slow as he wanted to without ever moving more than a couple feet in the real world. He could literally run at a full sprint, dodging left and right to avoid objects, and never move from the center of the room. Well, except for that time one of the sensors malfunctioned, and he ran off the treadmill straight into the wall.

It was a technology that the US Olympic Committee, NFL, and NBA were all trying to license, and that was the primary reason that the gaming system cost as much as a new Corvette.

The great part about Epic Blade was that it was also accessible to those that couldn’t afford the high-end system—he had won his system at a gaming tournament. All of his friends played with a standard gaming console, VR goggles, and game controller. They got considerably less exercise while playing than he did. After several hours of playing, he was famished. Which is why they always met down the street at Maria’s Café after a gaming session.

Tobias quickly changed shoes, grabbed a baseball cap and wind breaker—both with Epic Blade logos—and headed out the door. Once in the hallway of the apartment he shared with a cousin, he turned and locked the door to his gaming room.

According to the NDA (nondisclosure agreement) he had signed after winning the system, he was required to keep the system locked up when he wasn’t using it. Further, no one else was allowed to play it. They claimed it was critical for data collection purposes—he was also required to submit monthly reports. Given the value of the system, he didn’t mind, even if it seemed a little weird.

His cousin wasn’t into games, so it wasn’t a big deal. His friends were another story, but they understood. Big corporations liked to protect their intellectual property, and the gaming community was known to have more than a few hackers.

It only took him a few minutes to reach the diner, but everyone else was already there. Kateryna waved to get his attention, but he had seen her purple hair before he even opened the door. Besides, they always sat in the same corner booth.

Kateryna was the newest member of their friend—and gaming—group. She had immigrated to the United States in high school, but they hadn’t started hanging out until after graduation three years ago. She was much more outgoing than most of them and had effectively wormed her way into their group when she started working at the coffee shop the rest of them frequented. Tobias was glad she had because she made things much more fun and exciting.

Tasha and Kateryna scooted in to make room for him as he approached the booth. Matthew and Garrett sat across the table. They had already ordered him a soda—Garrett had to buy since he was the first one killed in the final battle. Tobias drank most of it in one long drink, still parched from their gaming session. He knew he should have been rehydrating with water, but he wasn’t going to let the Wizard—and his childhood best friend—off the hook.

Tobias had bought more than his share of drinks after a gaming session. They all had, in fact, except for Tasha. He couldn’t recall her ever having to buy a round of drinks.

“So, how did you slay the Demon Lord?” Garrett asked. “They said you used super speed, but that isn’t a thing as far as I know.”

“I actually did use super speed,” Tobias said with a smile. “Sort of.”

“Do tell,” Garrett said. He was a professional gamer and was always looking for game hacks. He was the one who had first gotten Tobias involved in esports and had brought the original four members of the team together when they were in high school. He had ceded the role of team leader to Tobias after he won the high-end Epic Blade Gaming System. Garrett was still one of the best esports players in the world, though.

“I used a Wayward Traveler potion.”

“You can’t do that,” Garrett protested.

“Well, I did.”

“How did you control it?” Matthew asked to head off the argument of what was and wasn’t possible.

“I have way better control with my system than with an ordinary game controller,” Tobias said with a smile. It was an answer he’d given before and likely would again. It only made sense that a gaming system that was as expensive as his would be better at some things.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Matthew said. “I would love to have that gaming system of yours, but I could never play for more than even a few minutes. I mean, a lot of esport players think they are athletes, but you . . . Well, you’re the only esports player I know with six-pack abs.”

It was true that it took physical stamina to use his system, but it wasn’t that demanding. Matthew had always been the least athletic member of their group, though. In high school, his only extracurricular activity had been chess club. Everyone else in their group had participated in at least one physical sport. Tobias had run cross country, Garrett had played tennis, and Tasha had been an all-state swimmer. Though she wasn’t a member of their friend group at the time, Tobias remembered Kateryna being quite the lacrosse player.

“I’m sure you’d do fine.” Tobias smiled and shrugged, then changed the subject. Normally, he’d flex his biceps or something when presented with the opportunity, then flirt with the ladies a little bit (not out of any attraction, just having fun). He had something pressing on his mind, though, and he couldn’t wait to discuss it.

“Did anyone else see the portal and elf girl that appeared after we defeated Marduk?”

“Elf girl?” Garrett asked. “Was she hot?”

“What?!” Tobias said. “It’s a video game.”

Then he smiled at the guys and admitted, “Yeah, she was pretty attractive.”

Kateryna punched him in the shoulder. “You need to get a girlfriend.”

Tobias laughed. “I guess I deserved that. But I’m serious. Did any of you see a portal in the side tunnel I attacked from? It appeared right as we went through the portal. An elf walked out of it. I swear she was beckoning to me to follow her through it.”

“What happened after that?” Tasha asked, appearing to be genuinely curious.

“I don’t know,” Tobias said. “I was already stepping through the portal.”

“Forget about game world, girls. Let’s have some fun,” Kateryna said.

“And some pie!” Tasha added.

Tobias definitely wasn’t going to turn down pie. He was famished, and with the physical demands the Epic Blade Gaming System put on him, he truly didn’t have to worry about it going to his gut. Which was a good thing, because he had three pieces before Maria kicked them out at midnight so she could close the restaurant and go home.

Despite all the fun he was truly having, Tobias couldn’t forget about the portal and the elf girl.