Days passed, and Effryn’s injury had healed, for the most part. He wanted to go to school monday, he really did. But the moment he woke up, the only thing crossing his mind was Yeah, that’s not happening. and dropped back to sleep.

Evvryn even tried waking, slapping, kicking, waterboarding, etc. to wake him for school, but that turned to be a bust.

After missing monday, he couldn’t afford to miss anymore days in fear of getting left behind, so he sucked it up and champed through the pain. But the main reason for sucking up the pain was for work. As much of a hassle it was to see annoying people for eight hours straight, money is a heavy influencer.

Soon enough, the days waltzed by.

School passed by like normal, with Effryn lazily listening to class, straying away from his classmates to be alone. Work went the same like always, slow and highly ignorant.

The cycle went on, until friday evening came.

Effryn sat on his same old mat, playing some horror survival he found for free on the game store.

While the person always by his side...

“BS! How does someone get away with shit like that!? He’s blatantly cheating!”

...expressed herself emotions freely, piercing his eardrums.

Basically, the conventional day of the two wanna be shut-ins.

“E-Evvryn…?” Only wanting to calm her down, tried easing in some words of wisdom, trying his damn best not to get chewed up from a match which it sounds like she’s losing. “maybe...”

“Maybe what Effryn, maybe what?? Is it the fact you have hear me scream in you ear everyday of the week, possible each time getting louder and louder from the repeated bullshit I encounter on these shitty games? Or are you bothered by not being able to continue the 30th playthrough of the same game you’ve always played your whole life?”

Eyeing him down, Evvryn moved in closer, making a face practically saying HMMMM!

For the most part...yeah, you summed it up pretty well-is what he wanted say.

“N-no, of course not!!”

Is what he had to say.

“That’s a good boy. Now, I must train for tomorrow!” She declared, raising her finger to the heavens. “For only Zeus himself could possibly know what we’re doing when the day arrives!”

“They still haven’t told you what’s going on yet?”

“Not a single word!”

After announcing her knowledge of tomorrow's game, Effryn was dumbfounded. How could something so big that could change the world of gaming itself, which also was going to be broadcasted to the world as the first reveal, not have a selected game yet?

Well...maybe that wasn’t true. They probably do have the game chosen for tomorrow...but haven’t released it to the public-and it seems even the ones participating as well.

The developers either have to be really stupid, or had something really big planned out.

Online in forums, people were going crazy trying to figure out the first Real game shown. They fought over whether if the company had balls to release a new IP entirely, or just remaster a game into their VR network.

Effryn could only hardly think about what’s going down tomorrow-screw the game. It all still felt like a sluggish blur to him, having not set in with the terms of this being Evvryns biggest competition to date.

Looking away from his screen, he lightly glanced over at Evvryn.

Wow...you’re having a big day tomorrow. I’ll make sure to support you through it all, for you.

Tomorrow was the big day. A day that could very well change how everyone perceives developing games-right down to how they play them.

-And they were going to be the first to experience it. Together.

It’s strange, how something so big, even life changing, could happen tomorrow. But all I want to do is watch her, play and rage as she always have, and still live these moments forever.

“W-what time does it start?”

“What's got you so scared-oh c’mon you bitch!!-It starts at nine, but we should be there by eight.”

“Jeez, then we should go to sleep early.”

“Negative!” Shouting with absolute resolve, Evvryn stood her ground firmly. “A true gamer never sleeps, even when sleep is needed most!!”

“W-wait, what!?” What sense does that have...oh never mind.”

Accepting the fact his mind will never on par to Evvryns, he pulls out his phone.

“We should invite some people to come, like Frael and Eizer. You have spare seats, right?”

“One can only hope for such a miracle.”

“You don’t know?! Let’s just hope they make an exception for them knowing you.”

Typing away to Eizer, he hit him up letting know the time and place for the event, getting a response of Aight, I’ll be there.

Next, he texted the orphanage mother to see if it was possible to take Frael to the competition. He wanted to know if she had permission to leave if she were to be watched under Effryn, and to also know if she was feeling up to going-with her getting more sick and all.

It took a while, but soon enough, he received a Sure thing! She’s doing fine enough to go outside with you, so she can go. Just make sure to look after her, okay? Oh yeah, make sure she wins. All the other children cheer her on.

“Nice’o! They can both come, Evvryn, so do your best.”

“Who do you think I am!? I am a legend, no, a prodigy!! No one can stop me tomorrow, or so let my words engrave your soul!”

“I-I bet you can!”

Effryn gave her a cheerful slap on the back, wishing her all of luck. But from the slap, he could sense how tense she really was. It must be a lot of pressure, A LOT, to have something this big happening in less than a day. “I’ll be counting on you…”

He gave her the same usually soft smile he always had, showing how much support he had for her.

You can do this, so show me you have what it takes. Win this.

The pair was softly asleep, lying in their owned mats.

Well, kinda asleep?

Effryn had woken up out of nowhere, and had been staring at the wall for maybe an hour or so now.

He read the time: 6:54. They had barely over an hour before they needed to arrive.

Anxiety was, or had been, swelled up in Effryn ever since the moment Evvryn told him this tournament. But…

Christ, I can feel my chest exploding over and over.

...he never felt anything like this. It was like being wrapped around with a rope, and squeezed more and more until you pop. But the ‘pop’ never comes, and you keep being squeezed, dreading the moment that will never arrive.

Rolling over, he faced the passed out snoring Evvryn. Her supposed Night long gaming didn’t last as long as she thought it would. Who knew all it took was an hour of convincing and some milk to make her pass out. Bless milk.

She seems like she’s having a restful sleep, maybe too restful... Effryn thought to himself maybe he was more worried about this competition than Evvryn was, but remembering how tense she was yesterday, he dropped the idea.

She must be dead full of stress thinking about today. But she still managed to be her usual, angered self all week. She truly is amazing…

Getting out of bed, Effryn brushed off the small remaining ache of pain, and went to make breakfast for Evvryn. It was the least he could do for her.

Grabbing a few of her precious nectars, he started preparing breakfast for Evvryn on her big day.

Effryn watched and listened to the grizzling of the eggs, trying to out noise his anxiety by focusing purely on the eggs. But as always, his mind had the upper hand…

Holy christ man...I don’t ever think I felt this worried about something.

Effryn was worried.

Worried about what could happen today at the tournament.

Worried about the outcome of the game, and Evvryn’s feelings if she loses.

But then again, what are the odds that’ll happen? She’s a God at competitive games, who even has a track record at smaller tournaments. He’s watched her play first hand, and knows that she definitely has some skill, or the power of the gods themselves on her side, at least.

Scrambling the forbidden nectar, he sighed.

If they theoretically were to win, what would be their reward? Money? Some ignorant ticket to a random place they’d never heard of? Or just a pat on the back for even showing up?

Effryn thought to himself, wondering what would the reward be for some big reveal like this? Rent money is always nice, and we could always get new games depending on the amount they could get. If they won a huge sum of money, they would do what needed to be done, and have all the games in the world!

But if it turned out to be one of those one-way trips to location X, then honestly, that would be a massive pain in the ass itself. Effryn had never been the type to travel, and preferred staying in the confines of his home, sealed away from the rest of the world. Well...that were his own thoughts. He actually doesn't know Evvryns opinion on traveling. Maybe she wanted to go venture out for once? Or maybe she hated going out just like he did? Who knows.

Hmmm...Maybe I should ask Evvryn if we should take a vacation somewhere? Pondering the thought, Effryn jumped from one thing to another in his head, reaching W-wait! Wouldn’t that count as some kind of long overextended date? Rummaging through his hair, Effryn panicked at thought. But…

Effryn stood still, standing over the cooking meal. ...Would it be so bad?

He’s watched her grow for so long, improving her skills in gaming, and even growing up as a person. She’s helped people time and time again, even being seen as an idol to some. Especially the orphanage kids; she was like a second mother to them.

But the person she there for the most, through everything, as if they were always going to be stuck together, was Effryn.

Always there for him when he was sick.

Always there for him when he was feeling down.

Whenever he needed help, emotionally or physically, she was always there for him. Of course, she was an ass when she helped, but that’s just who Evvryn was.

No doubt about it, she really is perfect…for the most part.

Feeling a rush of giddy and embarrebent start to take over, Effryn stood strong. NO!! I will NOT keep feeling like this anymore! Today...Today I’ll confess to her. Whether it be at the end of the tournament or if my balls grow early, I will do it today!

“Yes! I just need the heart of a warrior, and the balls of a soldier, and I can do it!!”

“As if you’ll...yawn...ever get balls kid.” He heard a groggily voice behind him say.

“W-w-w-Huh?!” Startled, Effryn focused his attention on readying her plate, hiding his face from her view. “W-when did you wake up!?”

Hearing her pull a chair, he heard her slumping on the table.

“Not long ago, I smelled the aroma of the heavens sent calling, so here I am to answer it personally. And we can’t forget about the big event today, so hurry on up, we can get ready!!”

“okok, here.” Setting her plate down, he watched as she dug in. “I’ll go get ready while you eat.”

Groaning a hmm as she munched away, he went to put on his shoes and coat. First we need to pick up Frael, and then we can go.

Looking back at Evvryn, he could’ve easily mistaken the girl eating for the sight of a beast viciously gnawing away at their prey. But that beast...was someone who he cared for very much.

“Hurry, I would rather you not be late!”

“Slow your ass down kid, I’m coming.”

Waiting for Evvryn to get ready, Effryn glanced down at his watch anxiously: 7:12. The time was slowly approaching for the game.

Taking deep breaths, slapping himself, and even going so far as hops, Effryn tried everything he knew to calm himself down. But this was going to be the biggest event he ever went to, Hell, probably the biggest thing he’ll ever go to. How could he have a straightforward mind?

He never thought he would ever go to some massive game reveal like this, not even counting it would be a tournament.

He never really tried too hard in multiplayer games, and mainly focused on solo or PvE games, so of course he thought there was no chance something like this could happen to him. But, of course, Evvryn was the only reason why this was even possible in the first place. It was because of her raw skill and abilities they had a chance of experiencing something like this. Even with Evvryn, he never did doubt her skill on online shooters.

Maybe today might be fun…

Thinking of this big opportunity, Effryn was able to ease his mind, albeit slightly, on this whole game thing. Why stress about it? This should be something we all can have fun in, right?

“Al-righty then!! Ya ready kiddo!?” Evvryn exclaimed, showing off her casual outfit she would wear any other day?

“Y-you’re going to something as big as an actual game changing experience, and all you wear is a t-shirt and shorts?!”

“Duh. I can’t play if I’m not comfortable, that’s common sense.”

“Uhhh…”

Well...I guess you’re right..?

“And anyhow, all you have is a hoodie and sweatpants!” She pointed at his attire, making an actually valid point, while also crushing Effryns spirit. “What room do you have to say!”

“W-well I uh...oh never mind…” Effryn let out a heavy defeated sigh, showing he was willing to surrender to her. “...let’s just go already.

“ONWARD, MINION!!”

And so, the duo left their apartment, heading off to pick up Frael, and then, to the biggest event known to gaming history.

Arriving at the orphanage, the mother opened the large creaky door, and Evvryn greeted the mother like usual, while Effryn awkwardly waited behind them.

“Frael! These two are here to pick you up.”

The three waited patiently for a response, expecting Frael to squeal back any second now.

“Frael, dear, Effryn is here to pick you up!”

“Frael’s coming!” Echoed back what sounded like a little angelic girl, someone who Effryns saw as a gift from the heavens themselves-Frael.

The sound of her little feet slapping the wooden floor as she ran warmed Effryn’s heart so much, he’d be happy to die right then and there.

“Uuuuuuuuu, Sorry!” Poking her head from behind the door revealed her spikey pearlescent hair. “My brothers and sist-”

Interrupting her, many kids from the orphanage followed behind her, all rushing to greet the two visitors

“-Awwww, You’re so lucky Frael!”

“-You got this Evvy, so come come back soon!”

“-No one’s better than big sis, so there’s no way you’ll lose!”

“-Wait...where are they going?”

One by one, the children swarmed them with questions, or wishing Evvryn luck.

Effryn was amazed by the sight of so many little ones cheering on Evvryn, more so, he shed tears in his heart.

They all need headpats…

“Woah now little ones, you’re shooting too many things at once.” Being swarmed by the children, Evvryn tried calming them down. “You know I can’t lose, I am your commander after all!”

After hearing those words come out of Evvryns, Effryn watched in awe as every kid in unison, stood straight and saluted. “Ma’am!!”

“You know…” still amazed, and a little freaked out, from what he just witnessed, Effryn muttered to Evvryn “...you’re a monster.”

Shortly after their few seconds of soldier tiering, the kids began to flock towards Evvryn as if it was a game of Capture the hill. Watching the insanities of the children added in with the grown child, Effryn felt a nudging from his arm.

“Evvy? You guys said this was a big thing, but uuu...how big is big?”

It was Frael, staying close to his side during the chaos of the orphanage. She was probably worried about the size of how many people would be at this thing, and so, Effryn gave the best response he could with the limited amount of information he had.

“Don’t worry poor thing, it’s only going to be perhaps the biggest gaming event in history.” Barely reassuring Frael, he rummaged through her hair.

“I...It is? Frael hopes it’s not too crowded…”

“I probably won’t be too bad Frael. Only couple thousand, at most. That’s hardly anything!”

Giving her a smile, Frael looked up to him, and returned to her heavenly self. “Yay! I can’t wait!”

God-no...forgive me Frael. But a couple hundred thousand, at worst, will be watching. And that’s not even including the millions watching online…

Dying inside from lying to her, Effryn decided it was best to lie, and try to make Frael as comfortable as possible.

“Okay!” Evvryn proudly announced with a clap. “We should head off now, it should start under an hour now.”

All around her, the children sighed aww as she begin to head out.

“Good luck, Evvryn. And Effryn, please take care of Frael so she may return safely.” The mother said, waving goodbye to the now three. “Be safe.”

“Y-yes ma’am, I promise to bring Frael back! No matter what!!”

Following behind Evvryn, he felt a someone take hold of his hand. Frael.

“Are you ready?”

Effryn felt a happy smile on his face, wondering if she was truly ready to leave the orphanage.

Looking at him, she nodded with determination, and looked like she were actually looking forward to this.

“ByeBye!” The children yelled altogether.

Looking back at the kids, he saw each one happily waving them off, like off of some scene where a bunch of adventurers leave home.

Wow...what great bunch of brats.

Then checking back with Frael, he saw her eyes glistening, with the reflection of the kids waving. She looked happy. Probably because this was a rare opportunity for her.

Waving back, she moved with Effryn, showing her face filled with a smile.

“Mhmm! Frael is!!”

Man, this is a true opportunity.

“Ok, let’s go.”

“Are you guys gonna slow walk the whole wait or what?! Let’s go!”

Evvryn had already gone ahead of them, wait for them in the street.

“R-right!”

Effryn holding on to Fraels hand as his life depended on it, he hurried behind to catch Evvryn, trying to keep up with her speed walking/running?

Twenty or so minutes later, they finally arrived at the ludius stadium.

Upon just arriving, from a distance they could see the massing line forming in the horizon.

“Holy shite...that’s a lot of people…”

“Effy, why is this place called lewd-us?”

“Well this is a big event Evvryn, and WHAT DID YOU SAY FRAEL?!?”

“Uuuu- sorry! Frael was just wondering what the name means and all-promise!”

“Aww, there’s no way I can stay mad at you my little pervert.”

Simply amazed by her existence, Effryn gave her many pats.

But with every reassuring pat he gave, there was still anxiety building up from inside.

This is going to be a big moment for Evvryn, crap, for all of us. It’ll be a friggin miracle if I don’t die of social anxiety from this crowd.

The trio walked to the front, skipping the enormous line waiting while also getting yelled at said line. “Hey! Get in line assholes!” Effryn did his best to cover Fraels ears, protecting her innocence from the mongols impurity.

“Evvrryynn, where are we supposed to go? These people are making me uneasy…” Following closely behind Evvryn, he hid his face as best as he could manage.

“You know, that’s a good question! Where the hell do we go?”

“How don’t you still know that?! They still haven’t sent you directions?

“I honestly never expected them to in the first place.” Genuinely sounding like she had no idea what was going on, she gave an easy going shrug.

But before Effryn was able to comeback, a man in a exquisite looking suit interrupted…

“-Excuse me madam, but do you happen to be Evvryn…”

Looking at a paper, to what Effryn presumed was a list of some sorts, his face looked genuinely confused.

“It’s just Evvryn, no last nor middle name.”

The man looked at her, then back at the paper, and nodded.

“Come with me. And I see you brought guest.” He said, looking at Effryn and Frael. He glanced at the little one who shly hid behind the slightly taller boy, and then to boy, who just shrieked when eyes came on him. “Sigh, I guess they may accompany you. Follow suit, would you kindly.”

Following behind Evvryn, they entered some back door which led into a hallway. Effryn was nervous-beyond nervous.

But he wasn’t alone. He could feel Frael gripping his hand with probably all the strength in her. And Evvryn was probably-no definitely-freaking out from everything. He didn’t need to see her expression to know that.

After walking for what felt like days, Effryn bumped into Evvryn, snapping out of his thoughts.

“Sorry, I’ll be mo-”

But as he tried apologizing, Effryn was...dumbfounded. Seeing the reason why the stopped, it was because they had arrived. But what was there-could only be described as a tech nerds wet fantasy.

“Beyond here, will be the main stadium, where the screen for the matches will be displayed.” He pointed off somewhere down the hall, indicating where the spectators were supposed to be. “And here, is where the contestants will be equipped with their Nervoconnects, playing the intended game for todays-”

The man went on and on about the details of structure on how this event was being handled, or something like that.

The only thing attracting Effryns mind was behind the man-the machines and gear inside the room, and how they fit on the people using them. Holy christ, this looks like some robotic augmentations!

People had what looked like long googles, almost like a VR headset normally was. But instead of just the head piece, there were wires coming down onto the skin, from the head, attaching to the arm of the person.

Above them was a screen, which had moving characters, but the people in the controllers weren’t moving. They were lying down, with the full gear on, yet-they were still playing.

So...this is true VR?

“Woah, badass.” Sounding just as stunned as him, Evvryn stared at the screens, then at the players.

There wasn’t too much action, though. It just seemed like they were in a tutorial room, or the pre-lobby area before a match.

“Now, if you would kindly make your way over here, we would like to get you ready.”

Evvryn seemed pretty tense, but she also was seemed to be getting pumped up at this.

“Coolio.”

Effryn followed suit, watching Evvryn sit down, while the man began to prepare the headset.

“Take deep breaths. Don’t worry, this has no negative effects to your health whatsoever.”

“Y-yeah, sure thing. In and out. Okay.”

Stretching the headset over Evvryn, he slipped it down carefully, placing it over her ears.

“Next, we strap the wires.”

“Yesir, bossman!”

Pushing a button, some wires popped out from below the ear piece. Grabbing them, he ran the wires down her arm, seemingly connecting them to her arms, or now that he has a closer view, her pulse.

Effryn and Frael both watching in awe, before jumping to a sudden green light, followed by a Beep!

“Great. You’re all set up.”

“Woah...okay, this feels weird.”

“It may take some getting used to, but soon you’ll be entering the game world.”

Woah, that’s it? Man, I wish setting up consoles or PC’s nowadays were fast as that.

“Ok Frael, Evvryn looks like she’ll be staying here to play. Let's head to the stadium and find us some seats.” He looked back at Evvryn, beaming with excitement from the possibilities of plays she could pull off with full body movement. “Goodluck, Evvryn. And don’t forget to have fun.”

“Okay Effy! This stuff seems really complicated, but it all looks fun! I’m sure if I were to figure out how it worked, then Frael could make something like this too!”

“Maybe one day if you try hard enough, you can.” Taking hold of her hand, he led her out to the hallway. Now just to find two seats in a crowd of thousands of people. Yeah, that’s only recruit difficulty.

Nearing the end of the hall, Effryn mentally prepared himself. Ok champ, you can do this. For Evvryn! For Frael!!

Opening the doors, they were greeted by the loud chatter of thousands anticipating the nearly announced VR console.

Effryn was anxious about the amount of people in the entire stadium, but what worried him most was the possibility they might not find seats.

How are we supposed to find somewhere to sit, if the entire things nearly packed!!

Frantically looking around, thinking on what he should do if such a timeline existed, he feels a slight tug on his shoulder. Looking down, he finds Frael, trying to get his attention. “Effy, I see someone waving to us.”

“Huh?” Looking to where she was pointing at, he scanned for a hand. Who would be waving at us, there’s no one else we kn-...Eizer?

A true holy sight to behold, he spotted the figure trying to get their attention-Eizer.

He was a couple rows above them, with empty seats next to him. A true Godsend.

“Freal, your eyes are a blessing! Let’s go meet up with my friend so we can watch Evvryn du-”

“-Excuse me, sir?”

The voice of a woman interrupted him, making him and Frael jump.

“Because this game requires a small group of two per team, we need you to participate in a spot with your friend.”

“...”

…

“Effy..? What is she saying?”

Wait, if I heard correctly, then this should mean…

“If you may, please follow me to the game room. Everyone is waiting for you, and one other pair.”

Yep, he was hearing correctly. They were asking him to play in an open spot with Evvryn.

Hearing this, he should have been happy. And he was, don’t get him wrong, but that wasn’t the main feeling in his mind. The heaviest thought in his mind was How in the Nine circles of Hell am I supposed to play with this many people watching me?! It’s a miracle I can even stand in a room with this amount of people, let alone have millions at a time watching my every movements!!

Trembling, he looked at Frael, who was tilting her head with a questioning look.

“O-ok Frael, listen up. Effy has to help Evvy win in this game, so you go up to the person who was waving, and tell him Effryn has to play.”

Giving her a head pat to comfort her, he continued.

“His name is Eizer, and he’ll look after you. He’s nice...for the most part, so you can trust him.”

“Uuuuuu...Frael doesn’t really know what this is all about, but it sounds important.” Flashing her soft hearted smile, she nodded with a sense of compassion to Effryn. “Good luck Effy, both of you do your best.”

Watching her leave, Effryn turned his attention to the woman, who was waiting for him at the hallway door.

“This way sir.”

Anxiously following her, Effryn thought to himself why am I being asked for this? Shouldn’t there be more...professional people for this?

Walking through the same darkened hallway as before, Effryn had no other choice than to accept this, and mentally prepare himself as much as possible. It was only a couple million, right?

“Here we are.”

Arriving at the same door Evvryn left at, the woman motioned him to enter.

“Just wait here, and the last pair should arrive soon, meaning the game can begin.”

“R-right!”

Hearing her walking away, he mustered up all the courage in him just to open the door. I guess if I’m this far in, I don’t really have a choice in the matter… Creaking open the door, Effryn creeped inside.

Upon first entering in, he sees the first pain, which from the get-go, they look like a pair of shady individuals. They glance back only for a second, and begin talking amongst themselves. Ok…

Scanning the room, he finds that not only does everyone else look normal, they all follow the first pair. D-does everyone have to stare, then judge me?!

“Hey, dumbass, over here!”

Hearing the voice of his savior, albeit jumping to it, Effryn zoomed in over to a far corner of the room, seeing Evvryn hiding away. My hero!!

Shyly walking over, he feels as if heavy eyes from everywhere were watching his every movement, like his walking pattern, style, breathing, or anything notable were being watched. He didn’t know why exactly, but he knew it was somewhat common-no, logical-sense to gather as much information before and during a game for the best odds of winning.

Thanks for teaching me at least this much, sensei Evvryn.

Still…there wasn’t much for him to hide besides his awkwardness. Even if he wanted to put a front up, that would probably be the one impossible thing to hide.

“H-hey, Evvryn…?”

“Over here.”

Grabbing him, she pulled Effryn into a small edged off corner of the room where no one else could see them.

Feeling relieved, Effryn let out a sigh to end all sighs.

“So, we ended up being partners in all of this…ain’t that some shit.”

“M-maybe, yeah, but, why isn’t there a person more...qualified, for this job.”

Asking the question which had been bothering him the most, he leaned back against the wall, holding himself to keep his mind calm under all the stress.

“Well who else would be more qualified than someone who plays games? You fit the job description perfectly.”

“I...I see that, but I mean competitively. I mostly play for fun, and what I think is fun.”

“Actually, they asked something like that…” Pausing, she casually slumped against the wall. “...on if I wanted them to find a replacement player since I was supposed to know about it. But luck and behold, the thing behind chance isn’t such an asshole after all, and I brought you to show for it!”

That’s a bit weird for-ah screw, I don’t see or have the energy to reason against it anymore…

Thinking in his head, for only a moment, his quiet, peaceful time was over-with the sound of doors bursting open.

“WHAT’S GOOD YOU HANDFUL OF SORRY VIRGIN SHITS!!!!”

-EEK! Nearly jumping with the force to break the wall, Effryn feels his heart explode from the ‘suddenly loud’ walk in.

Effryn only looks mildly surprised, although her face mostly told she was annoyed. “What the hell…”

“E-excuse me, sir!? P-please refrain from the language for the time being…” Effryn heard a voice urging the robust teen to calm down, which sounded like the same woman who led him here.

Then, hearing another unfamiliar voice, Effryn assumed it had to be the shouting obnoxious one's partner. Although it sounded a bit...squeakier? than the older woman. A huge difference, actually.

“Ah, sorry, I’ll make sure to keep my friend here in check. Forgive me.”

“I’ve got to see this all for myself.” Evvryn said with a half curious look, picking herself up. “And you’re coming with me.”

“H-huh? Wai-” Before even getting a chance to save his dignity before losing it, Evvryn pulled him along with her. Nonononononono, please, I’d rather not have to deal with those kind of people now!

Futilely trying to break away for his freedom, Effryn got in view to what was happening in the main room. No, a view wasn’t enough to describe the scene he was witnessing. It was a sight he’d see once in a bloody blue moon, on par to actually being revived by a medic in battlefield.

What he saw, was what he could best describe as, was the definition of a muscular man. He was, possibly quite literally, peak human performance on muscle building. And he was bowing-no, being forced to bowed by an what looked to be a…

...is she...even in her teens?

...very, very, tiny girl.

“What the hell…” He heard Evvryn mutter, again.

“I’ll make sure that never happens again, as long as I am alive.” The higher pitched...lady exclaimed, finishing the bow. Then witnessing her elbow his muscle man friend, he enthusiastically yelled “RIGHT, I AM SORRY MA’AM!!!”

He felt that peck?!

Genuinely curious if he actually felt that, Effryn wondered what everyone else in the room thought of this scene.

Scanning the room, he saw about half of the players genuinely frightened for their lives, grabbing onto each other or slightly shaking. The rest seemed absolutely unfazed, and talked amongst themselves while looking at the behemoth.

I can read this. Looking back and forth at the people scared, and the people unfazed, Effryn was able to tell something immediately. I can tell the ones that’ll be a problem apart from the easy pickings, if this match is some PVP based game from this. Thanks, sudden timed event pvp event!

“Hey, you see this too, don’t you Evvryn?” Effryn asked to see if she noticed it, too.

“Crystal. Keep watching.”

She sounded serious, so he nodded in silence. Hearing his heart beating in his ears, he put his hand over his chest. I thought this would be scary, but this...is actually fun!

While enjoying himself, he felt eyes wonder on him for a slight moment. With no doubt, he knew they were the same as the first pairs glance. This meant they were also watching not only the main fiasco happening, but also everyone else. They looked shady enough already, but this made them stand out even more. Well, to anyone else who noticed, at least.

Those will be the most annoying people in all of this. Effryn declared in his mind, making a mental tab.

“Haha…” The actual woman spoke out, barely managing to get a laugh out. “...it’s okay.”

Then, clapping her hands to get everyone's attentions, she somehow regained her original posture. “Ahem. Now that everyone has arrived, if you may, please follow me. It’s nearly time to begin the game.”

After the announcement of the immentint game beginning, everyone followed the woman, who led them down the hall into another room filled with more eyegasmic tech.

Holy…

“Don’t wet yourself too fast kid, we haven’t even begun yet.” Evvryn noticed him basically eye drooling over the new toys.

It was all a new, breakthrough way to play games. How couldn’t he wet himself?

But while lost in his mind of wetness...

“HAHA, YOU LIKE TECH TOO, DON’T YA KID?”

Being scared out of his wet dream, Effryn shrieked Eek!, at the overly large man broadcasting right above him.

“Towu, don’t make the kid shit himself, please.” The...very short woman said to the buffman, or Towu, as she referred to him.

“SO-” Before even finishing, Towu got an elbow to the gut, cutting him off. Then looking at Effryn, he gave an apology bow.

“Sorry.”

Thanks...loli?

“Forgive my friend for being a little too...excessive in his decibel count.” The loli bowed with her friend, eventually picking up her head with a formal look on her face. “My name is Nei, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Reaching out a hand to Effryn, he was hesitant to shake it. If I make the wrong move here, will get crushed-no, pulverized?!

But before getting the chance to think of shaking, Evvryn took her hand.

“Pleasure to meet ya! My names Evvryn, and this failure of social communication is Effryn, so be rough on him…” Both girls eyeing him, Effryn felt a bit of pity in both their eyes. “...cause he desperately needs it.”

“W-w-w-whey, screw off!!” Effryn tried defending himself, and the little pride he had left.

But it was too late. The damage was done, the look in their eyes said it all-You poor, sad boy…

“S-stop staring, please…”

“LEAVE THE LITTLE MAN ALONE!” Towu yelled, or, said in his normal tone of voice. “COME HERE BOY, DON’T LET THESE GIRLS GET IN YOUR HEAD!”

Towu, comforting him to the best of his abilities...failed in doing so for Effryn, as he was scared by the massing giant over his head. It wasn’t even a competition in anything of the human body when comparing Towu to himself, Towu was bigger in every department! (perve)

“Hehe…” The loli-err, Nei giggled. “You guys aren’t half bad. At least better than everyone else here.”

The four looked around, seeing everyone else as silent as the dead.

Thinking about it now, Effryn was scared on how quiet everyone else was. The four of them were having a nice chat, even laughing with one another, but the rest of the room, or having counted sixteen others, had a heavy feeling of anxious dread looming.

At least...that was the case for most of the room. The same shady looking group had those calculating eyes he had seen earlier, eyeing them for every advantage possible to exploit for later.

Nice info gathering, but at least be descreet about it kid.

“Okay everyone, if you may allow me to have your attention.” The woman from earlier said, clapping her hands. “I will direct each pair to their own separate booths, and from there we shall assist to helping you get in.”

As she was giving instructions, a handful of people piled into the room, all wearing the same uniform as her.

“Evvryn and...her partner, please come over here!”

Wait, they had my name earlier! Why not now!?

“Well you two, I wish you the best of luck in accepting this ass kicking!” Evvryn said to Towu and Nei, giving a grin to Nei. “And may we have the best of fun!”

“Well now...let’s not get carried away now.” Nei said, smiling to herself in a manner which scared Effryn. “Let’s just say if it’s anything hitscan...well, I’ll just pray for you.”

Both Effryn and Nei exchanged hardcore glances, before walking away to their own booths.

“Come now, Towu. We shall win this, even if I have to carry you myself!”

The giant Towu nodded his head, before looking back at Effryn and waving his overly sized hand. “SEE YOU SOON, EFFY!”

“R-right!” Effryn was able to muster out, before catching up to Evvryn.

Don’t steal Fraels gospel, you’re nothing like her!!

“Right this way you two. Miss, you take a seat in the left, young man, you take a seat on the right.” A worker asked the two as he caught up, helping them get started with their setup.

Inside their booth were two chairs adjacent to each other, with a headset above each on standby.

“Yesir.”

“R-right!”

Letting Evvryn get in her seat first, he carefully rested on his chair not wanting to hurt this treasure trove of new tech. It was something he’d never seen before, so of course he would fantasize over this.

A worker entered the booth as he sat, and began adjusting the headset on Evvryn. He placed a strap over her head, and drew out some wires from the side, reaching them down and attaching them to her arm.

“Woah...this feels...dreamish?” Evvryn sluggishly said, slowly looking around with her headset on.

“I’ll turn it on now. Don’t freak out, you’ll pass out only for a moment.”

“Wawha-”

After pushing the button, Evvryn fell limp, slumping over her chair.

“Evvryn…?”

“Don’t worry, she’s only asleep now. It’s your turn now.”

Oh god, please don’t be like a certain online mmorpg ani-...

Before finishing the thought, the worker strapped the head piece over his head, making everything dark. Then hearing the same sound of wires from Evvryns turn, he knew the worker was going to attach the wires to his arm next.

Aah, ticklish. He felt a string of wires connecting to his arm, slowly wrapping around like a delicate gift.

“Okay, next I will turn on the power. Are you ready?”

“Y-yes sir!”

“Here you g-”

...go

Before finishing-no, before staying conscious-Effryn heard the workers voice cut out before finishing. But before that, it felt like the world disconnected, as if he slipt into another realm of thought.

And before he knew it…

Welcome, guest user 9, registered as Evvryn(?).

...text appeared in front of his face from a black screen. No, appeared in his mind? He couldn’t tell exactly where the text was based on his vision, but one thing went through his mind… Evvryn?! My names Effryn, curse you!

Connecting to servers…

More text entered his mind thingy, before the big text arrived…

Connection complete!~

~Welcome to Destrial!!

An image, or better yet, an entire world appeared before him along with intro.

Welcome to Destrial, new traveler! In this world, it will be up to you and your team to fight to death over better gear, and eventually coming out on top!

Oh great...another battle royale.

In this world, there are many different playstyles or classes, ranging from an archers, to knights, to even mages!

While announcing the classes, a few scenes showcased some characters doing other worldy things.

This world is only bound with limits in your imagination, so let this world be your playbox!

With those last text, the screen began fading away, or what was Effryns vision of the world.

Ok...cool?

After a moment of waiting in darkness, Effryns character opened his eyes, awaking on the streets of a busy fantasy like town, with the same adventure-like knights and wizards walking up and down the streets. You know, like every other fantasy world.

“About damn time you woke up! Did you really watch that shit of a cutscene?” Effryn heard a voice to his right yelling at him. “Well, now that you wasted a minute of your life, hurry up and pick your class.”

“H-huh…” With his vision a little fuzzy from waking up, Effryn looked to the direction of where the voice was coming from. “Evvyrn..?” Seeing the same person who always had scolded him, he couldn’t help but notice something was off about her. Trying to focus his sight to get a better view, Effryn got to see something he thought never was possible-Evvryn...as an Elf?!

Her long ears complimented her golden hair, with the soft face textures of the elven makeup complimenting her face with greenish markings.

“Stop staring pervert, and just pick your class already!!”

“W-w-what?! Who said I was staring?”

“Hurry up and choose!!!”

“R-right!”

Upon immediately standing up, Effryn was barraged with notifications.

Scrolling through the couple first, they read the same welcome to our game, and thanks for playing the beta crap for an MMO. Then finally reaching the last tab, it read choose your class!

While the section read something like make sure to read each characters abilities and playstyles to make each...nagnagnag, Effryn skipped everything the character tutorial had to offer, with only one thing on his mind-Explosive mage!

He wasn’t joking-there was an actual skill tree for the mage that prioritized explosions. While skipping all the dialogue and notes about the character that was usually there to help the player make their choice in this very important one time choice, he fantasized about every small thing he was going to blow up.

AAAAAA, confirm, confirm, confirm. Let me play already, pleeeaasssee…

And finally…

Are you sure you want this to be your fin-

Aaaaaand confirm. Finally, what an over excessive character selection.

And now, the moment Effryn waited for was finally here…

With all the pop-ups gone and vision stabilized, Effryn was able to see room they spawned in correctly. It was a normal room, with a only a bed and a mirror, probably to check out your new character and get the feel of the game, or this VR in general. But everything so far, apart from the pop-ups and cutscene, felt like normal everyday motions. So then this meant…

“Holy crap dude!! We’re actually in the game now, like no joke, inside of revolutionary technology. The first of its kind. A staple of human engineering for gaming. This...this…” Looking at Evvryn, who was sitting on the bed scrolling through a menu, he began to drool with...fanatic interest. “...is so beautiful. I mean look at this! We have menus, full body movement, and we can even use skills to do whatever we want to...aghagh.”

“I get that, now stop getting wet over VR and check out your ski-damnit! Stop drooling everywhere and get your mind together!!”

Seeing Effryn’s full geek out, Evvryn punched him in an attempt to normalize him, while also testing out the grounds for how combat worked. “Eh, Ewwww, gross! I got slobbered on…”

“Y-you got a little wet? I got punched!! And it really hurt…” Effryn said in a pained tone, rubbing his lower cheek. “But...you saw those numbers too, right?”

“Yeah...ah why won’t you come off?!”

Watching Evvryn flail her arms, Effryn knew they at least came to the same conclusion.

“So that’s when we know if we hit an opponent, good to know. Hey Evvryn, did you get a hitmarker of some sorts when you hit me?”

“No, just the...numbers popping up...Effryn! You are dis-gust-ing!! How can your saliva be so sticky!?”

“W-wha...it’s just drool! Get over it all ready!”

Defending himself from Evvryn, Effryn still thought inside his brain. So if Evvryn picked a ranger character, and knowing Evvryn, she most likely di-wait?

“H-hey, what class did you pick?”

As she swiped away the last of the slob, she pulled out a bow and quill full of arrows. “Archer dumbass. I am modeled after an elf after all.”

“D-don’t stereotype elves! And sorry...I kinda didn’t read too much on the characters.”

Sighing with utter disgust, Evvryn gave him a look of true pity.

“Well just so you know as reference for later, this game only has two ranged classes. One being the archer, as I am, and the other being the mage. But I don’t roll with mages, so archer is the way to go. Oh yeah, I saw the knight can have a ranged option, but it’s just the slower version of the archer, so the choice was obvious.”

“Huh...so there’s a knight, mage, and archer. Just your typical main medieval classes.”

“True, but goddamn did they go in depth with the subclass and other trees you can go down with each class.”

Scrolling up and down the menu, Evvryn studied the classes. She wanting to get as much information as possible before the main game on what to expect from each player. But as soon as she got to the mage, her eyes immediately glared at Effryn.

“You really touch yourself to mages in each game you get the chance to be one...what mage even are you? You better be useful.”

“I am…” Standing up in a madly fashion, Effryn made sure to flap his mage cape as if a strong wind blew on it, and strike a pose befitting a mad man. “...An explosive mage!!!”

“...so basically, I’m carrying you, right?”

“W-wait, no! Trust me, I’ll be useful, I promise!”

“You’re a mage specializing in explosions, with the same character model as you have in real life, so to add on-you’re a short explosive mage!”

“S-stooooop!”

Feeling his manhood being scrapped bare handed by Evvryns words, Effryn took a closer look at Evvryn’s character. She was Evvryn, but well...as an elf. She had the ears, eyes, hair, and her clothes, which were only leaves covering her body, resemble that of an elves. Other than that, she looked just like Evvryn.

But looking down at himself, well...all he had was a cape and some poor tacky wool clothes. And to top it all off, he was still his same height from before entering! Why must this curse follow me everywhere I go? Even to places I consider to be my most safest area?!

While cursing himself and the gods that made him this way, he heard announcement being broadcasted from outside by what sounded like the announcer of the game.

Attention all players, please come to the courtyard of your building once you are done selecting your characters and getting used to this world. You have five minutes until we start explaining the rules and what you as players are meant to do to win this game.

With the sound of the announcement ending, the mage and the elf looked into each others eyes, and nodded. They both knew it was almost time to begin, and for them to win.

Both fastening their apparel, Evvryn walked out, with Effryn following closely behind her. But while following, Effryn kept his head down so Evvryn couldn’t see his face burning red, or at least, that's what he felt. He didn’t know if his face could turn red in the game, but it was still his reaction to hide his face whenever he felt embarrassed, so he did so anyways.

Wow...she’s even cuter as an elf than I could’ve imagined! It’s a miracle I held from blushing until now…

Outside in the vibrant streets, Effryn saw the busy wells of life walking to and from, with humans and other races mixed in. He could smell the baking of bread, along with other sweet delights from various other directions. Then there was the wagons piling up as traffic, being pulled by what seemed like some nothing, which was most likely a kind of pulling magic.

In total, it almost looked exactly like how a real world street would look.

Almost.

To the normal eye, it looked like every person had their own personalities, life, and home destination. But to a virgin gamers eye, like Effryns, he could see some distinct patterns of walking pattern and routine if looked at long or hard enough.

It didn’t bother him too much, since he wasn’t a fan of crowds or people in general, But there was still a feeling of offness, like a being disconnected from a world yet it still goes on around you.

This should feel like GTA, right? But since I’m actually here it just feels...lonely. Well at least I’m not being beaten for just looking in the direction of someone.

“OVER HERE EFFRYN!!!”

The sound of a roaring beast soared through the skies, piercing the clouds themselves as if they were paper. But in reality, it was Towu, piercing the eardrums of everyone even remotely near him.

“Towu! I told you not to scream in public like that! What happens if you tell during a battle, and reveal your position? Then what?!”

And by his side, or a good amount of feet below him, was Nei, scolding Towu for being too loud. She was an archer, of course. With her bragging about her fps skills, there was no doubt she’d choose a character like that.

But what got the attention of Effryns eye was focused on the hulking mass of the knight class. How could anyone not stare at him, he was a gargantuan with only a loincloth and his muscles to his name.

It was clear Towu was some variation of the knight class that was melee only. He thought it could be some kind of berserker character, or a tank.

And then there was the loli like elf, Nei. She had the same elvish look as Evvryn, but something about her outfit was different.

Glancing at Effryn, then to Nei, and back to Evvryn, Effryn tried finding what was the main difference between their suits.

“Hey, Evvryn, you’re friend over there’s eyeing us both to death right now.”

“H-huh?!”

Turning to face him, Evvryn put on a face of absolute disgust.

“You filthy pig...do you really get that much ecstasy from being a perv!?”

“N-n-no, I swear!” Trying to beg for his innocence, Effryn went to far as to get on his knees to beg for forgiveness. “Please forgive me! I was only spot the difference between you two.”

“So, you were getting an eye full on who has the most curves, were you not?”

W-huh…

Completely silent, all Effryn could do was keep his head down in defeat.

“You’re red as iron. Fine, I’ll stop my bickering.” Giggling to herself, Nei rested on a shopwall.

Welp, apparently characters did blush whenever the person was blushing...that was going to be an inconvenience for Effryn later.

Curse you loli…

“Aghh, get up already.”

“B-but I can’t! My dignity’s slipped from my fingers once again…”

Tightly holding his head, Effryn curled into a little mage ball as a last bastion for his pride.

“Fine...here.”

Looking up, Effryn saw the sight of what he could only describe as a beautiful elvish Evvryn, reaching out a hand to save all of mankind. Reluctantly grabbing hold, Effryn felt his chest curling up.

Pulling him up, Evvryn grunted “Up and at-em” before resting on the same wall as Nei.

“T-thanks.” Effryn barely managed to say.

“Don’t sweat it kid, I get what you were trying to do.” Looking at Nei, she pointed to her back. Or rather, what was on her back-her quill. “That’s what’s different between us. I bet it’s from choosing a different archer than me, and I’d rather not study the cosmetics for which one it is.”

That’s a bit...unnecessary?

Effryn saw the leaf-satchel on Nei’s back-a light green color.. And on Evvryn’s back was a slightly darkrt green leaf-satchel. Apart from those two items, the clothes, bow and dagger looked the exact same.

How am I supposed to know differences of hue in the SAME color??

Brushing off the color dilema, Effryn realized they had both arrived at the courtyard, with the other sixteen players waiting around in their own two-man party.

-Then, with a flashing beacon of lights, appeared a box like screen, with the same words being etched into each side slowly.

“How fancy for them to display such a lightshow for us.” Nei said, watching the words form like everyone else.

“I guess this is it then, huh?”

Truly, the game’s start was imminent. Any second now, the gamemaster would read the rules, and declare the start of the world's first ever VR death match.

Everyone was on the edge of the air waiting.

Soon, it was sure to happen…

“...”

“...”

This is...

“Hurry the hell up all ready!! Did someone have an aneurysm while programming this?! Or is this a real time typing moment, and whoever’s writing this needs to retake the entire literacy core again!?”

While Evvryn went on a rampage with the screen, everyone else stared at the screen, but silently agreed with her in their heads.

Ding

The screen finally finished the writing, and more lights danced around the box.

But Effryn didn’t care about the lights; he could care less about aesthetics. As different as he and the other players were, he knew they all thought the same-just start the dang game already.

Hello fellow sixteen players! Today, you’ll be battling each other in a medieval fantasy setting, where knights and mages are to kill each other to remain the last player, or in this instance, team alive.

The first bar of text read, while an overly loud announcer read it aloud. Effryn was sure everyone else was at least literate enough to read this on their own, and could do without the screaming in their ear, but he didn’t want to say anything out loud, so he kept quiet.

“Ack-battle royale cash grab…” Effryn heard Nei snicker sneeze.

The game mode setup now is a team based killing arena where players can use their wits or intimidation to get what they want from the Npc’s everywhere in the city. You can trade, bribe, steal, or rob your way to get anything you want, with only one rule-survive.

If a team gets wiped, they’re out of the game for good! And if only one team member dies...well just pray you picked a character that has defibulators, or you’re rocking solo!

Other than this broadcast, the rules will be posted up on screen for everyone to get a clearer understanding of what to do. Okay then fellow warriors, the game will start in three minutes. Until then, have fun, and goodluck.

“Finally, the damn things over!! I swear that’s over excessively loud.”

After the announcer finished ear blasting, the text disappeared, and what followed were a few numbered items that was labels the rules appearing on the box screens.

Uncovering her ears, she joined the rest of the game in vigorously burning the rules of the game in her retina.

The rules were simple and short:

Once the game starts, teams will spawn somewhere random in the city, for the sake of spawn killing. Players may use the villagers and resources however they please. Note that if you do something counting as a crime, and you are seen by someone or there is a witness, the law will act in accordance to the severity of the crime done. Remember, this is NOT current century laws. Death is and will be a punishment depending on the crime. If a team is wiped or physically unable to continue, they will be out. If a player has lost someone on their team but they are still alive, it is up to them to either use any means needed to revive them, or to continue the match without them. And lastly-have fun! This may be a competitive match, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun!

Effryn read the rules once, and got all the information he needed.

Noticing how everyone else was stressing about the sudden rules and the now 2:30 on the timer, they were reading the box screen again and again, he felt slightly better about the situation. While watching everyone else, he saw everyone except himself and Evvryn, Nei and Towu, and the shady looking group, were the only ones acting calm right now.

Well...calm wasn’t exactly the word to describe the high anxiety building up in Effryn’s gut from the waiting, but still, he suppressed it.

Calm Effryn boy, Freal and Eizer are watching. And… Breathing in, Effryn took a look at Evvryn, who was looking at the screen with a grin, before breathing out, releasing all his built up energy. ...you’re here first hand, and with these feelings I have for you, I can’t be beaten by some randoms right in your eyes. So for this, I will win this, just for you.

With the time on the clock nearing zero, everybody readied themselves for what was next. Nei was stretching, while also forcing the giant Towu join her in his loincloth.

The shady duo hid in their shrouds, talking amongst themselves like always.

And then there was Evvryn, who shook her head mentally preparing for the game.

“You okay little guy? Here.” Gleaming with a warm smile, she took hold of Effryn’s hand. “Don’t worry Effryn, you have me to carry you after all.”

She’s still the same, even under this pressure. Now I know…

“...I’ll win this game for you Evvryn, and you alone.”

With his feelings having a fiasco of a time in his stomach, Effryn was able to make happiness his most visible emotion.

And with all of this, a ding was heard this time, maybe a little louder than before. Then every team looked at one each other for a last time, before vanishing off to their own location, thus, marking the start of the game.