The two of us began taking cautious steps towards the smaller door. A great creaking noise violated the otherwise pin drop silence and we looked behind to see the main door of the chamber had closed. We tensed up. I suspected the door had some built-in mechanism that enabled it to remain open only for a fixed duration.

"We should be able to reopen the door after we awaken the founder," Orka said in a weak attempt at optimism. Oddly I was not as afraid at that moment as I should have been. Perhaps it was the knowledge that we were in a game world. But at the same time if I died in this chamber today then I was going to be dead for real. This virtual world was a truth for me.

I held my sword tighter. The last time I had refused to use the sword, this time I would hack and slash mercilessly with no second thought.

“Armor,” Orka said, after we had traversed the length of the hall, pointing at an indistinct glint at the base of the steps that led up to the minor door. I frowned and saw breastplates and a couple of helmets.

“These are for us?” I asked Orka.

“They are for whoever enters the chamber I think,” Orka said. “So let’s put them on.”

The armour might as well have been custom made for us, it fit so perfectly. The helmet covered most of my face and it gave me a certain sense of security. The breastplate was light and allowed easy movements.

“So what are we supposed to face?” I asked.

Barely did I speak when noises drifted over from outside the main door. Orka and I glanced at each other in trepidation. The door was forcefully pushed inwards. I got goosebumps of fear as five players rushed into the hall.

One was a tall barbarian with a mace. He was flabby like a sumo wrestler, wearing nothing but a mawashi loincloth. His bald head was comically small for his body, and thick platinum rings dangled from the pierced nipples of his man boobs. Beside him was a shorter man topped by a pointed hat, his velvety cloak sweeping the floor. The third was a petite female fighter. She had a katana in her hand, which she held like it was an extension of her body. Orka and I on the other hand clutched our swords with the clumsiness of toddlers holding spoons.

The fourth was a knight, hidden in burnished steel armor from head to toe making it impossible to guess if they were male or female. The fifth player withdrew his long sword from its scabbard with a schwing sound that echoed about the chamber. A helmet concealed his face and he had his shoulders thrown back in a relaxed and somewhat overconfident demeanor.

“Guardians!” the short girl cried, an accusing finger directed at us. “We’ll need to kill ‘em if we wanna get anything out of this quest.”

Guardians? I thought, confused.

“I think these players are the ‘perils’ the door was talking about,” Orka said to me in an undertone. “We must fight them.”

I nodded. The last time players had been brutal towards me. This time I was going to have my revenge, even though these were not the same people that had injured me.

The knight charged at us like a bull. They were incredibly fast despite being weighed down by all the metal. Before I could even react, the person hit me on the head with a fist of steel. Thankfully my helmet took most of the blow, the clash of metal on metal producing a ringing noise. I only felt a dull short-lived pain. The person sped back to their team members as fast as they had come.

“For Lori!” Orka whispered to himself. He let out a deafening war cry and threw himself at the players, swinging his sword wildly. The players scattered.

I noticed that the fifth one just went to a corner and made himself comfortable there. He even sheathed his sword, as if he just meant to be a viewer.

The girl met Orka’s attack. She was graceful with her katana and lithe, able to bend herself in myriad ways like a gymnast. She used this to evade most of Orka’s blows.

But Orka wasn’t going to bow down to the tricks of an elastic girl. He matched her with his own flexibility and landed a powerful hit on the woman’s katana, making it shatter. Orka raised his sword again, going for the kill, but this time he suddenly froze, his arms raised and his face twisted in anger.

I realized Mr Pointy Hat Wizard was behind this. His slim hands pointed at Orka, his long fingers making delicate movements. Orka tried to break free from the sleazy spell, but it soon became evident he would require my assistance.

Sword in hand, I advanced towards the wizard, but from the corner of my eyes I spotted the speedy knight shooting for me.

I leapt, jabbing my sword towards the wizard. Time seemed to move in slow motion, even as the fast-moving knight reached me and punched my stomach. But the blade of my sword had already sunk into the side of the wizard’s belly.

The punch threw me many meters away. My sword landed on the ground with a clang. My stomach throbbed, having taken the hit exactly over the past wound. Thankfully, the wizard had been distracted enough and lost his grip on the spell. Orka was free, and somehow he had even managed to grab the darting knight, repeatedly lifting and smashing them against the floor.

I cheered for Orka, but just then saw the barbarian looming behind him. I scrambled and picked up my fallen sword. I hurled it like a spear. The sword sailed past my friend and lodged itself in the neck of the barbarian, which was an accomplishment considering he hardly had any neck.

The huge man let out a cry as bright red blood spurted out and he fell backwards. The sight made me lightheaded. I tensed the muscles of my body as a countermeasure to remain on my feet.

No time for weakness, the troubles were not over. I heard a gasp and sensed a movement. I moved just in the nick of time and the girl thrust her broken katana into empty air. I lurched towards her and grabbed her hand that she held her katana with. At the same time, the fingers of my free hand found her neck. I overpowered her and pushed her down. My old martial arts skills were definitely reawakening.

She frowned at me in disbelief.

“You…,” she croaked as I tightened my grip on her throat, “you are… a player!”

“Not really,” I answered her.

I experienced an odd tingling sensation and my body became rigid. I cursed inwardly, even though I couldn’t open my mouth. The wizard.

The girl took advantage and slipped out from beneath me. With a smirk, she was about to decapitate me, when the unconscious body of the knight came flying and collided with her. The girl’s head slammed against the floor. A crack, and she moved no more.

I found myself free from the spell. Orka was lifting the wizard by the neck. He drove his sword into the wizard’s guts. The man cried out in agony. Orka pulled out the sword only to stab him again. Blood stained the frail wizard’s clothes. I felt queasy and tapped my cheeks frantically. It’s just virtual blood, I told myself. I needn’t be hemophobic in Dharti.

Finally Orka flung the lifeless corpse away.

Only one player stood. He was staring at the downed players without much sympathy, like they were not worthy of his companionship. He raised his arms up, communicating he was not interested in fighting us.

Something about his height felt familiar. And when he waved and beckoned at me, I knew why.

“Sam?” I said.

“I see that you have learnt to combat,” he said.

“Wait, you know him?” Orka asked me, befuddled at what was going on.

“He’s my brother!” I said.

I ran to Sam.

“I thought I would never see you again,” Sam said in a moist, emotional tone as we embraced.

“I was attacked by some players and I had to flee,” I told him.

“Attacked by players? Why?”

“I don’t know! They—”

“Quick tell me where you are. My time is running out!”

“I am in the village—”

“Shit!”

Sam disappeared. I kept staring at the empty space, wishing Sam would materialize again. But that never happened. I fell on my knees.