The night air that followed through his window sent chills down his spine. The cold snapped its invisible jaws at him and caught his arm, making his teeth chatter as the cold bit at his body parts. The days were always warm and always something that most of the boys hated, seeing as it always wore them down in P.E. His mother insisted that he leave his windows open during the night just to let some cool air, but right now, it was starting to kill him.

The boy, James Shakehard, was tangled up in a maroon blanket on the couch, watching the dark ceiling with motionless eyes and listening to the fan as it swung around in never ending circles. He sighed and shivered as a cold win ran through the window once again, blowing past his ragged black hair and giving his legs goose bumps. He wrapped the covers tighter and pulled his pale feet under the protection of the covers, shivering once again. He stared at the TV in front of him, watching the dull cartoons of Adult Swim that were left on at night. He didn’t laugh, but rather stared with dull eyes as Peter Griffin let out that same annoying laugh like he had fifteen freaking years ago when he was freaking three. He grumbled and turned, still listening to the TV as it went on to a commercial break.

He bit his lip for a moment as his cat crawled lazily over the couch and snuggled with his legs, warming it up for a moment before starting to lick at it. He didn’t bother to move; he was too lazy to, and plus, he didn’t watch the stupid commercials that came on these days about new cars, new this and new that all the time. His fingers curled around in a fist as he rubbed them against the olive colored couch, trying to get warmth going in the otherwise icicle-like hands. His cat purred and rested its head on his foot, along with its paws and watched TV as if it was a real person. It had a tendency to try and act like a real person; was it unique? He really didn’t know what the cat was trying to prove in this situation, but he really hadn’t bothered to try and figure it out. He yawned and turned back once again, watching one of the ‘new’ Nissan commercials. They came up with one every single day…those guys needed to chill. He wasn’t going to be buying their cars any time soon, was he?

The vibrant colors and the comedic jokes only made him frown. It was slightly entertaining to watch stupid TV shows, but then again, he remembered slightly how he always went to the stupid movie premieres with his friends just for the heck of laughing at the movie. He wasn’t laughing now. He was definitely not laughing now. He fidgeted again and faced the ceiling again, only to pull back in the same position and glare across the couch and stare at the cat that was rubbing its head against his bare feet and purring once again. What was it trying to do, anyways?

The commercial break came once again and again, he was too lazy to move and try to avoid the countless commercials and the new advertisements about games, movies, cars, and more. His eyes narrowed once again as he stared at the black cat at his feet, continuing to try and get a position on the blanket and cuddle up with his feet as if he were about to marry it or something. His heart skipped at the thought and goose bumps ran through his body once again. The wind came through again, blowing his hair up for a moment and making the cat purr a bit louder than before, trying to gain his attention. He curled his legs up, making the cat purr softly and make itself comfortable in the spot where it was now in. He didn’t feel like terrorizing the thing; it deserved a break sometimes.

Of course, even at eleven o’clock at night, you couldn’t avoid the countless ‘The World’ commercials that popped up every now and then on TV. Even when it had come out years before, they were still trying to persuade players to come and join the online adventure of a lifetime and maybe get a few extra expansion packs while they were at it. The commercials were obnoxious to say the least, but who cared? It was a game that they wanted everyone in the world to play and even some of the worst gamers (a.k.a. James) had come to play it and enjoy the entertainment it gave out.

He had come to like the game, as it provided so much to do in such a short amount of time. Events, fields, players, clans, and so much more that you could discover all on your own. The real thing was, there was always something to do in there even if you thought you had discovered everything there was to see in there. Every person had something they didn’t know about there and he knew for a fact that he hadn’t even managed to discover one percent of it, though he had discovered a few secrets of his own. There was yet another moronic laugh from Peter Griffin as he played a flashback of yet another idiotic thing. He shook his head slowly.

In reality, though, ‘The World’ was a distraction for all people, something to play in order to get away from real life and everything else. It got you so immersed that you didn’t want to log out and if he were an avid gamer, he’d be playing it right this moment, drooling over the graphics and power leveling like all the other players out there. He, on the other hand, managed to get in a bit of time a day and then spent time doing other things that needed handling. Chores, homework, maybe a party, and maybe even a sport to play; there was always something to do. Yet somehow, every day he got dragged back into ‘The World’ for an adventure like no other, whether it be a basic dungeon, an exciting event, or a mission that he was recently assigned…

It had been a week or so ago when he first joined another group of players and gone his own path. He was sticking with it, at the moment, and planned to for quite a while. Whenever he didn’t have anything to do in ‘The World’, there was a mission to do, a player to save, and obviously a bit of fun to be had. Good fun or bad fun didn’t make much of a difference to him, and the more he thought about it, the more he was tempted to go upstairs to his room and play for a while. He could’ve, but at the moment, he was in too comfortable a position to get up from watching the lamest shows and commercials the world had to offer. His cat stirred and purred in its sleep.

Who could be up this late and who would even think about doing something such as a mission at this late an hour? Sen, if she was even on, likely wouldn’t be going with him, due to the recent teams they had been assigned. Likely, Zen was going to be online as usual, but still, the two had told him that he couldn’t expect anything from Zen until he cleared almost a dozen missions or less. He had grown exponentially since he had first joined, but still, he had high doubts for grabbing a chance to do a mission with the leader of the group. Maybe a dungeon adventure, but he hardly expected Zen to accept a mission at this point in time. Kai, on the other hand, could be on, but still, the Heavy Axe would likely be training or something in a dungeon. He leaned against the cool couch, the air continuing to bite at his face and his eyes starting to dull into a sullen state.

Ugh, this was like torture, just sitting here watching reruns of Family Guy as they appeared on the same channel every night. It was so boring. He sighed and almost immediately, his cat was up, staring with gleaming eyes at his expression before crouching and jumping off the couch. The bell connected to its collar rung a bit as it left and then he was alone once again, his feet outstretched, still the same pale white it had been ten minutes before. He could’ve always attempted to sleep, but that never came easy to him, especially when it was the start of a weekend. His hand wandered around until he found the gray DirecTV remote. He picked it up and turned the TV off, watching the familiar flash as the remnants of the characters disappeared once again. He rubbed his eyes and rolled off the couch, hitting the carpet with a groan before getting up and wrapping the covers around him. The wind hit him like a sword, trying to cut past the shield that was wound around him.

James started up the stairs, his steps slow and tentative. He was always hesitating these days with simple choices such as: go to your room and play a game or watch stupid reruns of Family Guy that were always on TV being watched by hundreds of idiots like him. He slid across the carpet and down the path to his room. He heard muttering in the other room and saw the slightest glint of light on in his parents’ room. He slid over to his room and silently closed the door before facing his room once again. The cat was there, purring and licking its paw with gleaming eyes as if its paw was the most delicious thing in the world. Cats were weird.

He pulled off the covers and walked over to the window, where he closed it shut and closed the blinds so the neighbors wouldn’t see the glow of his lamp in the darkness. Then, instead of jumping into his bed and doing his best to fall asleep, he turned off his lamp and felt around for his chair. He found the cushion and wrapped his fingers around it before he took a seat and rolled forward in the darkness. Then, he opened up his laptop to stare at the screen. His eyes watered for a moment as the light beamed onto his face for a moment. He rubbed at his eyes and then looked at the multiple icons. Firefox 3.0 was something that was on there…sure, it wasn’t new, but it sure as heck helped him a bit. He was tempted to click on it and check his e-mail, but decided otherwise. Instead, he clicked on the ‘The World’ icon, all the while frowning, and typed in his username and password like always.

“You suck,” James muttered under his breath, hating himself for no apparent reason as he snatched the VR goggles and controller. He pulled them on, adjusted them a bit, and then grabbed the controller. He let out a breath of cool air, listening to the fan as it went in the same pattern as always. It was time to go back into ‘The World’ for yet another adventure and maybe, he’d do something that was worthwhile. Maybe, maybe not, but…

It was worth a chance.

The night was always the creepiest time in Mac Anu, a time in which you saw all the people who acted all gothic and emo like there wasn’t anything else in the world that they liked. Golden rings showered down in the middle of the square, revealing Shenmock, downed in a black cloak that covered his whole body. A man who wore a top hat rested in a corner, his hat hanging over his eyes and his blade resting at his side as if he was some homeless dude waiting for someone to try and pickpocket him. A shiver ran down his spine at the sight of all the other people lurking about Mac Anu, throwing glares at people now and then, which also included him. There were, of course, other people who were hanging out near the bridge and at the water’s edge, watching their dark reflection and enjoying the night air, but…some chose not to enjoy it, but rather kept their faces sullen in the otherwise enjoyable atmosphere.

He stepped forward, his boots clicking softly against the floor under him. He stared up in the direction of the moon, only to see gray clouds concealing its existence. He slowly shook his head and started his ascent up to the top of the bridge, where he slid over the railing and sat there, watching the water as it moved down and the canoes as they went up and down with the water’s current. His messy blue hair blew up and he was forced to smile as the moon was revealed, its pale light casting a luminescent glow onto the gloomy city. His eyes wavered at the sight of his reflection; he couldn’t help but frown at the water as it flowed past, making his reflection blurry to him.

You could say that he was already not enjoying his time in ‘The World’, as there was no flash-mail to be heard, no event to be had, and a feeling in his stomach that told him not to go to a dungeon yet. He stretched just for the heck of it and then, a minute later, he slid off, his hair swiveling past him. He dug his hands into his pockets and left them there as he walked down the bridge and in the direction of the familiar passageway that he had taken so many times before. He slid into the shadows and came into the alley, leaning close against the wall before moving to the left and disappearing from the view of the players. It was strange that they had thought up such a place to meet up; it was so far into the alleys that you didn’t even think it was a plausible area to find a headquarters.

The boy made another sharp turn and stopped at the door. His hand wrapped itself around the knob and turned it slowly before pushing open the door. He was surprised to find that there was a candle lit on the floor near one of the chairs, where Kai was, leaning back with his eyes closed shut. The man didn’t wake up as he walked in, though, but rather kept his act up. The boy closed the door quietly behind him before approaching the man. He didn’t fidget. He took a step closer. He didn’t move. He leaned closer. He didn’t move. The boy made a face. He didn’t move. The boy moved to his ear and breathed into it, making him snap up for a moment, managing to throw him out of the way in the meantime.

For a moment, he was silent. Then, he turned his gaze to Shenmock and glared at the boy’s expression. ”That hurt my ears,” he growled, frowning at him. ”But…I guess it’s good that you got me up from my sleep…ugh, I hate falling asleep when I’m thinking.” Oh, so he had been sleeping on the keyboard, eh? Well, sure, that happened to everybody when they were really tired, but he hadn’t played to that extent at any point in his life. The guy looked a bit drowsy, but otherwise, he had completely woken him up with the screech that was sent through his speakers. The boy relaxed and dropped onto a stool, where he stared at Kai expectantly as if he had something to say.

”Is Zen here?” Shenmock asked, tilting his head and wondering just when the guy logged off. There was a bang on the doorway as if something had been thrown to indicate his existence. The Fist Fighter stared at it for a moment, still wondering just when he did anything else in his life. Then again, it was likely a coincidence, as the boy hardly played an hour a day, which was, to most players, a tad scary, as the game was so addicting.

”Yeah, I think he just got on or something…didn’t see him when I came in here.” The Heavy Axe rubbed at his eyes and yawned once again. ”In case you were wondering, yes, we do have a mission that you and I can handle. I was going to save it until morning, but I guess we could deal with it right now.” He rubbed at his eyes again and straightened up, folding his arms. ”Don’t worry; if there’s something that needs to be done, I won’t be sleep. I most definitely won’t.” He didn’t yawn again, but rather waited as if he expected an answer from the Fist Fighter.

”What’s the mission?” Shenmock asked, leaning in for a moment. Then, as if some unknown force had pushed it, it fell over, making him face plant on the ground. He grumbled at his clumsiness and got up, pushing the chair up with him. He took a seat back on and started to lean backwards a bit, yet he was a bit more careful with the analog stick at this point in time.

Kai shrugged. ”Zen’s going to tell us once we’re all ready…and that doesn’t seem to be getting done right now.” He looked at himself and gave him a guilty smile before getting up along with Shenmock. The two opened the still unfamiliar door up to the new room lain out for them and so the two pulled on their clothes. The boy still started to wonder why they couldn’t just get an extra feature so they didn’t have to… He pulled the armor and shook his blue hair out of his eyes. So they didn’t have to go through the trouble of this every time.

The boy grumbled and looked at the spray that had multiple scribbles on it. He pressed his finger on it and sprayed it over his head before grabbing a comb and starting to put his hair into a bit more of a spike, though it was mainly the top half while the back hung back a tad bit. He grumbled again and threw the comb down before walking out of the room after Kai, having to walk a bit fast in order to keep up with him. He closed the door behind him, listening to the soft click and then following Kai as the two of them filed into Zen’s office for the details on the mission.

Unsurprisingly enough, Zen sat in his chair, leaning back and watching them with steady gray eyes. The two took a large step forward and then stopped, standing at the attention of him like he was their commander, or at least something close. Zen seemed to like the fact that they gave him so much respect to him when they were about to go on a mission. Usually, in a game, people didn’t respect each other, but only their friends that they played with. Shenmock didn’t know this guy and didn’t have a great relationship with him, but yet he still respected him as if he was his clan leader or at least something close to a father. Strange…

”This might sound a bit dull to you two, but it’s like most missions that we do. Just like one of your most recent ones, you’ll be capturing a man and bringing him back here. It sounds boring,” he said, nodding to Shenmock, who stiffened, ”but it’s what we do, whether you like it or not. He’s about level thirty and will be at a high level field, so you two better watch out for the monsters that hang around there.” He folded his arms. ”This should be the last mission I have to spell out for you, Shenmock, so after this, don’t expect things from my office unless it’s extremely important.” With that, he pulled his chair around and faced the wall. ”Oh, and on another note, Shenmock, you’ll be the one interrogating him.” He was silent after that. The two turned…

And so they went.

It was warm, humid, sweltering, blistering, hot, or you could just call it a sizzling pot of lava that was meant to make players sweat a whole freaking lot. Magma burst forth from the rocks that jutted out from the molten floor, making the once blue sky an endless void of black. Smoke rose from all sorts of areas, sometimes flowing down in the area but otherwise joining the darkness up above. Lava came in rivers, steady as it flowed down at a quick rate down most of the cracks left open. If one were to step on them, they’d find their foot gone and their lips twisted in a blood-curdled scream as pain rushed up into their character from the pure heat, soon to be engulfed with flames. Those that weren’t stupid could survive the molten area in order to continue on into the dungeon, where deadly monsters lay in wait for the players to come and unleash them from their prisons.

The two, despite their light clothing and armor, were already sweating with the humidity that hovered around, obviously notable in the heat. The thing that made it so fictional was the fact that their feet weren’t being completely obliterated by the rough surface they stood on. Lava and magma was one thing, but the surface that they stood on was another thing. The sudden blast of energy surprised the two men, but they did not make an effort to pull off their gloves and remove their armor and masks. They only stood there, watching the immediate area through the slits and wondering just where they’d find the man that they were sent to deal with and then interrogate. Smoke threatened to flow down into the field, already lingering down so it was almost twenty yards above them. The boy, trying to take his mind off the smoke, squeezed his fist and listened to the usual crack of his knuckles. He rolled his shoulders and looked down at his bandages for a moment, looking to see if they were okay, though he knew they weren’t hanging.

Once that was done, he could only tighten his gloves and pat his armor before turning to Kai, who was already moving his hand across the digital map and looking to the immediate area, hoping to find the dungeon on it. His hand glided over a spring and then stopped as it touched the dungeon, which was to the west at the moment. He pulled his glove hand back and so the map disappeared, leaving them to turn to the left and stare off into the lava-encrusted field. It was time for the mission to be done.

Shenmock was the first to move, his feet raising and falling as he sprinted across the hot surface while staring at the smoke that rose from multiple holes that were scattered about the surface of the field. Kai was right behind him, moving at a slower rate but all the while doing his best to keep a lookout for anybody who dared attack them when they were on their way to the dungeon. The dungeon was just the general direction of where to go and if they could find him in the midst of the field, it would make things easier. He was said to have teleported to the field ten minutes before, so he was likely in the dungeon, though neither felt like traversing the whole thing to find him gone.

A portal came in their midst between two tall pillars that rose up about ten feet and were about a foot in length and width. The boy took a moment to examine the pillars, staring in sudden awe as two rocks the size of mosquitoes grazed off the surface and hit the surface below. Almost immediately, it started to slowly burn up as if it was slowly eating it up in flames. The two came to a stop as the golden portal gave off three sparks before giving off a ringing noise. Then, it disappeared, revealing two nasty looking monsters that looked like they had come from the pits of Hell…or maybe they had?

They were Hell Hounds, obviously enough, and their features looked like that of a Hell Doberman, only a bit more catchier. Flames roared out from their backs and when they snapped their teeth at the two, they revealed a nice set of yellow fangs that hadn’t been brushed for quite a while. The monster spat out blood that immediately evaporated with the heat and then glared at them with fiery eyes. A low howl pierced the air and so the two charged at them, their claws ripping into the ground under them and bringing them farther and farther with each bound they took.

The monsters looked insanely ferocious at first glance, but any player could easily take care of meager monsters by using elemental spells. Even Kai, a heavy class, could take these things down with meager spells, but then they also wanted the challenge and fun of fighting monsters to the death with their own weapons. At the moment, though, seeing as it was quite late at night and the two were both a bit tired, they really didn’t want to waste so much energy on monsters that carried such power in each strike. One of them leapt at Shenmock while the other leapt at Kai, their claws outstretched and their sharp teeth bared to tear into flesh.

”Rue Zot,” the boy uttered so only he could hear. An aura swiveled about around him until it formed a clear circle of shattering ocean blue light that emitted across the field. A gloved hand was raised, palm outstretched, letting loose blue light that made the monster squint for a moment as it roared. Its claws inches from his throat, it opened his mouth wide to take a bite out of his head, only to find a pillar of ice jutting out right in front of the Eagle, puncturing it in the stomach for a moment before letting it slide off the ice in a low howl. It pained him to see the blood flowing from its stomach, but it was what he had to do to protect himself from the monster’s arsenal of weapons: its teeth and its claws.

His palm twitched for a moment as light started to flow from it once again. ”Rue Kruz.” Why was he being so lazy as to cast multiple spells upon the monster? Shenmock had such a tendency to fight monsters while avoiding spells to increase the amount of training he got, but right now, he was just throwing spells at the monster. The monster let out a cry as ice started to form around it. One, two, three, four icicles appeared and then converged with such intensity that the monster fell to the ground, the sign of an Elemental Critical coming above it. The monster let out another howled cry as the flames started to die a bit, but then got up from the ground, stumbling a bit but otherwise facing him with menacing, tortured eyes and letting smoke flare from its nostrils.

It was at that point where he stopped throwing spells at him, but rather prepared his Yawara and stepped forward, letting his bare foot hit a rock and relax a bit from the heat that had been flowing into it before. Sweat beaded down the sides of his bulky arms as the monster charged at him, blood sliding out between its teeth and hitting its dark fur. The monster let out a roar of outrage as it barreled forward in a spin-like motion. He jumped to the side, his emerald eyes blazing as the claws grazed off his side and let crimson splash the ground. He skidded back and grumbled, watching the monster as it turned to the side, staring at the boy that was soon to turn into his midnight snack, quite literally due to the fact that it was almost midnight and the boy really didn’t feel like fighting against some hound that had a taste for blood.

The monster came forward in a frenzy, howling at the top of his lungs and forcing James to turn the volume down a bit as not to make him deaf. The Fist Fighter slid to the side right as the monster came, letting his knee connect with the monster’s side and let it hit one of the pillars that they had previously passed. The monster whined for a moment as he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and pulled his fist – which was now encrusted with hoarfrost – and brought it forward in a mighty punch, letting the skill impact on the monster’s cheek. Blood splashed the rocky pillar and then, with one final kick, the monster fell limp at his knees.

A second passed in silence and then a shadow fell over him, one that wasn’t a good sign. The remaining Hell Hound pounced on him, raking its claws across his armor and tearing past it and digging into his skin before letting its jaws rake across the exposed skin and tear out flesh, though it didn’t manage to get at the bone. The boy only hit the ground, motionless, his vision blurry and his hands twitching with pain as his character’s hit points started to disappear a chunk at a time. The boy wanted to let out an earsplitting scream to indicate the pain his character was feeling, but instead, he only fidgeted, doing his best to hold back his character’s emotion by frantically clicking on buttons and hoping for the best.

An axe pierced its neck and then blood spattered across his body. The weight was shoved off him and two gloved fingers found his pulse. He had no idea why the guy was going for it; maybe it was because their party had somehow gotten disbanded, but by the looks of things, they were still in a party together. Then, the hands were lifted and light emanated from Kai’s hands. Seven seconds later his wounds were healed and somehow, the sleeveless black shirt had managed to sew itself back together again, along with the silver armor that he wore. The boy rolled over and pushed himself from the ground, feeling at his back for a moment before staring at Kai who was leaning against the pillar and staring at him, or so it seemed.

The boy frowned under the mask and turned behind him to stare at the dungeon that stood ten yards off from their immediate area. His frown turned to a smile and so he turned to Kai, who was already walking ahead of him, his strides long. He didn’t bother to turn his head as he said, ”Sorry about that; he got a little out of hand and I was dodging around him. At least he didn’t kill you, less I’d be in a much worse mood that I had to waste spell points on you.” He laughed, yet Shenmock didn’t hear any sarcasm in his tone. He was left to walk with him, his arms outstretched in a motion that indicated relaxation. ”Anyways, we’ll be waiting outside the dungeon for once. Once he comes, we attack, and if he sees us, so be it. We’ll still have to catch him.” He came to a stop at the dark passageway that came before them and the flat top that rose above. He pointed to the top of the dungeon entrance. ”We’ll go up there,” he announced in a commanding tone.

Shenmock stared at the area above. It rose about twenty feet and would prove very troublesome for the two of them to climb up. Sure, there were multiple cracks that could get him up there, but what about Kai? He was a heavy axe, not the agile man like him. Kai gestured forward for him to go, and so he went without hesitation, seeing as his mentor would disapprove of him being tentative. The boy looked at the rock and then jumped and grabbed the nearest crack, letting his gloved fingers slide in for a moment. He scrambled around for a foothold, found one, and then pushed himself up off of it and grabbed onto the next, easily coming up through it. He could remember faintly how he had climbed up the Swath Hound, only while it was moving and chasing after them. He grabbed at another crack and threw himself up and over so he landed on the hard, craggy surface.

He turned and peered down, staring at Kai, who was already pulling himself up off the ground and reaching for the next crack. He stared at the man for a moment and started to examine what his hair looked like from above. He was curious and really hadn’t managed to examine it…and this was his best chance, right? It was brown, like his, and hung back in a ponytail sort of fashion, though it only reached out for a few inches before coming to a stop. Other than that, he wore the exact same outfit as him…he could only hope that the man wasn’t chewing on some wheat at the moment. The man looked up at him and then grabbed onto the next ledge. He was about two feet away from the boy now. He made a reach for another, missed it, and lost his foothold, only to be grabbed abruptly by Shenmock.

The man stared down for a moment, his feet hanging in the air for a moment before the Fist Fighter grabbed at it with the other hand and wrenched him up so he was on top of the building. He fell back and hit the ground, sweat continuing to bead down his shoulders and down to his gloves, where they sunk in under the fabric and towards his fingers. He ran his fingers through his hair, grumbling as sweat became apparent in it. The same went for Kai, who was currently adjusting his shirt so it didn’t stick to his skin like white on rice, but basically, the shirt always did that to the two of them. He was just happy that it was a cool night out where he was…

So the two waited for the man, ready for whatever came out and keeping a steady lookout for him when he exited the dungeon. They’d pounce when they were ready, but right now, they needed to just chill down a bit. Quite literally too.

Magma shot up from small holes scattered about the area. It hit the ground a second later, immediately flowing out to all different sides before coming down in their own separate cracks. The two watched from a distance, statues in the otherwise bustling field. They were silent, at a loss of what to say and how to start a conversation that would enlighten the boring moment. Both were tempted to just take off their goggles and go to sleep, but neither moved from their position and rather stood at the edge of the top, watching the bottom with a steady gaze. Shenmock managed to swallow, but Kai didn’t say anything in response, only watching it, his axe at his side, ready to move at a moment’s notice. Of course, the Fist Fighter knew that he just had to be the one to initiate the conversation here, but what question would he ask?

There were all kinds of things he could ask the man about, but what? ”So, how do you think I’ve progressed mission-wise, you think?” Shenmock asked. It was the only question he could think of that would start up a conversation, but still, it was at least something that would let them escape their sleepy state. The boy adjusted his position his position and gripped at the rocky edges, waiting for an answer with sudden anxiety. He was actually very curious to find out whether or not he was doing very well with his missions and the like. The man at his side didn’t move.

Then, he finally spoke after twenty seconds of silence. ”You’ve actually progressed quite well despite the fact that this is only your fifth mission. Your first four missions were quite good, but this should be the last kind of test we’ll put you through: interrogation. Then, you’ll mainly be going off alone on the missions unless they require two people for a group; then you’ll be along with me.” He paused as lava burst forth from another hole in the ground. ”You’ve grown better since your first mission, which is plainly obvious, but other than that, I think you’ve still got room to improve your skills. It’s likely we’ll be going on a large-scale mission soon, so I’m betting that Zen will get to review what you do well and what you don’t, though really, he’ll just be trying to criticize what you’re doing wrong.” He continued to stare down without emotion. ”You’re doing well enough,” he stated flatly.

In a way, that comforted Shenmock that he wasn’t getting all kinds of insults thrown at him as to what he could improve on. Sure, he could improve on stealth and the like, but he was meant for power and skill with his attacks instead of dodging through trees and camouflaging himself. The boy didn’t answer the man, but continued to stare down at the place in which he thought the man would teleport. Kai stiffened as he saw the slightest hint of gold coming up. He motioned with a finger for him to come and so the Fist Fighter leapt off, already noticing the specks of the man appearing. Milliseconds before he hit him, the man became fully materialized to reveal all sorts of clothes and jewels. The boy’s knees hit his shoulder blades and so the man fell to the ground, his face being stuffed into the muck. He squirmed for a moment, already preparing to scream, but Kai was there, the steel of his axe pressing against his mouth and his mask staring down at him with an impenetrable glare.

The man squirmed for a moment before a fist collided with the back of his head and his face hit the ground, his eyes dulling before they closed. The boy stood up from where he was on his back and cleaned off the soot that had gathered up on his clothes. Kai picked the man up and hefted him over his shoulder. A moment later, the two were gone, half their mission completed and the other half awaiting Shenmock, though he was still unsure whether or not he would succeed in what he was about to do: interrogation.



The room was pitch black, except for a flame that crackled about below, just in front of a wooden chair. There were a few things scattered about the room, but nothing that anyone would notice. A few stools here and there and even a hole that signified a rat’s nest. The room had once been a meeting room, but after a bit of debating, they had changed it into the interrogation room, where they’d interrogate foes and try to scary the wits out of them. If they agreed to their terms, they wouldn’t throw them to CC Corp., but if they didn’t agree, they’d be thrown to CC Corp., where they’d be obviously deleted for what they did. The group of players left players a chance and if they took it, everybody would be quite happy, as they would have some valuable information while the player didn’t get deleted and ceased the hacking he did unless he wanted to be thrown back into the same room and this time, get worse consequences.

Now a young Twin Blade – or a hacker, you could say – was residing in this room, bound to the chair and wondering just where he was and why someone had taken him into such custody. He shook his black hair out of his eyes only to find more darkness except for a single candle lit right in front of his boots. His eyes were dark as he started to struggle, but found no way out. There was nothing left he could do except to stay put and wait for someone to decide his fate. He was scared, of course, but knew that if he gave them what he wanted, he could go back to playing. Sure, he wasn’t going to give it willingly, but in the end, he wasn’t going to just let them knock it out of him instantly. He wasn’t the type to just give in, but he sure wasn’t the type to get him deleted when it could be easily avoided with some common sense on his side. Now all the Twin Blade could do was wait.

The door swept open and a moment later, the candle was out. The man was swept into darkness and a shiver ran down his spine as a body swept passed him, hidden in the sudden darkness that had been thrown upon him. Goose bumps started to crawl up his fingers and then his hands and then up his arms until another shiver ran down his spine. He looked to the left and then to the right. The presence wasn’t moving anymore and he couldn’t hear any signs of breathing. A cool voice came through and his head immediately turned to the right, where the voice resided. ”Veran; an interesting name, to say the least. You are a hacker, no more and no less. We’ve got a few questions to ask and we’d like you to answer them…whether you like it or not.”

It was Shenmock, obviously enough, and he was already feeling like he was overpowering the man in front of him. The boy glided off to the side so he stood right behind the man, his gloves hovering over him and threatening to squeeze his neck at a moment’s notice. The man flinched, but the Fist Fighter, on the other hand, was just getting started. ”I’d like to see you try,” the man hissed under his breath, struggling a bit but only managing to move in his chair a bit. He could see a bit in the total darkness, as there was the smallest hint of access light coming through the cracks, though it was only enough to see inches in front of him.

There was a silence that followed and the Twin Blade knew very well that the man was no longer behind him. Where then, was he? He didn’t even know what to look for, either a small little boy wandering about or some giant person looming over him with a giant axe ready to cleave his head off. Something swooped down from the ceiling and something came face to face with him, though he could only see the slightest hint of white in front of him. A rock had managed to cover up the hint of light that had been coming in…crap. The voice was close, inches away from where he was. ”You’ll answer.” Something brushed across his nose for a moment. He was about to argue, but a gloved hand found his mouth and blocked any curses or screams to come out. ”Now we get to go on to the first question. Exciting, isn’t it?” he asked in a venomous tone. The man struggled a bit as he noticed emerald eyes staring at him. ”It’s obvious to say that you’re doing it with someone else. No hacker travels alone in this world, just like how troublemakers come in packs of threes instead of packs of one. Who?”

There was a bit of air as the man moved once again from his position, taking his place in the corner of the room, his eyes still set on the man in the middle of the room, who was shivering a bit. ”I’m not about to just spill the beans, man. That’s a question you’ll have to leave un-“ A hand gripped at his neck and he could see the man in front of him, staring with intense eyes through a mask. He fidgeted as the hand squeezed harder against his neck. ”You’ll have to do better than that,” he spat, only for the grip to be squeezed harder. He knew he wasn’t going to kill him, but if need be, he’d drag him like that out into the darkness, then hang him from a pole or something with the word ‘Hacker’ plastered on it. He knew he was going to do that if he didn’t answer. ”Okay, okay. His name’s Draiv; he’s a Long Arm. Now would you please…let go?” The man moved away, satisfied with the answer he’d gotten.

”Good, but not good enough. You obviously have more than that. A field by chance, a place to meet up with all of your other friends?” He asked it in that same venomous tone that made goose bumps run up his arm and make another chill go down his spine. He gripped the chair with his arms, struggling again to break free, but only found that he wasn’t getting anywhere at the moment. He couldn’t tell him anything! If they knew where they were at, they could easily eliminate them! Ugh, this was so annoying! There was nothing he could do but answer him unless he wanted his character deleted, worse have to deal with everybody’s insults to him and how they would’ve handled it better. Lies, but still, he didn’t enjoy getting yelled at by his comrades.

”The…westernmost alleyway in the Lambda Server. We don’t have any rooms, but that’s where we usually meet.” The gloved hand brushed against his bare neck again, and so the man had to shiver again. The man moved off to another point and so he was left to look around once again, hoping to spot the man and stop shivering in fear. That was only the first question and he had given so much with just that. What more could the guy want? Well, obviously he wanted more than just that kind of thing; for all they knew, he was preparing to ambush them, but what good what that do to him?

”Good, good, good,” the man muttered, circling him. ”Now we get to go on to question two, one that isn’t as hard but should be just as important to you.” The man stopped in front of him and then stepped back. ”Your group of miscreants should obviously have defenses if they’re hackers, but still, we don’t know the exact area. Specify…or else.” The young Twin Blade was aware that he was going to punch him or do something to him if he refused to answer his question, so he went along with it. If he cooperated better, he’d get a lot more done instead of waiting five minutes to wait and answer each question. The man sighed, took a deep breath, and let it out.

”From the Chaos Gate, it’s the fourth alley to the right. Go straight, take a right, take a quick left and…” He waited a moment, recollecting his thoughts and taking another deep, painful breath before letting the rest out. ”Take the second right and you’re there.” He winced and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and trying not to think of the consequences that he would receive for giving away their hideout. He knew he could handle it, but…still. The man in front of him moved off to the side, away from where he was.

”Hmm, I think that’s it, as you’re not going to know any more than that. Two questions is all we need, I think, unless you’d like to share with us any added info that we didn’t receive before.” The man glided from the floor and let his fingers slide down from his shoulders to his bound arms. The man squeezed them for ten seconds, letting his hit points deplete with each second before letting them go and watching crimson flow down from the chair and splatter to the ground. The man gulped and shook his head slowly.

Two hands came around his neck for a moment and then let them dig in for a moment. The Twin Blade couldn’t breath, but that was hardly the concern of what he was doing; his hit points were depleting. He struggled for a moment and then, the final hit point was removed and he slumped down into the chair. His eyes closed and the last sight he saw was the dull gray ceiling above him. Then, candles were lit in the room and his character was gone from sight, the familiar Game Over replacing his screen in bright red letters.



Three candles were lit in the room, brightening it up so Kai could step in, his axe slung over his back. The man slid over and sat on a barrel that was near the door before eyeing Shenmock, who was meanwhile stretching his arms as if the job had been some kind of chore that he did every day. The man smiled and slowly shook his head before he started to chew on the same piece of wheat. ”You did well. I’m sure we could’ve extracted more information from him, but you did enough. It seems we’ll be going to the Lambda Server quite soon and if we learn it’s a big enough group, we might have Sen along. Hopefully it won’t be too big, but usually, when people reside in such a high level server, we’re bound to encounter people stronger than us.” He smiled at Shenmock’s normal frown. ”I’m sure we can handle it, though.” He leaned back, pressing his back against the wall.

”Yeah, well, I guess we’ll be doing that tomorrow night or something, because I’m…” He yawned and slumped back against the wall. ”Yeah, I’m tired, so there. I’m off to bed and all that. Don’t fall asleep on me, okay?” He laughed at Kai’s ugly expression that he gave him and then the golden rings engulfed him, letting him leave Mac Anu once again and to the world of sleep. He could only hope that he could sleep well tonight…

James removed his VR headset and dropped the wireless controller on the desk before pushing himself back and staring at the bed in front of him. He shivered and looked up at the fan that was still running above him and then jumped into bed, where he let sleep find him once again. The world of dreams was awaiting his arrival and now, it seemed as if he’d get there at a reasonable hour for once in his life.

Fin~

Shenmock --> +1 Level - +Light Handaxes - +Health Drink - +Mage's Soul