The clock tower glitches a little and strikes two in the afternoon, even though it should be around seven where I am currently situated. People from all around walk through the busy streets of the Main Plaza collecting food for silver or having one on one sparring battles through their classes abilities.
Guilds working up a storm for the extra benefits, but also for a grand battle against guild clans starting in about a week. This is all thanks to the S.O.U.L, the Smart Online Unlimited Life. But the Unlimited Life is what people mostly call it.
People flush through the tall seventy foot gold and silver gates onto the Main Courtyard getting as close as they can to the large hologram of the world the game takes place in, Casadia. A beautiful world with many lakes, forests and mountains for all the elements possible for this game.
They push, shove and even trample some people in their excitement, luckily I decided to step away from it and stand under the nearest blacksmith in the southeastern part of the intrinsically designed circle at the center of the courtyard.
The man in a full set of purple plate armor. A knight class I see. Man those are hard to win against in a spar. Guess that's why they're called a Tank. He laughs boisterously at some passing comment and places a hand on my shoulder, "Need me to upgrade anything, Kazuki? You're always studying my weapons every time you come by."
He's not wrong. I've been studying all the gear this man has and honestly they are pretty decent for specific missions. I hope I'm not making his customers worry too much with my presence! Maybe I should make sure everything is alright, "Not right now, honestly just waiting for this pile of crowd to pass. My friends should be here any second. Is business going well? I heard that there was a little bit of a problem yesterday."
"Everything is great! No need to worry about anything, my guy. How did you know I burned my hand yesterday?" He says and gives me a wink as a burst of lightning streaks passed us as a small spar session is going on a couple of feet away from us, "All sorts of elements here today. It's never this full here at the Courtyard."
"Oh, nothing." Definitely can't say I overheard his girlfriend say that while I was dealing with a couple thugs. "But anyway, yeah there's a new update coming today soon, supposedly there's three new Elements coming. Only one was leaked in the RL." RL means real life.
I continue, "One of them is supposedly a Magnetism Class."
A flash of fire digitalizes in front of me and shoots a flame at my face. A girl with a red summer dress and fiery red eyes stares daggers at me. The fire doesn't affect me, I'm a Fire Elementalist.
"Kazuki, what are you doing!" She says, pulling on my arm and taking me towards the circle that's now crowded with people, "I want to see what the update will do to my systems upgrade! Lets go!"
"I'm happy business is booming, Rockheart. Keep having good luck!" I yell being driven off by this AI. "Aura, come on. I was waiting for Yuuzuko and Aoi." They told me they'd be here already. It's already 5 minutes till the update. Did they start a quest without me again?! "I'll go get them."
Aura pulls me in close to her--staring me down, "Then I'm coming with you. Yuuzuko does always tend to start quests without you a lot even though you're a party."
"Yeah I'm gonna beat his as later." I say. There comes a small silence before we both laugh. "He's set to be the best player in the game. I wouldn't hold back either, you know how I am."
"Of course I do! I'm your AI!" She says. "And I'll kick your butt if you do a quest without me present."
A hand grabs my shoulder; my spine straightens and my daggers fly out towards the person's direction, "Kazuki! It's me, Yuuzuko!" He yells, holding his sword in Block mode. "Jeez, you gotta chill with that, man!"
My hands freeze with a dagger close enough to his sword that was gonna block my attack. 10% of his health would've went down if I hit. He's getting good, "Don't startle me like that. I would've slashed you to smitherings."
Yuuzuko's element is Shadow and plays a Swordsman class. A long black cape envelops his black shirt and leather black skinny jeans. His high chained boots makes him two inches taller than he actually is. I'm glad his AI didn't interfere, he'd have fought with Aura for sure.
Yuuzuko let's out a fresh sigh; tugging his heart, "Thank God, I yelled as fast as I did." He breathes deeply, "Although you wouldn't have hit."
"You want to test that out?" I ask. Wait now's not the time. I look around, "Where's miss Ice Goddess?"
Aura tugs on my black tank-top, "Kazuki." She looks up to me with those mechanically red eyes, "I traced Aoi's location, she's still at the guild center."
Yuuzuko and I look at each other and share a heavy sigh, "Again?"
************
People murmur as the clock reaches three-thirty in the afternoon in game. The updates are never usually late, never mind Aoi. She's always someone who shows up on time, or wants to be the first one somewhere more appropriately said.
Rockheart closes his shop and joins us in waiting for the game's speaker to show up. We are standing in the third ring of the courtyard, there are five rings and they all rise like stairs although more split apart.
"Ah! Kazuki, Yuuzuko! I'm so sorry I'm late!" Aoi screams and rapidly stands by us as we make an opening for her from the crowd of people. "If the woman from reception didn't take her sweet damn time I would've made it her on time."
Aoi's element is Ice and she plays an Archer class. She wears a light blue and gray dress with a pendant around her neck.
"It's alright, really. The update didn't start yet." I assure her. "How did the Guild Application go?"
She shows us her approved guild application to the Iron Maidens, a mostly female guild made largely of Knights, Swordswoman and Clerics. They would never allow an Archer enter their ranks, "I got approved! I think I did a good job persuading!
"Yeah, after twenty or so times." Yuuzuko says. "Did those sparring sessions help at all?"
"Absolutely!"
He raises his chin up high and boasts a satisfying smirk as he leans back towards the ring behind him, "I told you so. I knew you were gonna get in after that."
Her AI, at stage one, is a little boy wearing a yellow raincoat and has blue sparkling eyes. His hair drips water onto the floor and apparates mid-hug, hugging both Yuuzuko and I, "I missed you, Kazuki! I missed you, Yuuzuko!"
Times like these are what its all about in the full dive virtual reality. After the tragedy of the Entertainment War, gaining peoples trust was and still is a problem. I just hope I can get to school okay tomorrow, but with my friends I should be fine.
Being Top 20 in Element game is enough to protect myself at the very least. Especially so thanks to the new school project across the Hinami Shrine. A bright flash of yellow comes across the city we're in and we're expecting the Game Speaker, but that's not who we got.
We all were met with a man with a black and white tuxedo, a white head cover masking his whole face. Gloves are white and he stands tall standing straight in the middle of the screen. Behind him a massacre of human bodies. His tone is serious and slow, "Greetings, everyone. And please do not mind what's behind me."
A fluorescent light fixture crashes down behind him and he pays it no mind, continuing "The update presented to you is a personal favorite of mine. Don't worry, all the regular update benefits still remain."
He raises hands and flashes of lightning comes down, showing pieces of the big picture. An information screen shows 9 men in black and white suits looking towards us without faces with big words on top saying "Government Spies Update."
"This update is no ordinary update, but before I continue," He pauses and swipes down as a contract appears in front as the screen, "You need to sign this in order hear more and have all the benefits of the update."
He sits down on a chair he grabs closest to him, he hesitates a little maybe cause of the blood on it, he swipes it off and sits down hands clasped together looking at all of us, "Take your time. All those who don't agree can go play in your own updates. But for the adventurers," he pauses and his voice lowers. Like he's staring into me, "I would accept the conditions if I were you."
This guy is no psycho. He's an absolute maniac...
A large timer begins to count down. Five minutes. Four minutes and fifty nine seconds. If I know anything, it's that contracts need to be read carefully. My eye's narrow as the screen slowly moves upwards. A finger twitches as I take another quick glance at the man, the clock, then back to my screen.
Who is this guy? What update is he talking about? I take another glance at this man. I'm going to remember this face. I don't trust him. Something doesn't feel right. People around me are slowly signing the contract and it dissipates into the Cloud. Fine. I'll accept your little challenge. I sign the contract and it dissipates upwards.
"Pfft, a man like him won't scare me into signing the contract. I want those new updates and patches." Yuuzuko quickly signs the contract.
"Yes! I've waited so long for this!" She says.
There'll be more to study and guess on how to stop the three new elements. Besides, I am pretty curious about what he has in store for his 'favorite update'. All the contracts disappear and the man stands up from his seat with open arms--two minutes still left to spare.
"All of you who didn't accept the contract. As promised I'll teleport you to where you were last." He snaps his fingers and most of the community vanished with only a few of us left. An estimated guess of around one hundred or so from the twenty thousand active users. Whether they couldn't buy the update, their S.O.U.L's weren't updated enough or just didn't want the update. It is a one time event however. Those who want it, get it.
"As for the rest of you," He pauses, "You have all the updates from gaining new attacks to unlocking new equipment." The crowd cheers raising their fists in the air, "Along with the update is a permanent quest and rules following that quest, until the three months are over and the new update comes along to patch this one."
What? This one needs to be patched already? I listen very closely. Better not make an enemy out of us. He sticks up one finger, "One. You choose one weapon and one weapon only. That weapon and its powers can be used in real life along with the S.O.U.L converting program allowing you to use your skills learned in game."
The crowd's woos are cut short when he sticks up his second finger, "Two. You only have one life and that goes for real life too. One strike and your dead. If you die in game it doesn't count, but you'll lose the quest." The crowd goes quiet. Some beside me is already getting jittery like they know what'll happen or some PTSD is reoccurring. I hold their shoulder and grip it to let them know I'm there and with them. They grip their pants hard shedding tears.
It's like an arid desert in my mouth, having to gather saliva and swallow yet it doesn't seem to work. Why is he so traumatized? Is this something that happened before? Don't tell me its another Entertainment War. Blood flows down from my face, I want to say something, but the man already pulled out his third finger. I lean closer as if I could hear what he says more clearly.
Yuuzuko is looking at this man directly in the eye. Leaned in forward like I am with a grin on his face, but I notice his feet are tapping the floor repeatedly. Drawing up a cold sweat.
Aoi isn't able to sit still muttering under her breath, "Come on, come on. Hurry up, I wanna play already."
"Third and Last. You will be hunted down by government officials because you are the terrorists. The more you kill these officials in game the more powers and moves you will unlock, but kill them out of S.O.U.L..." He pauses, then laughs louder and louder, "the more prizes you will receive after completing the boss. There are 9 bosses. If you kill the boss in real life the bigger the prize, but your recognition would be turned more and more into a terrorist and vice versa. Kill them in game you get to live with a good reputation but you'll get worse prizes." He snickers.
I send a fist flying to the ring wall behind me, the shield barrier from the game taking all the damage. My teeth clashing with each other, but I know when I get angry it won't solve anything. I'm gonna have to be a terrorist now? I do want to beat the bosses, but not at that kind of cost. Any sensible person would see that. There's no way I'm gonna let that happen.
I open my mouth, but a man with two little kids and a woman beside him beats me to it yelling, "This is ludicrous! No one here wants to die! Who'll be crazy enough to kill anybody outside of S.O.U.L!"
The man sighs, in a clear visual I do see a tag on him saying 'Shirohaku Corp.' "Honestly, there are many people who would want to get big prizes. If you didn't want to do this you shouldn't have accepted the contract. I'm terribly sorry for the delay because of this man."
He raises his hand and I look at the family. Something isn't right here and adrenaline flows through my body. My arms are itching to run and destroy this guy, but my legs are stuck to the ground as the anonymous figure snaps his finger, "Please, let me do the honors."
Thoughts quickly and clear state my abilities placing them on cooldown, Speed IV and Flare. My speed quickens by forty percent and an orange glowing orb wraps around me to cancel any incoming damage. Reaching out to push the family out of the way as the sky opens up to a stormy night losing the beautiful sunset within the Courtyard.
A snap. A crackle. In an instant before I could get to the family as lightning strikes down him and his entire family. A female announcer says loudly, bouncing of he stone and glass walls. The system blocks all the damage from this lightning strike, which is about one hundred percent in damage. Instant death, "Congratulations. Terrorist executed. Ninety-nine terrorists remaining." I couldn't do anything.
I can only stand there watching the burn mark of where this man and his family used to be. My feet walk in reverse raising my palms as if not to want to see it. There's no way they should've died. We're in the game...right?
Aoi and Yuuzuko come just a few seconds later. Yuuzuko places a hand on my shoulder and turns me to him, "Kazuto. It's okay. Remember, he said if you die in game then nothing counts."
The man raises his voice ever so slightly--but keeps his calculated and calm tone, "That family died by natural causes, the lightning came from the real world so it counts as a real-world death. The entire family," he pauses taking it all in, but injects his leg releasing some sort of drug to nullify his bright expression, "Is dead."
**********
Everything is all a blur, only hearing the ring from the lightning strike earlier. He just murdered a family--with just one snap of a finger--and doesn't even acknowledge them as living beings. That's just wrong. I wouldn't do something like that just because--I hear a charge skill being used, "Aura. Scan."
"On it." A pulse of orange flows out and makes any player within three hundred feet a bright orange glow. Great for catching people using Stealth, "Detecting four individuals behind the main gate." She says.
Standing behind the barred gate, peering through are four figures wearing a mix of light, medium and heavy armor. They each are wearing different clown masks. One sad, one happy, one terrified and one indifferent. After a short stare down, the one with the happy mask has a glow of silver coming from their eye, laughing hysterically before crackles of lightning sizzle and gather power from above them.
I look immediately towards Aura, "Aura, Disconnect me from the Server!" A light blue blame falls from the sky and I digitize out of the game.
