The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 18: More than just friends. (Part 2)

"Present for you," I threw the box at Vanter the moment I saw him.

Vanter narrowly caught it, "What the hell is this?"

The two of us met outside the town of Sellen. Looking at Vanter I couldn't help find it funny that no one would believe that his in game face was his actual face. It was also quite amusing that despite being an elf he was forced to play a human. His clothes were quite rough and his equipment bare, but seeing as he just started the game, it was obvious as to why.

"It's a gift from Shin," I gestured for him to open the box.

"From Shin?" Vanter eyed it suspiciously. "He didn't remember to did he?"

"No, he didn't... but a part of him did."

Vanter chuckled, "I'm still not using one of his guns." He began to open the box, "I bet it's something stupid like a- It's a bow."

"Yeah, it's a bow," I nodded.

"Why would Shin make me a bow?" Vanter was incredibly confused.

"He said he couldn't sleep, wondering 'what if'. It was only after making that bow that he could sleep better."

Vanter looked at the fine metal work, "What if...." He sighed, "I guess I joked around with him a little too much."

"So what do you think?"

Vanter pulled it from the box and passed it between his hands, "It's weighted wrong. The string is too tough and the decoration is off putting. It's a damn good bow though, and definitely something Shin made." He flicked the bow in his hands as suddenly the metal snapped longer, making what should have been a short bow into a long bow. "I did always say I hated carrying two bows. Problem is... I can't seem to equip it properly."

"Welcome to being a player," I shrugged and laughed. "The system has its perks but downfalls as well. You'll just to have level up."

Vanter looked at the bow one more time before stowing it away in his inventory. He chuckled, "Ironically being a game I don't have trouble carrying two bows. I guess he'll have to make me a real one later."

**

"This is it! Welcome to our new home!" Aria opened the door and twirled around the entrance way before settling into a cute curtsy.

"It's big," I commented the first though that came to mind. Since Aria's incident I had been exceptionally busy and had barely looked at where we would be moving. I had full confidence that Dad and Aria would make the right choices and so far I was right.

After the short entryway, the apartment opened to a large lounge area with kitchen and dining area attached. In a way it was a very similar setup to the apartment we had just left but the difference in space and design was clear as day. Just the lounge area itself would have made up most of the space from our old apartment. The kitchen was new and state of the art with shiny chrome finishes and the dining room was a legitimate area not tacked on to one side. Even with the bump in cash that Agent Wester had provided us, we would never have been able to afford an apartment this nice without the hard work we had all been putting in. Zen's gym was doing incredibly well alongside her videos, and I had also made a name for myself earning quite a nice extra by winning the tournament.

"Ardy, this way," Aria guided me to the opposite end of the lounge where an open door led to a further corridor. She hooked to the left of the corridor and opened a door revealing a neat empty space. "This, my dear brother, is your room. It's even bigger than what we both had combined before! You could fit a full desk and a king-sized bed if you wanted! My room is the one next to yours, the room at the other end is Zen's. Dad's room is back by the kitchen area."