Chapter 74: The truth of that world.
Ardent Friend:
I exited the pod as it hissed open and stepped into the futuristic room. Dozens of similar pods lined the walls of the space, each with thick and long cabling leading to the corner where they vanished elsewhere. You wouldn't believe we were in a fantasy world like Areithia, especially as most the technicians were elves. The pods appeared similar to the Virtual Reality Pods we used on Earth but their main method of working was significantly different. While the pods on earth read a person's vital information, these read their mana. Both however were for the same purpose, to log into Areithia Online.
The pod beside mine opened a few seconds later and Ria jumped out, immediately heading towards me.
"Was it fun meeting everyone?" I asked her.
"Yup," she smiled and hung off my arms. "They were all very nice... except Aria."
I laughed, "Ria, Aria is really a nice person too. She's my sister, she's basically like another me."
"Hmmm," she frowned. "I'll try." I couldn't fault her. She had seen the Witch of the End from her world, and that Witch certainly left a different but lasting impression. The problem was the base feeling the two gave off was similar. It was something underlying that didn't change between worlds.
Ria lifted her arms towards me and I picked her up, heading towards another pod which opened to reveal the Old Man. He groaned as he exited the pod.
"Ah my back is killing me," he complained as he stretched to a stand. "It's annoying enough to have to get that stupid information pack every few days. I can see why not many people sign up for these damn pods."
I smirked towards him, "You should feel honoured. These pods are reserved for the important characters of Areithia, that and the GMs."
"Bah," he waved me away. "Every person is important, it's just a matter of how fancy you think your hat is."
"Right...."
"Anyway," he reached his arms towards me. "I'll look after the lass. You go ahead and speak to those 'Architects' or whatever they call themselves. Take your time. We're going to get some ice cream, isn't that right Ria?"
"Ice cream!?" she responded excitedly and jumped from my arms to his. "Hmm, but daddy would miss out. Can we wait for daddy to finish?"
"Ah I guess we can as long as he doesn't take too long," the Old Man winked at me. "We can get some other food before the ice cream."
"Okay," she grinned and waved to me. "See you soon daddy."
"See you soon," I smiled back and watched as one of the technicians quickly came to help lead them out to the exit. I was glad to have the Old Man. Ria trusted him. Without him, she'd only stick to me and make it harder to move around and there was a lot to do.
I took a deep breath and thought back to what Aria and the others had told me. They had been through their own problems and I was incredibly glad that for the most part they had all came out unscathed. The other Ardent, myself from a different world, I couldn't thank him enough for what he did. Not only had he cut the demons back but to have also gone through so many other worlds. It was no wonder he felt so much more than I did. All I could do was live to honour his legacy.
"Mr Friend are you ready?" an elven technician approached me. She wore a lab coat that trailed down to just above her shins and sported a pair of safety glasses on top her head. It wasn't standard uniform, as most the technicians wore jumpsuits.

YOU ARE READING
The Game Before the Fall
FantasyArdent Friend has already witnessed the Fall. The cities of Earth torn apart and those that remain forced to hide in dungeons for safety. What started as a joyous merging of worlds ended in nightmares as Rift Walkers, the enemies of all life, ravage...