《Visaria Online: Fury : a LITRPG Adventure》 CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 1 BATTLE ROYALE The player Demon Mage''s head popped like a balloon full of ketchup. Critical Hit Inflicted 123 damage (Explosive Shot) Enemy player killed. +300xp Robbie fired a second explosive arrow, this time at the Martial Warrior charging him from across the grassy field to avenge the death of her companion. The arrow missed and disappeared when it reached its maximum range. Crouching behind the broken wooden fence, Robbie sent his pet worg, Cleopatra forward to attack the other player. As he changed out ammo and went for his standard arrows, he noticed the vague outline of a human form coming at the warrior from behind. Abby, his stealthed Rogue companion. As Robbie had expected, the Martial Warrior burned her Ferocious Charge ability to close the distance between him and her, flying past Cleopatra. But the fence blocked the warrior¡¯s charge, stunning her for a few precious seconds. Robbie stepped back and fired an arrow into her armored chest. Inflicted 56 damage By the time he¡¯d reloaded, the warrior came out of her stun and slashed at him with her sword. He leapt back, the blade passing within an inch of his flesh. Then Abby unstealthed, and plunged her twin daggers into the warrior''s back. The woman screamed, falling to her knees. Companion inflicted 133 damage (Back Stab) Blood trickled out of the female warrior''s mouth, as her eyes widened. She stared up at Robbie, then fell sideways and died. Shared kill +150xp Abby wiped the blood off her daggers on the dead warrior''s hair and let out a victorious, "meow.¡± She turned to him, as she finished cleaning her dagger. ¡°Purr. How many times have I saved you now?" Robbie frowned. "I could have killed her." Cleopatra returned to his side, resting on her haunches. Notching another arrow to his bow, he scanned for another enemy player. An invisible gong rang to mark the halftime mark of the PVP battleground. They had half an hour left to kill the remaining player team. "Let''s heal up, then head over to that abandoned fort and climb up on the walls and see if we can see where they''re at." Robbie drank a special PVP battleground health pot, then tossed the empty vial on the ground, shattering it to pieces. "Damn, I hate that stuff." Robbie Owleye HP: 205/225 (BASE: 180+45 from equipment) After they¡¯d both drank their pots, they headed toward the tower at a crouch run. Cleopatra lumbered beside them, her black fur covered in dried blood. A number in Robbie¡¯s mind¡¯s eye flashed. There were only two other players beyond him and Abby left alive in the battleground. Team Saber. His own team, Team Kitty Claw, had been named by Abby. She had a thing for cats. Some might say, an obsession with them¡­ He grinned at the fluffy tail attached to her leather belt. It made her look cute. But she was anything but cute right then. Covered in splattered blood, her blades dripping poison, she¡¯d killed four players this day. They weren¡¯t permanently dead, nor did they lose one of their three lives. The PVP Battleground was a relic of the old times when Visaria Online had only been a game for nerds, geeks, and other assorted basement dwelling lifeforms. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.An instanced zone, the PVP battleground existed outside of the main Visarian world and was on a strict one-hour timer. After an hour, everyone would be booted out. And somehow, us free people of the Independent Cities have managed to keep it our dirty little secret, Robbie thought as they approached the broken fortress gate. As they entered, they made their way toward the central tower, scanning the ruined building for signs of movement. They¡¯d been there before, in earlier team Battle Royale matches, so they made their way to the battlements without issue. Approaching the wall, Robbie went to stand between to crenels while Cleopatra and Abby kept watch. He used his level 6 ability Long Sight to scan the distant wooded hills. He zoomed in on one location then the next, using his extended sight to pick out small signs of movement in the undergrowth. Rabbits, a fox, and¡­ a wild boar. Beyond the menagerie of wildlife, loomed the pale blue wall that marked the ever closing edge of the map. Eventually, the blue wall would enclose the PVP zone into a tiny area, forcing the players to confront one another. Right now, Robbie judged it to be a mile distant. He sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone. I frigging hope they¡¯re not sticking to the edge of the map.¡± Some players did that, hoping everyone else would fight it out and weaken themselves, so they could swoop in at the end and pick off any survivors. A valid tactic. But a boring one and one anyone with any skill (or honor)frowned upon. But worse than them were the campers¡­ A bullet struck Robbie in the back, propelling him forward, and almost over the wall. -67hp (Sniper Shot) ¡°Damn, a Steampunk,¡± he muttered, racing for the cover of the nearby doorway leading back into the tower. Abby was beside him. ¡°Hiss.¡± She glared behind them as she ran. ¡°I don¡¯t see them.¡± A bullet tore into her arm. Companion suffered -35 damage She hissed again, as they got to cover. Breathing heavily, they stood on either side of the doorway, peering outside, trying to find the Steampunk sniper. Robbie used his magnified vision to scan the surrounding walls and broken towers. Nothing. He moved so he could see some of the buildings below the wall. Scanning them, he saw a puff of smoke from inside a broken window. Leaping back, he narrowly avoided a shot to the side of the head. ¡°I saw them. In the two-story building against the wall opposite to us.¡± Robbie notched an explosive arrow. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here.¡± He commanded his pet to remain where she was. ¡°Meow, I will sneak up on them, and see if I can find where their partner is.¡± Abby crouched walked, like a stalking cat, and started heading down the stairs. As she reached the top step, she faded as she activated her stealth ability. Cleopatra went to guard the top of the stairs, her gray eyes glittering in the light flooding in through the doorway. Robbie turned his attention back to scanning for the enemy Steampunk. Glancing around the edge of the wall, he zoomed on the window where he¡¯d last seen them. A puff of smoke erupted from the window beside it, and a bullet tore into his ear. -34hp Gritting his teeth in pain, Robbie cursed under his breath, feeling his ear for damage. The shot had torn off his earlobe, and blood trickled down onto his shoulder. Thank god, these wounds are temporary. He¡¯d hate to imagine himself with half an ear. Once they left the PVP battleground, they¡¯d be restored to normal. Bringing up his bow, he pressed his back against the wall. He considered where to shoot. There were only two windows in his line of sight, which meant the Steampunk could only fire at him from one or the other. Would they have shifted position back to their last location, or remained where they were? Taking a deep breath, Robbie steeped around the edge of the doorway and fired at the first window. He didn¡¯t even see if his arrow flew through the opening. Instead, he got back into cover just as there came a loud boom. Inflicted 18 damage (Explosive Shot) Robbie has clearly missed the Steampunk, but the arrow had exploded close enough to them to inflict splash damage. Cleopatra raised her ears and let out a low growl. The worg¡¯s thoughts and feeling filled Robbie¡¯s mind. His pet had heard something down the bottom of the tower and whatever was down there, was coming up the stairs. CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2 CHEATED! Robbie made Cleopatra back into the opposite corner from him, as he knelt down and trained his bow on the stairs. He notched another explosive arrow, and waited. Whoever was coming up, would be in for one massive headache. Cleopatra¡¯s thoughts kept him up to date with the progress of the approaching player. The worg could hear far better than him, and her ability to smell enemies long before they could be seen, never ceased to amaze him. He listened intently, but could hear nothing. Without his pet to warn him, the player would have likely taken him completely by surprise. Then he heard the scuff of a boot from below. Holding his breath, he drew back his bowstring. How had the enemy player gotten by Abby? He¡¯d seen nothing in his mind¡¯s eye that told him she¡¯d taken damage. Her HP remained steady. All at once, heavy boots thudded up the stairs. A figure charged up the final steps. Instinctively, Robbie let loose his arrow. It exploded with an ear splitting roar, the shockwave leaving him unharmed as the PVP Battleground had removed friendly fire. The flare of light faded, and he caught sight of a solid wall of iron bearing down on him. Leaping out of the way, he barely avoided being crushed against the wall. Something slashed out at him as he tried to get back to his feet, connecting with his arm. -21hp (140hp remaining) Cleopatra leapt at the figure, slamming into them, latching onto their leg with her teeth and inflicting her temporary snare. The worg brought Robbie precious seconds to take stock of the situation. The enemy player was a heavily armored Martial Warrior with a Shield Spec. High hp, but lower DPS. His arrow had struck the warrior¡¯s tower shield, sparing the player any damage. As his pet continued to snare the player, Robbie activated his Mark Target ability and placed it on the warrior. Then, with gritted teeth, he notched a standard arrow, and used Armor Piercing Shot to inflict as much damage as he could. Letting loose the arrow, he struck the warrior in the side with a metallic thud. The player roared in pain, his voice sounding hollow in his iron helm. Inflicted 46 damage. Finally, Cleopatra''s snare wore off and she instead used her Gut Rip ability to inflict burst DPS against the player. Her attacks did little damage, as the warrior wore heavy plate armor. The player slashed at her with his sword, enraged by the worg¡¯s ferocity, seemingly forgetting Robbie was there. Pet inflicted 12 damage Pet inflicted 10 damage Pet inflicted 14 damage Pet takes -27 damage Robbie sent forth another armor piercing arrow, burning more of his precious energy. Inflicted -51 damage 15/100 Energy He was too low on Energy to do anything more than use standard arrows. So he fired, arrow after arrow, most of them inflicting no damage, bouncing off the enemy player¡¯s armor. Enemy Player 206/318 hp Roaring, the warrior spun to face him, then charged, slamming into Robbie with his shield. Robbie flew back into the wall, striking his head and sinking to the ground, breath bursting from his lungs. -61hp (Shield Smash) Robbie went to reach for his bow, that had fallen to the ground several feet away but before he could scoop it up, the warrior kicked it across the room. Cleopatra leapt on the warrior¡¯s back, her claws racking his armor. The enemy player was a front-line tank spec¡¯d warrior. Outside, and in the open, Robbie would have ran rings around him, but in the small room in the tower, the melee close-quarters-focused Martial Warrior had the distinct advantage. Too bad he also blocks both exits from the tower¡­ Robbie thought, his mind racing to come up with a plan. He had to grab his bow, and try to race past the warrior and back out onto the wall. Hopefully, Abby will have engaged the Steampunk by then, so he wouldn¡¯t get gunned down. Drawing his knife, Robbie slashed at the warrior, trying to keep the enemy player back, as he moved toward his bow. The knife had no stats on it, and served as nothing more than a tool he used to skin animal hide with for his Leather Working Profession. Like the Steampunk class, Poachers were forbidden to use melee weapons with stats. A stupid game rule, made for a time when people played for fun. These days, the stakes were far higher and living by the old rules had become a tedious annoyance¡ªat least, when the rules weren¡¯t working in your favor. Outside, and with room to move, the enemy warrior would be easy to take down. Once the enemy player¡¯s charge abilities were on cool down, and he was no longer able to close the distance between them, Robbie would be able to turn him into a pin cushion. I can live by rules like that! Cleopatra dropped off the warrior¡¯s back and retreated several steps. Then she used her Primal Leap ability, and once again landed atop the warrior, this time staggering him.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Pet inflicted 21 damage Robbie used the time to scoop up his bow, and fired an armor piercing shot. The arrow took the warrior in the shoulder, inflicting decent damage and staggering them a moment. Inflicted -49 damage Using the opportunity to move around the enemy player, Robbie headed for the exit. As he raced out onto the wall, he allowed his Energy to regenerate. He scanned the windows where he¡¯d last seen the enemy Steampunk, and realized Abby had now engaged them in combat. Distracted by the warrior, he hadn¡¯t noticed her hp had started to decline. Then he saw them through the window. Abby had the Steampunk backed into a corner, and already the enemy player was below half-health, with a poison DOT (Damage over time) slowly eroding their hp. Just like Robbie had been inside the tower, the Steampunk was at a disadvantage in close quarters combat. They were a ranged class, and weak in melee. Abby would slaughter them. Robbie called Cleopatra to his side so that the warrior would come outside after him. The wall wasn¡¯t the perfect place to fight the enemy player, as his movement remained somewhat constricted, but it certainly beat the small room inside the tower. When he¡¯d reached halfway along the wall, he notched an explosive arrow and aimed at the warrior. The enemy player had charged out of the tower, his shield raised. Robbie cursed under his breath. If he struck the shield again, it would mitigate his damage. He had only enough Energy for one shot¡ªso he had to make it a good one. Aiming for the ground just in front of the warrior¡¯s feet, he let the arrow fly. It exploded as it hit the stone, blasting the warrior¡¯s shield aside, and making him stumble to his knees. Inflicted 15 damage. Not much damage, but for a few seconds, the warrior was vulnerable. Drawing a standard arrow, Robbie let it loose. The arrow flew true, shooting through the warrior¡¯s eyepiece and blinding him. Inflicted 134 critical hit damage. Inflicted bleed effect Inflicted ruptured eyeball Whoa. Robbie grinned. That had to be the biggest crit he¡¯d ever inflicted with a standard arrow. The warrior wasn¡¯t dead, but he¡¯d certainly felt it. Enemy Player 206/318 hp Ripping out the arrow (and most of his eye), the warrior tossed it over the edge of the wall as blood gushed out from inside his helmet. His hp continued to decline at a steady rate. Then the warrior¡¯s hp bounced right up, as he popped some sort of Shield Warrior cool down. Robbie didn¡¯t know the name of it, but the effect was temporary. It increased the warrior¡¯s health by 30% for several minutes. It was a last ditch ability, and when it was over, the warrior would be left with whatever level of hp they had as they had popped it. If the blood loss had reduced the warrior¡¯s hp to zero, then the ability would leave him with 1hp and he would die seconds later from the blood loss. Robbie had to survive long enough for the ability to wear off, or burn him down fast, for his own health was dangerously low. Suddenly, the warrior stood right in front of him, swinging his weapon -56hp (Ferocious Charge) Stunned for a moment, Robbie took a second hit, this time a quick slash to his stomach -14hp Robbie Owleye HP: 9/225 (BASE: 180+45 from equipment) Robbie staggered back, pain ripping through his body, his field of view flashing red. Had this been outside in the main Visarian world, his pain would have been enough to kill him. But here, things hurt far less. His field of view continued to flash, as he raced away. He had no healing pots, no nothing. One more hit and the the fight would be over and Abby would be on her own. Shared kill +150xp Robbie grunted as he sent Cleopatra to snare the warrior in place. Abby had just killed the Steampunk. It would take her a few minutes to get up on the wall to help him, so he had to kill the warrior on his own. Spinning around, he fired another arrow. It struck the enemy on the helm, and glanced off. Cleopatra had the warrior gripped in her fangs, and inflicted moderate damage on him. Pet inflicted 15 damage Pet inflicted 14 damage Another ten seconds, and Robbie would have enough Energy to fire another explosive or armor piecing arrow. Until then, he had to make do with ordinary arrows. Notching one, he fired. Before it struck the warrior, he¡¯d notched another. Then another. One after the other he fired, each doing no damage, or next to no damage. Plate armor is so over powered! Robbie raged. Then his regen brought his Energy up to thirty, so he went to grab an armor piercing arrow. As he did, Cleopatra took another hit, and howled in pain. Pet takes -31 damage Then, in a moment of rage, the warrior dropped his shield, picked Cleopatra up, as she snapped at his arms, and threw her over the side of the wall. ¡°Nooo!¡± Robbie cried. Pet has died. Enraged, Robbie drew back the armor-piercing arrow and let it fly. The warrior had only just grabbed his shield and started to raise it when the arrow took him in the guts. He flew back, air exploding from his lungs, and with a terrible cry, he tumbled over the inner wall. A moment later came a crash as the enemy player landed on the roof of one of the ruined buildings below the wall. Inflicted -67hp Enemy player took -137hp fall damage ¡°Damn it,¡± the warrior still wasn¡¯t dead. But now he would be stuck on the building, and posed no threat. Robbie glanced over the outer wall. Cleopatra lay on her side in the dead grass, blood pooling under her. He hated seeing his beloved worg like that, but she would be back once they were done in the PVP battleground. Robbie raced to the inner wall, ready to finish the warrior off. His mouth dropped open. ¡°No, you¡ª¡± The warrior leapt headfirst off the side of the building and crashed to the courtyard below. Player has suicided. Damn, you! The enemy had just robbed Robbie of the xp for the kill. A brief loading screen came up, advertising the defunct Visaria Online cash shop. Then Robbie and Abby spawned in the PVP lobby. They turned to one another, and at the same time cried, ¡°frigging losers!¡± A deep male voice sounded in their heads. ¡°Congratulations, warriors. Your Team were the sole survivors!¡± +500xp +1g +500 reputation with the Guild of Player Killers +200 reputation with the Independent City-State of Thorn An exclamation mark appeared in Robbie¡¯s mind¡¯s eye. He and Abby had both leveled up! Chapter 3 CHAPTER 3 OPPORTUNITY Before Robby and Abby could move, they were set upon by the other team they¡¯d just defeated. The Martial Warrior came over and shoved Robby against the stone wall. ¡°You cheated, you filthy swine.¡± ¡°You robbed me of my XP!¡± Robbie raged back. ¡°You could at least lose like a man.¡± The Steampunk took a swing at Abby, but the young Rogue only ducked under the blow, and put a poisoned knife to the Steampunk¡¯s neck. She hissed at him like a feral cat. The warrior let Robby go to confront her. Robbie kicked him in the back, and sent him flying forward into the Steampunk. Both men collapsed to the ground in a heap. Laughing, Abby and Robbie quickly left the room before things got out of hand. The other team were sore losers, but they were fellow free people, unaligned to one of the major human factions of Visaria. And the free people had to stick together. ¡°Let¡¯s head home and call it a day,¡± Abby said, as they passed the old leaderboards that once showed Visaria Online players who had accumulated the most player kills or whose teams had won the most battle Royales. Robbie followed after her, ignoring the cries of protest in the other room from the two losers. Outside the PVP lobby keep, they passed the two NPC guards at the giant metal gate and a group of players preparing to enter a PVP battle. When they had left the keep behind, Robbie glanced at Abby, and found her smiling. ¡°You fought well in there, babe,¡± he said. Brushing back her auburn hair, she waved dismissively, her long nails curled. ¡°Rogues are overpowered when in the right hands.¡± That made him laugh. He put his arms through hers and decided to deal with distributing his stat and talent point from leveling up. He placed his stat point in Might, as he liked the idea of his pet doing more damage. Cleopatra had proven very useful in his fight with the warrior. For his talent point, he placed in the Animalistic tree, unlocking the Bestial Maul passive perk, which increased his pet¡¯s base damage. That done, he looked over his character panel. Robbie Owleye Race: Human Class: Poacher Skill Focus: Balanced Animistic and Hunter Level: 7 Player Kills: 14 Might: 12 (BASE: 6+5 from equipment) (1 Might increases trap and pet damage by 2 per point) Dexterity: 14 (BASE:7+8 from equipment) (1 Dexterity increases Poacher AP by 5) Intellect: 1 Spirit: 1 Luck: 3 HP: 235 (BASE: 190+45 from equipment EN: 100 AP: 205 (BASE: 150+15 from weapon +40 from equipment) DEF: 70 (BASE: 20+50 from equipment) XP: 8118/11000 Abby grinned. ¡°Meow. I finally get my Silence ability.¡± She pretended to stab the air with her twin daggers. ¡°What you get?¡± ¡°Cleopatra will be happy when I resummon her.¡± He told her where he placed his points. ¡°Too bad I can¡¯t summon her around polite company.¡± He was referring to the people of the city of Thorn. Being a worg, and a monstrous-looking one at that, Cleopatra scared the local NPC¡¯s and would cause more problems than it was worth. Abby studied him with crossed eyes, no doubt checking his stats. He did the same for her, just out of curiosities sake. Abby the Ripper (with equipment) Race: Human Class: Rogue Skill Focus: Poisoner Level: 7 Player Kills: 16 Might: 1 Dexterity: 18 (BASE:7+8 from equipment) (1 Dexterity increases AP by 5 and evasion by 2) Intellect: 1 Spirit: 1 Luck: 11 (1 Luck increases critical hit chance by 3%, increases success chance at pick pocket and locks) HP: 230 (BASE: 190+40 from equipment) EN: 100 AP: 235 (BASE: 175+15 from weapons +45 from equipment) DEF: 70 (BASE: 20+50 from equipment) XP: 8134/11000 Nice, he thought as he remembered their time together. They met when they were both lowly level 1¡¯s, and had hit it off right away. Both had come from the same city out in the real world, and both had lost their entire family during the war against the machines who stole the earth from humanity. He was on his second of three lives, she was on her third. The exiled home of humanity, Visaria Online, only allowed a player three lives before they were returned kicking and screaming to the confines of their own frozen brain. Robbie tried not to think of the real world if he could avoid it. The thought of his real body being out there somewhere, frozen underground in a stasis chamber, fed through cables, reminded him too much of a baby locked inside its mother¡¯s womb for eternity. How long had he been frozen out there? In some ways, it felt like centuries, in others¡ª ¡°Hey, you look like you¡¯re brooding again,¡± Abby said, pressing herself against him. ¡°Meow. Do I need to kiss you to make you smile again?¡± She did her imitation of a cat¡¯s purr, to show she was content. ¡°You can kiss me whenever you like.¡± He grinned. ¡°My thoughts just carried me away again.¡± ¡°Stop thinking of the old world then. I don¡¯t, not anymore.¡± She glanced around at the wooden buildings edging the streets. ¡°This is my home now.¡± NPC children played in the front gardens of the well-tended houses. Players strolled down the street, talking in groups. Thorn was one of the better cities within the Independent City States. It was large, had a decent sized army, with a healthy contingent of players to lead it, and had all the facilities NPC¡¯s and players could ever need. Better than all that, Thorn and the other free cities were at peace. Let the Imperium and the Republic fight their stupid wars. The free people either ignored their much more numerous player brethren in the two superpowers or profited from them, by joining one side or the other as mercenaries. Heading down a narrow street, they finally reached the white picket fence with the willow tree leaning over it. Home. They stared up at the two-story structure proudly. They had yet to paint the walls or put a proper roof on it, but those things would come in time. They¡¯d spent the last year building this thing, gathering much of the materials themselves and crafting what they could. It was their tiny part of Visaria. When they were inside, he shut the door and then lifted Abby off the floor. ¡°Let¡¯s end the day on a high note.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Abby snuggled against him and continued to purr, her nipples hard against his chest. She continued to purr as he pressed her up against the wall, shoving his tongue into her mouth. He pulled off her leather armor pants, careful not to remove the belt holding up her tail (as that would instantly kill her lusty mood) their lips never parting, then he removed his own. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, he rammed his pelvis against her. It didn¡¯t take much to get him hard around Abby, especially when she had her legs around him. At first, he didn¡¯t enter her, but only rubbed his crotch against hers, making her moan deep in her throat. Soon she could no longer take him not being inside her, and used her legs to crush him against her, thrusting her pelvis, forcing him deep inside her, her juices almost dripping. Not that he complained, he loved the feel of sliding up into her, all the way to the end of his shaft. Moaning in ecstasy, she broke away from his lips and began biting his neck. Holding her to him, he moved her away from the wall, so they both had room to maneuver. She leaned back, as he grabbed her upper arms so he could pull her to him, and ram her with all his might, over and over again, her large, firm breasts, bouncing back and forth. ¡°You¡¯re so deep, I love it when you get in this deep, purr. Purr.¡± Her face was flushed, her lips slightly parted, glistening with their shared saliva. ¡°Do me like a dirty stray cat in heat. Do me until I¡ª¡± Robbie carried her upstairs to their bedroom, not stopping once from thrusting inside her. He shoved her on the bed, and jammed his tongue back in her mouth, pressing it up against hers. Abby spread her legs as wide as she could, so he sank deeper inside her. She meowed in her throat with ecstasy as she orgasmed. He refused to let her turn her head away, he wanted to be in her mouth, her pussy all at once. Reaching around, he grabbed her butt cheeks, gripping them so tightly, he knew it was hurting her. But she loved it when he did that. She¡¯d told him there was a thin line between pain and pleasure, and she enjoyed being right on the edge. Abby had three orgasms in a row before he let her turn away. Her whole body shook under him, her eyes rolling back in her head, her juices squelching with every one of his thrusts. It was time to let himself go. Thirty seconds later, he slowed a few moments, then rammed himself in her as deep as he could, and grunted in ecstasy as he exploded up inside her, imagining his cum shooting up into her digital womb. Sex here felt better than out in the real world in his opinion. Here everyone was fit, and it was so much easier for a guy to hold back. Plus, when a guy came, it lasted a full minute. A minute of life-changing bliss¡­ That always ended with 0/100 energy. And the Struck Senseless debuff that lasted 3 minutes, that made it hard to do anything but lie there gasping for air. He collapsed onto her, his mouth pressed to her ear. ¡°I love you.¡± *********** Early the next morning they were woken by a loud knock on the door. They sat up in bed, instinctively reaching for their weapons before even thinking of putting on some clothes. Climbing out of bed, they slipped into some underwear and headed for the entrance to their bedroom. Taking a deep breath, Robbie swung open the door. Abby went into stealth, and headed downstairs first. He followed her, careful to make sure he kept a good distance between them. She would slip out the back, and circle around the house and attack whoever was out there from behind if they proved to be a threat. When he neared the front door, Robbie put his dagger on the bench beside it, keeping his blade within easy reach. Without his full armor on, he would be deficient in stats, but it would have taken too long to reequip everything. Unlike in the old days, where everything had been done via an in-game menu, in the exiled Visaria, items had to be put on manually. Just like the real world. For all he knew, it might only be the old NPC couple who lived next door. The old women loved baking them cakes and cookies, and then would come for a visit and not stop talking for an hour! Robby opened the door and pretended to be half asleep, to not give the impression he was ready for anything. Two men and a woman, all players, stood outside. They moved back a step as Robbie stretched, yawned and squinted in the bright morning sun. One of the men scratched at his nose. ¡°Are you Robbie Owleye?¡± Robbie slouched against the door frame trying to look as relaxed as possible. ¡°Maybe. Depends who you are.¡± The three strangers glanced at one another before the man spoke again. ¡°We watched you and your partner fighting in the battle royale yesterday.¡± His eyes ran up the long scar across Robbie¡¯s stomach. ¡°You fought well.¡± Robbie forced himself not to frown. ¡°Yea, we did. Now, what''s this about?¡± Already he wanted to be back in bed holding Abby and playing with her fake tail as she purred in his ear, pressing herself against him. Whoa, calm down. Remember I''m in my underwear. The man lifted his chin and put a hand on his sword hilt but clearly didn''t mean to draw it. ¡°We are Independent City State agents working for the mercenary company Wildstar. You know of that company?¡± Robbie did, but he let the man explain so that he could search for Abby. She should be out the front by now but he couldn''t see her. ¡°I guess you don''t.¡± The man had taken Robbie¡¯s silence as ignorance. ¡°We¡¯re a company that recruits free city players and NPC fighters who have proven themselves to be resourceful PVP fighters. You''re no doubt aware of the ongoing conflict between the Imperium and the Republic.¡± Robbie shrugged, still searching for Abby while trying not to make it obvious. ¡°Well, as you may already be aware, both sides have a hunger for free city fighters to join their ranks. Now¡ª¡± ¡°How much are you gonna pay us? We''re happy here, building our house and participating in battle Royales for xp and gold.¡± ¡°I like your brashness.¡± The red-headed middle-aged woman stepped forward and gave him a hard look with her pale blue eyes. Robbie judged her a killer, a veteran of many battles, someone who would take what she wanted and damn the consequences. He liked her already. She held out her hand. ¡°My name¡¯s Cytheria.¡± After a moment, he took her hand and shook it. ¡°No point introducing myself. You already know who I am.¡± Cytheria glanced past him into the house. ¡°Where is your cat lady?¡± Just as she finished speaking, Abby came around the corner of the house, her dagger at the neck of another player. Dressed only in her undergarments, she made quite the sight. The two men with Cytheria drew their swords and hurried to aid the captured man. Robbie grabbed his dagger and prepared for battle.