《Under the Cherry Blossoms》


 Under The Cherry Blossoms Part One

    (Nakishodo)


    It was another boring day of Summer. I had to admit that I was stupidly staring at the wall as if the painted wood could reveal to me secrets unknown. The reason for my current boredom? Well that would be the futuristic looking device in the corner that had replaced my bed.


    Unfortunately I couldn''t use the device until it''s massive update process had finished. I mean I could use it like a normal bed true but for all intents and purposes it was just a very expensive paperweight at this point. I''d taken to calling it "The Pod." yes I know very whimsical in my naming style but it did resemble a cocoon with it''s current unpowered state. The base of it would slide down allowing me to get inside and get adjusted before touching another button to let it reseal. The were a few places for air within so one did not suffocate from lack of oxygen.


    There are a few more features that I could enlighten you on, however I don''t feel like remembering the manual just yet. Now some would call me lazy with that remark and I''d be inclined to agree with you if I just had spent 6 hours reading the damn manual. I mean it was thick enough to kill someone with! It would also have enough pages left to wrapped the deceased and clean up the blood spill. You could then deliver the freshly wrapped mummy to the hospital with no extra charge.


    Hey I saw that expression. Just chill alright? I''m kidding. I''m also slightly irritated due to my headache and tired eyes. I drew off my glasses and huffed irritably before moving to stand up with a groan and made my way to the bathroom to splash my face with water. Once my face was dry I frowned at my reflection.


    A slightly pale boy of 26 years with piercing blue eyes and a mop of untamed dirty blonde hair stared back at me looking less than thrilled at what they saw, With another tremendous sigh I realized that I needed to shave and reluctantly went to grab my razor and shaving cream.


    Once back I completed the ritual. Since my job didn''t really allow me to have facial hair. With another glance at the mirror I pulled out my phone to consult the time."Ok it''s 11pm and the day is 1/31/4224. I''ve got an hour before I need to head to work."Once that brilliant line of thinking was completed I gathered my things that I would need and changed into my work uniform. "Bargin Mart. Were Everything Is A Steal." was emblazoned across the back of the shirt. The front held a small pocket which I typically stored a few cleaning cloths for my glasses.


    Speaking of my phone well at least it was part of the current generation model if only about 3 iterations behind. It was still bloody expensive though. I checked it out of habit as I finished getting dressed. I had a message from my beloved awaiting me. I quickly typed in response. "Good to hear from you hun. I''m on my way to work. I''ll call ya tonight." I sent it and after making sure it went through I closed the app and then slipped on my shoes.


    "Alright time to go."I thought to myself stepping outside and getting onto my hoverboard. It to was a recent addition. As part of the Government''s plan to stop environmental emissions and make all of their citizens go green.


    As for the nature of the country where I was at. You have probably guessed. America. Still somehow standing in this day and age. It was close. We almost lost everything a few years ago when some wonderful politicians decided that nuking the earth was better than living on it. Good thing that the common citizens stopped that from happening.


    I''m not one for politics but I am one for my own opinions. If you don''t like them well congratulations. You don''t have too. Anyway I kicked the side of the board and then stepped on activating it''s functions. Powered by solar energy and propelled by some rather efficient fans underneath this hoverboard could run endlessly. Because the fan blades also were incorporated into a turbine which stored additional power while it was operational. Normally this would mean there was a heavy danger of the fan overheating but the insides of the machine were cooled by liquid nitrogen to prevent that from happening. it wasn''t perfect. something could damage the casing where the nitrogen was held and that in turn would totally FUBAR the board...but at the very least it didn''t create any emissions to further corrupt the environment.


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    I can hear you sucking up air over there to retaliate. If it makes you feel any better yes the new society were tree huggers. We have to do it in order to survive. Now that being said we would have never gotten to this state if those in the old world had not squandered the gifts and treasures of Mother Earth.


    Though even with the human race (in America at least) finally catching up to the rest of the world in the zero emissions policy Mother Nature was not one to grant mercy to those that had wronged her for so long. As if given some sort of genetically modified Fertilizer most of the remaining plant life in North America grew unnaturally fast absolutely wrecking almost every shred of civilization. Nor did the animals remain as they once did. Mutations allowed them to start forming their own more intelligent societies and often should a human stray to far out of their territory they would be attacked by the beastkin. Well Mutations were the popular opinion. Mine? Mother Nature messed with their brains and bodies to make it easier to kill the humans.


    So while our life was indeed harsher than it had been in a long time there were some other benefits. With the almost total destruction of civilization well things did go back to a simpler time. We had the benefit of our knowledge and while our economy had collapsed resorting us to go back to more primitive forms of bartering. I tell you this not to evoke sympathy but so that you might understand more of our world.


    As I reached my jobsite I cast my eye over the wooden frame. No buildings of metal or steel could be erected. Only those buildings of nature made materials existed now. Should we attempt to raise such a building Mother Nature herself would crush it to dust.


    At some point you must wonder why I keep referring to the planet itself as a sentient being. In truth Mother Nature while asleep in the planet''s core had been waiting and watching humanity for the longest time. possibly since our very birth on this earth. We had forgotten her but she had not forgotten us. Our centuries of abuse had finally reaped their own reward.


    Though not let it be said that humans aren''t an adaptable bunch. while our buildings might be stone age our tech was far from such. In a way it kept us humble. We might have the power to bring a body back from the dead as long as the brain remained unharmed such is the level of our tech now but we could still be crushed like an ant on the whim of the planet.


    The building were I worked was of woven bamboo. It was grown locally for mainly this purpose though there was a sizeable amount of Panda Beastkin about. While they weren''t entirely hostile to us...there was an unspoken rule about providing them with enough of the bamboo for a stable feeding source.


    As for my job I''m a massage therapist. There was quite a demand for the business even if it usually only involved the same clients over and over again. Oh I forgot to mention my boss. Fang-Yu. He also happened to be the leader of the local tribe of aforementioned Pandas.


    Unsure if because they are Panda''s we should call them Pandakin or just stick with Beastmen. Yow work that out in the comments and If I find a name I like I might go with that. Anyway Fang-Yu did speak Common (otherwise known as the Human Tongue) And I was slowly ever so slowly learning the variation of beast tongue that he and his tribe spoke. Not that they were adverse to teaching me. Just that it was hard to grasp for me mentally. Maybe because my vocal cords couldn''t quite accommodate the right pronunciations.


    I could understand the bare bones of the language but I''m betting one of their 5 year old''s could do better than I. I shrugged those thoughts off and made my way in. Fang-Yu raised his paw in greeting to me and I waved back as I made my way over to the time clock. Seeing the time I cursed and quickly punched in with literally seconds to spare.


    Then I made my way over to Fang-Yu. "Someone new today. I figure I''ll give you first crack at them." he remarks to me in Common. His voice is like slowly aged honey. While sweet enough there is still strength there. Not to mention unlike most of the Pandakin who have retained their pudge from when they were Feral...Fang-Yu is ripped.


    He might bench press old buildings in his spare time. With a body like that I''d believe it. "Someone new? What did they pay for?" I asked curiously so I have an idea of what I''m walking into.


    Fang-Yu gave me a lecherous grin and I knew just knew I had my first answer. Seeing my comprehension he nodded. "Deep Tissue...Nude. Well Mostly Nude. They''ll be in a Loin Cloth."


    "Still no hints on the species?" I asked curiously. "Nada. Your familiar enough. I''ll tell you that they are Male at the very least." he added before shooing me off to go work.

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Chapter Two

    So they were Male and a species I was familiar with. That left two choices. Pandakin Or  Human.


    I took a breath to relax myself and clear my mind before stepping into the room with my eyes closed. Almost instantly my nose was slapped in the face by a rich and heavy musk. "Pandakin."  my nose instantly informed my brain. I took another breath trying to sort out more than the initial odor and the smell of the freshly prepared bamboo teased my nose.


    So Male,recently had a meal, rich musk and naked. I opened my eyes to reveal a Pandakin of my height laying down on the massage table on their stomach looking up on me from where they had propped their chin on their arms.


    "Took you long enough to get here" he rasped in Common. I inclined my head in thanks of him using my language. "Sorry I was unaware that I had a client. I was busy with chores at home." I replied keeping my tone professional if apologetic. I didn''t stop my eyes from wandering over his frame and while his shoulders and such were nicely defined the middle had the usual pudge even if his ass was a pleasure to look at.


    What I am gay. I''m not going to apologize for admiring the physique of another guy. Especially when I will be exploring it in a few moments myself. "So what did you ask for specifically?" I asked of him my expression shifting to one of polite interest.


    "A masseur that could rock my world." he replied looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "Well I suppose I''ll do my best then. Anything off limits?" I ask once more as I slowly approached his right side. "If ya do something I don''t like I''ll let ya know." he replied and looked at me impatiently to start.


    I gather some oil made of course from Bamboo and slather it on my palms. His fur is close to his body and that helps. Though if he''s wanting the full experience I of course will help him clean in the shower afterwards if he so desires. Let''s be honest even if he is straight they usually do want a little bit of pleasure after a massage.


    I start by easing my hands into the fur surrounding his neck feeling the tension of the muscles there. With a few presses I hear something pop presumably his neck as he groans and I feel a bit of the tension leave him as he grunts. "What''s your name?" I ask of him as I continue to work on his neck finding it to be full of knots.


    "Ren." He replied before grunting as his neck popped once more "Bo. Ren-Bo." he repeated "Mind if I just call you Ren?" I asked as I managed my way down to his shoulders. "You can call me anything you want if you keep the work up with those hands." I chuckled and continued working down from his shoulders to his lower back.


    He groaned softly almost in need and I felt him arch his lower back into my paws as I worked in the lower spinal column. A little bit lower and I''d have his ass in my hands. Not that I think he minded in particular about that detail.


    "Remember to put that tongue of yours to good use." he half moaned as his lower back popped. I smiled softly to myself as I finally lowered my hands to his fuzzy cheeks. I was unable to help myself and spanked him softly twice just watching the vibrations making his cheeks bounce back and forth a few times.


    Ren didn''t even react. Or at least He didn''t react in pain or an aggressive manner. Light chuckling was heard as he teased "If your trying to tenderize the meat your going to have to hit me a lot harder than that."


    I found myself grinning and drawing back my hand to give him another smack mesmerized by that jiggling ass that was slowly reddening. Then I parted his cheeks and took a heavy breath of the musk that had been released by that simple action. My loins surged in want as I breathed it in further and then began to dip my tongue into the cleft.


    Salty. Was the first thought that entered my mind before I dove into the dip of his pucker. An explosion of flavor rocked over my tongue along with a heavy moan from Ren. I smiled as I continued to lick that spot forcing his cheeks apart to make one of his most intimate spots yield further to me.


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    The moans were quite rich and deep. Each one making me hornier as I continued to lick at his hole attempting to force my tongue inside those depths. Shockingly his hole began to open as if welcoming. I didn''t think that he had much experience with things in his rear but it seems I was wrong.  "Ohh Yess! Get in deeper little Human!." Moaned Ren reaching back with a paw and shoving my face into his ass which had the effect of grinding my mouth into his pucker.


    Heavy musk was now leaking from him as if he were a skunk releasing pheromones'' instead of a Pandakin. I breathed deep just letting it enhance the experience and my hunger as I dove for his insides once more. "Deeper!" Ren Insists and clenches his cheeks which has the effect of swallowing my face whole letting me breath nothing but the musk from his hole as I begin to fuck him with my tongue his body spasming with each rough thrust inside and then shuddering mightily when I ease my tongue out.


    Finally his sense of mind seemed to return and Ren eased his grip and I lay panting heavily on his ass cheeks trying to catch my breath. Not that it was doing much good drunk on his heavy musk as I was. Plus being right near the source of such was not helping me to ease from it''s effects. With a ragged breath and a surge of will I pushed myself away from his ass.


    I had to stop to slip out of my own clothes glad that the room was locked as if I wore the pants any longer they would rip. Such was the strength of my musk drunk erection. Still I tried to maintain my sanity as I sat on his left leg and began to work the muscles of the other one.


    I was unable to resist the temptation and so I rested my cock in the cleft of his ass grinding back and further while I massaged his upper legs. "Mhhm...put it in." he ordered and it took a moment for Ren''s words to register.


    Now I''m not small by any means or stretch of the imagination. 6.5 inches and quite thick by human standards. Not quite the famed Chode of legend but good enough. Besides if I want to earn my pay I have to abide by my client''s wishes. Though it would be wise to be cuatios.


    I slid on a condom before I obliged him even with the condom on though the heat and warmth of his insides seemed to just surround my length. Like I had just shoved into a hot wet oven. And it was an amazing feeling. I moaned long and hard as I felt Ren almost hungrily swallow inch after inch with seemingly no discomfort at all.


    As amazed as I was it seemed that Ren was impatient to start rocking his hips back to take more of my length and then ease forwards. Finding his rhythm it seemed I was just along for the ride holding into his hips as he controlled the flow.


    Unfortantly it wasn''t to much longer after that before I began to cum and fill the condom with warm seed. Ren seemed to be content but as I moved to pull out he clenched. "Stay in and cuddle me a bit.'' he requested and as tired as I was I honestly couldn''t refuse the request. Thankfully I didn''t have any other appointments that day.


    When we did finally seperate it was about two hours from closing I discretely got rid of my mess and made sure that Ren was happy which judging by his grin I didn''t need to worry. "If ya every want to chill outside of work let me know." he said with an easy grin as he was dressed once more and headed out.


    I sighed feeling refreshed myself and finished stocking up and cleaning the room then left and locked up. Fang-Yu gave me a knowing smirk but let me leave without saying anything. I for a moment had a sneaking suspicion about Ren-Bo. But if he was a friend of the Boss then who was I to say anything or judge. I got paid. That''s what mattered.


    I made my way back home shifting through the slight wind on the hoverboard to find that my glorious hunk of silver had finally finished it''s updates and whatnot and was just waiting for me to join it.

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Chapter Three

    After glancing at the virtual rig a bit longer I moved to go shower stripping out of my uniform as I walked. I had to admit it felt good to get out of those clothes though I tried to get them hanged up for tomorrow. I would have to wash them after I got done with the shower.


    Once in the shower I lingered in the cold water. While I could have flipped the lever over to hot it would have been a waste of time as I would soon be back in cold water anyway due to the nature of the Virtual Drive.  I''ll explain more details before I enter the thing but suffice it to say an icy shower was an excellent way to prepare for what was to be ahead.


    Once I was done and dried off I shivered from the cold but walked towards the virtual drive.


    The inside was made of some type of synthetic foam that molded to my body. It was essential to remain sky-clad within.


    I reached for the mask as the sounds of soft hissing filled my ears and a cold feeling like I had just plunged back into a cold shower. Though the water was oddly soothing as my body was already used to the cold.  As the cold water filled further the bits of algae that made this more like a terrarium also appeared. they would feed off the release of my CO2 and produce more of themselves while providing me with the essential oxygen I needed to survive underwater. Thankfully it would only be cold during the initial immersion period my body heat being used to warm up the water to provide a suitable environment for the algae.


    The other systems of the Drive came online some goggles being fitted to my head and a voice saying "Drive System Powering On. System Capacity is 5000 Microliters of Oxygen. Current Capacity is 100/5000.  The voice was decidedly female whether it was a choice of the AI itself or the default setting I confess that I did not know or care.


    "Initiating Neural Impulse Link Calibration" I felt the strange sensation of something touching my mind and easing over it like a helmet. a brief shock of cold at the base of neck as something metal was pressed there.


    The sensation repeated several times along my body particularly at the ends of my joints like my elbows or knees. "Neural Frame Work Has Been Established." a few more moments before the next words reached my ears and I felt the sensation of being bonded to the pod. "Framework Connection Established. Connection Strength Is 100%."


    Awaiting User Input  "Finally" I thought to myself before focusing my thoughts. Loading Program Lycera  I couldn''t deny my excitement as the words Game Start! appeared in my vision and my mind got pulled into the game world.


    I fell down a tunnel of colors and while there was no supplied sound it still felt as if it took a very long time. When I landed while I felt the shock of impact I was quick to realize that I was unharmed.


    The shifting colors around me resolved themselves into the form of a Grand Library books to the ceiling as far as the eye can see. Phasing into existence from nothing about 5 feet in front of me on a vacant stool sat a Lady Dressed In the traditional ball gown pale blue in color.


    "Welcome Adventurer to Lycera. Please have a seat." I nodded to her and chose a seat on the other side of the table facing her. "Do you need a moment to adjust?" she asked of me her voice pleasing sounding as if it were composed of wind chimes. Unsure of how my voice would be working since in the back of my mind I knew I was floating in water I attempted to reply that I was fine but my voice did not come out. I touched my throat in alarm. "Just Nod or Shake your head. Until you finalize your character your voice will not work."


    I quickly nodded doing my best to calm down though I new my heart rate had temporarily sped up from the realization that I couldn''t speak. A small timer like device appeared in front of me. "Tap that once your ready to continue." she informed me and I nodded once more focusing on my breathing and shoving my anxiety back into it''s box. Then I stomped on it and chained said box shut and added a few locks for extra measure. It''s just a game. Relax. Your Safe. I told myself as the moments slowly filtered by.


    Once I had ahold of myself I slapped the top of the timer device and the NPC smiled at me once more. "Well look at that it only took you 5 mins to get your crap together. At least your a speedy one." She said in a slightly mocking tone. Being I still couldn''t speak I just simply raised an eyebrow. Apparently my expression was just hilarious or maybe she had a few hits of laughing gas before she came here. At any rate her peals of laughter didn''t really help my mood.


    Eventually she subsided but I''m sure my resting bitch face was on full display. I''ve been told by other''s that my expression can get quite cold if I''m trying to hide my irritation but it seemed I was able to pass this time. Or at least the AI''s programing forced her to continue on the the character creation process.


    Panels filled my vision labeled with what appeared to be different sliders and Selections.  "Design your Avatar." said the Lady and while I had to admit some of the choices were quite embarrassing to select in front of a Lady I managed to fly through the process.


    In the end I had chosen my Race as Human and as for my starter class I am a Mage. I had looked for Healer but it was not on the list of initial options. So I just had to assume that it would be unlocked as I proceeded further down the magic skill tree.


    "So Initiate Nakishodo you will be sent to the starting town of Revere." said the Lady before waving her hand and I found myself vanishing in a flash of light. When my vision came back to me I was standing in the square of the aforementioned town.


    I admit it was weird being called Initiate but I suppose that''s the term for starter players in this game. A Guard was standing at attention his weapon half drawn. I suppose my sudden appearance from seemingly thin air might have to be blamed for that.


    "Sir could you tell me where I might find Lodging for the night?" I asked of him. He raised an eyebrow at me and I had to guess that in dealing with players in this world getting a polite question asked was something of a rarity. I waited patiently as the proverbial gears turned in his head as he decided what to do with this request.


    "Go behind me past the fountain to the left and you will find a blue wooded building called Mariner''s Rest. Mention that Steve sent ya." he said to me and after a bow of thanks I moved to follow his directions.


    "Mariner''s Rest. Sounds...Sailor themed. I wonder what I''ll find?"  I thought to myself as I walked along. I had yet to distribute my basic stat points and I was still wearing the simple brown robe that denoted me as a noob mage. I had read that upon specializing you would get a robe of a particular color that would boost the spells cast of it''s particular elemental association.


    Which if I am being honest felt like a double edged sword. For one it called out to all the world what you were good at. For two it might give you an advantage if your specialty was unusual or could be mistaken for something else at first glance.


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    As part of their cunning the company that made the game DID sell dyes. Because of course they did. All your problems could be solved for the easy price of $0.99. While yes that was cheap and they could have gotten more greedy as far as I was aware unless you ran into a rare boss or found a way to make the pigment''s yourself there was no way to earn dye in game.


    I mean I get why monetization in games is a thing. I know they are expensive to make and while the developers need to be paid for their work and deserve it with the amount of hours they put in...coporate entites can get quite greedy when it comes to selling in game content.


    Let''s just hope this doesn''t turn into a pay to win game. Where they make a problem on purpose then sell the only solution.  I thought to myself as I made it to the entrance of the Mariner''s Rest.


    Calling this place merely blue seemed like it was insulting the color. So many hues of Blue that decorated the exterior mixed here and there with a lush deep purple. It was as if someone had took the color chart on a fathoms graph and put it on a building. However the painter must have been a master. It looked quite beautiful and it seemed to give off a faint fragrance of the sea.


    I managed to pull my gaze off the building interior when from inside someone called "Are you lost?" I snapped to my senses and then moved inside stepping through the classical double saloon style doors.  "I''m seeking Lodging for tonight Miss." I replied as the lady that had spoken to me came into view.  She had a name tag floating above her head. "I''m sorry Miss Coral." I quickly corrected myself. She eyed me up and down with a critical eye while I took the time to observe her dress.


    She was wearing what seemed to be a corsair''s uniform done in the same color scheme as outside the buttons shining like little blue and purple pearls while on her head was the traditional tricorn hat. She was also wearing a saber and her blonde hair was braided and the tail of it laid across the very tip of her right shoulder.


    Call me a sucker for details but the package as a whole was appealing. At least until her next words rang out. "Are you sure you came to the right place? We aren''t much for charity here."


    "One of the guards...I believe he said his name was Steve said to tell you he sent me." I replied in response and promptly got a quest prompt shoved under my nose.


    Quest Name: Room For The Night


    Difficulty : E


    Information : You''ve successfully located the Inn known as Mariner''s Rest. The Owner Of The Inn Ms. Coral wishes for you to prove your worth before granting you a room to stay in.


    Objective: Impress Ms. Coral


    Rewards: 1 week stay at the Inn. Further Rewards May Be Granted If Ms. Coral Deems You Worthy.


    Accept? : Y/N


    "Yes" I replied and the window in front of me vanished. Ms. Coral straightened up from her examination. "Follow me." she barked and then turned around to leave me scrambling after her. I was lead to the back kitchen area were what looked like millions of dirty dishes were piled up. "Get those 4 stacks clean and you''ll have earned your keep. But if I find a single speck of dirt on them after you finish or a chip or a crack you''ll be out on your butt in the street."


    I did a bit of poking around and managed to procure a bar of old timey soap. It even smelled like it had been made the old fashioned way. I admit I was thinking it would have been liquid soap. I know I know. Curse my Modern thinking. Especially since while this world clearly had electricity it was not exactly the real world.


    I turned my mind and focus to the stack of dishes. Though I had no clear source of water. "Hmmmm" I thought puzzling it over before deciding to check my inventory in the vague hope that due to the game system having the hunger and thirst systems that I''d have a basic water skin.


    There was a starter pack which manifested itself as a red and gold gift box tied with a purple ribbon. I untied the ribbon and the top popped off with confetti which thankfully vanished. A prompt all but slammed into my face.


    You have opened the Basic Beginner Starter Park


    You Have Obtained The Following Items:


    Basic Beginner Mage''s Robes level 1 x1


    Basic Mage''s Spellbook Level 1 x1


    Basic Mage''s Boots Level 1 x1


    Adventure''s Waterskin 1000/1000


    Basic Rations x11


    Level 5 Starter Pack x1


    Basic Beginner Mage''s Staff Level 1


    Earrings Of Mana Level 1


    Ring of Mana Replenishment Level 1


    "Well at least they gave me the Basic B**** starter pack. Though judging on the level 5 starter pack seems they will be drip feeding me items little by little. Which either meant making my own items would be useless Or everything from the packs would be just standard generic gear for that level plus an extra potion or two.


    I slipped on the ring and with a wince poked in the earrings. See unlike other games in this one if you wanted to wear something you had to put it on physically. So piercing your own ears for earrings or putting on a ring.


    So if someone sliced off your fingers... or ears then you lost the benefit of whatever attached accessory. Yes Gruesome but effective. Made sure that players fought while protecting their extremities.


    Anyway I''m off topic. I took some of the water until I had a decent amount and the waterskin now read 700/1000 and I grabbed the bar of soap and plugging the sink moved to start washing the dishes.


    Of course I forgot...to think of clean water. After a few plates the water I was using was already turning black. " Crap "  I thought to myself and sighed in defeat then inspiration struck. I flicked open my skill window and then I grimaced as I took a second look.


    "Ok so the skills are kind of like spells? At least some of them appear to be." I found myself wandering aloud. "Ok. Well I can work with this. I got 3 skill points to start." To many skills and the like to count or look through at this time. "Purification." I said aloud and the skill was covered in a blinking square.


    You have chosen the skill Purification. Do You Wish To Spend A Skill Point To Unlock This Skill?(3/3 Skill points remained) Y/N?


    "Yes." I replied and the system spent the point to unlock it.


    Name: Purification Level 1


    Description: You use Mana to Remove Any Impurities From Food and Drink In front of you in a 5 ft cube. This Includes Poison,Mold,Potions Of Any Kind (Even Beneficial Ones) The Food returned to it''s neutral state as if it were just freshly prepared. Water will return to it''s clear state if it was not already when this spell was cast. Any impurities will be removed. This Spell costs 20 MP.  You may choose to fire any found impurities at a target of your choosing within 5 ft. This does not however cause any damage.


    "That''s Good. I can easily work with that." I told myself with a small soft smile. I banished the skill window from my sight and pointed at the black water. "Purification!" and the water began to boil and froth before turning back to it''s original clear state. My Mana dipped the 20 points but due to my accessories it was quickly ticking it''s way back up.


    A cube of floating impurities floated at my left shoulder and I looked about for a waste can. Finding a bucket that could due the job I sent it in there where it went with a disgusting splat. At least it didn''t smell.

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Chapter Four

    (Nakishodo)


    While washing dishes wasn''t exactly a mentally stimulating activity. My mind and my gaze wandered while occasionally at least every 20 mins or so I made sure to cast Purification. The bucket I had chosen was quite full by now and I found myself wondering where I would be dumping it. If they had pigs then possibly that would do good in their feeding trough. I will admit I hadn''t noticed if there was a stable or anything of the sort when I entered the place at first.


    I would also need to find another bucket soon. Though I had been working diligently it seemed as if the stack in front of me was barley shrinking. Curious I poked the status window...and I swear I felt like I had fainted.


    Stack Of Dishes (Dirty) 4852/5000


    "Damn. That''s a lot. I bet she would be impressed if I could clean the entire stack..." I muttered before looking at the even spaced 4 towers. "I wonder..." I speculated and imperiously pointed at a small bit near the bottom about ten plates. "Purification." I said with conviction as if by saying the words what I wanted to happen would. Well instead what happened is the soil slogged off like black sludge and floated near me awaiting my will. "Well...that''s faster than using the soap and water approach."


    I checked my MP (980/1000) and then looked back at the tower of dirty plates that was now showing (4842/5000) "Well it works. And I can sort of spam it. But do I have to say it every time?" I mused.  Purification!  I thought and it seemed to work. Well with that bit of experimentation done I decided to grab a few extra buckets I had noticed lying around that were nicely empty and got to work.


    I glared at the stack of dirty dishes as if it had offended me and kept spamming my skill. Eventually after several hours had passed I managed to complete the final dish. I now had about 10 buckets of what might charitably be called slop. As stated before I was grateful that it didn''t smell.


    I began to head outside to look to see if there was a trough for pigs and to my surprise I did find one. I began to dump the pails making several trips back and forth until they were done. The animals seemed delighted at such making excited squeals and snorts. I quickly headed back inside wincing at the ruckus I had inadvertently caused.


    Once back inside I see Ms. Coral stalking away from the kitchen itself hands on her hips. "I see that you finished your task. Very well you may stay here for the night."


    Lodging For The Night Completed!


    Rewards: 1 Night Free Stay At Mariner''s Rest. 25 XP Earned!


    Level 1 (25/100)XP


    Seeing that the quest was completed I gave an internal sigh of relief before nodding to Ms. Coral and thanking her for her kindness.  "Hmmph." she replied before moving behind the counter and passing me a key. "Room 705 will be yours. Hope you can manage to climb that many stairs."


    I looked at her with some trepidation before watching her break into a smile and start to laugh. I guess my expression betrayed my anxiety because when I examined the key myself I saw that the number 105 was written.


    I smiled softly once I realized she had pranked me and with a little chuckle of my own I went up to my room. I found it not to far from the stairs and I knocked once before entering just in case a cleaner or someone like that was inside prior to my arrival. I waited for a bit longer and after not receiving any response I unlocked the door and entered.


    The room...was just as amazing as the exterior of the inn. Though I will freely admit it might have just been my fatigue catching up to me after the monotonous task of washing all those dishes. You could have told me the mattress of that bed was spun from fresh spring clouds and I would have believed you. I sunk in gratefully and was out like a light within moments. I wish then that I had started to question how it was that I was asleep in the game. By all rights the functions of the Drive should have booted me out into the real world. True I would still be within the depths of the beast so to speak but I would be in the real world not the game. However due to my own foolishness I staid asleep not questioning a thing.


    Come morning I woke refreshed but instead of finding myself staring up at the Drive''s ceiling like I expected I was instead still seeing the morning sky in the game. I found myself frowning a little before saying aloud "System Window." and as it flickered up within my line of sight "Fuck." I muttered looking at the greyed out option for Logging out. "I am not in an anime. I am not in an anime I am not in an anime." I said aloud three times then closed my eyes as if I just chanted a spell then opened my eyes once more. Log out option still greyed out.


    "I swear when I get out of this fucking drive unit I am going to kill whoever got me trapped in here." I muttered to myself before stabbing the button. Nothing happened...which pretty much is what I expected. No system message telling me Error. No platitude assuring me that such and such was working on it. Nothing to indicate that I was in fact NOT trapped in the game. However as I looked over my HUD I noticed for a fact that the fatigue meter was empty at the moment. The hunger and thirst meters however were dangerously low...and I doubted highly that it was just the game making me feel those particular problems.


    So now I would need to legitimately eat and drink in game to survive. As well as sleep. That was a bother. With a sight I opened my Inventory and pulled out the basic bitch bread that they gave everyone at the start of every fantasy game. I took a bite and the taste almost made me spit it back out again. I grimaced and forced myself to finish it washing it down with the ration of water provided. I''d have a to find a way to refill the water skin. Unless it refilled itself after a certain number of hours.  Feeling that it was good to know this I perused the item description.


    Adventure''s Water Skin Level 1


    Capacity (650/1000)


    Durability: (100/100)


    Quenchability: Every sip restores 2.5% of the Thirst Meter. If a big enough drink is taken has the ability to make the thirst meter hold it''s full level for 48 hours.


    Description: A cured goat skin filled with water. The skin keeps the water from evaporating and keeps it fresh. Must be manually refilled upon draining. Public Fountains can grant this Service for Free.


    Well at least the game was kind enough to give me a hint. Out of morbid curiosity I decided to do the same with one of my remaining 6 bread loaves. It was a good thing I didn''t have any water in my mouth cuase I would have done a spit take at the name.  Apparently the game either liked my sarcasm or was trying to be sarcastic to prove a point.


    Basic Bitch Bread Level 1


    Durability:(100/100)


    Satability:100%


    Despite it''s rather bland taste this item has the ability to fully restore the hunger meter and keep it full for 2 in game days. If taken without water however it will cause a "Dehydrated" debuff which makes the user steadily lose health if not addressed in a timely manner.


    "Yeesh. They are very much wanting to make sure that players eat and drink regularly even if they aren''t being force to do it like me to literally stay alive."  I thought to myself as I glared at the floating text in front of me.


    Well first order of business then will be learning how to COOK." I moved to get out of the bed feeling a little grungy. Wondering if it was just mental fatigue I checked my HUD again and groaned aloud. "FUCK ME!!!!!!! Why In the HELL would they put a HYGIENE METER in a GAME?" I mean sure immersion blah blah blah.....we are literally experience the game through our brains. If that is not immersive enough then I don''t know what is.


    Ok Fine. I''ll admit it that I''m bitching about every little thing to hide my inner anxiety. And I wanted to be a healer dammit. I mean sure learning cooking would be beneficial in the long run and I suppose black smithing would as well. However with the starting basic mage class I was going to be having some issues. Or at least I was guessing that I was. I mean usually people don''t play a fantasy game to become a Gatherer Class. Seems I was being forced into the role however.


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    Still I best get out of this room and inquire about where I could get some basic pots and pans...and a shower. A shower would be really nice right about now. Almost as if my thoughts had summoned her there was an echoing knock at my door. "Are you In good Sir?" Came a refined voice.


    Curious I considered not answering. "Yes. I''m in." I replied quickly running a hand down to smooth over my clothes. "May I come in?" they asked once more and I glanced at my spell list noticing to late that it was grayed out. SHIT in a safe zone or something...dammit. I''ve got no way to defend myself if I allow him entrance."  "Might I ask the nature of who has come to call on this fine morning?" I asked mainly to by myself thinking time while I stood up from the bed and started to make it. Sadly no hidden cache of weapons revealed itself.


    A hearty chuckle resounded from the other side of the door. "My name is Romulus. I am but a humble merchant within the city. I couldn''t help but to remember you from last night and I wonder if you might take a package for me to the port."


    Quest Found!: Romulus The Merchant


    Description: Romulus The Merchant has asked you to take a package to the docks for him.


    Accept Y/N?


    That was all the information the system gave me. YES  I thought with some measure of annoyance. I mean I had all but had a heart attack over someone wishing nothing more than for me to be an errand boy for them.


    Besides if I got a good rep with this merchant it might lead to opportunity later. Also he was a merchant I should be ok to at least let him in the room. I rose and I cracked the door acting as if I wasn''t decent behind it.


    Turns out it was a good thing that I did as a dagger thudded into the wood an inch from my eye. A weird flooding of heat filled me and before I could think about it I ripped my door open to see that someone in stereotypical thief''s gear was holding a night with a dribbling purple substance. "Ok Congratulations." I said to the NPC Merchant as I roughly shoved him aside. "You''ve just become important." I pretended not to notice how my shove had actually sent him over the rail and into the floor below.


    I reached out my hand as the next knife was flung which would have hit the Merchant''s head had I not shoved him literally out of the way. "Purification!" I found myself shouting...and it did jack squat to the knife... Well ok. It removed the poison...but...wait. he was practically giving me weapons here. I reached behind me and pulled the knife from my door.


    Warning!!!! Insufficient Stats Detected!! You cannot use the following item properly "Poison Dagger."


    I growled my annoyance and prepared the knife in my hand only to find that the assassin/thief had already jumped and was in the air. "Ya got one shot." I muttered before chucking the knife in my hand at his back. "BAMF!" my knife impaled itself in a log. "Crap." I muttered before hitting the deck in a roll. And good thing I did too. A solid Thunk and the thief had teleported to the remaining knife already in the door. With a groan of timber he wrenched both knives out of the door and turned towards me grinning wickedly.


    I was desperate now and since it was literally the only skill available to me I began to spam it. It may not have done damage but apparently it was the equivalent of bitch slapping the guy repeatedly. "Purification! Purification! Purification!" I shouted desperately and watched his head crack back in to the timber door slowly cracking and breaking it.


    I kept going. "Purification! Purification Purification! Purification! Purification!" apparently I had them stun locked. I didn''t know how long it would last but I couldn''t stand here spamming that skill forever. Turns out I didn''t have to worry about that much longer. A rapier flashed through the air and before I could blink it was stabbing the thief through the heart.


    I got a moment to take in the ornately carved coral like designs on the blade before it wrenched itself back out of the thief and went for their eyes next. Somehow the thief managed to parry the blade...apparently getting stabbed through the heart wasn''t lethal enough for them.


    I quickly summoned my caster''s staff and taking a step forward I swung it like a baseball bat for their head. CRACK!!!!!  well...huh. Apparently my staff was sturdy enough to cave their skull in.


    You have Leveled Up!


    You have Leveled Up!


    You have Leveled Up!


    "Ok I know I''m level one...but to gain three level ups instantly?" I thought to myself vaguely noting that there was something mentioned about attribute points and further skill points to assign.


    Ms. Coral''s blade or at least it had better be hers skewered the guy through the eye to make sure they were dead. Sparkles of red light began to drift from the defeated form before the sword flew back to whence it came.


    You have obtained the following items:


    Poison Dagger x 1


    Thief''s Cloak x1


    Orders Of Murder x1


    Thief''s Hood x1


    Thief''s Boots x1


    Well ok apparently I got to their clothes...and the reason why they had attacked. I leaned my head over the railing to see if Romulus was still breathing down there. The Merchant had hit a couch and while the structure itself looked a little battered it had held together. "I''ll have to pay for that." I muttered before glancing around once more senses still on alert for further attacks.


    No more random knives materialized though I was skeptical of the sudden peace that was currently filling the establishment. As I made my way down the stairs Ms. Coral made her appearance.


    "Ruffians! Thieves! How dare they disturb my home!" she somewhat shouted sounding majorly pissed. "And you young man. You did basically nothing to stop them." she jabbed her finger at me.  I grimaced. "Look hun. I ain''t even had my coffee yet. I literally JUST woke up. Forgive me for not firing on all cylinders. Sides I did something." I jerked my thumb over to Romulus as he FINALLY sat up. "I kept useless over there alive."


    Romulus made a noise in his throat as if he was going to object to my words then he realized it was due to my quick thinking he was even had a chance to say those words so remained silent.


    "I Also have the contract or reason that he was target." I added pulling the Orders Of Murder  out if my inventory. I flicked it open and with my best performer''s voice I began to read.


    "To Who it May Concern I wish the following person/persons to be taken out under contract. Upon the completion of this contract the person that bought it is to head to the Mayor''s office and present it to the secretary there to receive their reward.


    Person''s Marked For Termination:


    1. Romulus The Merchant


    2. Any Party That Is Found To Be Aiding Him


    Failure to complete this contact once it is bought shall result in a maximum of three  days in jail for the buyer. You have 72 hours from the buying of this contact to complete it.  "


    I gave a low whistle when I finished before looking up at Ms. Coral who regarded me evenly "Fine. But your paying for the couch." Before I could blink another system message was placed in front of me.


    Debit Of 20G Owed To Ms. Coral For Damaging Property. Must Be Paid Immediately!


    I scowled but forked over the money before glancing to Romulus who had been trying to sneak out. "HEY!." I raised my voice and he cringed stopping in place. "Someone is trying to kill you. I think you just hired me on as your bodyguard correct?" I said in such a fake sweet tone that from beside me Ms. Coral snorted but departed from my side to go deal with other matters that obviously deserved more attention.


    "I Um. Yes that was exactly what I was doing." replied Romulus and before I could reply the system slapped the following words into my face.


    Quest Accepted! Bodyguard The Merchant Romulus


    Description: For the next 72 hours you are to guard Romulus. You fail the quest if he dies.


    Reward: ???


    Duration Remaining: 72:59:00


    Me and my big mouth.  I thought before looking over to him. He seemed stressed out. "Get your ass over here!." I said once more and once he was safely within my sights I sighed lightly. "First your going to reimburse me the 20G for paying for that couch." I said tapping my foot.

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Chapter Five

    (Nakishodo)


    Trade Request from Romulus


    Will You Accept? (Y/N)


    "Yes." I replied aloud and saw that exactly 20G were transferred into my Inventory. Satisfied enough at the moment I moved to sit down by him and he threw up his hands shying back. "I''m not going to hit you...yet." I muttered as I swiped the air to bring up my player menu. "You stay right here and keep lookout. Whoever tried to kill you obviously is not done yet. I''ve got some things to assign so your going to have to keep lookout."


    "Things to Assign?" asked Romulus as if I were speaking in tongues. I took pity on him. "Just keep an eye out." I somewhat barked at him. Maybe I was turning into a Canine Kin. Well whatever. I mentally shrugged my shoulders and performed the gestures to pull up my menus so I could assign my skill points and stat points.


    Apparently it looked like I was stabbing thin air to Romulus. Though thankfully he turned his attention to making sure no one was trying to kill him at this moment.


    Remain skill points: 6


    Unassigned Attribute Points: 6


    Ok so I get two AP per level and 2 SP per level. Easy enough to remember.


    Looking at my skill window and knowing that I would be forced now to cook and gather ingredients I looked through the basic skills listed there.


    Skill Name: Fox''s Eye


    Description: Using the naturally discerning eye of the fox your able to more easily find an opponent''s weak spots as well as any valuables they are carrying.


    Higher Chance For Quality Loot : 3%


    Critical Chance Increase : 3%


    It would only cost me a single skill point. So if I went hunting and this increased the quality of the drops I should be able to make some good meals.


    I made sure to grab the basic cooking skill for another point and the one labeled seasoning.


    Since that left me with 3 skill points my eyes glanced over the skill tree again and I chose Basic Blacksmithing.


    Now I needed some attack spells or abilities for my next two choices. I chose Parry and finally Swords Lv.1


    I glanced over my skill window a final time. "I got stuff to survive. I''ve got a way to defend. I''ve got a way to attack. And of course I now have my Purification.  I can now also craft.


    I opened the AP window and glanced over the listed stats.


    Wisdom 10


    Intelligence 12


    Vitality 10


    Constitution 10


    Dexterity 10


    Strength 10


    Charisma 10


    Remaining Points to Assign :26


    Why do I have so many? Oh wait. I probably had some initial points from starting the game. I just hadn''t paid them any mind until now.  Well if I''m going to be a healer It seems that I''ll need Intelligence and Wisdom. Probably not a bad idea to buff up Dexterity as well as it seems to govern avoiding hits.


    Decisions made I started to assign my points by the end my stats were like so.


    Wisdom 20


    Intelligence 18


    Constitution 10


    Vitality 10


    Strength 10


    Dexterity 20


    Charisma 10


    I closed out the window and then I stood up and paid better attention to my surroundings activating Fox''s eye just to be safe and the world around me resolved into muted gray with flashes of orange here and there as the NPCs and other players walked by.


    I figured that using the skill would increase it''s effectiveness so I kept it on even though it was admittedly giving me a headache. I chose however to not enlighten Romulus to this little tidbit.


    "Let''s go." I said to him and stood up and pulled out my simple wooden cane. Maybe I could use the shepherd''s crook on the end to strangle someone.


    "Go were?" asked Romulus still looking terrified. "Away from here for starters." I replied figuring Ms. Coral was giving us the stank eye from somewhere. I grabbed Romulus'' arm and frog marched him to the door...which considering he seemed to weight a ton was saying something. I guess I was just to pissed off to notice. At least that''s my story and I''m sticking to it.


    Once outside it seemed as if he were still anxious and the gears started grinding in my head. "Adventure''s Guild is where?" I barked at him and he looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. I repeated myself albeit more slowly. "Go down this street and turn right then go straight and take a left. Why in the blazes are we going there? " "Because I need help keeping you alive and as I''m not a healer yet I''m having to improvise."


    "How do ya know we can trust em?" he objected. "I don''t. However I''m far more willing to trust a "Greedy" adventurer that is only in it for XP over risking your health and safety trying to do it myself when I don''t have the skill." I replied with a sigh. "Now get along with ya." I added not even trying to keep my voice down as I somewhat more successfully moved him along at this time.


    Stolen story; please report.


    The Adventure''s Guild building was...loud. At least that''s only explanation I can think of for the color scheme of so bright it''s painful pink and Neon Green. "If we go inside and there is a rave going on I sooooooo blame you." I said to Romulus before moving to head towards the door.


    The entrance was guarded by a rather gruff looking Bovine. Though for the life of me I couldn''t figure out the species. They grunted at me which I took as a chance to state my business. "Here to seek a party." I nodded my head back to Romulus. "He''s with me." I added. Another grunt before they cleared their throat.


    "Go to the big table and find the Owl. She is the guild receptionist and will get you registered." His voice was like gravel being ground up and sprayed out.


    "Alrighty. Thanks." I replied and somewhat dragged Romulus inside. I will admit it took way to long for my eyes to adjust to the gloom inside. I had forgotten that I still had Fox''s Eye active so I was expecting color and while orange was prominent everything else was a monochrome gray.


    I rubbed my eyes briefly and for some reason that seemed to help clear my vision. I made a mental note to try that more in the future should the need arise. Though honestly I had to admit I was impressed that the game was able to deal with my normally shitty eyesight without my glasses.


    Oh I didn''t mention that before huh? Well in reality yes I wear glasses though due to the bulky nature of the VR headset I couldn''t have them on. I''ve tried contacts. Me and them don''t get along. They think my hair is to long and I just don''t like their attitude.


    Anyway I''m off topic and I have to apologize for that.  I made my way to the counter and had to stop myself short finding myself almost running into a mouse maid. I apologized quickly and she performed an emote at me which left me a confused expression as I didn''t quite understand what she was implying. Before I could ask however she was already on her way past and out of my sight.


    I finally made it to the counter with Romulus and found the receptionist to to be A bunny woman. Ok so either most of the players in this game were female in regards to customer service and hospitality type positions or the game was just enforcing the stereotype. Then again maybe they truly enjoyed the role in which case who am I to judge?


    Any back to the matter at hand the Bunny Girl who introduced herself as Teresa quickly registered me for the guild but when finding out that I would need a 100 gold to post a request for help I just shrugged lightly and said "Ok and if I just ask around? Will that incur a penalty of the financial sort?" I got a look for that answer but she did nod her head in the negative.


    Romulus who was acting as if this were the most boring thing on the planet huffed at my efforts. I rolled my eyes at him again before moving aside from the counter. I looked around the room at large and debated on my options.


    There was a sort of shy looking wolf in the corner and it looked as if the mouse maid had already left. There was another brown wolf nearby but I couldn''t determine his class from the gear he had on. It looked like he was wearing a house coat actually.  However his expression seemed to be quite kind.


    I decided to take my chances and approached the wolves. Both glanced up at my approach and while their expressions ranged from bored (silver) to attentive (brown) they at least weren''t openly hostile.


    "Hello gentlewolves." I bowed to them both before straightening up. "I''ve run into a bit of a problem." here I hauled Romulus in front of me who cringed. "I''ve gotten stuck guarding this one for a few days. And I can''t do it myself cuase I''m a newbie. Would you be willing to form a party with me and keep him guarded? We can split the rewards evenly."


    Both of them looked me over and then I saw a shrug from them both. "Sure." replied the silver wolf. "I''m Zen." he added offering his paw to shake.


    "I''m in. Call me Verac." said the brown wolf doing the same.  When I shook their paws I noted a party invite which I accepted. Romulus'' name was grayed out with a weird Icon next to it but I assumed that was because he was a person of this world.


    Actually now that I think about it the people of this world weren''t called NPCs. I forget their name but that certainly wasn''t it. Maybe I should just think of them as Beastkin and be done with it.


    Still it seemed the other two accepted the quest prompt as well as they had both made mid air clicking motions with their claw tips. I found myself smiling easily back at the pair before being reminded by Romulus that we needed to get going.


    "Do you have a hidey hole ya can slink off to somewhere?" I asked of the Merchant who glared at me. I easily just shrugged. "It''s a logical question." I replied.  "I got someone that owes me a favor out in the country were the farms are. It won''t be the cushy high life your used too." he replied to me.


    In response I just looked down at myself still wearing the basic adventure gear. "Ya. I''m living it up." I remarked which only seemed to further antagonize Romulus. Thankfully Verac took that moment to speak up. "Where are we going?"  Romulus instead of answering gestured for us to follow and began to head off. I sighed dramatically before moving to follow him.


    Before I could move more than a few feet somehow Zen was in front of Romulus or at least at his side before I could blink. One second he was beside me the next by him. "Well then." I remarked eye brow raised.


    This was going to be a hell of an escort quest. I thought as I moved to follow the pair with Verac at my side.

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Part Six

    (Button)


    Button had many places to be. So they quickly walked efficiently out of the guild house thinking to themselves as they walked along. The sun felt good on their face and the breeze carried hints of the sea.


    Still, they made sure that they were not getting tramped on as they pulled up their quest journal to see what things still needed to be done while listening for those that might need their Help.


    Button twirled their focus from paw to paw watching how nicely the sun went through the purple sphere. Then they turned back to the quest logs. Button noticed that there was a bounty out for a rather troublesome PK''er. (Player Killer) and the last place they had been spotted was not to far from town.


    *Why Not?* Button thought to themselves . It could be fun.  Button began to happily skip themselves out of town with a sunny grin. Looking at their face no one would guess the murder they were plotting. Well ok Is it really murder if their opponent got off on killing weaker players?


    As Button went along down the westward path to exit town evidence of a recent rampage was clear. Great swathes of grass were dyed a nice charred black and the taint of smoke was still lingering in the air. Not to mention in the distance the source of the flames could be seen.


    Though at this distance even with the natural sharpness of vision that Button''s class gave them Button couldn''t tell much detail other than the aggressor was covered in scales of some type. Button allowed themselves the luxury of frowning briefly before they got serious and drew their bow from the focus the body of the bow sprouting from either side of the orb framed in purple light.


    Frost Arrow  Button said under their breath the frost arrow forming just in front of Button. Button quickly drew the air back and took aim. They let out a breath then held it to steady Button''s self before letting the arrow fly.


    Despite the distance the arrow couldn''t have been more accurate if it had been fired by a professional sniper. Everything from wind speed to drop off had been calculated perfectly. The arrow struck the scalie snout and a distant roar of pain was heard.


    Button could be seen to be smiling faintly though they rapidly moved into cover. There was a slight chance they had not noticed Button. Though they had most definitely noticed the direction the frosty projectile had been fired from.


    While Button waited Button idly poked the scenery here then smiled to Button''s Self before Button phased into the rock texture itself. Now Button was concealed but still able to attack. Button quickly found themselves bored once more as their unwitting victim quickly drew near.


    Button decided to have a bit more fun and twisted the form of their bow into a set of gauntlet''s covering Button''s right paw like a set of tiger claws. The scalie person up close looked like a lizard or salamander man. Or it could have been a salamander woman. Button found it hard to be sure but they shrugged mentally and when they were close enough Button leaped from the hiding spot and slashed at them .


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    *Shing!* went Button''s gauntlet though the scalie was able to dodge and attempt to strike back though Button''s triple jump got Button away from melee range. Button in mid air reformed the bow and fired another perfect Frost Arrow.  Though this time The Salamander had cleaved through it with their sword. Button had to admit that they found that slightly impressive.


    Still Button had the advantage in this engagement though Salamander didn''t know that yet. "Let''s play a game." said Button from Mid-Air. "The name of the game is..." Button switched arrow types. "The floor is Lava!" Button promptly fired three sets of Flare Arrows into the earth which belched heat and flame violently as it ruptured in protest.


    Salamander cursed which the system beeped out as a duck quack though they had managed to dodge Button''s attack. Button frowned as they finally touched the ground which in this case was the tip of a nearby boulder.


    Salamander too hand landed on a similar outcrop about 5 ft away. An easy distance to jump. They resheathed their sword and seemed to set themselves. A move Button recognized. "I''m gonna have that focus Mousemaid." hissed the Salamander as his move charged.


    Button quickly pushed themselves back waiting till the last moment of the apex of each of their triple jumps. As they jumped backwards they chose to morph their bow once more. "Button Cannon!" they shouted as with a blur of movement the Salamander was right in Button''s face.


    "Bye Bye." said Button with a little finger wave before an explosion of purple energy blasted into the Salamander''s chest and he got knocked back at least 20 feet scuffing along the ground. Button as they landed once more saw the gash in the turf that the evaded sword swing had left.


    Button grimaced glad that the attack had missed though it appeared as if their playmate was getting mad. More quacking sounds to be heard before Button saw them draw back their arm which made them tilt their head in curiosity.


    BOOOM! Button found themselves on unsteady feet as the thrown sword just caused a massive hole in the ground about 10 feet across. Button didn''t even see the sword leave the Salamander''s hand. However besides a small amount of HP damage it didn''t really hurt Button.


    Button found themselves laughing as they got to their feet. Delighted peals of laughter that danced through the air that seemed to taunt their foe. The Salamander jumped up into the air once more and Shing  teleported to their blade.


    With a grunt the blade was free and they once more attempted to engage button in aerial combat. Button reformed their bow and shot. The Salamander smirked as it seemed the attack missed however button twirled in midair and brought their thin whip like tail smashing into the Salamander''s face.


    The look of pure horror on Salamander''s face as he was hurled downwards towards a burbling fire pit. Button did not wait to see if they landed. Button used the remainder of their triple jump to head further away into the wilds.


    "I''LL GET YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shouted the Salamander but their voice was quickly fading as the nimble Button scampered away into the woods settling into the trees and began to jump from limb to limb her laughter left behind like a mocking taunt.

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Chapter Seven

    (Zen)


    Beside the Target, we were set to guard I walked leaving the other two to follow behind me.  Sure guarding an NPC could be annoying but if the quest rewards are as promised it still might be worth the while.


    Deciding it would be wise to at least check the quest description I pulled it up to glance over as we walked about.


    Quest Name: Body Guard The Merchant Romulus


    Quest Description: For the Next 72 hours you are to ensure the safety of Romulus The Merchant Against anyone that would wish him harm.


    Rewards: ???


    Quest Duration : 71:32:57


    "So Nakishodo is it?" I asked reading the name off the party list. I felt the human''s attention transfer to me. "Yes?" he asked curiously as we continued along. "What exactly would the nature of the rewards for this quest be?" I asked him.


    He frowned lightly and then replied "Honestly I''m hoping it''s a permanent drop in prices with the markets in town. Or it might be something related to Romulus himself. A favor to be carried out later." Suggested Nakishodo with a shrug.


    "What about some gold?" I asked in response. "Probably gonna have that added in too. Plus extra XP from killing whoever tries to come after him." I nodded in response as that sounded quite reasonable.


    "So why did ya choose to be a human instead of an animal?" asked the brown wolf Verac.


    "For me there wasn''t a choice of races when I started the game. It just loaded me in as human. Why?" I asked Nakishodo as we continued along. I paused and gave him a look once more. "Are you sure about that?" "Yeah Positive." he replied immediatly.


    I had a suspicion that he was lying but if he wanted to hide the reason why he was playing as one of the weaker races I suppose that was on him. Maybe it was a challange run or something for him.


    I shrugged as it really wasn''t my buisness and went back to keeping an eye on our quest objective. Who I will note seemed to be listening in on our conversation at this momet of time.


    "What about you Romulus? Wife? Kids? Any Family?" I asked mainly to make the time go by though I did admit I was slightly curious. "Got and Elven Wife and the kid are Half-Elves." replied Romulus smiling.


    "Oh? Well are they good with magic then?" I asked in response wondering if the game would follow the old fantasy trope. "Yes." he repled sounding proud. "Youngest is messing with spell formula''s all day long which almost blew up the house a time or to."


    "That sounds... Problematic." replied Verac trying to be kind though he winced. Naki however looked intrested. "Spell Formula? Do ya mean there is a way to use spells other than the way we do?"


    Romulus looked over at him like he''d grown an extra head and Nakishodo just snorted. "Yes...actually writing out spell formula is a way to craft your own spells and make the existing magic that you are casting stronger." he replied.


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    Well I had to admit where I could see that would be interesting it looked as if a world of ideas were blossoming for the human. "But if you don''t have sufficent Mana or do something wrong the results will not be good for you. Hence my worry of my youngest one messing with it."


    "Isn''t there a magic school?" posed Verac interjecting into the conversation. "Why yes there is. I was going to enroll him there next year." replied Romulus looking proud once more.


    "What''s the entrance fee?" asked Nakishodo seemingly very interested in the oppertunity.


    I was about to say something else when I felt a shiver hit my spine. I quickly moved in front of Romulus and a brief moment later deflected two kunai. Unfortantly however I wasn''t able to determine were they came from.


    We were close to the city gate at this time... so while the attack could have come from anywhere the possibilities were in favor of it coming from behind us.


    "Barrier." came from Verac and I could see what looked to be a spun sheet of glass wrap around Romulus who was looking more than a bit scared.


    "Nice try Mage." came the voice from somewhere. "but Barrier isn''t a wrap around spell." A similar set of knives came towards Romulus back in between the two of them.  Nakishodo muttered something to himself before sticking out his hand. "Purification!." which while it didn''t do any damage displaced the kunai enough that they missed horribly. "Ugg I hate that Purification skill can''t do damage." muttered the Human


    Meanwhile Verac gave him a raised eyebrow before moving his paw in midair conjuring a fireball. "Fire." he said calmly and it blasted off into the nearby alleyway. I was still on guard and looked as if either he had missed or our assilants were eslewhere at present.


    "You didn''t have to deflect those by the way Naki. My barrier would have kept him safe." Said Verac. Nakishodo Shrugged in response holding his cane. "Do you even have a proper weapon?" Added Verac. "I was planning on bonking them to death." replied Nakishodo.


    "You have the basic Caster''s staff...are you just born stubborn?" remarked Verac a few seconds later. "Don''t answer that." came from the wolf.


    Nakishodo rolled his eyes but then gestured to the gate. "Let''s get out of town." Romulus pressed a hand on the gate and then a few moments later the party was transported outside the city. "Run." came the word from Verac.


    Not like I needed to be told twice. I picked up the speed as did the rest of the group. Behind us as I glanced back I saw no figure watching on the battlements or even attempting to get at us from the gate either. "Huh." I muttered curious but not saying anything else focusing on running beside Romulus who was leading us down the dirt road from the city gates.


    We kept at it for what seemed to be at least ten mins before everyone had to stop to catch their breaths. Nakishodo seemed to be the most affected dripping in sweat.  "Hey you alright man?" I asked him however it was Romulus who answered. "Yeah I''m fine Just give me a moment to catch my breath."

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Chapter Eight Point One

    (Gabriel)


    The Desert heat seemed to just sucker punch me as I eased from the VR capsule and sat up.  Thankfully I didn''t need much more than shorts due to the arid environment and the dry heat  made sweating all but impossible even if I wasn''t half Thorny Devil.


    Still I slowly stood up and stretched groaning as my back and such popped and the many spiny plates began to fill and expand. Once more I was grateful I was a hybrid and was able to retract those spines at will thanks to winning that particular part of the genetic lottery.


    "Gabriel come walk the dogs!" came Mom''s voice and I sighed before getting to my feet. In truth our "Dogs" were actually monitor lizards that had evolved to be quite bigger than their normal sizes.


    As the sand swirled outside our door I slid my goggles over my eyes and then clicked my fingers. Both of the Doberman sized Lizards bounded up to me looking eager. I secured their chocking devices and shock collars...haha had ya going there for a moment didn''t I?


    Anyway with my good boys properly leashed I began to walk outside forgetting for the moment that I would need shoes and being quickly reminded as the heat of the desert sand lanced through my foot like a hot knife.


    "&^%$!" I said quickly falling back into the house and getting slobbered on by Himbo and Jane. Thankfully to me their saliva wasn''t poisonous. Still I lightly pushed them back with my scaley hands and sat up slipping on my special cooling Sandals before rising once more and getting ready to head out with them. Thanks to the whipping wind and the sand we saved a bunch on our Electric bills because of the multiple giant wind turbines that we had set up to power our house.


    While I walked the Dogs I looked around our property to make sure that everything was in order. The turbines as I mentioned were spinning nicely though if not for the reflected light off their blades I wouldn''t be able to see them in the whipping sand.


    (Author Warning: Stop Reading here you squeamish ones)


    Our trek carried us close to the Ant farms and well these weren''t your run of the mill ant''s either. Leave it to Australia to just super size everything because it wasn''t deadly enough when it was tiny.


    The size of our ant farms were easily the equivalent of 3 story house...but considering the size of the ants...they had to be. Now you might wonder how come if they are so big...why we are still able to treat them like ants of olden times.  The answer is simple...their brains never got bigger. They still use Smell to talk to one another. Something that modern science has gotten quite good at manipulating. And do to their size... with the purchase of two of them a normal family of Lizards could eat at least for a few days.  Now we had one other venture that was still working surprisingly well..Supersized Meal Grubs.


    Now you wouldn''t be wrong in thinking something as big as them would need more food. However surprisingly they didn''t despite their massive size they survived on about three inches of wheaties cereal and endlessly reproduced.  Just one of them could feed a chicken coop for a month and guarantee a bountiful harvest and around here a giant roasted Meal worm served with BBQ sauce was considered a great delicacy.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    (Author''s Note: You may resume reading here)


    We walked a few circuits around the compound before the dogs decided that going inside would be a good idea. They took care of their needs before we finally got back in and I was greatfull to be out of the oppressive heat. Sure I could stand it for a bit but not much more than a few hours.


    Dog''s unleashed and once back inside moved to do the rest of my household chores. Which involved the usual house cleaning. attempting to sweep out any sand though mainly I would just sick the roomba on that. Making sure that we had water pressure so we would be able to cook dinner that night and taking out the trash.


    All combined these things didn''t take me long so I found myself back in my room on my computer pulling up the usual messaging app to check on my friends around the world though most of them were asleep now.


    I would have to go back outside in a few hours to do some maintenance work on the farm then head into town to get some supplies for lunch the next few days but other than that my day was free. Which barring disaster would be a nice change.


    I cracked my fingers before beginning to type on my keyboard messaging my friend Zen who seemed to be in game at present. "Hey man how''s it going?" I asked of him while taking the time in between replies to head into the kitchen grabbing some Mango juice and then coming back.


    On my screen was the following program which could be used to communicate in and outside of game.


    ~~~~~Oracle Message Program~~~~~~~~


    Rainshadow: Hey Zen. What''s happening in your corner of the digital space?


    Zen: Not much. Kinda volunteered with another wolf fella for an escort quest. We''ve got a human to guard and well there is another Human about...though he seems to be totally new to the game.


    Rainshadow: Well not everyone can play as long as we have. Still I wish ya luck. Escort quests are a real drag.


    Zen: I have to agree though not much we can do about it. Hopefully the reward is worth it.


    Rainshadow: Where are you at anyway?


    Zen: The starter town. Had just turned in a quest to the guild and was wondering if anyone needed help. Got sorta dragged along into this.


    Rainshadow: Do ya need rescuing? I can put the twerp six feet under and then just slap a gaint boulder on top of him.


    Zen: Curb your enthusiasm my feathered friend. He''s harmless...if a bit odd.


    Rainshadow: Are you sure he''s not a mini me?


    Zen: *laughing emote* Nah. He''s more tame compared to you. Good Luck with your work later.


    Rainshadow:  Thanks. Good luck with the oddball.


    That bit of conversation completed I moved to head to the back door of the house I still pulled down my goggles as reflex to protect from the glare of the outside sun as I walked towards the pheremone spray area that would let me walk safely among the Ants.

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Chapter Eight Point Two

    (Gabriel)


    Once in the pressure chamber I closed my eyes and activated it; mentally grimacing as I felt the scenting mist cover me in ant pheromones.  That bit of unpleasantness completed I stepped forward to the connecting tunnel which would eventually lead me into the giant tunnels that housed our ant farm.


    Now the ants had made these tunnels themselves and we sorta borrowed our own entrance. However the ants are stopped from heading this way with a scent trap that acts as a barrier. To the ants all the exits to their home are being guarded by their deadliest predator.


    Which unfortunately like the ants themselves have supersized. Nothing is scarier than fighting off a damn hard shelled ant eater that is the size of a small damn apartment when above ground and the size of an 8 foot snake when above. At least their nose was and that was the only unarmored part. The strength of their shell deflected most bullets...but was weak against explosions. Thankfully the local government had been generous in showing us how to rig our own hand-held grenades.


    I''m not going to share the formula. I would rather the peeps that read this section of the story walk away with all limbs intact.  Suffice it to say they make nice booms that stimulate my inner need to blow stuff up.


    Back to the tunnels from the entrance I started it would curve gradually down till I was standing about 2 meters or 8 feet underground. once that depth was reached I would be coming across one of the ant fungal farms. Usually we could have our machines hidden in the ceiling of this room harvest a few ants at a time without causing an alarm to the colony though the ants had to be sprayed with another pheremone scent which essentially marked them for death. At which point all other ants basically ignored them.


    Now these tunnels were fed oxygen from the outside though these mushrooms did help to produce some of it as well albeit in smaller amounts. Still they were quietly helped along by us to ensure a stable food supply for the ants.


    While I walked I checked on the ones that were nearby and they all seemed to be in good health at least for fungi. At least the displays that we had around each growing bed were determining that everything was optimal.


    While I was inside I heard a distant rumble of thunder and couldn''t help but gulp. Sure these diggings were protected from the weather but rain had another unfortanate side effect. Nature went quite literally wild with what felt like a single drop of water.


    I moved to exit the colony thoughts of checking out the rest of the place banished from my mind. Once outside after the chemical bath to wash off the last of the chemical cocktail and setting the suit in the auto cleaner I glanced up at the sky which had went from it''s usual clear blue to a dark forboding black. "Shit." I said out loud before moving to run towards the tool shed.


    Once I had the door open I slapped a button on the side wall and the alarm started blaring in the house. The structure shuddered and then with a moment it was covered in an anti-vegitation field.  As for myself well the nano machines had begun to work their way from upfrom the containment device I had opened and within a few minutes I was covered in a yellow-ish armor like shell and at my mental building my weapons flew from the side of the shed wall where they hand been anchored to my hands and the fuel tank to my back.


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    My weapons at the moment were two twin machetes sharper then daimond but lighter than a butterknife. As the distant thunder cracked over the land again the tell tale rain began falling down upon the land. As it hit the green menace sprouted with a vengance rearing up like some sort of eldritch being before crashing down onto the soil like a wave from the ocean.


    However this wave could consume our house and home and eat us alive without blinking. Mother Nature at least in the outback was determined to survive and if not for the tools I wielded, me and the rest of the family would have long been consumed under the green hungering beast.


    Don''t get me wrong I normally love nature but if this wasn''t kept in check by us then the family and myself would be long dead. Our bodies feeding the hungry green monster. At any rate I made sure the hose had no breaks in it and the stench of alchol still hit my nose confirming that the contents were still ready to be used.


    A breath. A final check of my weapons then I was out to face the beast while it was still a distance away it was racing closer by the second. Of course realistically I knew that it would take about an hour to reach me if I just stood still but I couldn''t risk it getting that close to the house so I moved to meet it.


    After a 30 minute walk, which I could still see the green menace quickly approaching in the distance. I prepared myself for the incoming combat.


    I wish I could tell you that it came crashing down like the stallions of old that it gave a scream of defiance as I set to it with my blades. But mordantly it was a lot less dramatic though despite my efforts it still attempted to get around me to my home which I managed to beat it back.


    At one point the flame thrower was humming merrily and the excess explosive energy was shunted off into a few grenades which I took the liberty of throwing as often as I could. When they spent their explosive payload they would morph into little spider bots which would rush back to my side and settle back on my belt and start the redrawing of the energy all over again.


    By the end of my three hour battle I was exhausted stank of smoke and was covered in water. Some of it my own sweat under the armor shell. It had been close but I was able to at least keep it at bay for now. I would have to keep an eye on the weather the next couple days because if it rained again I''d have to come out to do battle with the green monster once more.


    I dragged my scaley butt back to the house and once out of the uniform and a quick cold shower I plopped myself into bed and passed out after setting my phone alarm to go off if any more rain storms were detected.

 Under The Cherry Blossoms Chapter Nine

    (Zen)


    "Well good that your okay." I remarked to the Merchant. Nakishodo''s face was flushed as if he had just run a mile. "See why choosing human was a bad idea?" remarked Verac glancing at him.


    "Hey just cuase your fuzzy doesn''t make ya better than me." He replied straightening up with a determined look on his face. For a brief moment his eyes flashed and I could see just how determined he was to not give up.


    I decided to crack a joke to defuse the situation as I could sense the tension building. "Why does the Wolf chase his tail?" I asked seemingly at random.


    Everyone turned to me with a mystified expression. I grinned at them. "Cause it was seeking the full moon" my dumb answer must have been the reason the tension broke cuase Nakishodo snickered then it bloomed into full on laughter.


    The other two took a few more moments before they joined in and I smiled my tail wagging as it seemed the tension was gone for now.  With the party seemingly in a better headspace I gestured to Romulus. "Shall we continue?" I asked of the Merchant.  Who gave me a nod and continued to lead the way towards his home. I still staid beside him as front guard while Nakishodo seemed to take the middle guard and Verac the rear guard.


    While I kept my guard up I did try to engage Romulus and the rest in further conversation which seemed to relax the atmosphere between the group further. Even got a smile from Verac, who was giving the impression that he wasn''t one to smile much.


    I mean it was just a game. It doesn''t mean to play it ya had to be a social butterfly. I mean sure it helps but Solo players were a thing. Still it seemed it would take almost a days travel in game (which amounted to 2 hours real life) to reach the village home of Romulus.


    As we continued our journey which had time creeping towards noon Nakishodo''s stomach audibly rumbled. He blushed and fished out the basic starting bread from his inventory and proceeded to quietly munch it as we went along washing it down with the water skin.


    I had to admit I was beyond curious at this. I mean sure some players had the hunger/thirst system turned on but it wasn''t like it did anything to you physically. I mean you might feel as if you are thirsty or hungry in game but eating those items only alleviated those feelings in game. When you woke up outside of the game you would still have to attend to those needs. In other words outside of role play there wasn''t really a reason to have it on. It was just simulated sensations.


    Still a big selling point of this game was that you played it your way. If you wanted it to feel legitimately like it was just another world that you had fallen into Isekai style then you were able to tweak the settings to be just like that. If Nakishodo was playing the game that way that was his problem not mine. I didn''t have to judge it or like it.


    Anyway onto more pressing problems. I noticed something was moving in the underbrush ahead of us in the road. I stopped our movements keeping an eye on the spot. "Probably just a Bundar." remarked Verac though he had charged up a fireball spell in preparation.


    For those of you that are curious a Bundar was like a bunny from our world though it was the size of a young Grizzly ranging anywhere from 6 to 8 ft tall(1.8m to 2.4m tall) to  and weighing a heft 250 pounds (113.40kg) Lot of meat to salvage if one was inclined. However they were usually herbivores and while they could cuase trouble for the unwary adventurer usually it wasn''t to much of a problem.  Still despite their size you would be wise to watch out for their speed. If you couldn''t defend in time they would run you over like a truck.


    Keeping that in mind I prepared myself while Nakishodo took the cue from the rest of us and Romulus moved more towards the center of our group. I noted that the Healer had reversed his cane holding it crook side towards himself and the other end towards the would be enemy.


    The Bundar crashed onto the path and before it could do much more it was hit with the Fireball from our mage. The stench of burning fur and pained cries filled the area while it turned towards us showing a burned patch on it''s right side.


    It gave a cry for defiance before moving to charge us. I jumped to the side dragging Romulus with me and it looked like Nakishodo had been clipped by it as he was on his side wincing while Verac made it away safely. The bunny turned back around and eyed the not yet recovered human on the ground it''s brown eyes turned green as it seemed to charge up a spell as energy gathered in it''s maw.


    "Stay here." I told Romulus before moving  to teleport to the Bundar''s side that had been injured and I struck as fast as I materialized which interrupted the attack that had been charged. I swung twice at the injury before pushing myself back as the Bundar rounded to face the new threat.


    Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Verac had finished charging another Fireball and was aiming for the other flank. I danced back with a small push dagger''s at the ready as the second Fireball made it''s impact. Unfortunately a quick check showed that the health bar of the creature was only at half. Also it bellowed and became covered in a red energy.


    "Crap." I muttered as it pawed the ground like a bull the rushed forwards once more targeting Nakishodo who seemed to have recovered and dove to the side JUST in time to avoid the attack though the action left him slow in getting to his feet.  At least Romulus wasn''t being considered an active participant in the skirmish going on.


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    However the Bundar rounded again which prompted me to teleport to it''s other flank and slice twice once more getting criticals before moving off once more. It bellowed once more and the bushes around us rustled alarming. "It''s got Friends." warned the Mage while lighting crackled between his fingers. "Chained Lightning!"  The lightning finished off the Bundar in front of us then shot to the rustling bushes briefly lighting up the area to show three more.


    Now all of them had their attention on the one that damaged them which left me time to run to the side of the closest one and striking once more. Since it still had it''s coverage of fur these attacks couldn''t crit. Even with my high CH. Things were definitely getting interesting now for our little group.


    Target A showed that it was now paying attention to me while I danced away while the other two We''ll call them Target B and Target C went for Verac. The Mage was back pedaling while charging up another Chained Lightning though Nakishodo intercepted Target B by stabbing at it''s face though that was a miss as it jumped back. Target C bull rushed the mage while Target B and the Healer circled one another like they were in a boxing match waiting for the other to drop their guard so that their opponent could throw the first punch.


    Target C got a face full of electricity which it was JUST close enough to Target B for the attack to fluff it up. I don''t know if it did any damage but it was enough to distract Target B For which our Healer took the chance and stabbed again managing this time to hit it''s eye...while that was sort of an automatic crit the damage was not up to snuff. "Just Run around and get some exercise. Your damage is crap." shouted Our mage over to the healer.


    Nakishodo visibly gritted his teeth but conceded the point. "Here Bunny Boy" he said in a tone that wouldn''t be out of place in speaking to a dog. Surprisingly the Bundar gave him a rather Sassy look at his tone. However it wasn''t aggressive...currently.


    Unfortunately whatever attempt at taming had been made failed as another Chained Lightning ripped from Verac which quite badly damaged Target C and directed Target B''s aggro to him. Which left Nakishodo jumping aside as it barreled past.


    "Oh **** it!" said the human before chasing after the pair with a deep suffering sigh the game''s profanity filter making it sound like a mouse squeak. I snickered and went back to killing my target while those four had fun with one another.


    Finally I got my kill and I waited patiently over the course of the next 20 mins until Verac killed Target C. Target B Ran off with barley any health left but it seemed as if the other two didn''t care meanwhile Romulus had sat down beside me watching the other two fight.


    I could see that Nakishodo had leveled up though he was looking quite wore out. "Why don''t ya disconnect and go take a nap?" I asked him and he opened his mouth as if he were going to reply but Verac cut him off. "Good Idea. I think I will."


    With a pop! He was gone leaving Nakishodo staring dumbfounded at where he had been. I looked to him. "Hey come sit down with us over here. You looked exhausted." "Thanks." said Nakishodo and moved to sit with me and Romulus. "So..did you not hear me about logging out?" I asked him and he sighed again before looking to me. "I can''t." he replied looking upset.


    "What ya mean you can''t log out?" I said back my face concerned as I eyed him sharply.


    "Exactly what I said. Here." he swiped his fingers in the gesture to bring up the menu and then he flicked it towards me. As it materialized in front of my face I felt my expression darken. His log out button didn''t exist. There wasn''t even a way to contact the in game mods or anything.


    "Okay... i''ll admit that''s a rather worrying bug. But why are you playing with the hyper realistic systems turned on?" I asked him and I tapped at his menu. I''m guessing he hit yes when the game asked if I could interact with it and I flipped through.  He looked confused though as he watched me.


    I showed him the page in the menu that had all the game systems turned on for hunger and thirst and what not. "Are you just wanting it to be realistic?" I asked him. "I bet ya can''t turn those off. Just try." He replied and so with a shrug I did just that...and found that he was correct. The sliders resisted my touch. "Did you hack the game?" I asked him flicking the menu back to him and he "caught" it with his fingers. "Would I so casually let ya look over my menu if I had?"


    He replied back before adding "Since the moment I logged in...this game has to been as real to me as breathing. I can''t deny that I''m scared." He wasn''t lying. That much I could tell from the one of his voice and the fact that he was hugging his knees close to himself. "I don''t know why it''s like this. But for now I have to treat this game like it''s real. "


    I nodded my head seeing his logic. "Here." I manipulated my menu and sent him a friend request which had him jumping from the notification sound However he did accept. "I Also vote to kick Verac from the Party." I added making the vote and then seeing him click the accept part of that option. "I don''t know what''s going on Man. But I will help you as much as I can." I told him.


    "Also can I call you Naki for short?" That left him laughing and smiling but he nodded in response. "Naki it is then." I smiled back and since we both seemed to be recovered and Romulus while he had been listening in hadn''t interrupted moved to get to his feet when I did. I helped Naki up and then nodded to Romulus. "Lead the way please." I asked of him.