BOOK 2/59 - Real Life Matters

The desire to do something was the strongest when it was right before you. The itch to take that step ahead. Thorin craved it and desired it. The towering city of black and golden stone beckoned to him. To the corner of his vision, the blinking notification of the logout timeout conveyed the need to leave his pod. 

The frown plastered on his rough, black features moved to a sigh the moment the timer reached zero. His lids felt heavy, his vision blurring and his mind relaxing. The next second he was asleep, or at least that was what it felt like. 

His eyes opened to the sight of the glass pod he received as an Alpha tester. Thorin watched the lid open and listened to the hiss of some part of the pod. 'No... Not Thorin.' The act, no, the life that he'd just left slipped off his muscles and released his mind. 

"Just Aaron." 

The shower was long and filled with thoughts, imagination, and just plain desire. Aaron wanted to go back. He needed to. Steam clouded the mirror again, and he wiped it off with his palm. Dull green eyes stared back at a middle-aged male. Muscles and a form that was similar but yet nothing like his in-game self. His dirty blond hair looked darker while damp. 

Aaron shook off the feeling of letdown he had. He would log back in come evening. The only problem was time. Would the game pause for them or move on without them. 'How long was it?. Three days. That's twelve hours.' If the log in time was 6pm or 5pm then that was another three days that would have passed in the game. 

"Considering how long a day is itself..." His deep voice muttered before he paused leaving his fear unsaid. Aaron shook his head. 'Damn.' 


Fully dressed he moved to his work desk. First he checked on his investments. These investments were the only reason he felt comfortable to spend his time playing. The only reason he could even play at all. His gaze moved to a picture to the side of his desk. A twelve year old kid with his, full green eyes but his mother's black hair. 

Aaron frowned, his fists/hands clenching. He couldn't help but feel that way whenever he thought of the evil in female skin. It didn't matter though. Whatever he thought of her, she had him by the balls. Literally too. 

Aaron would never stop fighting for his kid and wouldn't even think about it. The woman was just too unstable for him to do so. He could have made his peace and found a way to see his boy even around the many verdicts he'd lost to in court. But only Aaron knew just what kind of monster Sebastian was. No one else in the court had known or believed him. Not even Sebastian himself. The boy had lived with the evil so long it had corrupted him, he found it all normal. 

Aaron sighed, eyeing the date. "At Least I keep the evil away with these visits." He suddenly didn't mind the log out. " Can't believe I almost forgot my kid because of a game." Shaking his head, he pushed off with his feet, sliding his chair to the other Holo screen and flicked through various sites to the one he wanted. 

The Forum was a large place. It had been large back when only the Creators were onboard. Now it was even bigger. Before he could do anything, a box with a note popped up to the left of the screen. 'Just like the game.' 

Reading the pop-up he realized the Forum Site had been updated. Following the info given, he found it. Apparently, the streams had caused quite a surge of data for the site. So the company had done a lot of work. 

First, he found that the Forums had been split and given names. At first he didn't get it, until he found a familiar one. "Ahh. It's like..." 

There was the familiar name there, then farther below was more names and then five he recognized. 

"Melody. Adam. Eve." The names were on different ranks on the stream log. The first name was unsurprisingly the Creator Player. The second was a player called Munoron. He had a staggering number of views. Almost two hundred thousand views and ... Aaron tapped into the player's profile and blinked. 

"Okay!" 

Surprised, he went back to the stream and seriously contemplated watching it for a minute before shaking his head. It was long. Not as long as it should have been considering how long they spent there. "No time." 

Aaron found his name at the eighth rank, right below, Adam. Melody was the fourth rank which confused Aaron given both almost played the game together. Shrugging he moved on to the next feature. The chat feature now had four official groups made. A forum chat, a Star Universe chat and a Player Chat. Unsurprisingly the player chat was devoid of life. No one said a word there. The Star Universe Chat was equally as bland. 

The Forum on the other hand. "When did these fellas wake up?" There were a lot of messages, and scrolling on and on told Aaron that they'd been awake almost through the night. The forum was less like a chat feature and more like a social media homepage with various comments looking like posts. Each post had various comments below them. 

Aaron glanced up at the digital wall clock. "Still time." He focused on the forum. Finding the very start of the chat was impossible. The Forum chat went on far beyond the previous day. The chats from yesterday painted a picture about most of their activities. It wasn't an exact tale or description of their actions but curses, laments and different comments that gave an idea of what elicited the post. Aaron calmed down, reading through everything slowly. 

"He has a pet?" 

"Why'd he kill everyone?" 

"Mind Control?. She could become troublesome." 

He stopped at a long thread of comments arguing about water deities. Aaron didn't remember any Elder like that. Recalling all the nine realm Elders he frowned. " So there's Water Deities." 

Soon enough, he found yet another thread. This one was arguing about who would win between Elder Titans, Elder Forces, and Aeuses. It was yet another new term that he believed he didn't hear in-game. "Aeuses. And they're strong enough to be compared to us Titans. Even the Forces are."  Aaron didn't understand if the three mentioned were just that much stronger than the others or the weakest. 

"It's hard to know." Shaking his head he kept moving. 

"Oh, most of us have ascended," He kept scrolling without a care. A link stopped him. 

[Alpha/Elder Players and their domains]

A list of all the Elder Players in the Star Rings and their domains. It was interesting to see that most players already had their domains covered and even ascended. "Some of their ascensions though…" He was seeing fewer names than should be there. Thinking back, he tried to remember if he'd missed any announcement of other players dying. 

"It's quite hard to miss too." The memory clicked and he nodded. "That explains the missing names I guess"

Further down, there were various comments that got his attention, comments that clued him in on something happening in another realm, and finally there was a Post that caught his attention. 

[Eugene] - Like Mother, like Son really. Those giant forms were impressive. 

• [Homer] - It's actually like Grandma, like grandson. 
  

• [TheKing] - Yeah, those administrators are the Elder Player's parents right. Then that makes the Creator Player their grandparents. Lol. 
  

• [Amiel] - I do wonder. Was there some... You know... Shenanigans to get them or something. 
  

• [Haven] - I doubt it. I mean, wouldn't that be incest. 
  

• [Ameli] - It's a whole new universe. Like 100 of them. Would the same laws still count? 

• [Dree] - Considering it's a human who made and rules it, I'm sure some laws would count. 

• [Ingrid] - Had better.

• [Theo] - So, isn't it kind of unfair that only Thorin has the domain that lets him take that form. I mean, if they're all children of a giant, shouldn't they all have that domain. 
  

• [TheKing] - I mean, I'm more interested in Mera's domain. She flies. 
  

• [Haven] - As technical gods, that shouldn't be something relegated to one though. 
  

• [Esme] - They've all shown powerful domains among themselves. There's Stryder who can heal, or something to do with nature or maybe life. There's Hellion, who has light and now stars. Thorin's domains are more physical, if you notice, and then there's Blaze. We know his remaining domain is Fire and he already has Earth. All their domains have a theme to do with the sun, or Sol they're currently on. 
  

Aaron left the thread with a shrug. The individual points were correct but everything they said was all common knowledge to him. He'd been expecting information on the Creator Player but it was all talk about the Titans. 

Scrolling, a pop-up at the top of the screen showed there was a new post. Shrugging, he reloaded and the top returned to focus. The part that caught Aaron's eye faster than the other one. 

[Herald] - Is War coming to the Star Rings Universe already? Things all Beta Players must know and watch out for before the Beta Launch 

• [Herald] - Greetings folks. I'm a game events analyzer here to bring you all the latest information not immediately observed from the Creation Online streams. This is the Star Rings Edition #01 and you can find other universe editions in their subsequent Forums. All courtesy of your own Herald. Now let's begin. 

• Creation Online started off with 100 Creator Players all acting as powerful figures within their respective universes or servers. I like to think of them as servers. Some of us watched the Creator Player arrange and set everything. We all see how well she's worked for her Universe. I mean the Star Rings Universe is beautiful. But, is the Star Rings about to see its first war? 

• Our suspicions follow the debacle in the 8th realm known as NILHEIM, where the majority cast of Elder Demons met their end at the hands of another Elder Demon - Munoron. Many know of the events after that. But what stands out, is the Creator Player herself visiting. While the Administrator's visit was important, it felt less important after the events of the Sol realm, where another Administrator visited as well. 

• Many realize this, but not many have really thought about it. But what is the punishment that the Creator gave Munoron? It couldn't be that beat down from the Administrator. It makes you think about many things. Without interfering and letting the Administrator end Munoron, what other way is there to remove a Tyrant? War. Somehow, the Administrator will have to make some moves to remove Munoron. 

• Skip to his visit in Netherheim. His words to the Duo Devils. I believe The Administrator is planning on using Netherheim to reset Nilheim. Y'all may ask why the administrator can't just let it be. I believe that this might be his punishment for his crimes. Consequences of his actions. 

• While this is all speculation, it's not a speculation that the Elder Demon will suffer some sort of punishment. So, to the Star Rings Universe beta choosers, make sure to be careful of your realm choices. 

Aaron leaned back without reading the few comments already popping up below the post. He was yet to see Munoron's stream, so he wasn't sure how to take the poster's thoughts. Besides, there was nothing concrete in his post. Just speculation. 

It was getting close to eight am when he checked the time again. "Here we go." Like he always said, it was time to meet the devil and retrieve his diamond. 'Again.' 



****


HELEN'S POV


I expected to start my day with the usual meal and then log in to my, now confirmed, second life as a Creator goddess. Unfortunately, life had other plans.

A red dot on my email had me tilting my head in confusion. I couldn't remember the last time I had received one of those. 

The mail came from the Elder Gods, on behalf of the Will of the Multiverse, to attend a meeting in the Creator Online office for some interviews and business deals, due to my position as the number one player of the rapidly gaining traction game.

I had half a mind to reject the proposal and just continue my normal affairs. But, wasn't my initial idea of playing the game to get over my issues? It was true that going too fast could be detrimental. But if I wanted to do this, I had to try and at least start from somewhere.

It was a Friday, and not seeing my father was a sign he must have gotten a contract, since he was usually home unless needed elsewhere.

Mum, as usual, was on her laptop when I walked into the sitting room. Slumping into the couch by her side, I placed my laptop on the desk lining it up to her view.

"Check this out" I nudged her while waiting.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. Her 'don't lie' look.

"Yes, I did. I've been sleeping well ever since I started playing the game." I admitted. "Probably best when I'm having game dreams" I joked.

Mum started, turning to look at me fully before smiling widely.

"You hardly joke. You never did tell us how the 'boss' meeting went. I'm gonna assume it was a success. We didn't ask just in case to avoid any mishaps."

"There was none. It's all good. The game is awesome as usual and I think you should play when you have time. Also, I got into tier one which feels like it's gonna be harder to progress than the previous levels."

"That's...lovely… and I guess you can do it"

"You don't know what I'm talking about do you?" I chuckled.

"I try to understand the game, but with so many things hidden it's hard."

"About that. " she continued. "Dustin told me you dropped the mic on the secrets. " mum gushed

"Yes, I did. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Couldn't stream without saying the correct words and it's not like NPCs know to keep the secret. I'm sure the company could have flagged the appropriate words but then the audience would not get the severity of the fight."

"I hear a fight and I'm not sure if I should be worried or not" Mum murmured,

"It's a game." I asserted.

"With realistic features and pain settings," she argued.

"Dexter?"

"He dared not lie. It concerns our princess."

"Would it alleviate your concern if I said I'm overpowered?" I tried.

"Overpowered?"

"Well. It's a secret, but my tier-up granted me one hell of a skill that is literally game-changing. I doubt there is a way to counter it. But literally, if a fight is too hard or I'm gonna die, I can just snap and be done with the dude." I halted.

"That is overpowered."

"Yes, and annoying. Cause now I have to make sure I don't use the ability much or I'll just grow overconfident." I grumbled.

"A good and bad thing. It's good you're not reliant on it and also try to regulate its use. Maybe that will help like a once in a blue moon thing." I nodded to the suggestion since it was basically what I had thought of.

"Now what is this?"

"Oh. That. The Elder Gods. I'm guessing that the big guys in the company want me to come in to discuss the possibility of airing my fights and quests as a bigger show for my fans and to possibly attract players for the game."

Mum paused as she looked at me for a moment.

"You sound excited…"

"Well. I've been home for a very long time. This feels like a good way to make money."

"But..."

"But, I don't wanna have a lapse, especially now I'm able to be in the same room as Dad. And also, I think I might be able to finally not run from Dustin, so..."

"You don't want this to stir up anything that could ruin this progress. I understand, I think that's a good route you're going."

"Maybe a doctor's appointment can help to clear up any concerns and help to prepare us for this step," Mum suggested. I remained silent while she watched me.

"Okay. I guess that's the best thing right now." Mum nodded at my assent before picking up her phone to make the appointment. I eyed the stairs to a certain boy's room with a sigh.


_


The rap on the door was enough to make the young adult pause his typing. Carmella wasn't known for knocking, well not too well, and then his father just banged like he wanted to break the wood. Which left only one person in the house, whom he doubted would have exited the game already. 

For a solid moment, Dexter was sure that some burglar had gotten into his home. An alert air filled him as he moved to his baseball bat, grabbing it and arming himself. His mind went to his sister who was always stuck, lately, in that VR capsule. Not that he blamed her.

The game was that good, plus there was the shit that was this reality. Dexter was certain if not for his parents and the game rules he'd not be bothered with coming back here.

"Who is it?"

He was already by the door ready to swing it open and bash some asshole's face in when the familiar voice echoed through the door.

"Hey, ape."

He sighed. 

"Uhm if you..." the door was pulled open quickly. The black-haired blue-eyed little barbie of his, stood there with an excited expression.

"If it isn't the little pixie," he scoffed with mock cynicism.

"The ape remembers his queen." she sassed with a happy smile. "Thought you'd forget me in there." She nodded to his pod. 

"Well to what do I owe this visit, dear queen?"

"You dare block the entrance to your queen?" He paused at the words. The shove to the side and the girl sitting on the desk chair made him sigh. He could still remember having to drag her dirty legs all the time.

"Curious." He muttered.

"Mum's setting up an appointment with the doc to see if I can go to a meeting with Ancient Inc." she started.

"That's a lot of meetings." He murmured. Then, as he picked up on the contents of her words, he paused. 

"Why am I not surprised? Oh, that's right. Cause you're Hildelith. So will you accept the proposal?" Way to be Dexter. Always making things comfortable when not.

"I have an idea. Why don't you and I go together? That way, the Queen and her guard can put the peasants claiming to be Elders in their place." Helen lost it rolling off the seat and laughing harshly as her shoulders shook.

Carmella snuck a peek inside just as Dester looked back, both sharing a smile and a thumbs up before the elder woman vanished.

Dexter took a seat on the floor while watching the girl stabilize her laughter. Rubbing the creases off her pajama trousers, she joined him on the ground.

"So what's the latest news on your side?" he asked.

"Hit Tier 1 and..."

"That's public knowledge. The Will told me, so I'm betting all creator gods know too."

"That was expected. Guess he was right. "

"He?" Dexter's face stiffened.

"Is there some guy I need to have a word with?" his eyes looked thunderous already. Helen chuckled as she shook her head.

"In reality. No. In the game. Well, you definitely could try. If you want a perma death that is." She laughed at this.

"The same guy you met in the World Forge?" Helen nodded.

"Well at least he's an NPC." he barely missed the eye shift she did.

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"No, there's something"

"Really, there is?"

"Helen. You did that thing people do when there's something not said or known."

"I did?"

Dexter scoffed, throwing his arms up. "Fine."

"So, will you accept my proposal?"Helen asked.

"Sure. If it looks good. Money can't be turned down," both siblings burst out laughing.


****


Ancient Inc 


'Why am I nervous?'Jameson asked himself for the umpteenth time that day.

'Sure, I'm only doing this crazy meeting with the number one player on a massive sandbox-style VR game where anything is possible but still manages to hold her first position without even a good fighting skill."

'Nope, that's definitely not why.'

Jameson rubbed his now smooth chin. He missed the rough stubble of his chin as it usually helped keep him distracted or thinking. He was part of the four men squad that had come together to present the proposal to the player Hildelith.

There were two groups of contracts on the table. One for her and one for her brother, who had made it known both would be there and receiving the contracts at the same time.

Kevin sat at the head of the table serving as supervisor, while the EsGNT, MedBen, and PhoenixStations representatives, along with Jameson, who was representing Ancient Inc, sat to the sides. 

Everything had been set and looked over. It had been hard to get anything on the girl for some surprising reason. So, without any idea what kind of person she was, it had been tough cooking up a contract. If it would appeal to her was another matter. 

While everyone could simply get the next best player to do this, it was a fact from her position on the rankings that Hildelith was a powerful player. Usually, gaining power and keeping it came with exciting events and moments. These were the events that Ancient Inc. aimed to broadcast on TV to draw in more players for the full launch. 

From the way each of the representatives looked tense at the upcoming meeting, it was clear they all knew this as well. 

A knock sounded before the door opened to reveal a young lady in a normal white shirt and black skirt getup.

"Furrows are here sirs" she announced.

"Do let them in Hina," Kevin responded. The secretary turned and kept the door open inviting the guests in. 

Hina seemed to keep looking at whoever was entering with a pinkish blush creeping up her face, making Kevin raise a brow. In came a male, Good looking enough that Hina's reaction was understandable.

Bright blond locks, amber eyes, and a nice jawline. A look that would be a hit on any men's magazine of the month. With his well-sculpted physique, even the Fillgyms representative couldn't help nodding in appreciation. Then the male shifted and the silence in the room took on another depth.

Jameson could only think. 'Like What the fuck!" as he stared at a clear show of partiality by creation or evolution, whichever was held to be responsible.

The two males and a female who sat to the left of Kevin couldn't help but share a slack-jawed stare.

"This is unfair." one muttered.

Dexter made the rounds, shaking hands with each person in the room while Helen maintained a polite smile but refrained from any physical contact, before everyone retook their seats, Dexter and Helen sitting in the indicated spots.. Once the seats were taken and Hina excused herself, the only female in the room apart from Helen couldn't help blurting.

"What cosmetics do you use?"

Everyone glanced at the lady with their brows raised making her blush. Helen simply smiled a bit which had the males fidgeting in their chairs.

"If we may begin, sirs." Dexter implored, his eyes narrowing.

"Of course," Kevin nodded, his face taking on a serious tone, yet remaining kind and welcoming. Not just him, but the others had the same countenance change. Helen found it amazing how their expressions and behavior could adapt so swiftly. It seemed money spoke more than anything else. 

"This is Mrs. Yelena Silvers of Medben, Mr. Timon McGuire of Fillgym, and Sir Oscar Luke of Phoenix Stations. Each one is here in hopes of sponsoring you. Just like our email highlighted, we wish to bring your triumphs and struggles to light amongst the people who love a good adventure in our new show airing on the EsGNT. Each week, we will receive any recordings you have made and compile them into a movie while editing out unwanted or unneeded parts. Of course, the others will have a chance to submit their recordings, and with all of it, we will know which players to use for the starting night on our new show."

"The show won't just be a movie that will be watched in a theatre. Just like all sports, your fights and your actions will be commented on and spectated." the representative for the EsGNT spoke.

"Sounds like a recipe for judging players in a game for whatever they do," Dexter argued.

"True," Kevin agreed. "Which is why we ask you to only submit things you want to be seen. You're not mandated to do anything stupid to get your videos liked," he assured.

"But, it would be advisable to make your gameplay as much of a story as you can. Most people just find watching a fight bland." The EsGNT representative added with a slight smile.

"That does say enough" Dexter nodded before looking to Helen, who slightly tipped her head. Her eyes had not stopped moving from one figure to the other.

"Great. Now to the next part of the proposal. With this public attention coming the players' way, several companies are giving incentives to have their players do well. MedBen is officially partnering with us to offer healthcare services, especially for the players. Fillgym will either grant a company registration for all players to keep fit. While PheonixStations will air our games and increase popularity for it. " Kevin pointed from one to the other.

"And all we ask is that you give us a good show." Yelena added with a business-like smile.

"There might be companies deciding to make a contract with you for various reasons but that's up to each of you. The game might be run by Ancient Inc but you lot are certainly our main players. So help us make things happen." he made a slight bow before he turned to Jameson who Helen had recognized from the meeting back then.

"Now, this is Mr. Jameson. He has been in charge of everything since the beginning. Creator players, Alpha players, and maybe the Beta Players. While he has no real control in the game, due to the A.I fondly called the Will by you players, he is the best we have in teaching V.R. players like you, real skills for your fights in the game."

"So basically a combat instructor. " Dexter started.

"No," Jameson spoke, stopping the male.

"A combat instructor teaches you how to fight. I teach you how to incorporate the skills in the game into everything you do. From swinging a sword to kicking and punching. Hildelith is strong and she knows it. But she also knows that what she lacks is skill. With the amount of magic I've seen her throw around, she could have ended most battles in record time with the proper spell and proper planning." 

"It's not magic. " Helen muttered.

Jameson couldn't believe this was the number one player who had fought a little army of Unknown, bested a dragon, slain a Destroyer, and then curb stomped a Devil.

'I'm gonna have a headache from people not being who they act like. Is this why they say don't meet your hero?' 

"Anyway, that's what I teach. If you are interested, find me."

Dexter and Helen shared a look before he spoke.

"If she is interested then you will teach us both at once. No exceptions."

Jameson narrowed his eyes. Something was up with these siblings but he couldn't understand. Sighing mentally, he let it be. One thing he disliked about people was their meddlesome personas.

"Well if you are in agreement with everything. Then that will be all. You'll receive an email with all the necessary documents that need signing."

Jameson watched both of them nod and stand, with the male exchanging handshakes while the girl just stepped away from the table and gave a smile. He was sure that the representatives were too stunned to question her actions though.

It was only after both siblings had exited the room that Jameson got his head on straight and rushed out after them.

"Wait up you two!"

He halted right before the siblings as both made a simultaneous turn to appraise him.

"Alright." facing Helen he began. "Just wanted to say..uhm.. good going with the wolf." her countenance changed for a split second going from blank to fierce and back.

Jameson paused, mentally shook his head again and continued, a part of him advising to skip the initial part he was gonna say. "Your fighting skills are basic, unrefined, but your use of the various spells and skills is good, yet lacks timing. That is the primary reason why I want, no need to teach you."

A look from the brother told Jameson he might be coming on too strong so he backpedaled.

"Look. I look desperate. True. It's because I’ve got this allergy to seeing players with great potential get flossed up and led to the slaughter by bad managers. You're a star, kid and all I wanna do is make you shine. Real bad. Yup, it's obsessive, but most say it does come with passion." he added with a sheepish grin.

Dexter and Helen stole a glance at each other. The girl spoke up this time. 

"I'm not sure that I need a game manager yet. But you'll be the first one I call if I become interested in one. How's that?" Jameson made a face that said he didn't appreciate them delaying.

"But what if the other players get ahead of you by then?"

Dexter snorted, then burst into laughter. The boy held his abdomen as he doubled over. Both Helen and Jameson gave him a glance at his antics.

Shaking her head the girl just faced Jameson. "I assure you. While I haven't solved the game totally, it's a fact that fighting skills aren't that game-changing. Good to have, yes, but not necessary."

Jameson exhaled in defeat before nodding, as he reflected on most of her streams and off-record scenes they managed to get from the A.I. The girl didn't lose any of her fights, no matter how high the disparity in levels, skills, or spells were.

"Call me when you're ready then." He decided and she gave a nod with a genuine smile before dragging her still-chuckling brother by the ear. Jameson managed to catch a sentence made while the boy still laughed. 

"He says they'll catch up. Fat chance, better odds of the game crashing before that ever happens." Jameson couldn't help but ponder how much faith the boy had in his sister. 

'I guess I'll have to do my homework." He shook his head returning to the meeting room.