Baron was leaning on his spear trying to catch his breath. Though the fight didn't last more than a couple of minutes, it felt like eternity when you're getting pummeled.

"What the hell was that?! If I didn't have my sword they'd be scraping me off the ground"

Baron grimaced as he took a look at his shield. It was battered to almost kindling. There was a large crack running all the way to the center boss. It was also chipped and sporting claw marks all over. He was not confident that the shield would last more than a couple of hits. He could probably throw it ala Captain America before its durability flatlines.

Shaldar walked over to Baron while he was recovering. The man was not even perspiring. The Samuli spearman has an extra spring in his steps and a wide smile on his face. His spear was already cleaned from what Baron could see.

"Ah... Invigorating is it not? I saw you grounded and was about to help you but I was detained by another angry Ugar. I have to admit, they were an interesting challenge. I would have to write to my parents about them." He mused. The man was running his fingers on his spear shaft while staring at the dead Ugars around. Honestly, Baron found it creepy.

"Anyway, I am happy that you were able to extricate yourself safely. Shall we?" He waved at the others who were gathering around the hand.

"Yeah. Let's see what else we have to get done." Baron replied now that he had air in his lungs. He was a bit leery with Shadlar. He doesn't know if the man was humbly bragging or he was genuinely happy that Baron survived but he resolved to not judge the warrior for now. He doesn't know anything about the man to make an informed decision.

The other fists were also about done too. A few were busily walking around stabbing those that were still moving but for the most part, it was cheering and back slapping all around.

"HA! Stupid creatures. They not catch Jep with no tactics. They attack, I cut arm off. I cut head off, I cut leg off haha! I cut- Argh!" Jep was excitedly gesticulating with his hands to an amused audience when Val finally had enough and squeezed the cut on Jep's left arm. She was trying to bandage it but with Jep waving around, she couldn't wrap it properly.

"Why are you hurting me? I was in good part of story!" The outraged man was giving her the stink eye and trying to get her hands off his injured arm.

"I can do this myself. I swear I one day would die because of your heavy hand." He said. Val quickly smacked him in the back of his head stopping him from fighting her.

"I don't have to do this you childish ingrate! I don't know how you survived without me. Stop poking it!" Val loudly exclaimed as she slapped Jep's hands away when he tried adjusting the bandage.

"Alright that's enough. The night's work is not yet done. We culled the brood but we still need to get rid of the brood mother. That will not be our responsibility. What we are going to do though is we are going to destroy the nest and kill all Ugars guarding them if there are some. We will leave the brood mother and her mate to the leader and his guards. Though all of you have proven that you can fight, none of you are strong enough to prove a challenge to the brood mother."

The hand signaled the guide who went away earlier briefly. She now came close with a sack which she promptly dropped on the ground in front of her.

"Inside the sack are satchels that each of you will receive. Consider it as your graduation gift from the clan. It would contain a healing tonic, bandages, and an assortment of herbs both medicinal and for cooking. I can't be bothered to describe them all to you. Keep the satchel with you at all times and make sure that it is regularly stocked. It will keep you alive. For those that had previous experience fighting in the army or the paid companies, think of it as standard equipment. That is one of the clan laws if you want to continue ranging away from our settlements." He said.

 We're no savages like what most people outside the plains would say...Well, we're not savages most of the time." The hand was stroking his crossbow when he added the last bit.

A horn sounded somewhere from the camp. People started moving towards the forest line.  The hand took that as a cue to end the impromptu meeting short.

"Grab your satchels and ready for march. that nest won't destroy itself." With that the hand signaled for the silent guide to take the lead.

When Baron grabbed his satchel, a window popped in front of his eyes.

Soul Bound Acquired!Clan Satchel (unique)Special: Items within the satchel can be lost or taken

My first new item... and it's a satchel. Yay.

The fist followed the warband in the forest line. Baron was checking some of the notifications he got and almost tripped on a rock. It seems that the three kills he made almost filled up his experience bar. He was hoping that before he end his session today, he'd get a level up.

The warband was strung in a long line with the guides moving ahead of the group. The clansmen were in the middle with the newly accepted members working as vanguard. There were orders not to harass the wildlife and to avoid monster fights as much as possible. Baron could see Iro walking the with leader who was now heavily armored. Iro himself is now sporting a cuirass and sallet combination.

They been moving for about twenty minutes when the forest started to look a little... untidy. Broken branches, scratched up trees, clumps of ripped out shrubs dotted the surroundings.

The fist trudged their way through the dense forest nonetheless. It was a lot different from the hot and humid jungles of The Philippines.

Baron has never liked being in thick foliage in real life. As a child, his school loved to send kids to the mountains or to a jungle training course to learn about nature and ‘teamwork’ but he was always skeptical about the supposed benefits of these expeditions. The only thing that he learned was a burning hatred for mosquitoes and to always check your boots for spiders.

The foliage they were passing through now is more reminiscent of forests you see in North America or Europe. Not as dense and very different trees and scrubs but still an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place for Baron. He thought he could get to liking this virtual forest when he stepped on something warm and squishy.

“I think I stepped on something’s poop” Baron complained. He lifted his left foot to balefully stare at his soiled boot.

They were moving at a respectable pace set by the hand through the forest along with the rest of the warband. Baron was no woodsman and the game gods seems like it wanted to remind him with that with a gift of warm crap.His foot was stinking to high heaven and the others were quick to point it out.

“Ach! I like you my friend but I like you better with clean boots.” Shadlar distanced himself from the offending smell.

“It’s the woods. Animals crap in the woods. I do too sometimes when I find myself in it.” Calavar said. A moment of silence and stares were his reception.

“What? Don’t tell me you have never dug a hole in the ground to take a dump. All of you would be lying.” He said defensively.

“Yes we do our business in the woods too but you don’t have to be so crass about it” Val added. Her boots were not exactly made for a woodland romp. Her heels kept on snagging on forest debris.

“I shit in wood. One time, I shit in snake hole. Stupid snake. Surprise when come out yes?” Jep was sniggering while sharing that particular bit. Val was horrified by her brother audacious mouth but the others were all smiles and chuckles. Even the hand had a small smile on his face even if it was a fleeting one and he doesn't even like anybody in the group.

“I would not want to endanger my family jewels that way friend. That is quite…brave of you” Though Shadlar said brave, it sounded like he was saying ‘idiotic.’ Again, Baron was not quite sure if the spearman was being low key arrogant or just jawing around with everybody.

“I hate snake. I shit in every snake hole. I not bit in sensitive spot. I use hand for protection…I did get bit in ass. That hurt.” Jep cheerily informed. That got the group roaring in laughter. It was a good thing they were not expected to be quiet because they suck at it.

“I apologize for my crass brother. I don’t think he was taught enough as a child. He has always been feral as far as I could remember.” Val was having a difficult time being offended by her brother’s loud confessions while trying not to laugh.

“Well, I hate snakes too. And spiders... And everything else associated with being in a forest come to think of it.” Baron said. He was trying to scrape off the crap off his boots with a large leaf he picked up but was having little success since he has to stop to work on it and he has no plans being left behind in the woods.

“Damnable shit is everywhere, isn't it? I’ve been avoiding them the entire time” Calavar, the biggest amongst the fist, happens to be the most graceful in the woods not counting the hand and the guide. He’s not quiet by any means nor does he display any woodland skills. It was more of him being careful where he places his feet. He takes deliberate steps while keeping track of his surroundings. Not stepping on crap is probably a benefit of that.

“Ugars do five things. Fight, eat, defecate, sleep, and breed. You will smell a breeding ground before you see it. They leave droppings to warn the local wildlife or other broods in the vicinity of their territory. The closer we get to the breeding ground, the more you will find so watch your footing.” The hand interjected in the conversation. He was walking just behind one of the scouts acting as a guide. He was a natural in the forest. He was quiet, fast, and could flit in and out trees like it’s nobody’s business.

“The problem is that if allowed to breed uncontrolled, Ugars could lay waste to an entire countryside. They eat everything that moves. If an animal is too big or strong to hunt with a few, the entire brood would work together to get a kill. That’s why the clansmen keep a careful eye for possible breeding grounds.” The hand said.

After a few more minutes of walking, they finally arrived at their destination. It was a small clearing in front of a cave. The ground has been torn up and dug around. Egg clusters could be found dotting the clearing. There smell of the place is so strong it brought tears to Baron’s eyes.

“That the worst thing I’ve ever smelled in my entire life! Gods, we have to work while smelling that?” Val complained in between her gagging. Jep wrapped a rag around his nose and mouth to block the smell but from the looks on his face, it was having limited effect. Calavar just brought out a smoking pipe and proceeded to light it. The smoke kept the smell away. Shadlar had the same idea. His pipe though was more ornate. The hand has a rag already wrapped around his nose and mouth even before they reached the breeding grounds.

“I should have taken cues from him.” Baron contemplated.

The guide stopped by each of them handing them something. She looks like she was doing fine despite the rancid smell. Looking closer, Baron could see that she was wearing a custom mask, something like a medieval version of a tactical mask, and was handing out something to the members of the fist.

“Here, squeeze a small amount of the juice on a rag to cover your nose and mouth. It will neutralize the smell… well, as much as it can. Just a few drops though. It is really strong.” The guide said when she reached Baron. She handed a small, round object to Baron then quickly leaving to move on to the next person. Baron almost didn’t understand her with his thoughts focused on not throwing chunks from the smell.

He quickly rummaged around the small satchel he was given earlier and found a couple of strips of clean cloth. Baron suspects that it was intended to be used as a bandage but at this point, he couldn't care less.

Quickly but carefully squeezing the small, greenish fruit he was given, Baron juiced the cloth and wound it around his offended senses. The juice has a very strong acidic smell that immediately cuts through everything else. It works fast. It was the only thing he could smell after a short while.

Satisfied that he was now protected from the unholy miasma of the breeding ground, Baron inspected the fruit he was given.

Jerona Sour FruitA fruit that grows in warmer climates. Commonly used as complement for sea food. Extremely sour.

“It’s basically a lemon then.” Baron though. He was half expecting that he wouldn’t get anything from trying to identify the fruit but apparently, it was common enough that it didn’t require the ‘identify’ ability.

The hand gathered the fist around for a quick round of instructions.

“Alright, let’s not spend more time in this horrible place more than we need to. Our task is to clear the western side of the breeding ground. Smash all eggs you can see. Make sure to dig around a bit. Some of them tend to get buried.”

Jep was about to say something when the hand quickly continued with his instructions.

“If you are wondering about the edibility of the eggs, first thing I want to say is: what’s wrong with you? Second is that it is poisonous for human consumption. Yes Jep, I see could imagine you asking that so don’t even try.” He gave Jep a hard look.

“We can never be sure that all of the Ugars were killed so our guide will be our lookout but all of you are warriors. I don’t think I would have to remind you all to be attentive, correct?” an eyebrow rising on his face while looking at the group. Everybody gave a nod or a verbal confirmation that they understood.

“Good. Let’s start. The other fists are already working. This is a miserable job and I hate you all for making me part of this. Get moving” He half jokingly said. With that the hand spun and picked up the staff the guide left for him. It was a simple pole with metal caps on the ends. The hand approached the nearest clutch of eggs and starting stabbing the eggs with it.

The fist dispersed and got down to work. Baron, Shadlar, and Jep found out longer weapons work well in this sort of thing. The eggs were somewhat pressurized. Baron almost had an heart attack when he poked one and it went off like a pressure cooker with a blocked valve. Calavar got a disgusting surprise when he smashed an egg with his short weapon and got Ugar slime all over him. Baron could hear him cursing all the way from the other side. Val was more agile than the big Midlander and was able to hop away after cracking her first egg. She got a bit on her shoes but otherwise she was untouched. Both of them decided that smelling like rotten eggs is not in their plans tonight so Val got herself a sizable branch and used it as a makeshift poking stick. Calavar, true to form, collected fist sized stones and started throwing fastballs at the eggs. The man has a lot of power. It was like watching a toilet explode every time he hits one. His aim could be better with him missing more than hitting but it was impressive nonetheless.

Baron just finished with his first clutch and was about the go look for another one when a searing pain suddenly blossomed on his left calf. A surprised cry escaped his lips as he staggered a step back. Baron grabbed his throbbing leg dropping his spear. He had his pain feedback option dialed down to a little more than the lowest threshold so he was more surprised than actually in agony. He was on one knee now and quickly found out what caused his injury. A huge brown snake was staring at him. Baron froze and his breath caught. Though he doesn’t have any phobia against snakes, it still struck fear in his heart and mind. He was sweating and didn’t know what to do when the snake suddenly slammed to the ground with a knife sprouting out of its head.

The hand strode towards the snake. He approached it at an oblique angle keeping the head away from him. He grabbed it from behind the neck and using the knife he threw, quickly decapitated the still moving snake.

“PAY ATTENTION! Ugars are not the only danger in the plains. I shouldn’t have to remind you of that. Grab the yellowish green leaf in your satchel and chew on it. Don’t swallow. Just suck on the juices then spit it out when the taste is gone. Do it now if you don’t want to lose that leg.” With his admonishment delivered, the hand didn’t wait to see if Baron followed his instructions. He turned around and went back to egg bashing. Hard man, that hand.

Baron doesn’t know if it was possible to be permanently crippled in this game but he was not willing to challenge that. For the second time that night he was dipping in his medical supplies. There were a few leaves in the satchel that matches the hand’s description. He grabbed one and popped it in his mouth and started chewing. It didn’t taste bad. It tasted like chili leaves that Baron normally use when cooking Tinola in real life.

A small flashing icon minimized in the right corner of his vision brought his attention to the fact he hadn’t check the popup windows recently. He mentally opened it and a cascade of semi transparent notifications took up his entire vision. Baron took a moment to work on his UI having all the notification windows moved to the right side of his vision and had it on slow vertical scroll. It cleared up his working sight and still gave him something to read. The notifications started at descending order.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Antidote ConsumedBrown Hunter Snake Venom has been removed.

You’ve been envenomed! Brown Hunter Snake venom. Effect: Health Drain (5 points every 30 seconds for five minutes)

Snake attacked you successfully for: 8 Health Points Damage

Sneak attack successful. Additional damage reward: 2 Health Points

That attack took a whole 10% of his health. If the snake could hit that hard, what more if he got swatted by an Ugar? Baron just realized how low his health points are.

“The wildlife in this game is hardcore!...or I’m just freakin’ weak.” Baron realized. Well, he could do something about that.

Baron opened his Stat page and decided to allocate his unused points. The fight earlier with the Ugars showed that his stamina needs to be better if he’s going to continue fighting with a shield. It drains some points from his stamina pool every time he blocks a strike. It’s not much but since his pool is low, every point counts.

Baron allocated three points to Endurance and two points in Strength. He didn’t think he was weak but the Ugar was able to knock him down and pin him against the ground. That is a recipe for disaster if he had to fight a bigger opponent.

Improvements done, Baron didn’t feel any stronger but he surmised that the improvements would tell eventually. He was still chewing on the leaf that stopped his envenomed status and the slight throbbing pain was quickly going away so he took the time to take out a familiar leaf and inspect the plant he was currently masticating.

Audria LeafNamed after the herb woman who discovered its properties, the Audria plant is a somewhat common plant that can be found in shaded areas in a forest. The leaf can be chewed on to cure common poisons while the root can be dried and boiled to create a calming tea that speeds up recovery from injury.

“Huh. I guess I have to keep an eye out for these things.” Baron decided.

With the ‘pain’ gone and his leg working properly again, Baron stood up and resumed his task of cracking eggs but this time, he kept an eye out for threats. They’ve been working for a while and though it was repetitive and unexciting work, Baron was still enjoying himself. He was checking everything and everyone. The world of Geas Online was made so well that if he didn’t know he was in a game, he could easily imagine himself living his life out here.

The fist was halfway done with their task when the warband leader, along with a dozen clansmen fully armed and armored, approached the cave entrance. A few of the clansmen were carrying stacks of branches and dried scrubs. They piled the wood and scrubs in front of the cave until they had a huge pile. A clansman brought out torches and passed them around the leader’s fist. Another clansman lit the collected pile which caught fire with very little effort. The fist ignited their torches and hurriedly took positions on both sides of the cave opening. The leader and his two bodyguards stood just behind of the raging bonfire. The two bodyguards were using their cloaks to blow smoke in the cave. Baron realized that they added some fresh leaves and wood to create that thick smoke floating in the cave. They were smoking the brood mother out.

“Smart move. If I heard it right, the brood mother can be a real terror to fight in small spaces. At least in the open ground, the war band could move around and reinforce if needed.” Calavar sidled beside Baron to help him with the egg bashing. He was apparently done. He has a small sling full of stones to use as ammunition.

“What else have you heard? The hand told us about it some but nothing about what to expect.” Baron asked

“I only know from what I read. According to the writer, the Brood mother stands about three and a half meters in average. Their scales are pale white and have eyes that burn red. They are normally accompanied by a couple of breeding males who also functions as protectors of the brood mother. The males are a little larger than the ones we fought and are much stronger.” Calavar narrated. He was still chucking his stones with incredible inaccuracy. Baron believes that he was actually getting worse at it. Not that he was going to say anything.

“I would like to try myself against it but I’m not ready to fight it yet.”

“Really? You seem pretty strong to me.” Baron was surprised with that confession. He suspects that Calavar is actually a couple of levels higher than he is.

“I am strong. I’m also a veteran solider but my strength and skill have all been shaped to face man. I’ve hunted small monsters but the midlands have never had oversized ones. A lot of the midlanders even think that the plainsmen talk about big monsters are just a way for the plainsmen to make themselves sound tough.” He smirked at little at that.

“If they only knew. Our people tend to stay within the boundaries of the central lands. They are quick to dismiss what they haven’t seen of.” He threw a stone extra hard at that one. He was obviously unhappy with his people’s attitude.

“Is that why you’re here? To see more of the world?” Baron asked.

“A part of it. I’m here to make something of myself. I’ve no designs of staying a simple grunt my entire life.” He quieted after than then drifted away to help finish the remaining clutches. Jep and Val were done and were trying to look for a good vantage point to watch the upcoming fight. Shadlar was working on a large clutch and would soon be finished.

Baron cleaned his spear with a part of the bandage he used earlier. He didn’t want to have the egg stuff drying and stinking up his spear. It’s also good practice to keep your weapon clean and ready to rock. He saw enough movies and read and enough history to know that. The hand gave a sharp whistle and gestured the fist to come around.

“Work's done. Good job, is you could call bashing eggs that, everybody. I know all of you are looking forward to the upcoming battle and I would not dissuade you from watching. Just don’t interfere and keep a sharp eye out for stray Ugars. The brood queen’s rallying scream overrides any other thoughts an Ugar have so if there are some hiding, and I know there will always be some, they would be single-minded in their rescue of their mother. Keep them away from the fight and dispatch them quickly. Clear?” The hand asked. Everybody gave their affirmative and the hand walked toward the guide to converse. The guide was still on her perch on a boulder looking out for threats.

It took a while but the smoke finally was too much for the brood mother and her mates. She exploded out of the smoke-filled cave with two alpha Ugars just behind her. She was huge like what the hand has warned. It didn’t wait for the warband leader’s fist to attack it. It moves like a pale streak of light. At first it was standing in front of the fire staring with it red eyes at the plainsmen, the next it was already punching down at the leader. The man spun left and drew his claymore on his back. With one motion, he ended his spin with a hard downward slash on the brood mother’s arm. A long gash appeared and green blood splashed his armor. One of his bodyguards, Iro from what Baron can see, triggered an ability since he suddenly appeared in the air high above the attacking monster. He had his axe raised and it was pulsing with a bright yellow light. He cut down with his axe and a vertical line of yellowish force shot out of his axe slamming on the brood mother throwing it on its back. Iro landed in front of the leader and the other bodyguard took the opportunity to get a hit in while the brood mother was on its back, dazed. She dashed forward also triggered an ability. Her arms were a blur as she repeatedly struck with her estoc piercing the creature over and over again. She had to jump back as the brood mother found her footing and whipped her tail at the human attacking it. The leader and the two bodyguard slowly circled the injured monster waiting for an opening.

While the leader was busy, the other members of the fist engaged the two alpha Ugars. They were less flashy than the boss fight but they were doing good work. Both Alphas were heavily injured and one of them was already missing a tail.

“Ha! Hard fight that. I want fight brood mother too.” Jep said. He was like an excited child at a fair. His eyes are shining and kept swinging his head trying to watch both fights at the same time.

“I don’t think you would survive the meeting brother dear. She would just swat you flat when you try that dismembering cut that you love.” Val said.

“I know change tactics! I not stupid. I just need preparation time yes?” Jep defended himself.

“I’ve seen creatures as big as that brood mother. They typically are hard to put down. It takes a lot of killing to hurt them” Shadlar commented. He was moving about trying to find a better view. All the small rises around the breeding ground have been occupied already.

“I’m not so sure I would want to face something like that at the moment. Especially with this shield” I presented the cracked shield and shook it a bit to check for loose straps.

“Yes. Better equipment is essential. All I need is my spear.” Shadlar gave his long spear a loving look while he ran his fingers along its shaft. He really loves that spear. It was almost sexual when he talks about it.

The fight went fast since the both creatures and the clansmen hit hard. The trio of the leader and the bodyguards finished the brood mother with the leader stabbing deep in the chest of the weakened creature while Iro and the other bodyguard took to mangling its face. It stopped moving when the female bodyguard drove her estoc in its eye scrambling its brains. The two alphas also were killed competently with the clansmen working together as a single entity. While some of the warriors distracted or charged the Ugars, the others flanked the monsters and hit them from the side and the back. Once the Ugars were tired, they increased the intensity of their attack and took turns stabbing, slashing, clubbing the heavily injured monsters to death. Baron can’t see the clansmen’s levels so he wasn’t sure how strong they are.

Drachen Games explained that it was to improve the immersion of the game. According to rumors, the first people who played the game during its testing phase were larpers. One of the senior developer of Geas Online was a member of a large Larping group and invited the members to test it out. The testers were so used to playing their fantastical characters in real life that the customs of larping was brought to the VR game accidentally. It gave the developers the idea of removing the floating icons showing the name and level above the player and left if to the players to find out about each other through the old fashion methods of asking or rumor mongering.  It has now evolved as a persistent culture of the game. It was now considered as a faux pas to act as a person playing a game. You’re expected to play the game as a person part of the world so people asking for quests or talking in modern vernacular about pop culture references in public areas of the game is frowned upon. The cultural adaptation of this idea was so successful even Drachen Games were surprised with the result. It seems that players were loving the idea of acting the lord, bandit, merchant, etc. There is now this weird little game where people try to guess if somebody in Geas Online is a player or an NPC. It’s also an achievement in the part of the game programmers that the game A.I. was so convincing that people have a hard time knowing if they are talking to a flesh and blood person or an amalgamation of ones and zeros.

With the fight done, The leader called the warband to sweep the area for stragglers. Baron and the others fists combed through the area and came back to the destroyed nest with nothing to report. The leader congratulated everybody for not dying in their initiation to the amusement of the crowd and ordered them back to the campsite. Baron’s notifications informed him that he gained some experience from the boss battle even if he wasn’t actively part of the fight. It looks like the experience was shared by the entire warband as part of fighting in a registered group. It was not a lot but at his current level, Baron would take all the experience points he could get.

When they returned to their campsite, Baron retraced his steps to the tree where he first appeared. Iro was already there working on another strap.

“Congratulations lad! I knew you could do it. Just to let you know, you have been accepted as part of my house so you’ll be reporting to me now.” Iro said with a wicked smile.

“Thanks for taking me in. I didn’t know that there will be assignments.” Baron said as he sat on the ground in front of their small campfire. He leaned his spear on the tree and dropped his shield on his lap. It was really looking pathetic now.

“New blood need to learn about the clans the way our forefathers did. Through the work and life of those before. Don’t worry. We’ll get you sorted out soon.”

“That’s great. Hey, I think I’ll turn in. That fight took a lot out of me. I’ll see you in the morning.” Baron informed. His in-game alarm went off just when the brood mother fight ended. he has to log out now to get some reasonable sleep before work.

“No worries. I’ll see in the morn.” Iro didn’t look up and just continued working on the leather strap. Baron leaned back on the tree and shut his eyes and mentally selected the log out button.

***

Steve opened his eyes and just laid on his bed for a moment without moving. It was hot and he was sweating through his sheets. He doesn’t normally use the air-conditioning unit when it was not summer because his light bill skyrockets. The promised nuclear power plant was still under debate in the senate so until then, expensive electricity will continue to plague the nation.

Steve decided that he felt disgusting enough so he got up and took off his headgear. He wiped off the sweat on the cap then placed it on its cradle. He also took off his shirt and turned on his electric fan and just stood there enjoying the strong cooling breeze. While he was working his body heat down, he checked his phone and caught up on messages from friends. Most of the messages he got were from his co-workers who got wind that he was playing Gaes Online. They all want to ask what his in-game name is and where he started at. He just replied that he wanted to keep those a secret first until he gets a few levels in. Most of his friends have been playing since the game come out so he has a lot of catching up to do.

Steve got up and opened all his windows. It was high noon and the weather was sweltering. He was contemplating on taking a shower but he decided a quick meal would be better. He changed his shirt and pocketed his phone and went out for lunch. There is a small carinderia across the street just beside the bakery. It was his favorite lunch spot. The food was cheap and tasty. It was just a small place with three plastic tables with monobloc chairs. The carinderia is managed by a housewife who lives in the upper floor of the eatery.

Steve crossed the street and entered the establishment and was greeted by the steam coming out from the display counter. There were a few regular patrons that Baron was semi familiar with so he greeted them before approaching the busy server.

“Hi Sienna. How are you?” Steve asked with a wave.

“Hello Steve. Pretty busy. Lunch?” Sienna is one of the owner’s servers that handle food preparation for the lunch group. She’s a charming woman that helps brighten up the place. Her small and kind face makes you forget problems even for a little bit.

“Yeah. Don’t wanna cook.” Steve replied. He scanned the counter and found the regular dishes on display. It is Friday so they have some specials on display. Steve ordered a plate of Caldereta with a cup of rice and some beef stew broth to go along with it.

After paying and chatting with Sienna a bit, Steve took a seat nearest to the front of the eatery. He likes to people watch when not busy. The apartment complex is located near a major commercial zone so there were tons of people moving about. The traffic was still light but that will change around clocking out time. The road his home is on is not along the way of a congressional avenue but it still gets pretty clogged. Steve finds it as a blessing in disguise that he works odd hours. Bus rides are a lot more comfortable when you’re not elbow to elbow with somebody.

The food was good and Steve was done in fifteen minutes. He resisted the urge to mess around with his phone. He needs to get to sleep and not spend time watching videos or checking the ‘net if he wants to be functional tonight. He gave Sienna a wave and a wink then left for home. He stopped by the banana cue vendor that set up just in front of the complex to buy two sticks of the delicious treat so that he has something to snack on before going to work later. He placed it on top of his kitchen counter so wouldn’t forget it later.

With his hunger satisfied, Steve adjusted his fan cycle to a slow swing then took off shirt and laid on his bed to end his day. 

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Author's note: Thanks for reading. I know I'm not the fastest of writers so I appreciate your patience. I did a couple of rounds of editing and proof reading but it's really hard to catch your own mistakes and I'm no professional. If any of you are interested in doing that, I would ever be so grateful.

If you like the story, please consider rating it or leaving a review. 

See you guys next chapter!