Saturday, January 1st, 2028
Ilaria got inside the VR machine in the middle of the morning, ready to force herself into bat grinding. Well, she doubted anyone would be logged until at least after lunchtime–it was the first day of the year after all–normal people had social lives. It didn't matter, New Year's Eve went a lot better than she could've predicted beforehand. And today nothing could bring her down from her cloud.
She closed her eyes as she started to materialize in the safe point outside the Everdark forest–feeling how her senses were returning to her–when she realized the system announcement had changed.
Happy New Year, Ilaria.
Feel free to join us for the all-day party.
Ask in the Information Module for more information.
A party?
It did make sense for Virtual Connection to do something for New Year's Day–she did wonder if there would be a special event–but that didn't sound like it would grant her any extra experience
Regardless, there was no one to ask about it at the moment– her whole friend's list was in gray–so she just ignored it for the time being. No use in returning to Torinelo City just to inform herself, when she was just where she wanted to.
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Ilaria grinded bats for about an hour–it surely felt like much more–when a red dot gave her a much needed reason to procrastinate.
“Hello?”
“Hi!” exclaimed Amelia. “Did you level yet?”
“I'm really close to level 13,” answered Ilaria. “But I felt the same way before I started; the experience bar has barely moved.”
“Waiting for Kyle?”
“Yeah. I mean, one DD gives me more than killing bats all morning.”
“I bet. By the way, did you see the announcement?”
“Yeah, but I don't know what's that about.”
“Well, Torinelo City has pubs and discos, you know.”
“Actually I didn't. Though it figures.”
“We should go, at least for a bit. They give event-exclusive items.”
“What kind of?”
“It's kinda random. Some people have gotten ties or glasses, from what I got from the guild channel. Regardless, it's free.”
“I guess it wouldn't hurt.”
“Sandro says they'll log in the evening if we want to join them.”
“It sounds alright.” Ilaria couldn't help being surprised.
“Anyway, I'll be at your house for lunch; don't be late!”
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Ricardo logged off as soon as Ilaria hit level 13, even if it was early for lunch. He didn't need to prepare anything in the kitchen–they always had Chinese takeout on January 1st, one of the few places that was open that day–so he took a shower and just idled around.
At around 2pm the outside door opened: Amelia had arrived. Ricardo went downstairs before he was called to.
“Happy New Year!” exclaimed Amelia, even though they had spent New Year's Eve together.
Mom didn't waste the chance to hug the teenage girl, receiving the bag she was carrying–most probably sweets–and putting it on the dinning table.
“I'll call Minerva,” said mom, before climbing up the stairs.
“Are you gonna train in the afternoon?” asked Amelia, now that they were alone. She was in one of her usual dresses–this one white with peach flower prints–her make up a bit subdued compared to last night's, but still expertly produced.
“I guess,” said Ricardo. “Diana and Kyle might log at some point, they weren't sure.”
“Bats until then?”
“Unfortunately.”
“I'll log early to go shopping, we could go together,” said Amelia, as steps could be heard from the stairs. “You should get new clothes for the party.”
“That sounds good.”
With Minerva's arrival, Amelia left Ricardo's side and settled into a girls' conversation, while the later made himself busy setting the table. Five minutes later, dad arrived with the food, which was just put over the table in their takeout containers.
And that was their New Year's lunch. It wasn't anything fancy, but the relaxed atmosphere suited everyone just right. If this year ends in the way it started, it won't be so bad.
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Ilaria checked her friend's list as soon as she logged in for the afternoon, noticing immediately the two names in yellow. She did a little jump and didn't hesitate in calling.
“Happy New Year!” exclaimed Diana's voice.
“Happy New Year to you too.”
“Wanna kill some lizards?”
“Yeah.”
Just like that, Ilaria didn't waste any time to join the party at the lizardmen's caves. They did a couple of runs–now they could do it in auto mode–but it was obvious that they had already outclassed them.
“Let's go to the second floor, these lizards are barely worth killing,” said Diana, lazily slashing the last lizardman of the group.
“In the second floor there are sling-wielding ones, aren't there?” asked Kyle.
“Yup,” answered Diana. “Ilaria can outshoot them; she has tons of mana with that Magical Girly thing. Besides, we can resist a couple of stray stones just fine.”
“If you say so, I'm up to it,” said Ilaria. If she was being honest with herself, the lizardmen grinding had became boring too. Not as much as bat sniping–nothing was as dreadful as that–but she was craving a bit more emotion.
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The second floor was actually descending into the cave. It was a complex of narrow corridors and open spaces–illuminated by torches at every ten or so steps–which added a charcoal aroma to the air. The drumming sound that had permeated the first floor intensified as they moved inside.
Before coming into the first opening, Diana motioned them to wait, while she went scouting ahead. The party had already discussed their battle plan on the way, so each one knew exactly where to be and what to do. In the case of Ilaria, who to shoot.
“The first group is just turning the corner,” said Diana, after coming back. “Kyle, go.”
Kyle stepped into the clear in the middle of a run.
Ilaria counted to five before joining him. As she turned into the opening, she saw that five lizardmen were following Kyle, while another two–the slingers–were standing in a corner, swinging their slings.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Ilaria aimed towards the closest slinger, shooting at the same time as the rocks were thrown in Kyle's direction. She quickly shot again, felling her first prey. As soon she did, she turned towards the second one, which had reloaded and was starting to swing. Ilaria didn't give it the chance–another Mana bolt startling it enough to miss the shot–next one taking care of it for good.
In the other side of the room, the five lizardmen following Kyle had been reduced to only one, which was being slashed into oblivion by Diana.
“See, that wasn't hard at all,” said Diana, laughing.
“Yeah,” said Ilaria. She was very satisfied with the results. Diana and her didn't get damaged at all, and Kyle had only needed one Healing touch after the battle.
The party advanced quickly through the second floor of the caves, not encountering much opposition. Until they got to the last clearing, where there were about ten melee lizardmen and five slingers, a degree of difficulty higher than they had ever faced before.
“Alright guys, wanna try it?” asked Diana, confidently smiling, like if daring them to chicken out.
“I think we could beat them, but there's no need to risk it,” answered Kyle. “Unlike DDs, if we die here we will get a penalty.”
Death penalty, a staple of RPGs. In VC it meant that you lost a whole level and had a 30 minute timeout, being re-spawned at the last city you had been to.
“Kyle votes 'no',” said Diana. “What about you?”
Ilaria, being put in the spot, wavered a bit. It was true that if she lost a level, it would be really painful–she would need to grind lots of bats again–but it was exciting. Looking at Diana's daring face, she couldn't answer in any other way.
“I'm okay with it,” answered Ilaria, looking at Kyle guiltily.
“Kyle?” re-asked Diana.
“Alright, lets do it,” answered Kyle, materializing his shield.
The plan was similar to what they had been doing–Kyle pulling aggro first–so Ilaria can shoot the slingers while they're reloading. Of course, with five slingers it was sure she would get some rocks in her way. She could take three, maybe four, but if she evaded it could be fine.
Diana having given the signal, Kyle ran ahead, Ilaria counting before entering the clearing herself. She quickly identified the slingers–taking out the first couple of them in quick succession–before starting to move around, rocks coming her way.
Ilaria got a rock to the shoulder and another to the back, before shooting and killing a third slinger. At some other place of the room, Kyle and Diana would be taking care of the other lizardmen; the mage not having the luxury of checking them out.
The last two slingers started swinging–one never let its rock go–being double–shotted in the chest. The last one did let the rock fly, Ilaria receiving it to the side of the head. She wobbled a little–if it was real life, she would probably be knocked out by now–and re-aimed, killing the remaining slinger with relish.
“Are you alright?” asked Kyle, who had come to Ilaria as soon as they had finished with their assigned targets.
“Yeah, I didn't run out of HPs, so everything is okay,” answered Ilaria. Everything really was okay. The game could simulate temporary confusion if you got a strong hit to the head, but–as long as you still had hit points remaining–you could shook it off and keep fighting.
“We did it, didn't we?” said Diana, satisfied with herself.
“We did,” said Ilaria, already completely recovered. It had been risky–another hit would have killed her–but exciting at the same time.
“The door ahead will take us to the boss room,” said Diana, smiling.
“We aren't doing that today,” said Kyle, looking at Diana disapprovingly.
“You're right, I gotta go,” said Diana. “See you tomorrow!”
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Without Diana, Ilaria and Kyle decided to do their daily Dungeon Date. The first rounds were so easy that they had time to do small talk, mainly about the game and their grinding scheme.
“My sister, she can be really pushy at times,” said Kyle, as he speared a hog. “You don't need to always go along with her.”
“Ah, don't worry,” said Ilaria, casually one-shotting another hog. “I really did want to fight the big lizardmen group. I'm sorry.”
“Don't say it,” said Kyle. “You were the one under the most risk after all.”
There was a lull in the conversation, as the next round was announced. After killing most of it–the crimson bears never got a chance–Ilaria changed the topic.
“So you mainly play competitive RPGs?” asked Ilaria.
“Yeah, ones that have a player's league, being solo or team fights,” answered Kyle, as he ended a bear by repeatably stabbing his spear.
“How did you end up in VC then?”
“Well, Diana had been bugging me to come along ever since she decided to restart her character, VC is really popular, and they're working on a PVP league... So I took the chance.”
“Aiming for the Valentine's Tournament?” Ilaria had her own internal debate about it. The ideal outcome of the plan was for her to enter the tournament with Johnny; a part of her wished to join with Kyle instead.
“I guess I would participate if given the chance, but I'm looking forward to a more permanent league,” answered Kyle, after distracting himself with a bear for a few seconds.
“Is that gonna happen?”
“I shouldn't be telling you this; but yeah, it's close to being a sure thing.”
They finally got into serious fighting for the goblin fanatics' round, dispatching them in a efficient way. With over half of their mana left, they could kill the three shamans too.
But the second to last round was two trolls; which had high physical resistance over most of their body, and regeneration over time. Ilaria had used her mana for the shamans, so she couldn't do much about it. They resisted; but the final boss, the troll king, made its appearance, and pummeled them to death.
“We got to see the boss, at least,” said Ilaria, smiling. She did feel like a fool. If she had saved her mana, they might have been able to take out at least one troll.
“Don't beat yourself about it,” said Kyle. “Chances are we wouldn't have killed the trolls anyway. We secured the shaman round, that's the important thing.”
“Are you going to the New Year's party later?” asked Ilaria.
“I don't know; we might just join for the event items and log out,” answered Kyle. “If we decide to stay, I'll PM you.”
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After Kyle logged out, Ilaria took a return scroll to Torinelo City. She went to the plaza–taking the chance to visit the Information Center–before Amy made her appearance for their shopping incursion.
Once inside the Clothing Shop, the two girls went directly to a special section in the first floor. Unlike the level 7 clothes section, these were no-stats, no level requirement clothes. Just cosmetic items, and more expensive to boot.
“I could use the dress I already have,” said Ilaria, as she checked the price tags.
“Don't be a sourpuss,” said Amy, “Besides, you'll need a formal dress for the speed dating event. Better to get used to it early.”
Those were the magical words. The plan, the justification for every irrational thing since Christmas. Ilaria just shut up and let herself be guided by Amy.
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“Ready to party?” asked Amy, as she made strides towards the 'party' district of Torinelo City.
“I guess,” answered Ilaria, not yet knowing what to expect.
Amy was wearing a bare back, golden gown, with high-heeled stilettos. After seeing her in miniskirts and V-necks, it seemed tame in comparison.
For Ilaria, Amy chose a shimmering midnight blue gown with long sleeves, and low-heeled pumps. The dress was a compromise. It was tight in the chest area, but didn't show any skin.
“Here we are, the Hidden Owl Lounge and Disco,” said Amy, opening the door for Ilaria.
As she entered the room, the greeter gave her a yellow box and a couple of drink tickets–the event items–before taking them towards the low tables. A EDM track could be heard at a distance, as they passed through the sparsely lit corridor.
“Here!” exclaimed Claire, dressed in a short red dress. She had a yellow band around her wrist.
“Hello!” Amy closed the distance, sliding in the table next to Claire. Ilaria followed, taking the seat next to Sandro.
“Ilaria, you look great,” said Claire, as she took her seat.
“Isn't she?” said Amy, proud of herself.
“Did you know each other already?” asked Ilaria. It was weird how Amy fit so well in the group.
“We met in Virtual Connection a while ago,” answered Sandro.
“I see,” said Ilaria.
“Open it,” said Claire, pointing to their yellow boxes.
“Alright.” said Amy, picking the box and opening it. It had a shimmering yellow ribbon, which she tied to her braid.
“They all give a +1 stamina bonus,” said Sandro, pointing to the yellow flower pin in the lapel of his coat. “Not good enough for the designated accessory slot, but at low level it's better than nothing.”
Ilaria opened also her box, finding a shiny yellow half-mask, which would only cover the area around her eyes. She put it on, suddenly feeling more confident.
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After drinking their complementary drinks and catching up for a while–mainly about New Year's and the progress of the plan–Claire pressed them to change locations.
“It's time to go dancing!” exclaimed Claire, pushing Amy to go.
“Alright,” said Sandro, standing up too. He gave Ilaria a look of circumstance, and the later only could go with the flow.
Just as she opened the door to the disco section, Ilaria felt the music suddenly increase in volume, the chatter of conversation filling the background. The light arrangements pulsed following the rhythms of whatever was currently playing; it was very disconcerting at first.
“Are you okay?” asked Amy, next to her; Sandro and Claire nowhere near them.
“I'm fine,” answered Ilaria. “Just a little disoriented.”
“We don't need to stay too long,” said Amy. “I'll get you some water.”
It was a VR simulation, so Ilaria didn't think water would help. Or maybe it will, everything is on the mind after all.
Ilaria was going towards one of the high tables along the walls–to wait for Amy–when she bumped someone.
“Sorry,” said Ilaria, picking up the yellow hat that had fallen from the stranger's head.
“Don't worry, there's just too many people tonight,” said the guy, flashing a smile. “Do I know you?”
“Most certainly not,” answered Ilaria. “I just started playing less than a week ago.”
Ilaria wondered if she was being hit on. Regardless, she was pretty sure that she hadn't ever seen the guy; he had a very distinctive face, not to mention the golden highlights of his hair.
“We might see each other again soon,” said the guy, as he put on his hat and turned around.
Ilaria had been staring at his back as he retreated–the shimmering black tuxedo was very eye catching–when Amy reappeared next to her.
“Do you know him?” asked Amy in a serious tone.
“No, why?”
“He's Johnny.”