SIN

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"Wow, she actually did it."

"Can't believe a berserker lost to a blade dancer."

"That's the first time I've seen legacy armor like that!"

"Good. That dick got what he deserved. Get fucked."

The murmurs began the moment a winner was confirmed. Yet, no one clapped. The atmosphere was surprisingly subdued. Was the fight really amazing, or was Meliadol just that inexperienced? Darlia, to her credit, still walked over to the prone form of Dethgargar.

The woman held out her hand.

When a duel ended, health and cooldowns were restored to whatever status one had accepted the duel under, as was any damage one did to the environment. So Dethgargar and Darlia were no longer hurt, yet the berserker did not accept her offer of help. His massive hand slapped hers away. Dethgargar, while refusing to meet anyone's gaze, stood on his own. The thinning crowd parted for him, and in moments, it was as if nothing had happened.

The proud berserker had left without a word.

Darlia approached Bast and Meliadol. "You're still here?" she scolded Bast, "Did you forget about the guild business? You have someone waiting for you!"

"Don't be like that!" Bast said guiltily, "I had to stay to cheer you on!"

"Feh," Darlia waved his comment away, "Like there was any doubt I would win. You and I both knew his skill level when we ganked him outside of town for his bounty."

Bast sheepishly laughed, "Well, I had to stay here and explain things to little Mel!"

Meliadol didn't miss the fact that the berserker didn't bother to deny the blade dancer's words. Though he was new to MMOs, Meliadol knew the term gank. He had heard it often enough in discussions about the game. Ganking was pretty much fancy terminology for jumping someone in an unfair situation; like two versus one, or when they were busy killing a monster.

But what rubbed him wrong was that Bast knew that Darlia would win! Then why go through the motions as if it was a close thing? Meliadol didn't care that they had apparently jumped Dethgargar. The guy seemed like a jerk. And he was willingly playing as a criminal. But the fact that Bast had hid his real knowledge on the situation bothered him.

He felt that maybe the fight wasn't as exciting as it had looked.

Bast must have seen the sour expression on Meliadol's face, but was stopped from commenting by Darlia. "I give zero fucks about your reasoning!" She growled, "Get your ass over to the hall and do your job as guildmaster!"

Even Bast had to give ground to her fury. "Alright, alright!" he said, backing away slowly, hands up, "I'm going!"

Darlia's face softened, and her crimson eyes settled on Meliadol. "Hey, newbie, did you like what you saw in the duel?"

"I did. It looked like a lot of fun."

Meliadol could feel the woman's smile, even when obscured by her bandages, "Well, get some levels under your belt and I'll show you the ropes, if you want. I'm sure the big dumb idiot will too."

"Hey! You shouldn't say such things!" Bast objected, "I'm your guild leader! Treat me with respect!"

"I'd be more inclined to do so if I didn't spend the time wondering why my guild leader still hasn't left yet."

"Going!" Bast waved as he turned on his heel, but he paused, looking over his shoulder, "Yo, Mel, wanna see a guild hall?"

"Sure!" Meliadol agreed out of reflex, but a moment of deliberation reminded him of his unease with Bast's recent actions, "I'm not joining your guild, if this is a ploy to recruit me." He added as he fell into step beside the berserker.

"Hah!" Bast didn't seem offended, "I wouldn't try inviting you anyway. The guild has rules on who we recruit, and you just don't meet them yet."

That threw Meliadol off. He almost felt slighted at how easily the berserker dismissed him."What kind of rules?"

"The type that a guildmaster should follow."

Bast didn't seem to want to elaborate, so Meliadol dropped the subject.

As they walked through the maze-like streets of Arendall, the excitement began to return to Meliadol's thoughts, like water dripping from a faucet. Darlia had actually offered to help him out in PvP! He had read on the official game forums of massive battles that take place in higher level areas. Tales of drama and betrayal, with personalities known across the server. Battlefields of players, moving with tactics and strategy all their own.. Meliadol was almost jumping in anticipation. He wanted to make his impact on this world, to carve a spot where others would recognize him.

Meliadol was still slightly miffed at Bast for hyping up the fight despite knowing the likely outcome, but the more he thought about it and considered Bast's personality, the more he realized the berserker's motivation was probably an innocent thing. He probably was hoping Meliadol would get excited by the display, deepening his curiosity.

And it had worked.

In that sense, Meliadol couldn't remain mad.

"Welcome to the guild building!" Bast said, stopping in front of a large, castle-like structure deep within Arendall.

The building itself was lined with stone pathways that started at the ground level and spiraled around the outside. Every so many feet, a large, reinforced door was placed. This went on and around for the entirety of the building. There must have been hundreds of doors honeycombed within this structure!

"This is yours?" Meliadol asked.

Bast gave a low chuckle, "I wish! But there's no way a player could own all of this. Do you see those doors along the way? Each one belongs to a guild. Costs quite a bit of gold to purchase, so only prestigious guilds such as mine can afford it."

"Oh, must be pretty small, with how many there are."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Bast added nothing more and Meliadol followed the berserker up the pathways. The crowd here was much thinner, but each person seemed to move with purpose. No one stopped to chat, and there were no idle loungers either. All on guild business probably, Meliadol thought.

They finally stopped at a heavy oaken door.

Guild Hall 462

<Pandora Epidemic>

The words were burned deep into the wood of the door.

"Pandora Epidemic? Is that the name of your guild?"

Bast raised an eyebrow, "Is this the first time you've heard of my guild?"

"I mean, yeah? Should I have heard of it earlier?"

"Do me a favor? Go into your options, into the display menu, and check the 'display guild' option for me?"

Meliadol quickly did as Bast instructed. "Okay, done." he said, still slightly confused.

"It's always a good idea to be able to see someone's guild." Bast explained, "Some people don't like a certain guild, or perhaps are more inclined to help you out if they look favorably upon your guild. Among other things, like being able to tell if someone is likely grouped. When you can finally enter PvP fights, its a smart idea to know your opponents and their numbers."

"I see." Meliadol brought up his UI and looked at Bast. Sure enough, the display had changed.

Bast, level 60 Berserker.

<Pandora Epidemic>

"Anyway," Bast put a hand on the doorknob, "Shall we?"

The door swung open and as Meliadol's eyes adjusted to the change in light, it became obvious what Bast had meant. The inside was far bigger than what the outside would suggest. To the point where Meliadou stepped outside again, trying make sense of the architecture.

It didn't line up.

"Like I said, pleasantly surprised." Bast smiled, "No matter how much space a guild purchases, its always looks like a small room from outside. I could add another thousand square feet to here easily!"

"That's pretty insane." Meliadol breathed, stepping back inside.

The lights were dim, yet Meliadol could easily see the inspiration to the design of this guild hall. It looked like an old west saloon, right down to the NPC bartender cleaning glasses at the bar. A few individuals occupied the various tables around the room, and they all stopped to regard the new arrivals.

"Hey there, boss!" A man in leather waved at them from his table where he seemed to have been playing solitaire. He had his feet kicked up, and a cowboy style hat covered half his face at a rakish angle.

Bow Down, level 60 Gunslinger.

<Pandora Epidemic>

"How're you doing today, B.D?" Bast responded, stepping up to the table.

The man shrugged lazily, putting down the cards he held, "Oh you know. The usual. Same shit, different day." The man's eyes settled on Meliadol, who had stayed mostly behind the huge berserker. "What's this, boss? We get a new pet?"

"Hey now he's n–"

"B.D! Stop being a jerk!" Another person interrupted Bast, stepping up behind the gunslinger and slapping him on the head hard enough to bring the activity in the guild hall to a temporary halt. But this must have been a common occurrence, because after a moment, everything resumed as normal.

Aurielle, level 60 Whisperer

<Pandora Epidemic>

"Owww, what the fuck, you crazy bitch?" B.D yelled, standing up to tower over Aurielle.

"Why is he yelling?" Meliadol whispered to Bast, who had settled back as if to enjoy the show, "We can't feel actual pain in this game."

"Hahaha," Bast rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, as if embarrassed, "Don't concern yourself with those two. It's kind of their thing."

"What did you call me? Is that how you treat a lady?" Despite being smaller, the woman, an attractive elf in a resplendent white dress, had put the gunslinger in a headlock and was now shouting in his reddening face.

"What kind of lady does this?" B.D shouted back, pulling on the arm. "You fucking manish oaf!"

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me! You hang out in game cause your she-beast squint scares away the guys!"

"Say that again! I fucking dare you!"

Back and forth the pair went, and even Meliadol, who didn't know the two, couldn't help but to laugh. But it was the clapping from Bast that put everything on pause. "Alright, you two. Calm down for a minute and introduce yourself to our guest. Don't insult the guild by not having basic manners."

As if nothing had happened, the two separated. The abrupt one-eighty stunned Meliadol.

"My apologies," B.D said, tipping his hat with a gauntleted hand, "I'm Bow Down, but everyone calls me B.D because they're lazy assholes."

The man looked like a cowboy that had stumbled into a fantasy world. A weird mix of a trench coat, sarape, belts with buckles, bits of armor, and holsters replete with guns all blended together into an odd ensemble that surprisingly worked.

Not to be outdone, the woman dusted herself off before bowing slightly, "And I am Aurielle. You can call me Auri, if you wish."

The woman was beautiful, in the sense of what one would expect from an elf. It was the untouchable sort of shine that left one afraid to interact with it, lest they mar it's immaculate surface. The white dress had a few flowery patterns of lace, but beyond that it was simple and functional. The only thing of particular note was the ornate staff slung across her back. It twisted and flowed, topping off into a palmed hand curled around a crimson red gem that set the surrounding light aflame.

"This is Meliadol." Bast said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "He's new to Nevergarden, but he's already managed to solo the intro Styxx quests."

Both of the guild members raised an eyebrow at that, while Meliadol looked up at Bast in surprise. What was the berserker doing? Yes, he had managed to solo them, but it wasn't really the case. He had help from both Bast and Darlia.

B.D gave a low whistle, "Well now, ain't that impressive? Not too shabby, newbie. You got an idea what class you wanna specialize in at level ten?"

Meliadol shook his head. Level ten was where the entirety of what he knew would change. It was the level in which one could choose a specialization, which would allow someone to finally begin to learn specialized abilities such as magic, or sword skills. If one coupled that major change with further specializations available at later levels and with ability points earned with each level, the difference in a character's abilities could vastly differ, even from those who chose similar paths.

"Oh well," B.D shrugged as if it couldn't be helped, "You should try a healing class. If you're good, you can replace this flat-chested bimbo." He jerked a thumb toward Auri.

"WHAT!" Aurielle's face twisted. Meliadol didn't think she looked so beautiful any more.

Around came the staff.

Smack!

B.D crashed into the table, sending cards and drink flying everywhere.

"Come, Mel." Bast sighed, walking toward the set of double doors in the back of the tavern, "They'll be at this for a while."

From the way the other patrons at the bar didn't react to the scuffling and commotion, this must have been a common occurrence. But Meliadol could still feel the stares of the patrons. A table of three waved to Bast as he passed by.

"Heyo, guild leader!" A man, sheathed from head to toe in jet-black armor, spoke up, "There's a guy waiting in your office."

Bast laughed ruefully, "Yeah, I know. Darlia was very…uhh…insistent that I come here as fast as possible."

Everyone at the table winced at Bast's explanation. Darlia's temper was something that was well-known. "What about you guys?" Bast paused at the double doors, "You all waitin' around for something?"

"Yep yep! We're waiting for our fourth to tackle the new event dungeons that came out."

"He was supposed to log in fifteen minutes ago!" The cat woman seated next to the knight exclaimed with a sigh, her ears twitching, "I swear to God, I'm gonna beat him senseless when he comes on!"

Bast grinned, "Classic Mikeal. You should always tell him to meet up an hour earlier than you expect to leave!"

The group laughed and murmured their agreement.

"Welp, I hope he logs in soon enough." Bast bid them farewell before turning to Meliadol. "Mel, I have to go talk to this person. You can wait here and look around. Afterwards, if you want, we can do your first dungeon?"

"Sure, sounds good."

Meliadol could still feel the stares on him. They were trying to be discrete about it, but their scrutiny was palpable. He could almost hear their thoughts. Who is this guy? What's a newbie doing here? Why is our guild leader wasting his time on somebody like this?

After Bast left, Meliadol explored the guild hall, doing his best to pretend like he didn't care about the interest of the other guild members. He wasn't sociable on the best of days, and just the thought of introducing himself to the various groups around the tavern was enough to make his ears burn.

The tavern was well kept, from the shiny, worn wooden floors, to the bar itself. Everything had a place, and despite the multiple groups of people, the atmosphere was quiet and relaxing. Even B.D and Auri had settled down.

An NPC played the piano in the corner, and Meliadol found himself humming to the beat as he slowly walked around to the various displays on the walls. Some of them were trophies of unknown beasts, usually with a timestamp of when they were slayed. A giant lizard, knife-like teeth bared for all to see, some snarling wolf creature with a head the size of a person, a humanoid beast with three eyes and two mouths, with spines in the place of hair. These were just some of the trophies, and Meliadol wondered as to the story behind each.

A large map drawn on thick browning parchment was pinned to the wall, and upon closer inspection, Meliadol could see small pins of various colors stuck into seemingly random places. It took a few moments before Meliadol realized it was a detailed map of Arendall, and the pins represented points of interest. Using the legend, he could find quest NPCs, shops, portals, even street vendors! What a useful thing!

He spent a few moments skimming over the map before moving on, vowing to himself to come back here if he was ever stuck on something. The map was even better than the UI one in his menus! It was then that he noticed the message board in the corner. Parchments and posters of various sizes and shapes were stuck to it in a chaotic manner. Was he allowed to look at this? Maybe the guild didn't want non-guild members going through their business…

No one moved to stop him.

With a shrug, he approached the board.

Wanted posters, requests from NPCs, picnics, congratulations on a new baby, meet up times, and more adorned the wall. But it was the center piece that stole Meliadol's attention. In contrast to rest, this one was well-made, as if mass produced. It was a simple flyer, yet it was displayed with a prominence that indicated importance.

Do you think you are the strongest PvPer in Nevergarden? Do you desire to test your mettle against the best of the best?

Come and participate in the Strongest in Nevergarden Tournament. sponsored by Daydream Entertainment©️! Those who wish to enter will have to get top 8 in one of four preliminary tournaments scheduled one month prior.

Even if you don't want to compete in the main event, there will be prizes, numerous side events, and smaller competitions for people of all levels! Representatives from the development team will be in-game to meet and talk with players about Nevergarden!

Also, a very special announcement will be made for this year!

Come celebrate the 5 Year Anniversary and hang out with the developers!

Where: City of Arendall, main event square.

When: April 19, @1300 Server Time.

Check local listings for preliminary tournament times and places.

"Something catch your eye?"

Meliadol jerked back, surprised by the appearance of B.D. The grin on the lanky man's face told him that it wasn't unintentional. He scowled at the insufferable man, but B.D's smile only grew. With a sigh, Meliadol pointed at the poster.

"Ah, you're talking about the Strongest in Nevergarden, or SIN tournament as most call it." B.D gave Meliadol a shrewd look, "You're setting your sights awfully high for a newbie, aren't you?"

"I'm just curious about it."

B.D shrugged, "Basically, a bunch of the best PvPers in Nevergarden gather around and fight one-on-one duels until one is declared the winner. The devs usually hand out unique rewards depending on placement and other categories. Things like unique mounts, armor, weapons, even titles and unique legacy materials. It's a pretty prestigious event. Almost everyone goes, at least to watch."

"Why would people log in to go to an ingame event just to watch?"

"Well, how else would they see it?"

Meliadol realized his mistake as he asked his question. Of course people would only be able to watch the event ingame. One of the few technical limitations of the SYNAPS gear was that, since it was creating the content directly into the mind of the user, developers still hadn't figured out how to display those images in any other form of media. That meant there was no videos on streaming sites, no pictures on fan pages, or anything else one would usually associate with current gaming media.

Despite its overwhelming popularity, the actual first person information concerning Nevergarden was all via forums and text in general. It was a modern day allusion to a bygone era of gaming, before video and even images was readily available for all to see.

It also made disseminating the huge wealth of information much harder than most modern games, since all the discussions about the game just piled up. It only got worse once you realized that Nevergarden was constantly changing as the developers added content, fixed bugs, and tweaked things for the sake of balancing. Soon information was outdated, hidden, or just plain wrong.

It was in part what made Meliadol so loathe to do prior research before trying out Nevergarden. The other main factor was mostly pride, but he was gradually coming to accept that he was wrong in that aspect.

"Is it worth me attending?"

Again B.D shrugged, "I mean, I would if I was newbie. They usually have newbie PvP mini-tournaments for prizes. And they always hand out a bunch of attendance prizes and raffles. Who knows, you might get lucky! Also, if you have any interest in PvP, you'd be foolish not to enjoy the show. It's usually pretty exciting." The gunslinger sighed deeply, "Unfortunately, I won't be attending this year. Real life obligations."

"Bummer. I'd record it for you if I could."

"Haha," B.D slapped his back, jerking him forward on his feet, "You're not half bad, newbie!"

"B.D, stop picking on Bast's friend!" Auri joined the pair, her pretty eyes narrowed at the gunslinger, "I swear, you're such a child on the best of days."

"And you're such a bitch on pretty much every day…" B.D muttered just low enough that only Meliadol could hear, though from the suspicious glint in the whisperer's eyes, Meliadol was pretty sure she knew he had said something unsavory. It was a struggle to not smile.

"Anyway, Mely," Auri continued as Meliadol groaned at yet another nickname, "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"No, why?"

"Do you want to do the event dungeon with myself, Bast, and Darlia?"

"Um…" Meliadol only had a vague idea what an event dungeon was, but was embarrassed to ask for more.

Thankfully, Auri must have sensed this, because she spun around, standing directly in front of Meliadol while flashing him a victory sign, "No worries! The experience is usually good, and the prizes are pretty fun! You can even buy EXP potions with the currency so you can level faster! We'll show you the ropes! Come on, whaddya say?!"

There was no way he could say no to the almost puppy like expression in her eyes, "Yeah! Sounds good. I'd like to learn all I can."

"Yay!!!" She squealed and bounced off happily.

Meliadol looked dumbfounded at her retreating back, then to B.D, "Ummm, what's up with her?"

The gunslinger waved the question away, "Eh, I saw this coming. It's kind of her thing. She loves helping newbies. Makes her feel important or something. She'll probably latch on to you until you drop her down a pit or something just to get away."

"Hey guys, what's up?" Bast must have finished his business and he waved at Meliadol and B.D as he approached.

"Eh, not much, boss." B.D ran a hand through his hair, "Auri hooked her claws into him already, despite my best efforts."

"Oh, ouch." Bast winced, and Meliadol's despair and trepidation began to grow. "At least you tried. T'was a noble effort."

"Apparently we're doing an event dungeon with Darlia?" Meliadol said, suddenly feeling very uneasy.

"Ah, the Headless Knight Halloween Event! You get some good things from it if you're decent." Bast's words were calming. Auri couldn't be as bad as they said, right? Meliadol was starting to look forward to the dungeon now, especially with the promise of rewards.

"Ah shit, the kid's up." B.D disappeared into a puff of smoke. It was as if nothing had ever been there.

"Must have logged." Bast looked at the now vacant spot where the gunslinger had been. "Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a new parent!"

Meliadol didn't care much about the gunslinger, really, outside of appreciation for being nice. Instead he pointed again to the poster. "Hey, Bast, are you going to this?"

The berserker looked surprised, "Why yes I am. Are you?"

Meliadol thought for a moment. "I want to participate." he said, looking at Bast's face out of the corner of his eye.

Instead of the disbelief he expected to see, Bast gave a nod, as if he had expected it. "Well, if that's the case, we'll have to teach you while you level."

"What?" Meliadol couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's it? You're not gonna tell me I'm a fool, or that I don't have a chance?"

"No, why would I?"

Meliadol gave a half-hearted shrug, "I dunno, I just figured you'd give me shit for taking a game too seriously, or for trying for something I don't have a chance in getting."

It wasn't an over exaggeration. After watching the duel between Darlia and Dethgargar, Meliadol realized how deep the ocean of Nevergarden was. Such waters were not conquered overnight. Still, one had to try, and the only way he'd actually gain experience was if he tried.

"I would never give you shit for taking a game seriously." Bast, for once, wasn't joking. There was no smile in his eyes, and he met Meliadol's gaze squarely, "Those who look down on others for being passionate about a game are ignorant idiots. There's this bullshit belief that seriousness and fun are two separate things, and that the former has no place in a game. But they are not separate. They're two sides to the same coin. Without taking it serious, one could never reach the upper echelons of their game of choice, and there is a level of fun to that which the detractors can never experience. There is a beauty to those who do, and, if anything, most of the time people say such things because they are too lazy and jealous to put any semblance of effort into achieving perfection."

Meliadol hadn't expected such a serious speech from the normally laid back berserker. Bast must have sensed his unease, so instead he turned back to the message board, pointing at another picture. "On a less serious, but no less important, note, have you considered what class you want to switch to at level ten?"

He decided to ignore Bast's obvious attempt at redirecting the conversation. Instead he looked closer at the poster the berserker indicated. A chart detailing the routes of class changes at appropriate levels stared back at him. He had seen it before on various websites, but knew little about the classes themselves.

"I don't really know enough about them to choose."

"Ah, I see." Bast rubbed his chin as he thought, "I guess I can see why. Not as if you can look up video guides. And most online guides assume a base level of knowledge, or are just flat-out wrong. It's tough being a newbie these days, huh? Well, I have just the thing for you!"

Meliadol turned to look at Bast more directly, "What? You do?"

Bast nodded sagely, seeming pleased with himself to the point of even striking a pose. "Indeed I do, Mel! I know a few guides that are pretty accurate and simple to read. I mean, no guide can explain everything. That's just the nature of a game like this. There's too much to just put simply into words without it being several books long. But this should be able to give you a gist and you can decide from there."

"Wow, are you kidding me? Thanks!" Meliadols gratitude was sincere. The issue had been bugging him in back of his mind for several days now, and Bast's offer was an unexpected boon.

Once a player picked a job class, they were only allowed to change it once. Outside of that, they were locked into their choice, though a person was allowed to change ability point allocations.

In such an advanced age, the players had rebelled against the developers, citing that it was archaic to make such a demand on players. It was bad design they claimed. Yet the developers refused to budge. They responded with a mantra that had almost become a meme within the community. Nevergarden is about choice and consequences. Adding risk to things conversely increased the reward a player would feel upon success, or it would correspondingly memorialize their failure. Either way, they would remember that incident for years, beyond the livelihood of the game.

Meliadol personally agreed with the developer's decision after he had read about it in several articles. The challenge was something that drew him to the game to begin with. He didn't even mind the fact that accounts were tied to unique brainwave patterns of individuals. You were allowed one account, one name. That's it. All deeds, failures, and actions would be accredited to you and you alone.

Think carefully before you make a decision, they had basically said, because it could come back to bite you.

A small notification noise broke Meliadol out from his thoughts and he pulled up his HUD. A message from Bast containing several links was waiting for him.

"Not so quick!" Bast interrupted, "Look at the guides later. You're staying online for a bit, right?"

Meliadol nodded.

"Good! Head down to the market and stock up on health potions from the NPC vendor."

"What? Why?"

Bast gave him a thumbs up. "Did you forget? We have an event dungeon to take down!"

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