(3) A Helping Hand

May 14, 2010. Friday, 10:02 AM, Hemptonburg City…

Exact location, the street leading to Loraine's Restaurant.

Annie was walking on the sidewalk with Owen next to her. Despite being the one who agreed to Lawrence's invitation, she was still nervous as ever.

Annie wore a light gray, knee length dress with a cinched waist and black pants that are loosely fitted on her ankles. And hanging around her chest was a brown sling bag.

Owen, on the other hand, wore a white jacket with an embroidered yin-yang pattern and white pants with black flames as designs. He also wore white rubber shoes and sunglasses to top it all off.

Yes, he is terrible at being inconspicuous.

But on the bright side, he does look awesome.

Owen looked to his side to see Annie about to touch her fingers once again.

"Don't be nervous, you can do this." Owen held her hand to prevent her from fidgeting.

"I just know that I'm going to mess this up somehow…" Annie lowered her head.

Owen clapped his hands together, startling Annie from her downcast mood.

"Nope! No, no, this will not do." Owen stopped on his tracks. "Didn't we talk about this yesterday? If you're worried about messing up talking to him, why don't you try to adapt the same way you talk to me?"

Annie also stopped walking. "I mean, you're different. I've known you since you were born Owen… it's natural for me to be calm when it comes to you."

"It's because you know who I am, you're familiar with how I act. That's why you feel that it's fine, right?" Owen asked her with a probing gaze.

"Yes." Annie nodded with a serious expression. "But Lawrence is like… foreign to me… I can't wrap my head around how to talk to him. It's like jumping into the darkness filled with unknown things."

Owen saw that she was really trying to get over her nervousness. He thought of different methods to suggest to Annie, but he couldn't think of anything. He began to touch his chin.

But he knew that Annie was waiting for his help, so he knew he couldn't idle around.

"Let's see… how do you think I deal with unknown things when I play games? I'm sure you know how difficult they are." Owen snapped his fingers and turned to Annie.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Annie was confused.

"Just guess." Owen revealed his signature smile.

Annie gave him a doubtful look and answered, "Do you just rely on instinct and skill? I mean, it's not real life, so whatever you use in games wouldn't work the same way as it does in what world you go to."

"Close. But you were in the right direction. Those instincts and skills are forged from experience that was familiar to me. In short, I used what I know to deal with the unknown. And sure enough, it ends up revealing itself to be less difficult than what it seems." Owen spoke in a tone that seemed to resonate with Annie.

"..." Annie stood in her spot silently. She was trying to digest what Owen told her.

Seeing her contemplating what he said, Owen knew that he only needed one more push.

"And unlike me, you're not alone. You have me, Jazmine, mom and dad to rely on when you can't do stuff anymore. You just have to take a leap of faith sometimes." Owen patted her shoulder.

Annie gave out a sigh. "I guess you're right…" She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, let's just get this over with."

Annie began walking towards the restaurant with quite a solid expression and with determination barely held together.

Owen, on the other hand, followed close enough to see her, but not too close that people would think that he was a stalker.

Although he looked awesome, he could also make people think that he was a creep if they saw him following a woman.

That's just how it goes.

Annie took her phone from her bag and began scrolling through her messages with Lawrence.

[2:40 PM, Wednesday]

> Lawrence : Hey, Annie.. can I ask you out on a date this friday?

> Annie : That's a bit sudden.. But I guess I can make some time.

> Lawrence: So, it's a yes?

> Annie : Why not? Sure, where and what time will we meet?

> Lawrence : Around 10 at Loraine's? It should be a good time, right?

> Annie : Okay.

[2:42 PM, Wednesday]

> Lawrence : And uhm, I'm sorry for being sudden but, I really just want to talk to you.

> Annie : … about what?

> Lawrence : Asking you out must be unexpected to you, correct?

> Annie : Mmmm.. If anything, this was the first time you talked to me.

> Lawrence : Sorry if I was rash, maybe you want to take things slower?

> Annie : It's fine, don't worry.

> Lawrence : You got me worried for a second.

> Annie : Really? I didn't know you were easily flustered.

> Lawrence : How could I not be? You're quite adorable.

> Annie : You find me… adorable?

> Lawrence : Ahhh, yeahh… I'm sorry if that was too cringey. But, I really mean it.

Annie blushed and held the phone close to her. She quickly scrolled past the messages and began typing.

[9:58, Friday]

>Lawrence : I'm here! Table 2

> Annie : I'll be there shortly.

> Lawrence : Ok, I'll wait.

[10:07, Friday] - (Now)

> Annie : Sorry for making you wait, I'm here now.

At the restaurant, Lawrence picked up his phone and when he read the message, he looked up and saw Annie walking over.

He didn't notice, nor care about the man fully dressed up in white behind her.

Lawrence wore a purple shirt, black pants and rubber shoes with black, white and cyan colors. He had curly hair, a soft yet sharp jawline and thick eyebrows. His body frame was also quite muscular after all the exercise that he had done.

Even in Owen's warped standards due to gaming, Lawrence is handsome.

Owen found a seat in Table 4 to continue watching over his sister.

Lawrence waved at Annie as she got closer.

Annie gave out a smile that seemed very cheerful and pleasant to look at.

Lawrence unknowingly stared at her for a little while. This was the first time he got to look at her carefully and he wasn't expecting her to be this beautiful.

"Hi, sorry for being late." Annie showed an embarrassed expression.

Lawrence snapped out of his daze. "Oh no, not at all." He cleared his throat. "I wasn't that early to begin with."

As the two of them exchanged pleasantries, a waiter approached the two.

"Excuse me, what would you guys like to order?" The waiter had a professional aura to him that makes customers feel calm.

"Hmm, I mean, I do like the Chocolate Cream Sundae that they have here. The marshmallows are also welcome… Oh and, I'll take the jumbo fries with it." Annie liked the sundae's fluffy sensation and sweet flavor. She also has a high tolerance for sour food, but she wasn't feeling it at the moment.

"Nice taste. Chop suey and roasted chicken would be mine." Lawrence ordered as well.

"Absolutely, please wait for your order." The waiter left their table.

Owen looked over them and pursed his lips as he nodded. "Nice… the mood is quite good."

"Sir, what would you like to order?" A waitress approached Owen as he watched the two intently.

"Mashed potatoes with mushrooms and gravy, extra cheese." Owen raised one finger for every addition he made to his order.

"Got it, please wait, your order will come shortly." The waitress quickly left without any troubles.

As the waitress left, Owen took out his phone and began watching MeTube videos. He did check out his channel for some updates and numbers on his views, likes, and subscriptions were rising.

This definitely uplifted his mood even further. He scrolled through his feed and began to look for some interesting videos to watch.

Then he spotted something peculiar. It was related to news about the developers of the game Garden Of The Gods.

The video was titled 'SHOCKING NEWS, GOTG DEVS MASS COMA?'

When Owen clicked on it, he was met with a man with indigenous descent. He wasn't sure if the man was Indonesian or Filipino, but that didn't matter to him.

The man began speaking, "Hey guys it's KurtTheNewsGuy and today, I have something for you gamers out there."

"Apparently, over 270 developers of the game Garden Of The Gods were found in their homes and various establishments to be braindead. They were all unconscious but alive. The authorities tried to find a pattern between all of the comatose patients except for the fact that they were all devs of GOTG."

"And what's creepy is that, even those devs from overseas were also affected by the mass coma incident. Investigators couldn't see how it was possible for them to be affected in any way. The patients were also recorded murmuring random words that relate to the game's elements."

"What do I mean by that? Here, watch this video recording of some of the patients."

The video cut to a hospital room with one of the comatose devs. He was clearly heard murmuring something.

"We are the playthings of Gods, I wasn't worthy, they will find that soul one way or another." The man was clearly unconscious, but he was still speaking coherently despite this.

Then it cuts to a comatose female developer who was in the same state as the other developer.

"They saw my incapability, yet they still chose me. Did they place hope on me? No, no that's impossible. Gods only want to see results, not causes." The woman rambled on and on.

The video cuts back to the guy named Kurt.

"It's been speculated that the company, Abyssal Confinement forced their developers to work stressful working conditions just to push out game after game. However, this claim was immediately debunked after seeing that the devs were all fine a couple weeks ago. So something like this could be a coordinated attack. But in the end, who knows?"

"Oh come on, why does crap like this have to happen?" Owen was really, really concerned that this would affect Abyssal Confinement's future games.

But before he could continue watching the video, his food had arrived.

A waiter placed Owen's order on the table and smiled before walking away.

Owen picked up his spoon and fork and began eating the mashed potatoes. At the same time, he placed his attention on Annie and Lawrence's conversation.

They were both laughing and seemed to be engrossed in a good talk. Because of this, Owen wasn't paying much attention to the GOTG mass coma incident.

At Annie's table…

"So, I was meaning to ask you, why did you ask me out now? Last time I remembered, you were the president of the school's volleyball club… I mean, my interests don't seem to be close to what you like." Annie asked after gathering enough confidence to do so.

"Oh it's because I heard something about you." Lawrence openly admitted.

Annie and Owen, who was listening in, both paused. They were waiting for the follow-up answer.

Annie asked, "What did you hear about me?"

Lawrence scratched his head. "I heard that you were amazing at art. I happen to have an interest in that as well. I just thought that since we have a common interest, I could talk to you without being boring. And to be honest, I did have a crush on you for the longest time." It was evident that this took some bravery to say out loud.

"I- I'm sorry, this is my first time dating someone… I may be quite awkward at times. And uhm, I was just afraid that you'd turn me away." Lawrence admitted.

"Eh?" Both Annie and Owen weren't expecting that answer.

"Wait, hold on.. you're saying you had a crush on me? When? I didn't even notice you having an interest in me at all.. you just seemed so far away at times." Annie pointed at herself and began to fidget again.

"Well, it began from three years ago, I guess… You were quiet, smart, and a nice person. I really liked those qualities about you. And before I knew it, you were always on my mind." Lawrence decided to confess his feelings right there and then.

Annie covered her blushing face and turned to the left. "I- Is that so…"

"Yes… it's too fast to say that, huh?" Lawrence felt that he may have fumbled this time.

Annie took a deep breath. "If I was going to be honest as well, I had the longest crush on you as well… I was also worried that you'd turn me away.."

Lawrence was surprised. He wasn't expecting this.

"A- are you serious?" He felt his heart skip a beat.

"Mm.." Annie nodded.

He gathered his courage once more and asked, "Then, is it too much to ask if… you were to become my girlfriend?"

Annie smiled and wiped her worries away.

"You know… why not?"

Lawrence smiled brightly. He was glad that Annie accepted him in the end.

Owen, from afar, was relieved.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Annie.

'Good job. It seems that you can handle this.'

Annie saw the notification on her phone and replied,

'Owen, thank you.'

Now that Owen knew that his job was done, although he really didn't help much in the entire duration of their date, he decided to leave the restaurant after paying for his food.

Still on his messages, he saw a message from Jazmine.

> Jazmine : Yo gamer boy, where are you?

> Owen : Loraine's. I'm going back home though, don't mind me.

> Jazmine : Loraine's? The hell are you doing there? Hold on, are you with Stephanie?

> Owen : Nope, just brought Annie to her date.

> Jazmine : Date? Huh???? What??? Hey, Owen, answer me, what do you mean date???

> Owen : Calm down, Annie's an adult.

> Jazmine : You better be responsible if she begins panicking in there.

> Owen : *181ZNDGW.IMG

Jazmine pressed the image and saw that Annie and Lawrence were happily talking to each other.

> Jazmine : Huh? That's new, Annie's starting to leave her shell.

> Owen : Hey, she can't stay an introvert forever.

> Jazmine : Well, I may be overreacting then.. Whatever you did, good job.

> Owen : I did what I could. *ImTheBest.gif

Owen chuckled and put his phone back into his pocket. Now that his business with Annie was done, he was ready to grind more in Unguarded Sheath.

It didn't take long before he managed to arrive home. Walking to their front door, he pulled on the mesh door but it didn't budge. It was locked.

That meant that his parents were home.

He used his keys to open the mesh door and the other door.

When he went inside, he locked both doors and placed his keys next to the picture frame as usual.

"Owen, is that you?" Isabella's voice rang from the kitchen.

"Yep, just me. Where's dad?" Owen asked as he walked up the stairs.

"Helping out your mother cook. I've improved my steak recipe quite a lot." Gordon laughed.

"Alright then, you guys have fun." Owen walked to his room and began taking off his clothes to change into more comfortable ones. And once that's done, he sat on his gaming chair, opened his PC and got ready to play once again.

Just like his other playthroughs, he was also recording for this one.

He quickly entered Unguarded Sheath, not realizing that Garden Of The Gods was missing from his game library.

"Alright, where did I leave off?" Owen began checking his surroundings and controlled the Level 129 Wolf to wander around.

If Rocky saw this, he would definitely feel a sense of urgency to level up more.

The area he was currently in was called the Claw Of Cataclysmic Corruption. The naming was intentional to, of course, make some of the players laugh.

It is also near large valleys with a gigantic claw in the middle that created large, centipede-like creatures made of human bones called 'Heavenly Undead Crawlers' that persist throughout the entire place.

Owen made Wolf move away from his resting spot which was a broken down archer tower.

The moment he left the fallen archer tower, he saw a white bony centipede crawling on a nearby hill.

[ Level: 165 - Heavenly Undead Crawler (Wrath) ]

Wolf immediately ran towards it.

He pulled out a bow called the 'Reneger Of Promises' and took out arrows with the tag [Special Item] called 'Poison Arrows' laced with a liquid called 'Virgin Maiden Saliva.'

And yes, it is what its name clearly says it is.

With Owen's god-like aim and familiarity with the physics of Abyssal Confinement games, it was an easy task to shoot the Heavenly Crawler despite being so far away.

The arrow was released from the bow and was immediately launched away.

Usually, Heavenly Crawlers would shrug off arrows being aimed at them. This explains the broken archer towers all around the area.

But if an arrow is laced with a pure maiden's saliva, it would melt through the Crawler easily as if it was butter.

*Kiieeeeaaaaaccckk!!*

And there it was, the most horrible sound a creature like this one could ever scream out. The Crawler turned around and saw Wolf holding a bow.

It, of course, immediately ran for the kill.

The Heavenly Crawler had skeletal human arms as its legs, allowing it to run faster than a cheetah at full speed. And because it was undead, it didn't feel fatigue, but it can feel pain. Although, it must be spiritual pain, not physical pain.

It also had twelve eyes that consisted of human skulls with exaggerated open jaws. The creature's mouth was a mix of skeletal human femurs, feet and rib cages.

Wolf took another poison arrow and shot the Crawler right in one of the eyes.

*Kiiieeekkkaaeeeaa!!!*

The Crawler shrieked once again. Listening to it with high quality headphones was enough to give Owen goosebumps.

"That hurt didn't it?" Owen activated his skill with a playful grin.

[Exploding Arrow Seal]

*BWOOM!*

The arrow on the Crawler's eye exploded with a bunch of silver smoke flying everywhere. From the source of the explosion, it left a charred hole in the Crawler's face. And instead of blood, red flower petals flew out of the gnarly wound. If you could even call it that.

But even after two attacks, the Crawler only lost 2% of its health.

Wolf couldn't shoot another arrow because the Crawler was now right in front of him.

*Fwoosh!*

With Owen furiously dumping stat points to speed, the invincibility frames of his dash grew from 0.4 seconds to 0.9 seconds.

And with the special glyph, [Orchestrate World Dive] it added an extra 1 second to his invincibility frames. His armor was mixed with carefully paired artifacts that gave him a large amount of vitality for health, endurance for extended uses of his dash, and a long, thin sword called [Sky Maiden's Cascading Breath] (Level 133)

The sword looked like it was made of clouds about to fade any moment. It repeatedly solidifies and turns cloudy every second. It was held together by red ribbons that gathered mostly in the hilt.

The Special Glyph mentioned earlier are different from Ancient glyphs for the fact that Special Glyphs can be unequipped from armor and equipment for a hefty amount of Cleansed Souls.

As for artifacts, Owen used [Lightweight Golden Leaf (+30% Movement Speed)]

[Corpse Hand Holding A Broken Sword (+5% Crit Chance / +50% Crit damage)]

[Rotten Skull With Fresh Tongue (+70% Vitality / -20% Attack Speed)]

[Bag Of White Grapes (+50% Attack Speed / -10% Vitality)]

And as for the rest?

[Dead Man's Finger (+15% Endurance / +5% Vitality / +3% Total Speed)] (16x)

Owen, the madman, equipped 16 dead man's fingers for a large health pool and a powerful amount of endurance for dodging capabilities.

For glyphs, half of them were [Escapist's Glyph (Level 124)] and the other half were [Damage Slash Glyphs (Level 128)]

His armor of helmet, pauldrons, chestplate, gauntlets, belt, leggings, knee guards, and boots were the [Erosion Conqueror's Set (Level 129)]

His armor looked like it was made of black and gray sand that was forged in a hurry, making them asymmetrical with protruding spikes on the left, and a plated look on the right.

With all of these odds in Owen's favor, the Heavenly Crawler's chances of victory has slimmed down to a low percentage of 0.001%

He wasn't one of the top souls-like gamers for nothing after all.