Errands & Meet ups I

~~~(POV: Justin Xander)~~~

~~~(Location: Apartment, Los Angeles, California)~~~

~~~(Day, Date, Time: Monday, April 15th, 8:25 AM PST)~~~

~~~(Current Age: 19 Years)~~~

The nice and refreshing shower that I desperately needed comes to an end. Another thing about coming out of gaming pods is the smell attached to you. My sheets and blankets are in the wash since I didn't take one last night.

After eating, I suddenly got a case of the sleepies. But now it's Monday, and there are things I need to take care of, the first of which is heading to the store and picking up more nutrient bags for the gaming pod.

If you want to play for long periods of time, the nutrient bags are non-negotiable. Without them, your gaming pods will forcefully log you out when your vital signs drop.

The kinds I use are expensive—the best ones on the market—but they're worth the money. I go to my bedroom and put on some casual clothes. Once dressed, I enter the kitchen and prepare some eggs and sausage.

As I sit in the kitchen and start eating, I turn on the TV, and GNN is on. Today, it's a different reporter, and it's a discussion about the recent announcement made in AG. Every morning between eight and nine, there is an announcement in AG.

They're even considerate enough to show the actual announcement on the TV, as you would see in-game when it appears on the player interface. GNN goes the extra mile for stuff like this. Another reason it's the best place to get gaming news.

[Planetwide Announcement: Two anonymous Players have gained Ancient grade classes.]

[Planetwide Announcement: One anonymous Player has gained a Divine grade class.]

[Planetwide Announcement: One anonymous Player freed Fairy Queen Yarina Bell from capture.]

[Planetwide Bounty: The Dark Church of Weistar offers 1,000 Platinum and an Epic grade weapon for the return of Fairy Queen Yarnia Bell.]

[Planetwide Bounty: The Fairy Kingdom offers 3,000 Platinum to the person/persons who destroy the Dark Church of Weistar.]

Those are the only announcements for AG. All of that happened yesterday, somewhere in AG. After another few seconds, GNN takes the announcements off-screen, and the reporter returns to full view.

"The player forums for AG are blowing up with the news of three more powerful class holders showing up. The top 20 guilds have already posted a general bounty of 40 million for the identity of the Divine graded class holder."

I can't help wanting to meet some of these people. They're players who have powerful classes, just like me. I know none of them are as strong as (Zophiels Descendent,) but that doesn't mean they're weak.

As for the information about the Fairy Kindom and the Dark Church of Weistar, I won't participate in the fun there. I don't know where they are or where to start. Again, AG didn't give me any hand-holding.

The information from the announcements is all we'll get from the game, which I'm really starting to love. It's giving so many people a chance to be special.

I haven't heard a thing on the forums where a member of a powerful guild is the one getting these classes or is the one who saved the Fairy Queen. You would think they're hiding these people if they did, in fact, have players in their guilds who did it.

However, guilds don't hide these players because they can lure other people into joining. Ultimately, a guild's power is determined by its numbers and the individual strength of its players.

If you have a chance to bring in new players by announcing such achievements, every top 100 guild will do it in a heartbeat.

"The bounties in AG are drawing much attention from the player base. The large volumes of Platinum up for grabs have many top 100 guilds moving to gather more information. The lack of information caused a massive halt in movement on these bounties."

You have to talk and build relationships with NPCs in AG if you want information. I've learned that already. I'm betting the player who freed the Fairy Queen knows the most about these bounties. They're the ones you'll want to talk to.

No one knows who they are, though. The player base is foaming at the mouth for those rewards, but they can't get much ground now.

Lancer Inc. created a game and AI that knows precisely what to do to keep the player's interest and energy constant. It's pretty damn impressive if you ask me.

That's all the exciting news I hear as I finish breakfast. I turn off the TV and quickly do my dishes. I keep a clean home; I don't live in filth. I honestly don't know how some people are perfectly comfortable with it.

I leave my apartment, which is really the size of a house, and lock the door. I make my way inside the elevator and head down to the parking garage, where my car is. During the slow elevator descent, my phone goes off.

It's a text message from Blake. He should be in-game right now, so I'm a little surprised to see the text. He's an influential member of a top guild, which means he needs to be playing way more than outside AG.

[I need to meet up with you and talk. Lil's said you're off AG right now, so don't ignore my texts, little shit. Your brother needs to speak with you.]

A small sigh exits my lips as the elevator stops and opens. Allowing me to leave and make my way to my car. Once I sit down and start the engine, I respond to Blake. I'll have to get back at Lil's; telling Blake he can bother me for help is a low blow.

But what's family for if not for help and love? So, it's time to be a good brother, just like he is.

[I'm on my way to pick up some more nutrient bags; we can meet at the usual place if you want. But we'll need to make it quick. I have other things to do today.]

That's a half-truth. While I do have other things to do today in the real world, all of them are things I can do from the comfort of my home. I'm only saying this to him so he doesn't keep me busy. Older siblings like using younger siblings for various things.

All of them usually include labor, chores, or tedious tasks they don't want to do. Being the youngest of three, I know what it's like for Lil's and Blake to shove their responsibilities on me. But to be fair to Blake, he wouldn't do that regarding his job.

His commitment and responsibility to his guild. He wouldn't involve me even if he were ordered to. I've made it clear I'm not a guild person.

[That works for me. Does around 10 sound good?]

In response, I give a simple thumbs-up and place my phone in the empty cup holder. I grab the steering wheel and take off. I spend around 25 minutes driving to my local store, where countless people are leaving and entering.

The planet's population is higher than it's ever been. The Death Plague of 2090 knocked almost 40% of the world's population off, but we've recovered. That plague made us change how we treat our planet.

We're a clean energy and wasteless society now. There is almost zero pollution, and the world is healthier than ever.

There is no time in the last 100 years to be more proud of being human.

Los Angeles's population alone is almost 30 million. I've been thinking about moving, but I don't need to move. After around 30 minutes, I find and pay for the necessary nutrient bags.

I return to the car and open my trunk, where I have a custom cold storage built. I place the nutrient bags in the cold storage until I can store them at home. I've got enough for around two weeks, so I won't have to return for a while.

It cost me almost 18 thousand dollars, but it's worth it.

"I have just enough time to make it to the usual place. It's out of the way, but a safe place to speak without people listening in."

The car starts again, and I spend almost 50 minutes driving out of town and to a small cafe near the beach. I park the car and get out. Making my way inside, seeing Blake sitting at a table. To my surprise, Lil's is here with us.

He sees me walk in and waves in my direction. A meeting between the three of us isn't something we do after a new VRMMORPG has just launched. Whatever we're about to talk about has to be important.

"It's good to see you both, but I hope this talk won't take too long."

I greet them and take a seat. Lil's is slightly annoyed at my tone and attitude, but I only do this to irritate them. It's harder to get a rise out of Blake, but I can do it from time to time. Lil's is the easiest, but I love her more for it.

"That's a hell of a way to say hello, ya jackass. How about an I love you or I've missed you guys?"

All I can do is roll my eyes at Lil's. My attention shifts to Blake, who hands me one of the menus. Telling me without saying words that we'll be here long enough and should eat. Here, I was hoping for a short conversation.

Makes me wonder what this is all about.