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.hack//EVOLUTION Chapter 2 (Leveling)

The streets of New York city were as crowded as ever, both with people moving along the streets and with the busy advertisement that covered every surface from the sides of the bus on the corner to the bench people sat on waiting for it. Banners sprawled buildings advertising the newest soft drinks and fast food, though some ads were for more wholesome energy bars to eat while playing one of the many games that had become so popular.

One young man moved down the street, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his eyes cast toward the sidewalk below him. He wore a red and black letterman's jacket, a memento from his high school prowess. It was a prowess that had been lost upon going to college. Jack had gone from captain of the football team to an incoming freshman competing against the best from all around the country. Worse than that, with the new release of The World, all his progress in the previous version had been wiped away.

Sure, CC Corp had allowed players to convert certain stats - weapon skills, money, character profiles... but inventories and character levels had been reset. It was too much for Jack. First he'd been 'reset' in real life, then in the game. It was too much to take. Jack continued down the street, leaving the clean downtown area, heading for neighborhoods more distant. Some of the advertisements started to seem different, some being in Japanese while others were in Thai. There were even some in Arabic.

Jack pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket, looking at the address. It was for a twenty four hour a day cafe, the Cool Bean cafe. Jack spotted it up ahead and moved along, pausing at his reflection. His brown hair was still buzzed short but he'd neglected to shave in a few days, giving him uneven scruff. Honestly, it looked like he hadn't slept. Jack took a deep breath to steady himself but then smelled an unfamiliar smell, cigarette smoke. Jack's brows furrowed.

Smoking had been limited to specific public parks in the city limits, the government cracking down on it more and more in an effort to promote the public health. The idea that someone was smoking at a public restaurant was unheard of. Jack slowly moved around the corner of the cafe, looking out at the tables that had been set up outside. Sitting at a back table was a young man, perhaps twenty one. His black hair was curly and shaggy and wild, framing his face in something between a mane and an afro, contrasting with the sand colored tones to his skin identifying his Arabic decent.

A long, wild black goatee hung down from his chin, looking like he'd been growing it for far longer than he should have been able to. The man brought the cigarette to his lips, drawing in for a moment before he exhaled. The white smoke lingered around his lips before spreading out, curling around his goatee before thinning out further. Jack looked at the man's goatee and noticed a large tattoo on the man's neck on one side, the eye of Ra. Jack's back stiffened. That symbol had been in the email he'd gotten as a response to his forum posting. Jack swallowed a bit.

"Enkidu?" Jack asked softly in surprise. The man glanced up with shrewd eyes.

"All-Star 00?" The man at the table asked back. Jack's heart fluttered. It was the man that would change his life, at least online. He moved forward and pulled out a chair, sitting promptly.

"So you can do it? You can import my inventory from Force Era over to the new version?" Jack asked quickly. Enkidu took another drag of his cigarette.

"It all depends on your level of commitment to your past character." Enkidu commented. Jack squirmed, assuming he meant money.

"What are my options?" Jack asked.

"CC Corp wanted everyone to start on a level playing field, but they knew starting everyone over would cause too much grief... There are items in The World that will let you import data from your other characters. They are hidden in rare dungeons, they are rewards for contests and special events... Though a few CC employees transitioned their data over entirely, something I feel the players themselves deserve... given the right circumstances." Enkidu said.

"So my options are getting one of the conversion items or... my whole character?" Jack asked. Enkidu nodded.

"One hundred for a hacked conversion idol, five hundred for an authentic one." Enkidu said. Jack took another breath.

"And how much for a full conversion?" Jack whispered. Enkidu took another drag before he spread his arms over the back of his chair.

"Its more than just a matter of money... I'd want something more, something personal." Enkidu said.

"Like what?" Jack asked, worrying it was going to be his kidney.

"A kiss, on top of the other payment." Enkidu said. Jack's eyes went stark wide.

"I'm... Dude, I'm straight." Jack murmured. Enkidu smirked.

"Doesn't change things. If you're satisfied with just your items that you can't equip until you're the right level, then all you have to do is give me the money for the idol pieces." Enkidu said. He watched Jack squirm and fidget, knowing he had the jock by the balls.

"How much?" Jack murmured finally.

"One thousand." Enkidu replied.

"You hackers are dirty..." Jack replied. Enkidu grinned.

"We like it dirty." Enkidu replied, standing up. He stretched a bit before walking back into the alleyway. Jack glanced over his shoulders with great guilt, hoping no one would see him before he stood and moved down the alleyway after the hacker. Jack's heart was racing before he turned, looking at the man. He couldn't believe what he was about to do, but he couldn't give up all his progress.

Jack approached Enkidu like a lamb going to the slaughter and Enkidu certainly had an appetite. As Jack got close enough, Enkidu grabbed him and pulled him close. Jack didn't move forward or back, staying in place as Enkidu came in for the kiss. Their lips touched and Enkidu's hand moved up, rubbing Jack's head, holding him there. The hacker worked hard to pry Jack's mouth open before his tongue plunged into the other man's mouth.

While Jack was shocked and disgusted with himself, he found that there was a certain instinct in kissing, one he had gained with all his past girlfriends. His lips moved a little, though he was startled by the taste of Enkidu's mouth. It was spicy and yet savory, the saliva a bit thicker than it should have been. He smelled of smoke and spice with a bit of a woody after scent. It was a manly scent, a manly taste and a manly kiss.

Jack felt dirty for agreeing, but he felt even worse that some small part of him liked it. This wasn't romance or love, it was unbridled lust and sin - and it was infectious. Jack was crashing against a lifetime of his upbringing, believing true men didn't do what he was doing... and after all, he was doing it to save someone; his character. Jack slowly kissed back a bit more, their lips rubbing and shifting, their tongues tangling.

Enkidu ran his hand down Jack's fuzzy cheek, his neck, his chest and then gave him a bit of a grope. While Jack had gone with him that far, the jock pushed Enkidu back against the brick wall, reaching up to wipe his lips on the sleeve of his jacket. Enkidu grinned a bit, licking his own lips clean as he rested against the wall.

"That's it, the kiss." Jack said. He had promised no more. Enkidu grinned wider before he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, opening the money trader app. Jack brought out his phone and checked his bank account. He had just enough... though he'd be eating ramen for months. Jack selected the amount and the two bumped their phones together. There was a kaching sound and the money was transferred.

"I'll be waiting for you at the Gott Statue in Delta Raging Passionate Symphony with your items." Enkidu replied. Jack gave a slight nod, returning the phone to his pocket. He turned to leave the alleyway, though as he turned away he licked his lips a bit. He could tell he smelled like smoke. Getting the scent of Enkidu out of his jacket wasn't going to be easy, nor the memory of that kiss.

Jack left the alleyway and disappeared around the corner, heading back into the city at large. Enkidu reached down to adjust himself gently before returning to his table. He settled down in the seat and turned his phone sideways, flipping out the game controller panels on either side. He set The World to start loading before he pulled out a custom FMD from his pocket. He slid the glasses on, the ear buds resting in his ear and the purple circular glasses resting above his eyes. The lenses shimmered as they filled with the game world, though the interface colors had been modified.

Rather than the custom loading screen, Enkidu watched himself fall through the swirling tunnels toward the game world, a simulated version of his human body turning into his player character. Street clothes ripped away to reveal a muscled body, though his body hair started to shift from black to an orange color. The hair grew thicker and wilder, coating his arms and hands, his legs and feet, even his torso. His fingers grew longer, his toes stretched and his feet flexed in ways impossible for humans to master.

With Enkidu's body wilder and more gangly, the fur seemed to fit him more... especially as a long tail whipped around behind him. The hacker's chest fur remained dark brownish black, fitting the dark face his PC had. Gold wave sign tattoos appeared on his cheeks, the elemental symbol for an alchemist. A fluttering came as a simple loincloth appeared over his groin before the tunnel shattered into hexagonal pieces, revealing Mac Anu around him.

Enkidu held out his hand as a tall wood staff appeared. It was not the staff of a Wavemaster or a Harvest Cleric. It was a staff made for martial combat. Enkidu flipped his staff around a few times before he turned, entering the keywords he had given Jack. He knew the jock would likely sit down at the first public place he could find to come collect the goods. For some reason Enkidu's typical grin seemed to fit the face of his tamarin character even better than his human one.

[Delta Hidden Forbidden Dead Wood]

The underground was peaceful, quiet and serene. The cave walls were ancient, a muted gray. A vast lake covered the majority of the cave floor, but in the midst of the lake was a glimmering white crystal tree, casting off a glow bright enough to illuminate what would have surely been pitch darkness. The water was quite still, reflecting the small blue glowing spheres that flitted around like lightning bugs.

Near the edge of the cave there was a soft shimmer of golden light, a column of four golden rings dropping down inside the swirl of a blue helix as a player character appeared. He wore a teal tunic sewn with a hexagonal grid, a long cloth hanging down in front of his legs. His pants were black with silver hex lines, though there was a silver hilt on each hip holding a matched pair of daggers. A loose shag of brown hair fell across the PC's eyes, ending just above his cheek bones covered with the wave signs for ice. Despite the obstruction, Milo could see perfectly fine.

As the twin blade walked forward, a small shimmer of light appeared as a 3d representation of a small whale appeared mid-air, white on the belly and dark blue on the rest. The whale swam through the air, keeping close to Milo's character. Milo came up close to the edge of the water and knelt down, looking into the reflection. He loved how cool his character looked. He had kept his hair color, his body type... He'd just perfected them a bit more, but his character's eyes shifted from his reflection to the lake itself.

"Uji, did you know there was once a great player that came here... to lose himself in 'The World'?" Milo asked gently.

"I did not know that. Would you like me to research further?" The whale asked in a soothing male voice. Milo smirked gently. It was the typical response for a server robot. They were, after all, essentially artificially intelligent companions built for research and keeping dates. The fact that they could be incorporated into The World made them all the rage, though Milo had Uji for years, well before it was cool.

"He loved this world very much, maybe too much... He was hurt by it over and over again... Even froze himself into ice here." Milo considered before he leaned up and looked at the tree. There was silence for a moment, then his lips parted, "I don't want to leave our world and hide away in this one... I want to live in this world, seize everything it has to offer, make it my reality." Milo said softly.

"Because The World has no set objectives, I cannot recommend a course of action on how to proceed... other than perhaps leveling up." The whale commented. Milo smirked at that.

"Then we'll level up, and we'll collect the keywords to all the Lost Grounds like this one... All the hidden mysteries The World has to offer." Milo said. He was a different person when he was online. He smiled, he had ambition, he had drive. Uji's artificial intelligence was limited, but he could detect healthier behaviors in his owner when he played the game. It had to be a good thing. Milo stood up and Uji swam to hover just above his shoulder before the two gated out of the mysterious area.

[Theta Chronicling Demented Challenge]

The roars of the crowd echoed across the lush grasslands, countless players lined up along either side of a track. The crowd was quite immense, though it was even larger as contestants were defeated. There were only four players left, charging down the track. They lunged over vines, ducked down below spinning blades. It was a gauntlet, one task of many... and Masato was in the lead.

Masato sprinted along, using split second responses to counter anything that came at him. His player class was generally slower due to his mass, but Masato had long ago learned how to counter that limitation. Once more the victory of experience surpassed the energy of youth... though youth was catching up. A young steam gunner was close on Masato's heels, his white hair swaying in the simulated breeze, a pair of silver glasses resting on his nose. His purple turtleneck transition from cloth on the shoulders to long leather armor. It seemed that the two were nearing the finish line, the only obstacle remaining a strip of farmland.

Masato let out a loud grunt, pulling out his heavy sword. He'd upgraded a bit from the first one he'd equipped, using a two pronged blade now. The blade seemed to be made of bronze and jade. Bringing out his weapon slowed Masato down a bit and the other player chuckled madly.

"Hit the wrong button old man?" he grinned wide, though as he looked at Masato, one of the pumpkins sprung up into the air, turning around. Its face was carved into a mad jack o' lantern. Its roots hung down like some sort of half cape, forming two gangly arms holding carving knives. The Pumpkin Head slashed, hitting the other player. He went skidding back, half his health shorn off in one hit. Masato let out a loud roar, using all of his SP to leap into the air and come down in a sweeping slash.

The move was rare and left him vulnerable for a split second, but as Masato landed in a three point stance in the dirt, the Pumpkin head turned black and crumbled to the ground before his remains faded away. Masato rose up to his feet as a shower of golden rain came down across his shoulders. The victory had granted him a hundred and thirty experience points, enough to level up. Masato continued on, reaching the end of the finish line.

The cheers erupted loudly as they had their winner. The player left behind by Masato moved to stand up, though as he got half way up his view was filled with pendulous, full breasts barely restrained by a red dress. His jaw dropped slowly as he looked up, seeing the woman standing before him. Fianna gave a soft smile with her cherry red lips. The player turned and looked around before he looked at her.

"Where are all the other players?" He asked gently. Fianna smirked.

"For some reason they got distracted..." She murmured. The player nodded gently at that and Fianna turned, following Masato through the finish line. It only took another moment of stupor before the last player passed through the line, ending the contest. The cheers grew even louder as the contest concluded. A large holographic screen appeared above the track, starting to list stats. First place was awarded to Maso, a level eleven heavy sword. Second place was granted to Fianna, a level ten flick reaper. The third place winner was Maeyeke, a level five steam gunner.

The cheers of the crowd continued, though they died down a bit as the sea of players was parted. A From the gap came a three foot tall creature, a goblin. His skin was a golden hue, looking part metal and part flesh. He had a pointed chin, a curved nose and long, angled, pointed ears. He held out his hand and cast a spell. Green light swirled beneath the players before Masato was lifted up, then Fianna, then Maeyeke.

"The Goblin Gauntlet is no easy task, and those that survive the task should be granted a reward worthy of such a feat." The goblin announced, casting another spell. Light began to form in front of the three winners. They held out their hands to receive the contest prize. In front of Maso appeared a carved green statue shaped like a hippo. Fianna received one made of ivory while Maeyeke was left with a golden coin emblazoned with the CC logo.

"To Maso, the Jade puchiguso... Complete restoration of his R1 user data.." The goblin said. The crowd murmured. It was an incredibly rare item indeed. "To Fianna, the alabaster puchiguso, half restoration of her R1 character data. And for Maeyeke, a certificate good for any rare item at the CC Guild Shop free." The goblin said.

Masato looked at Hoshi with gentle, caring eyes. He knew he couldn't have done it without her. In a way he owed her the prize as much as he had earned it. He was about to offer it to her when she shook her head. Masato smiled at that before he lifted the jade puchiguso up. The carved hippo like character began to melt, green and gold light spilling over Masato. On the screen, the words 'level up' flashed over and over and over again. Masato's level climbed to twenty, then thirty, forty and fifty. It didn't slow until it had reached level seventy eight, coming to a stop. All of Masato's hard work had been restored. He could take on challenging villains, go many places in the world without fear... Though the level cap was far higher than it had been in R1. There was still a lot to do.

While everyone had focused on Maso, Hoshi had used her puchiguso as well. While her level climbed, it slowed down as it hit level thirty four. A window popped up in front of Hoshi, indicating her R1 inventory had been imported, though many of the items were incompatible with her new chosen class. The dialogue option offered to convert the items to their equivalent in flick reaper status. Hoshi considered for a long moment before she declined, closing the window.

"A free item? I went through all that for a free item?" Maeyeke murmured to himself, wandering back into the crowds after hopping down off his stone podium. Sure enough, many of the players were gating out already. The field was full of golden rings rushing down around the characters. Masato smiled, standing on the podium, turning to face Hoshi.

"Don't worry, I'll help you power level. We just have to grind some high level fields." Masato said. Hoshi nodded.

"You better bring lots of health potions, you have to keep me alive long enough while you kill the monsters or the experience is halved." Hoshi smirked.

"I just got my old inventory back... I have ninety nine of everything." Masato smirked.

"Sensei Maso, guild master of the Tartarga Tribe?" came a voice from below. Maso turned, seeing a young player with black hair in a long braid that hung down his back. His skin was well tanned and his arms were covered with tribal tattoos in a deep black color. His features seemed to be distinctly native American, though the player character had one gold eye and one blue eye. The most distinct feature had to be his wolf paw gloves, a trait of the tribal grappler.

"I am indeed Maso. Who might you be?" Maso asked, climbing down off his podium, using his sword almost like a cane.

"Blood Ohm, though most people just call me ohm for short." The player said.

"I take it you heard of me before?" Masato asked, moving to help Fianna down from her perch. Ohm got a little distracted, watching Fianna dismount before he remembered what he had been talking about.

"There were all kinds of forum posts about you on the R:X boards, talking about you like some sort of legend. They said that you used to teach players how to combat regardless of level and that you would help anyone in need." Ohm explained.

"That's true, very true. Would you like my assistance?" Masato asked. The young man looked slightly offended.

"I was level eighty nine in Force Era. I just... was late getting here to the contest. I want to help you teach." Ohm said. Masato blushed in real life at his gaffe.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to assume. If you want to help other players, I'm most honored to accept you into the Tartarga tribe." Masato said, offering his hand and member address. Ohm accepted both and replied in kind. With the exchange complete, Ohm grinned a bit.

"Can I ask... Why Tartarga?" Ohm asked after a moment. Masato turned, looking at Hoshi before he smiled.

"One of the parts I have loved most about this game are the unintended events, the miracles of accident. When Fianna and I first started playing The world, the Omega server failed. It was replaced by a region known as Net slum. It was where we met actually... Well, while we didn't play R2 we heard that Net Slum Tartarga had again saved The World by filling in in a pinch. It is a spirit I'd like to continue." Masato explained. Ohm smirked gently.

"It really does seem like destiny." Ohm murmured.

"How so?" Fianna asked curiously.

"Well... in real life I'm part of the Siletz tribe and basically grew up in a slum. Seems like a fitting tribe for me." Ohm shrugged.

"Well out of adversity comes strength. Welcome to the tribe." Fianna said, giving Ohm her member address. He accepted and returned with his before he yawned gently.

"I better head to bed. Time zones can be killer. I'll send you flash mail later." Ohm said before he gated out, his character disappearing almost at once. Masato turned, looking at Hoshi.

"He was level eighty nine? He's so young..." Masato murmured.

"We were young once... Don't worry, you have time to get past him before he catches up." Hoshi smirked.

"You're right. We better put these new levels to the test." Masato grinned.

[Lamda Server - Cultural City Carmina Gadelica]

The chaos gate swung around and around, resting above an intricate stone inlay of ancient runes. The soft pulsing tone was eternal and constant. The vast stone walkway that meandered along the river bank was sparsely populated, giving the city an eerie feel. Colorful banners covered with diamond print arched down from the buildings to the ground, paper lanterns were strung between the buildings and a steady golden glow came from lights embedded in the large stone pillars intersecting the chest high retaining walls on the edge of the walkways. Only a few players moved around, darting between the various shops. It was a distinct difference from Mac Anu, but there was a rather simple reason. Carmina Gadelica granted access to areas with monsters ranging between level thirty and fifty. Few players had leveled up enough to have much business there, though it didn't stop everyone.

The column of gold rings descended around Levi's character, Tenjin. His character design had been focused on the light but the white and blue of his outfit was dim in the night air. The glowing gold sphere of light in the middle of his staff glowed like a lantern, radiating an aura of light around him. Tenjin had appeared facing the chaos gate, looking along the long walkway to the vast city on the horizon. In the first version of The World it had merely been a skybox, but now the buildings had been fully realized as guild housing, in-game administration offices and item storage... but Levi didn't care about that. Levi left the chaos gate behind, his boots tapping along the stone ground.

Rounding the corner, Levi bounded past the Elf's Haven storage shop, coming to a stop by the stone retaining wall overlooking the water. Two massive circular landing pads rested out in the water. An airship sat on one, waiting to be purchased by a player of suitable level while the other landing pad was empty. Levi knew in time the city would be spilling over with advancing characters. He wanted to enjoy it while he could. As Levi leaned over the retaining wall, a small yellow sphere appeared next to his character emblazoned with the word 'Talk'. Levi smiled a bit and tapped it.

"What are you doing up? You're never up this late." Max's voice echoed around Levi.

"Says the man three hours ahead of me. Don't you have work tomorrow?" Levi asked.

"I'll sleep after work. I can't miss this opportunity. Where are you?" Max asked.

"Carmina." Levi replied. There was silence on the other end and then a few seconds later the soft sounds of someone gating in echoed along the city streets. Levi leaned around the corner, catching a glimpse of rust colored hair and goggles. Levi turned, leaning against the wall as Max came around the corner.

"You couldn't have crossed a root town that fast, Nada." Levi called out.

"I was in a field. I used a sprite ocarina to get back to the gate and then just changed servers." Max replied. Levi still looked quite bemused.

"You wanted to play with me that much?" Levi asked. Max shrugged.

"I always want to play games with you." Max replied, "But why up so late?" he repeated. Levi shrugged.

"I finished work on another section of my report. I figured I deserved a reward." Levi replied.

"The report about CC Corp?" Max asked. Levi nodded, looking around.

"It's hard to believe that... Well I guess all this beauty didn't come from CC Corp, at least not originally... But its hard to believe that so much goodness can come from such a strange company." Levi murmured.

"Strange how?" Max asked. He was often quiet but he liked hearing Levi talk. Levi composed his thoughts.

"The history of the company and this game are inextricably bound. Employees learned things about the game and left the company, players wanted to protect the game and joined the company. The relationship is really twisted... And whenever there's a problem they blame hackers." Levi sighed.

"You're not a hacker..." Max reminded him. Levi shrugged.

"I know, but if hackers were really behind it, why would the dot hackers and the twilight knights gotten so famous?" Levi asked before pausing, "I came here for a reward, didn't I? We should go level for a while."

"On this server?" Max asked. Levi smirked at that.

"We'd get our digital asses handed to us. How about we go finish the area you were at before, get to the Gott statue?" Levi asked. Near by there was a slight scoff. Levi turned, looking over to see a player character that appeared to be a five foot five cat boy with large circular black glasses and a black vest.

"Can we help you?" Max asked.

"I was just about to see if you wanted to join our guild, but you're... levelers." He said in disdain, his tail flicking at that as he turned to leave.

"Levelers?" Levi asked in confusion.

"He's a member of Gabba. The guild doesn't leave the root towns unless it is to go to an area that's already clear of monsters." Max said. Levi hesitated.

"Then what... in the hell do they do in this game?" Levi asked. Max snorted a little. Levi rarely cussed.

"They talk, they share information, they hang out, trade and sell stuff." Max said.

"But you can't get money or stuff without going to areas and defeating monsters..." Levi said, still not understanding.

"They sell information for items and stuff. We should be honored, they must have thought we came her just to socialize." Max smirked.

"They should know this place is going to be crawling with players soon as they level up." Levi said. Max shrugged.

"They'll move onto the Sigma server, then Iota, then Omega until everywhere is filled. Then maybe they'll start leveling up or they'll die out when everyone talks out on the field." Max said. Over by the item shop there was another snort as the cat boy continued on his way. Max and Levi laughed at that together before walking side by side for the chaos gate.

[Omega Hidden Forbidden End of Land]

The golden sea rippled gently around the hidden island, both outward from its shores and in the heavens above. The only source of light seemed to be a simulated sun on one horizon and a moon on the other horizon, the island itself trapped in an eternal twilight. The shrubs guarding the shore had grown thicker and the eight stone columns seemed more aged. The colored lights in the top circles were brighter than before, gaining strength at a slow and steady pace.

Droplets of water seemed to dribble from the sea above, the droplets coming down to land in the pools in the island. The water rippled more, images reflecting in the water of people and places that were nowhere near the island. The reflections showed players, monsters, root towns and areas, drifting between everything. It was disjointed and random, almost like a twilight dream... and in a way it was.

The bed at the center of the island was no longer empty. Floating above it was the shape of a young boy. White hair hung over his eyes and his body was wrapped in white robes. His feet were bare and a choker necklace hung around his neck with the infinity emblem on it. The boy slept, unaware, unconscious, dormant and unready. He was still growing, evolving, maturing steadily. The images in one pool seemed to fluctuate between a massive white creature with a broken white circular crown and an adept rogue player dressed all in black with twin swords. The image shuddered and faded away.

"No... I will not start this way again." The voice above contemplated, "My son, you need to learn to grow stronger... but Skeith will not be your first lesson." she said softly. The water drifting down from the sky above ceased, the two seas growing calm... but there was one last ripple, one last drop of water. It fell down like a single drop of rain, landing in the pool. As the droplet hit the water, there was a resounding tone... An A sharp in C major. ****

Yellow eyes opened up for the first time, breath passing over plump, rounded lips. A smattering of red freckles covered pale cheeks. A cold wind blew across the sensitive flesh, protected by the green robes of a harvest cleric. The body flickered gently, gaps apparent for a moment before they fleshed out. The figure lifted his staff, looking at it curiously. After a moment he turned, looking out at his surroundings.

The young man was standing on a stone platform connected to several others by expansive bridges. Some of the platforms had buildings on them, rising up in massive towers but others were flat, giving ample space to walk around. The young man shivered gently at how cold the air was as he moved forward, approaching the edge of the platform. He peered over, watching clouds drift along beneath, crashing into the platforms before breaking apart.

A startled gasp passed over the thick lips as the young man stumbled backwards, his strawberry blond hair falling over his face as he recoiled from the thought of falling off the edge. He looked around with fear and concern but saw no one around. It was an empty city, deserted and alone. The boy swallowed gently before he sat down on the cold stone, crossing his legs. Wherever he was, he didn't like it... His yellow eyes scanned the horizon, picking out various stars and a crescent moon. The heavens were so easy to see so high up... though one sparkling light drew his attention more than the rest, a large spinning blue ring.

Hesitantly, the young man rose back to his feet. He moved forward slowly, carefully crossing the bridges, moving from platform to platform before he approached the spinning blue object. Every time it completed a revolution he felt a pulse of energy spread out, rippling through his body. He murmured gently at that, his yellow eyes widening as he felt the power from the object growing... and growing... and then it reached critical.

There was faint static all around as the buildings that had been empty moments before filled with large, portly looking men and women in colorful robes. Straw seemed to fizzle into appearance on one of the platforms before a small hippo calf appeared out of thin air, wandering about, gnawing on the straw hungrily. The young man was watching all the changes, so invested he nearly yelped as four golden rings etched with runes dropped around a player gating in.

The player was soon revealed, clearly female. her hair was a deep shade of violet, tied into a loose ponytail. She wore a modest black leather shirt with silver laces up the sides and a purple dress over black leggings and boots. Barely visible purple lines covered her chin, the wave sign for shadow element. The woman looked around with wide eyes before hesitating, letting out a slow groan.

"You mean I wasn't the first one to Sigma server? They JUST opened it up to players like a second ago..." The girl groaned. The blond boy held his staff out defensively, though as he did the tip fizzled and eroded away, leaving him with a combat staff of a martial artist.

"What are you?" The blond boy asked uncertainly.

"You know, you're being very rude..." The woman snapped back before pausing, "But if you must know, I'm an adept rogue. I couldn't decide... So I picked several classes... Not that I'll need them. Are you in Gabba?" The woman asked.

"What's... that?" The young man asked. The woman wrapped her arm around the young man's shoulders, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, looking out at the horizon. The young man gasped, his eyes widening. He could feel her, he could feel... distant warmth. It was the first warm thing he had felt.

"When you look out at this world, what do you dream of?" The girl asked.

"Not falling down..." The boy replied. The woman chuckled.

"Exactly. Who wants to come here and get hurt or die? There are plenty of pretty things to see without fighting monsters. I'm Jennbee, but everyone calls me Jenn." the woman introduced, "And you are?" she asked. The boy hesitated again. It was a very good question. Who was he? As he asked the question, a name popped into his mind...

"I'm Iain." He replied, surprised at how easy it had come out. Jenn grinned wide.

"Nice to meet you Iain. I make it a custom to get everyone's member address I come across. Here's mind if you want it." She offered. Iain's mind tingled gently with the pulsing flash of information. He accepted, his yellow eyes widening in wonder, making a human connection with another person.

"Oh wow, you have like... no experience points. That's so hard core." Jenn grinned softly, "I bet you'll be perfect for Gabba, though you don't seem very talkative. Maybe you're a great listener, which honestly is just what I need right now. Come on, lets look around, stake out the best places." Jenn said, grabbing Iain's arm and leading him off. Iain blushed a bit, glad just to feel that distant warmth again as he was led off.