[center][b]One V One Gaming Hub, 1x1 Sector, Guild City [u]18 min[/u] before the Wave[/b][/center] [center][color=lightblue]//Your Health is dangerously LOW at 45% //[color=crimson]Rage Arts[/color] have now been enabled //Tip: Instant Block, performed by blocking an attack right before it hits, will give you the advantage to strike back with a [Counter Hit], resulting in critical damage.[/color][/center] Volen spun the ball top arcade stick as he shook his avatar out of a [Dizzy] state. With firm double taps of a few buttons, the avatar retreated back to the Castle. Standing idle allowed his HP to rejuvenate, so long as no enemies were within a 5-meter radius. He breathed a sigh of relief while watching a green orb of light circle around Vernon, a magical indicator that helped monitor the avatar's vitals. He calmly rubbed at his forehead, the only thing he could do lest he rage quit and make a fool of himself. He reminded himself that this was a public gaming area, unlike the comfort and privacy of home that could allow him to throw manners out the door. [center][color=lightblue]//An Ally has joined your game! //Please welcome Lady Carina Khatayin! Please select your platform. //Your Ally is currently engaging the remaining forces of the 10th Wave //Your Ally has set a [color=yellow]NEW RECORD for the Number of Enemies Debuffed in 1 Spell[/color] //Your Ally has been promoted to the rank of [color=silver]Silver Champion of the Furies[/color][/color][/center] [color=silver]"Hm, that names sounds familiar. Oh shit she's doing work,"[/color] Volen whispered as read through the status updates. He bit down on his lower lip to stifle an impressed chuckle. While he appreciated the assistance from a live player, the competitor in him refused to be showed up. He made a combination of buttons presses and stick motions to teleport his avatar the Ally's location. A halo of heavenly light descended upon Vernon, his form disappearing as he was magically transported to scene of the battle. Ready to cut down the first thing in sight, Volen wasn't prepared to arrive at a sea of dead enemies. "What the hell?" Blinding flashes of light, tell tale signs of offensive magic caught his eye. He watched as his ally weakened the demonic hordes, robbing them of their evil aura that shielded them against most blades. She then mercilessly eliminated them in a deadly dance. For a moment, Volen was stunned by the cutting edge graphics, especially every detail of his ally's avatar. [color=silver]"That's...really hot,"[/color] he giggled, confessing his basic human desires to no one in particular. [color=silver]"If her player is even half as cute, I'd totally hit that."[/color] He pulled out his phone and quickly began to access a social networking app. The friends back home would read about a top-tier player he encountered, but that status update never happened. Instead, he stared at the screen in paralyzing horror. [i]Castle Dephense[/i] was a new brand of arcade machines. Depending from which country they were manufactured in, some multiplayer games were built to accommodate two players on the same machine; others supported only one player, so that another machine could be placed right across with the other player. In other words, Volen was so accustomed to using the latter platform, that he was stupidly oblivious of the 2nd player sitting right next to him. Frightening, he thought, that he had not so much as glanced at her. How could he? Did he even know that it was another woman? What if it was a man? [center][color=Lightblue]//10th Wave Completed! //Your avatar has leveled up! //Your Ally has leveled up! //Your Special Attack "Lewd Clothing Removal Technique" has increased in Strength! //This concludes the 1-Credit Extended Trial. Please insert 3 more Credits to continue playing...[/color][/center] He cringed and desired nothing more than to cut his own throat for naming that attack. [color=silver]"I'm sorry, I, uhh...Look, I was just talking to myself."[/color] He prayed for courage that he could never summon. He wanted to laugh, to pretend it was all a joke. How could he be so careless, he wondered. Feeling as if he was about to pull the trigger on himself, Volen turned and pursed his lips to stop them from quivering. [color=silver]"I am so sorry. Really, really sorry."[/color] Turns out, she was [i]more than half[/i] as cute. [i]Oh God. Now she's gonna think I'll rape her.[/i] [center][color=lightblue]"// 3..2..1! GAME OVER! //We eagerly await the return of Sir Veron Kresoveer! //THANK YOU FOR PLAYING![/color][/center]