I boot up the new game for the nerve gear. Gun Gale Online. The new VRFPS shooter MMO. Mouthful isn't it. I already have the gear needed because I was one of the lucky few that got in the beta. I got to a rather high level there. Too bad I have to start over.
I am sent to a white room. I am asked what my handle will be. I type in the one I used for the beta. Crow. It then sends me to edit my appearance. It shows me what I look like now.
A skinny, almost feminine body, with a girly face that has straight black as night hair hanging down to my shoulders. Looks to be around sixteen. How can a Scottish man look so much like a girl. This thought always cross my mind when I look into a mirror. I change myself into a burly man that would not look like a push over.
Into the game I go. And immediately regret that decision. After an hour of being trapped in a plaza with ten thousand other people. A cloaked figure comes out. Tells us that this is a legit death game. That if we die, we die for good. Also changes everyone avatar to what they really look like. DAMMIT! He goes on to tell us that we must clear the entire world of the bosses. there are 100 sections with bosses hidden in each. in the beta, we only found and killed five! And that took three months! Then he just fucks off and leaves us.
Keeping a cool head, I run out and buy the weapons I used in the beta. A 1911 and a M-4 assault rifle. I picked up also some flashes and smoke to be on the safe side. As I leave something catches my eye. A trench knife.
Using the rest of my money, I buy the combat knife. Just in case I run out of ammo and need to make a last ditch effort to survive. Time to head out and get some levels. I jog out of the city and into the wilderness. The lore of GGO is that it is a post nuclear war environment. There are mutated everything to act as the games mobs. Also undead and demonic creatures thrown in. You know, variety. It is split in sectors, watch has a theme to it. The theme for the beginning is that of a forest.
Selecting single shot for my rifle, I start to fire and take out the level ones in the area with accurate head shots. In real life, my father loved guns. He was a marine in the USA before coming back to his homeland of Scotland. Where he met my mother. After I was born and turned nine, he taught me how to handle most small arms. Mom did not really "like" the idea of her nine-year old child holding a rifle longer then he is tall. Over the years, he trained me to shoot as good or better than most American Marines. We came to Japan just an after my thirteenth birthday.
After an hour of this, I level up twice. Finally taking a break, I open my menu. Going to stats I look them over. There are two.
[STR] dominates recoil absorption, if I can hold and use higher tier weapon (LMG's and etc), and it dominates my inventory weight limits.
[AGI] dominates speed of character. Plain and simply
I also have two skill slots. One is for [small arms] (I.e my weapons).The other I set for is [perception]. Need to find to things to kill them.
I put half in strength and half in agility. Not going to focus just yet. Though, I probably am going for an agile build. Getting up from my resting spot, I head farther into the wastelands. There's a safe outpost a few miles out. There's a quest there to get a sight for my rifle. Can't keep iron sights forever.
As I move, I keep the my eyes moving. Making sure no one sneaks up on me. Another thing about this game was it was designed to be a big PvP game. I don't wish to die by some dick player on the first day.
After a few hours and a lot of shooting, I reach the town just as I fire the last shot from my 1911, into the final rabid dog of a pack that has been hounding me for the last mile of road.
I find the gunsmith that holds the quest and ask him if he needs any assistance. He asks me to go and clear out a nearby subway station. Never gave the reason. Just wants the creatures in there dead. Accepting, I also sell my trash mats to him and buy a lot more ammo, also a combat helmet with a flashlight on it.
I immediately start to head out after buying my equipment. I jog out of the shop, only to run into a small figure, outside of the doorway. Knocking them over. "Oh bullocks. Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" I say to the downed figure that I now see is a girl. She has raven colored hair. I offer her a hand up, which she takes.
She looks at me with dull ocean blue eyes, surprised from being bowled over. Pulling her up, she answers back, "yeah I'm fine, are you doing the sight job too?" I nod "You want to party up? I," she gives a nervous laugh, "I am kinda scared to go in those tunnels."
I quickly agree, secretly I too despised those tunnels, and send her a party invite. She accepts and goes to get the quest. Looking at her name. I read Cheshire. Like the cat from wonderland. Nice name.
After she gets the job, we head out north to the AO. (Area of Operation). Looking at Cheshire, I notice she is a submachine gun user. Strapped to her is the MP5. Looks to be the 9 mm version. I don't see any other pieces on her though. "Is that the only gun you use?" I ask midway to the tunnels.
"Yeah, I used this gun for most of the beta. I fell in love and now it's all I use." I can feel her. I fell in love with the 1911 even though it is one of the weaker .45's with a terrible mag size. But if American soldiers won World War 2 with this as their side arm, then I can win the game with it as mine.
Arriving at the subway entrance, I lay out the plan for her, "I'll take point. You follow behind me and cover my back. When we stack, I'll take the right and go first you take left. When we get to the tunnel system. I'll need you up front with your weapon in the hall sections. Do you have a flashlight?" She nods, confirming the question.
We go down the stairs and stack on the door into the lobby of the subway. I signal "on three" with a countdown to one, I step back and kick the door open.
Heading in, closely followed by Cheshire, I see two undead humanoids. Firing twice, they both fall, I hear a short burst from behind. "Clear right!" I call
"Clear left!" She calls back to me.
I point my gun to the hallway leading farther in. "moving up." I walk down checking all rooms we pass. Few had hostiles which I quickly dispatched. We get to the tunnels easily.
Remember the entrance to the sub tunnels to be small, I sling my rifle and draw my sidearm. On Cheshire's go, I kick the door and she leads me in. We kill all the undeads here too. Then we reach the tunnels.
The tunnel for this instance I remember is about a few hundred meters long and is just a curved circle with a room at the far end that holds the field boss.
Cheshire starts left. I reach out and grab her shoulder, "wait, I did this before and it did wonders to help clear this alone." I take out a clip of my assault rifle and place of in my mouth. "Get ready," I grunt out.
I level the gun and sent the entire clip of my rifle down the tunnel. After the echoes ended, the zombies came shuffling out of the darkness from both ends. I take right and she left. We stand back to back for fifteens straight minutes just killing the hoards of zombies. Oh the money we well get.
When the last died, a message popped up. "Tunnels clear! New objective - defeat field boss [zombie king]" Cheshire leads the way and we soon arrive at the boss room.
In the back is a giant zombie. We quickly open fire at it's head. As it shuffles closer, taking the bullets like a... Well boss, I switch targets and blow out its rotting knees.
With a roar, it falls onto its face. I quickly jump onto it's back and press the rifle to the back of its head. Slapping on full auto, I pump the entire clip into its skull, splattering myself with brain matter and gore. When I run out, I take my knife out and repeatedly stabbed its neck. Then it shattered into crystals. Cheshire and I level up twice.
Laughing I get up from the ground and go over to Cheshire. "That was awesome, nice job with that sub!" I get to her and hug her. I am a rather affectionate person.
She laughs too and we head out. Just as more players arrive. "Sup fellows, sorry we just finished up in there. I think the respawn for this place is a half hour." They just stare at me and Cheshire. Seeming to eye bang her. She looks really uncomfortable under their eyes. And a few were staring at me. Creepy.
Clapping my hands to get their attention off her and all onto me. I say to the men "Best of luck to you! Watch for the king, he can take abuse, got to get close to finish that bastard." Indicating my blood stained self." Take him at the knees." With that I grab Cheshire's hand and lead the way back to the outpost.
We walk for a bit, then Cheshire spoke up "thanks for getting to stop looking at me like that." I pat her on the back and continue on without saying anything.
Getting to the quest giver, we get the sights. A red dot square version not that crappy looking middle eastern scope one. The America one. I also get the EXP needed to level up again. Damn, we're on a roll today. Using the rest of my money, I buy from the man some ammo, a suppressor for my 1911 and fore grip. Leaving enough for dinner and a room at the inn.
Cheshire buys ammo and a gun barrel from the man. I believe it's to reduce recoil. We head out and go to a nearby vendor to get some sandwiches. "Thanks for partying with me Crow, it was fun to fight with you." she says as she opens her sandwich.
"Same here, even though we could die from all this. I had a blast fighting through those hoards." We share a few more laughs while we eat. We finish our food and get up for the inn. It's about ten at night when we get there. Walking in we are greeted by a woman with green hair.
"Welcome players! The rooms are 100 dollars each!" I stumble forward from surprise. The rent is around five times more. From the surprised look on Cheshire's face, this shocked her too.
Looking at my money, I cried "Shit! I only have 50!" Cheshire said something similar but a little more. That barrel had really put her back on funds. Rubbing my hand through my face I sigh. "Dammit... I guess I need to go get some money. Cheshire, I'll give you some so you can get some sleep. I owe you for the help." I open a trade window and give her forty dollars to get her to a hundred.
"How about this, we share a room." All I do is stare at her. "What there nothing strange about it." Yes there is. A guy sleeping in the same bed as a girl he just met. But I was tired, so I just nod. "Okay, at least I don't have to go mess around at night with those rabid fuckers all over the place." I think in my head.
She rents the room. It is hers for the entire week. Heading up, we enter the room. It was furnished with a plain bed and had a shower with a curtain in one corner.
"Dibs on the shower! Need to wash the zombie brains out of my hair." She agrees and goes lay down on the bed. I go in and close the curtain. Unequipping all my gear and cloths, I turn the shower on and wash the gore from my hair and body. When I'm done, I put my causal clothes back on without the boots. Stepping out, I call that the showers free.
She gets from the bed and heads over and I flop down on the now vacant bed. I get under the covers and scoot to the side. I start to fall asleep as Cheshire got into the bed. She snuggled in close against my chest for warmth and fell asleep. I soon followed not caring at this point. Just glad for the company.
I wake up to a quiet sobbing next to me. It's around six in the morning. Shifting, I find Cheshire crying into my shirt. "Are you okay?" I quietly ask her. She was shaking badly and didn't answer.
I scooped her up and hugged her. She hugged me back, crushing my ribs, ow, and continued to cry and shake. She stops after an hour and untangles herself from me. "Sorry."
"Ah think nothing of it lass. I'm here if you need to talk to anyone or need a torso to crush. I'll try to stay until you no longer need me around." I give her a smile which she smile back to. Then I falter. I notice she is not wearing anything but underclothing. "Ho!" I advert my sight from her "uhh could you put on some clothes."
"Why? We're both girls here?" What... She thinks I'm a girl! Oh holy mother of hell. I get up from the bed. And cover my face, groaning into my hands. "What's wrong?"
"Wow... Oh sweet Anu! how am I going to tell you this? I am... Uh not a girl." I hear an intake of breath. "Sorry didn't know I look or sounded that much like a girl to fool anyone. Your probably going to beat my ass to the ground now right?"
"No... No... You didn't try anything and it was my fault for not realizing it." I can hear her trying to convince herself those words. She wants to kill me. I can hear it.
Sighing, I equip my gear and turn to the door. "Well this probably fucked this friendship up. Nice to have met you, see you around." I move to the door.
"Wait, where are you going. Didn't you say you would stay." This stopped me and had me turn to the girl in bed. She had pulled the covers to hide her body.
"You still want to party with me?" Wow thought she would go into an all out rage because I saw her naked. "Well then... See you in the morning, got to go make some money for another room."
She mumbles out as I turn, I only hear it with my increased perception, "you don't have to change rooms." I once again freeze. Did she just say she wanted me to stay. Guess she is scared of being alone in this game. I know I am.
"Okay," I open the door and head out to the lobby. I use the rest of my money and buy two sandwiches. These things are expensive but so good. Munching on mine, I wait for Cheshire.
When she comes down, I hand her the sandwich and we eat in silence. Getting up, we head out to grind.