You have Mail

TO: V

FROM: Koby

SUBJECT: The Funerals Tomorrow

I heard you weren't coming. Please do, it would mean a lot to his family. Besides, apparently they have something for you, something he left for you.

I know you're taking it pretty hard, but don't go back to the way you were, remember you can always talk to us.

I hope to see you there.

The Red Longarm walked around looking in wonder at the world around him, it was much more realistic then he had ever remembered "Wow…this place just keeps getting better, no wonder she liked it so much"

"Are you lost?" a cheerful voice asked breaking his reverie. The Longarm, whose face was covered from the nose down by a red mask, looked down to see a girl with lime green hair in 2 short spiky pigtails smiling brightly up at him.

"Sorry?"

"I asked are you lost? Don't you understand me? you must be a foreigner! Have you played "THE WORLD" before? Are you just new to this server or new to the whole game, wow this is so exciting!" said the girl in a single rushed breath. The intrusion had been so sudden that he stopped for a moment to look at the person who was talking so enthusiastically at him. She was wearing a knee length skirt with high boots, but only enough to cover her chest above her waist all in different shades of green.

"Who are you?" he asked feeling a little over dressed in what looked similar to a full ninja suit covering almost every inch of the body, with the exception of the upper face.

"Oh, I'm Lanah! I'm a heavy axeman! So where are you from?"

"I'm not a foreigner" said the Longarm getting annoyed "I'm V, a Longarm"

"V ey? That's so cool, really mysterious ya know? Just one letter. Are you new to 'THE WORD?'"

He nodded looking around them, "Yes I came here looking for someone, have you heard of a girl named Tiffi?"

The girl stood thinking for a moment "No, although it does sound…no, sorry" she shrugged. The boy turned around and started to walk off "wait! Wow you are fast, is that an ability of your character? Where are you going?" she asked running to catch up.

"To find her" The boy kept walking.

Lanah rushed to keep up "But you can't go on your own! You're a newbie! You'd be crushed for sure if you didn't have me around! Please jus-""

"I'll be fine" there was a seconds silence as a thought crossed her face

"We should form a party!" she girl said excitedly and altogether suddenly.

"No"

"But-"

"Listen kid, I said no. I know what I'm doing, besides I'm not going to be here long….I'm just here to find Tiffi, why don't you go find some friends"

Lanah stoped with tears in her eyes "but…I just wanted to help…"

The boy stopped, he was a sucker for a crying girls. He tried as hard as he could to keep going, but just ended up letting out a long irritated sigh "Fine" he sighed "You can stay….but just until we find Tiffi, she might want to be friends with you"

The girls face immediately cleared up and she was beaming with a smile "Really? Wow you wont regret it! We have an adventure to do as well, that's great! So where are we going first?"

V stopped "I….I don't know" he said slowly "We need to find Tiffi"

"Then we should go to Mac Anu, where there will be lots of people!" The girl skipped ahead "follow me! It's good to go somewhere with lots of people because we can ask em questions, it's a great place, all the hustle and bustle, I love the city! I prefer it better to the country side, how about you? The country is just so boring, no shops …"

For the entire journey she didn't stop talking or asking questions. "So why did you start playing? I started because my cousin bought the game for me for my birthday! It was so exciting that I've become totally hooked!"

V sighed "what have I got myself into?" he mumbled

"What was that? Anyway I choose this character because I thought it would be really interesting, It's rare for girls to become heavy axemen, they don't think they look cute, but I think I turned out really cute don't you?" she barely took a breath between each sentence. "Well? Don't you?" he eyes started to get tears in them again.

"Yes…you're very cute" he said as quietly and quickly as he could.

"REALLY?" she squealed and grabbed hold of his arm "awe you're too kind, you're pretty cute yourself, if I could see your face, may I?" she reached up to remove the mask looking at his deep emerald eyes.

"No!" he pulled back "don't….ever" he said not angrily but as an order.

"Whatever!" she giggled and went on talking, she was now hanging off his arm. "Why'd you pick a Longarm? And why do you cover your face all the time, it seems a little anti social, I mean you can't be that ugly!"

"I-uh…" he was totally perplexed with the girl who was so open in asking difficult questions.

"How long exactly have you been playing? I've been playing for a few weeks now and I think I have the hang of it, but Derek, he's better than me, a real sweet heart, he's been so helpful to me, he's great!"

"I just started today, I told you, I need to find Tiffi"

"Aw is that your girl friend?" she asked excitedly

"No" he spoke slowly and with out emotion

"So who is she? A friend?"

"No"

"I've got it! She must be your sister!"

"No"

She continued to talk, and talk, "Well I'm an only child, people say it makes me loud and attention seeking…"

"Okay!" V snapped suddenly "I get the point! And let go of me!" he shook her off his arm

"well anyway if you're new I guess you wont have any g.p.?" she didn't seem to notice his attitude "How will we buy anything, I mean I have a few but I spent all of mine on a new powered up axe" she pulled out the weapon "isn't it cute? So what weapons do you have any way, I think I read somewhere that Longarm use spears…or something like that!"

He pulled out what looked like a spear with a large flat axe head on top "This is what I use" he said this almost proudly

"Wow, that's really kinda cool!" she giggled "we should see what it can do! Besides I'm sure a newbie like yourself will need to level up! We might even earn some G.P." she grabbed his hand and dragged him to 'Gate Kaose' "This world should have a few weak monsters, and stronger ones for me. I want to be really strong before I go on my first mission!"

Suddenly a human faced dog came out.

"Is that all?" she smirked "watch a pro you might learn a thing or two" she took out the dog easily. "See? Do you even know how to equip weapons and stuff?" As she was speaking a large hydra rose up behind her. "What? Ah! That shouldn't be here! Why is it here!?!" her voice was frantic "we have to run!" she grabbed his hand and the creature started to attack.

V jumped in front of her with a venomous look in his eye. "Do not attack my party…" he said in a low voice before leaping into the air and letting on a barrage of swift attacks. The creature exploded into dust and the longarm landed softly on his feet. He reached his hand out to the girl sitting on the ground. "Are you all right?" he asked

She took his hand and stood up ":y-yeah…sorry, I'm usually more composed in battle, but it took me by total surprise, such a high level monster" she smiled taking a health drink.

She giggled "wow, you are some hero I mean I wish I could do something like that, you're so brave…"

"No, really" what you could see of his face was turning a pale shade of pink.

"NO!" Within a heartbeat Lanah leaped across him taking a direct blow from a hydra. She fell into V's arms. "ugh…look's like I returned the favour, oh no…I've been poisoned, and I don't have any antidote!" her eyes swelled up "well I died a hero didn't I? Hey, promise me you'll keep playing ok? Go find your sister" she smiled up at him and went limp in his arms as her health drained to zero.

He turned around and glared at the now swarm of 5 or so Hydra. Pulling out his weapons he attacked relentlessly with some new found power and strength. Each time one attacked he attacked back two fold.

"You will not take my team!" he yelled flipping off the back of one and onto another. It attacked him and threw him off. He jumped back towards it beating it to the ground. V jumped back up again looking around and realised he'd killed them all.

"No!" he said angrily running to Lanah's side "not again, I will not give up on you!" he looked around helplessly. "There had got to be something I can do! I told you not to come didn't I? I said I could look after myself!" he looked down at her soft smiling face. "Lanah, Lanah!" he shook her.

Her body started to glow a faint blue, V pulled his arms away and starred in wonder as slowly her health began to be returned to her.

Lanah sat up "V!" she yelled, looking worried. She smiled upon seeing him "you survived! All those Hydra! I'm so glad!" she threw his arms around him.

"Let's go quickly before more come" he said

"Ok" she got up and followed him as he left "what did you do back there? I thought I was a gonna!"

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything"

"you must have done something, we must have unlocked a secret scenario, or else I would have got game over"

"I ran over to you after killing the Hydra, you turned a faint blue and then just woke up." He finished "Did you see or do anything?"

"uh-uh, I was floating in water"

"water?"

"ah-ha, I just heard a girl …she smiled at me and said 'V is calling for you, please watch over him' then I was back here"

He nodded slowly "wait but that doesn't…it doesn't make sense…"

"You know who'll have the most information? Derek! I told you about him before, and I know just where he hangs out, lets go!"

"Ok, but no more saving me ok? It's not good for my reputation"

"oh…ok! It's just a short trip but on the way we can have a good talk!"

"Oh no…"

"You told me you were a newbie! It's not nice to lie to a girl you know!"

"But I am…"

"You beat all those Hydra single handedly, your character must be so levelled up!"

"uhhh…"

"I forgive you, so anyways…"
Underneath his mask the longarm smiled, finally ready for the adventure ahead.