"Oh...my...Goodness, gracious..." Sophie made a choked cry in the back of her throat, looking at her reflection in a puddle. Raising her fingers to the ragged part of her cheek, she grimaced. "I...I look awful. There must, must be someway that I can fix it. I'll reset my avatar. I'll log off and-"

"You can't. It's impossible." Will said bluntly, though a small twinge of sympathy went through him. He set his apple core down beside him, watching as it faded and disappeared. "Your avatar is synced with your body and mind so, if you log onto any other person's SimKinnect, you'll automatically be recognized as your character. There is no way to reset anything besides getting a new game or personally asking the graphic designer to manipulate your account, which is near impossible." Crossing his legs, Will ran his hand along the sharp side of the blade on his lap. "But don't worry. I've heard that men these days are into women with scars because it makes them look-"

A loud crack split through the air and Will saw himself lose a few meager health points. Sophie, her face red with embarrassment and anger, had slapped him, her palm red with the sudden contact. "It isn't funny of you to poke fun at my new scar."

"I wasn't." Will lied in frustration, rubbing his cheek though it didn't actually hurt. "I was just trying to be reassuring. I mean, you could try logging out but I doubt it would work."

"That's what I said before." Sophie said angrily, though she looked a bit guilty that she had hit her 'tutor of sorts'. "Erm...How do I log out?"

Will let out a bark of laughter, his blue eyes glittering with amusement. "You don't know- where the- log out- button is?" Will said between fits of laughter. "How pathetic." Pointing to his sleeve, Will grinned at her devilishly. "Right here. You press the two metal receptors with your middle and fore finger and then a screen should pop up asking whether or not you want to be logged out."

"Thanks." Sophie said grudgingly, doing what Will had showed her. He watched as her figure faded from the game, disappearing with a click of light. Then, after a few tedious moments, she reappeared, her face scar no different than before. Looking eagerly into the puddle, her expression fell, her usually perky face turning a solemnly pale shade of light purple and pink. Will, on the other hand, looked utterly delighted. He loved purple, especially mauve. When he made that known to Sophie, she threw a rock at him which, seeing as it was only a small pebble, did little to his health. Will smiled even bigger.

"Perhaps that will be your talent. Slapping and pelting people to death." Will mused, twirling a strand of hair, which was in desperate need of cutting, between his fingers. He raised an eyebrow when Sophie lifted up another rock, a bigger one this time, and threatened to throw it at him. "Of course, if you did end up killing me, I wouldn't help train you."

"Oh, bother. Then you might as well make yourself useful." Sophie complained, putting her hands on her hips.

"Fine. If the lady insists." Jumping to his feet, Will waved her along, only a little jealous that she had wings to carry her along. Granted, she didn't fly very fast and couldn't for very long, but still; flying had to be fun. Nevertheless, he scaled the plains easily, the video game assisting him at jumping at greater heights and running at faster speeds. Leaping across the stream, he felt a spray of water at his ankle, dampening his boots. Rolling when he hit the ground, he just laid there, waiting for Sophie to catch up. "Come one. We should go fast. I presume people will be spreading towards these lands for leveling up. Hopefully, we can get there before the others."

"Wait. For. A. Moment." Sophie panted, landing in an exhausted mess beside Will. Sighing, Will closed his eyes.

'Fine..."

The peace was instantly broken when Sophie pushed off of him, hurtling through the air and off into the distance, her laugh and regained spirits ringing through the air. Standing up, clearly surprise, Will blinked. She was so much like his sister, it hurt; the way she talked, acted...everything. Smirking, he sprinted after her, his feet seemingly not touching the ground at all. That was one of the benefits of being a Nephilim in the game. Not only were they faster, but they were stronger and took less damage, making up for the fact that they had no real special power. Running harder, he saw a pinprick of Sophie in the distance, hovering over a Hellhound. Drawing her bow, she fired at it, hitting it and killing it in one shot. He didn't tell her that they were weak demons; she looked to proud.

"I aimed correctly!" She smiled shyly, slinging her bow over her back.

"Yes, you did. Now, we might as well level up here." Will said, taking his sword out from his sheath. "Besides, there is an NPC weapons store not far from here that is sure to have high level weapons."

"Got it. I'm at level...nine."

"Humph. Progressing, I guess."

"I hope so." She said, her tone suddenly wistful before growing determined. "I'm ready to fight."

~~ooo~~

Utterly fatigued, for real this time, they both sat against a tree, the bright sun casting dramatic shadows across the land. Opening his stats, he smiled contentedly. He hadn't told Sophie that, while she had to take a break in the middle of their hunting, that he had cleared the Poisoned Forest a mile ahead of their journey. Whilst hunting, he had overheard a conversation between two players he didn't know, talking about how beta players couldn't be trusted. Perhaps I should keep the fact that I'm a beta player a secret, Will thought with a frown, his arms sore from combat.

Though he was happy he had reached level twenty three, he knew that, if anyone found out about his unusually high strength and skills, they would be after him. Glancing over at Sophie, he peered at her stats that she had currently pulled up. She was at level twelve. Not as high as he had wanted her to be, but it was a start.

Forcing himself to stand up, he held out his hand to Sophie. "Come on. We should get into the town near here and buy supplies. Plus, I need a new sword."

Taking his hand and hauling herself up, Sophie rubbed her eyes. "Now?"

"Yes, now." Will ordered though he admitted that he was just as tired as she was. Fluttering low to the ground with stuttering wings, Sophie yawned, trying to stay awake as they headed towards the town. Small houses and shops rose in the distance, their thatched roofs and glittering stone fountains making it a comforting sight. Maple trees as orange as the sunset painted the hills around the small town, giving the floor and orange glow.

Everywhere they turned, people gave Sophie's scar rude stares. Ducking down to hide her scar, she hung her hair across half her face, wincing as if them looking at her gave her physical pain. Opening the door to a weaponry store, Will raised an eyebrow at the dark ambiance. A girl rose from her chair, making her way to them.

"All rapiers are currently half off. Also, new helmets and gloves are in the top cases; buy them before they sell out. Can I interest you in one of them?" The girl asked without much interest, drawing her mouth to the side.

"Good lord. Rapiers? What am I going to do with those? Poke people to death?" Will snorted, his tiredness making him slip into a foul mood. "Ha. I need an actual sword that has-"

"That section." The girl pointed to his left.

"I need a custom made sword." Will said, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't want to have a sword that someone else already has, now, would I? I need a one handed sword made with the best materials you have."

"But...that," the girl widened her eyes, "that would cost a fortune!"

"A fortune that I'm sure I can pay for. Have it done when I am back from lunch." Will demanded, giving her a sharp look. "And I do expect the highest quality. Come on, Sophie."

"You've been dragging me everywhere and, once we get to someplace, we are already on the move to somewhere else!" Sophie said as Will pulled her from the shop. He ignored her, dragging her across the street despite her mumbles of exasperation. He was starving, anyway, and he was sick of apples. Thankfully, there was a bakery nearby that sold concession snacks and breads, which tasted undeniably better than any food he had in the real world. Well, except for the chocolate cake from the restaurant around the corner of his house, but that was only a little better than the food he had eaten so far in the video game world.

After he had finished buying two sandwiches from the counter, he patted a chair beside him for Sophie, holding out a sandwich for her. Taking it hesitantly, she whispered her thanks, sitting down and biting into it. Between a mouthful, Will looked sideways at her, holding his sandwich in one hand. "After I get my sword, we should go to the Poison Falls, which, unfortunately, is near the edge of the first floor map. They're still coming out with updates."

"That's what I mean!" Sophie exclaimed, swallowing her bite. "We end one thing and begin another."

"We have thirty one hours left." Will pointed out, shrugging. "You might as well make the most of it."

"I guess." Taking another bite, Sophie chewed for a moment before turning back to him. "How many floors are there?"

"Well, there is one below this one that we call the Hellfire Realm because it is death to low-level who goes there. The Hellfire Realm is a very difficult plain. Since it's beneath the main floor, this floor, we say it is level zero. Above this level," Will said, looking up, "is the Aerial Heights- a heaven of sorts, people say...if you consider heaven to be a place where winged angels, who are nearly impossible to kill, are after you every second of the day. But...the best loot is on that level."

"Oh...Then what is the main purpose of the game?"

"Become the strongest, basically." Will muttered between a mouthful of bread. He never knew digital food could taste this real. "Did you get any items from fighting today? We did have an agreement when it came to loot."

"Here. Take it." Sophie sighed, polishing off her sandwich and going to her inventory. Giving him a crystal, she slumped back into her seat. "I think its for swords, so I have no use for it."

"It is. You can combine it with a blade to make it stronger." Will took the crystal, putting it into his inventory as he shoved the last bite of the sandwich into his mouth. "My sword ought to be done by now. It doesn't take long to make."

Walking back across the street, he entered the weapons shop once more. The girl, just finishing up the sword, picked it up carefully in her hands, setting it on the counter. "Two thousand coins."

Will's jaw dropped. "Two thousand?" He widened his eyes for a more dramatic effect. "That's it? How cheap." Laughing inwardly at her confused and bewildered expression, he tossed her a bag of coins, taking the sword from her grasp. As if it were cued, the door opened and a lanky figure came through. Will and the figure instantly caught each other's stares, their eyes narrowing.

"William." The figure spoke, apparently knowing who Will was.

"Gideon." Will hissed smugly, his hand tightening on the hilt of his new sword. "I saw your brother. Still mad you didn't get into beta?"

"Ha. You think that your new sword and so called, 'beta skills' will help you." Gideon sneered. "When really, I could win against you any day."

"Oh, really? Is that a challenge I hear?"

Gideon reached to his side, drawing his sword from it's sheath and studying it. "Duel, in the town square. Five minutes. I'll be waiting."

Will grinned. "So will I."