"You're going to lose, Lightworm." Will hissed, holding his sword in front of him. Accepting Gideon's duel, Will swiped up at the green light in the air, a small timer appearing above their heads. By then, a crowd had gathered around them, leaving a large space for them to battle. Whispering excitedly, many passerby's paused to watch, making bets and staring curiously at the two duelers.

"As if." Gideon laughed, his green eyes glinting. Will narrowed his own; he had never cared for the Lightwood brothers, whether in real life or in video games, and couldn't wait to wipe that sneer off his face. Raising his sword, Will did a mock bow at Gideon before turning around, getting into position. "Fight to the first red or fight to the death? I would just say fight to the death, it makes it much easier."

"Fight to the red health." Will said, obviously just wanting to contradict Gideon. "I wouldn't want to have to kill you, now, would I?"

Gideon curled his lip in disdain. "As if that would happen." He said right before the timer went off.

There had always been something elegant about the clashing of swords, reflecting light off like shattered glass. Even in a video game, it was no less entrancing than it was then. Gideon, he admitted, was an adept fighter, though Will blocked his attacks with ease, his arms feeling as if they were moving by themselves. Drawing his sword back, Will slashed forward, hitting him across the cheek, leaving a red mark. Gideon's health went down to yellow and Will felt a sense of triumph. Deflecting a fast blow from his opponent, Will hooked a foot underneath him, tripping him easily and sending his sword skidding across the slick, stone floor.

The crowd had gone up into an uproar of excited voices, their chatter ringing across the town. Recovering quickly, Gideon grabbed his sword, stabbing at Will. He hit Will's leg, though it hardly skimmed him, creating a small line. Grinning, Will lunged, sinking the blade into Gideon's shoulder and forcing him down. Pulling it out and holding it to his throat, Will tightened his hand murderously on the hilt, pressing the point into Gideon's skin. "I won. Your health is at red and I wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Of course, the whole crowd is watching, so, I wouldn't." Forcing Gideon to his feet, Will smirked. "That was a quick duel, wasn't it?"

"I call playing winner!" Someone called from the crowd. Gideon grabbed his sword, stalking off into the crowd with a scowl.

"Next time, William. You only won because you're a cheat." Gideon called out. Will pretended not to notice and instead turned back to the crowd around him, his sword clutched in his hand. Slowly, his mouth turned upwards in the corners, a grin ghosting across his lips.

Soon, he was flooded with duel requests, the more competitive players convinced that they could bring him down. Player by player, Will brought them down, easily defeating them with simple sword attacks and trickery. With every player he fought, the bets started piling up in his favor, the buzzing and shouts from the audience dampening his opponent's spirits. Sporting eyes as hungry as wolves, Will dueled savagely; winning the only thing on his mind.

Sophie had been watching from the balcony of their hotel, perched on a chair with her bow in her hand. Glancing up at her, Will spared little of his worries that he was wasting their practice time; he was having too much fun winning. It had become a sport, of sorts, one that involved violence and his spotless streak of wins.

He found it amusing at how riled up the audience was getting, competitive duels having apparently become very popular in the game. His skill, with each battle, had gone up, his experience points filing into his level bar.

Suddenly, the crowd went utterly silence and Will swore that if someone dropped a pin, he would be able to hear it. A tall, rangy boy in a white cloak and boots stepped out from the crowd and into the makeshift ring. His outfit looked almost like a photo negative of Will's, his facial feature's coloring surprisingly so as well. "It's the Archangel," the crowd seemed to whisper, their eyes flashing between the boy and Will.

"Want to duel?" The boy said simply, a pleasant look on his face. "I've seen that you are quite adept at such a skill."

"Oh, I was just leaving." Will said coyly, turning around. He stopped short when a screen popped up in front of him, another duel request pending. "But I could possibly fit in another one." Accepting the duel from the strange boy, Will looked behind him.

Casually, the boy drew a wicked sharp blade from his side, which was engraved with silver wings. The hilt, as silver as the blade, was fitted perfectly in the boy's hand as if it had been made especially to his measurements. With a respective dip of his head, he smiled, his silver eyes twinkling as he stepped back and got into position. "Good luck and may the best swordsman win."

"Oh, honestly." Will laughed sharply. "We don't need to duel to know the answer to that."

When the timer hovering above them rang, Will leapt forward, hurtling at the boy with his sword. Daring out of the way, the boy hit Will in the back with his sword, health points dwindling down to light green. With a slash of his sword, Will whirled around, aiming right for the boy's head. At almost an inch away from his neck, the boy ducked the sword, batting it away with his own.

Perfectly in sync with timed attacks, Will gave his hardest while the boy looked like he was blocking and attacking effortlessly. With bright eyes and a focused expression, the silver boy hardly flinched when sparks flew just a hairbreadths away from his eyes. The boy, Will noted, was fast. Too fast, almost, with complete concentration and flawless timing. There was something strange and robotic about his movements, the sword acting as if it were merely an extension of his arm rather than a weapon.

Whirling behind Will, the boy caught him from behind, locking his arm around his neck and pressing the tip of the sword into Will's back. "The word is true. You are pretty good." The boy observed, hardly out of breath. "With the right training, you would shape up just fine." Turning to the crowd and keeping the sword against Will's spine, the boy smiled. "Go on. There's nothing more to see."

To Will's surprise, the crowd dispersed reluctantly, looking at the silver boy as if he were the god of the town. Struggling to get out of the headlock, Will hissed angrily. "What kind of sick game is this?"

"The question you should be asking is, what kind of sick game have I dragged myself into? Chances are, you're one of those players who think they're on top of the world." The boy murmured, his tone light though his words were drawled and stern. "You have great potential, but I'm sure you know that." Pulling away, the boy circled Will to the front, a slight smile on his mouth. "You are?"

With a deep scowl, Will glared at the boy, his blue eyes dark with embarrassment and frustration. "Why should I tell you?"

"I have a feeling that you and I could be friends. Guild members, more like." The boy said, his smile broadening.

"If I must, it's Will."

"Pleasure to meet you, Will." The boy slid his sword back into it's sheath. "I'm the Archangel, well, as the town members call me. They make up names in this game for people they consider good at fighting. It's a pity so many people focus on weapon skills rather than other things as well."

"Archangel?" Will snorted, a sneer in his voice. "Do I have to call you that stupid name?"

"Of course not. If you want to know, my name is James, but you can call me Jem." Jem answered, his teeth gleaming as he grinned. "Everyone who knows me personally calls me that."

"Well, then that doesn't make your nicknames very special, do they?"

"It's not something special. It's just merely a name that stuck, both of them...Though I didn't particularly choose to be called the Archangel." Crossing his arms, Jem looked at him curiously. "So, are you already in a guild?"

"A temporary one," Will answered, looking up at where Sophie had been just a few moments ago. "Just to help train this one girl."

"I've never been one for crowds, though I don't mind meeting new people. Where is she?" Jem asked, looking around for someone. Will turned away from him, hiding an irritated expression.

"I haven't the slightest clue. Besides, I never said I wanted to be in a guild with you."

Ignoring Will, Jem tilted his head to the side. "Is that her?" He gestured at Sophie, who was standing timidly by a shop. He thought for a moment, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "S-So...Sophie?" He inquired, turning to Will for confirmation. "Is her name Sophie?"

"How did you-"

"Probably heard her name before." Jem lied, pushing his silvery hair from his face. "Well, seeing as you don't want to be in a guild, I guess I'll be on my way." Facing the other direction and walking slowly, Jem pulled the white hood over his face. "Farewell, Will. I hope we meet-"

"Wait." Will interrupted, moving forward and taking Jem's wrist. "I could use some help training Sophie. She's as daft as a rock."

Pausing, Jem looked back at Will, his face serious and eyes neutral. "Of course. It would be my pleasure."

~~ooo~~

Sharpening his blade, Jem looked at Will thoughtfully. Walking towards Jem, Will tossed him an apple, which he deftly caught before it hit the ground. Saying his thanks to Will, Jem set his sword on the ground, biting into the apple as he stood up. Raising an eyebrow suspiciously at Jem, Will frowned. No one was usually this helpful on video games. It has to be a trap. Either way, Will felt as if people were following him and knew that, if any jealous players decided to come after him, he wouldn't be strong enough to fight them off...Not that he was about to admit that.

"You've almost got it." Jem reassured Sophie, taking her bow gently and showing her how to hold it. "This way, it's more balanced and less likely to waver."

"Good lord, Jem. You look like an NPC by the way you teach and act, you know that?" Will called out tiredly, leaning back onto the grass. Sitting back down beside Will, Jem dropped his smile, looking away from him.

"Well, NPCs can't make their own decisions and I want to help you both. Doesn't that give me credit enough?" Jem said softly, drawing a dagger from his belt. Throwing it, it hit the tree on the target that Sophie was aiming at, quivering in the middle.

"Why did I invite you to the guild again?"

"I assumed it was on the spur of the moment."

"It was at the peak of my stupidity."

"Whatever you would like to say."

"I'm tired."

Jem gave him an inquisitive stare. "Are you always pessimistic?"

"No." Will rolled onto his side, hugging his sword to his chest as if it were a pillow that a small child might sleep with. "What's your real name...Like in the real world?"

Stiffening, Jem gave him a wide eyed glance at the words 'real world' before relaxing slightly, fidgeting nervously. "Jem is my name. In the real world as well, I mean." Pulling up his menu, Jem flipped through a few things. Looking over, Will furrowed his eyebrows.

"You have icons that I don't have...Ones that I've never heard of and never seen on anyone else's. What is character forma-"

"Nothing." Jem said quickly, shutting his menu off. "Probably a bug." Taking another bite of his apple, Jem leaned his back against the tree. Jem blinked, and, for a moment, Will swore he could see a slight reflection of wiring and computer numbers in his eyes. "Why the sudden change of heart in asking me into the guild?" He queried again.

"It's safer." Will said plainly, shrugging. "The more people, the better."

Giving him a measured look, Jem rested his head on his hand. "Is it?"

Author's Note: To Hearts With Love- Beta players are the ones that test out the game and get a feel of it before it is released publically.

AND this is not going to be a SOPHIEXWILL OR ANYTHING story (as I said in the 2nd chapter) They are just friends...ish. That's it.