12
Nervous.
Self-Conscience.
Afraid.
These were but a few emotions Rick was feeling as he paced back and forth across his living/dining room in his apartment the next afternoon after school. He was also amazed that, once again, Leander had been right, Sam did send out a mass email to everyone the night before, asking where they could have a Legion meeting. Rick volunteered his place, and the time was set.
As soon as he got off the school bus, he bolted up the stairs of the building – waiting for the elevator would've taken too long – and got to cleaning everything he could think of; especially the bathroom! Seeing as how it was just him and his dad, he had no idea of how four girls would react to seeing a male-only toilet!
Luckily, there was plenty of time to prepare. Lisa was staying after school for sports club activities, Sam was seeing a physical therapist for her ankle, and Sarah and Jayne had to make a trip from uptown after their private school let out. But was the "plenty of time" enough? His apartment was so... shabby compared to Sam's opulent manor. Even Lisa's apartment was nicer than his.
Not that it was a contest or anything...
A ringing of his apartment buzzer – heard through his neurolinker – snapped him out of his thoughts. Checking the camera on his Virtual Display, he saw a cute face framed by light brown hair and what appeared to be a synth-paper bag. His girlfriend, Samantha Watt.
"Come on up," he said through his neurolinker's uplink to the apartment's local net. At the same time, he pushed the button on his display, allowing her entrance to the building. A few minutes later, a knock on the door announced her arrival and he took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Not for long, probably, but alone just the same!
Letting out another breath he opened the door.
"I brought snacks!" Sam said cheerfully. "Hope you like donuts!"
Rick grinned. "What un-American commies don't like donuts?" He motioned for her to enter with a grand flourish. "Welcome to my humble abode."
She entered and looked around the small room. "Wow. When you said it was small -"
"I know, I know," he chuckled. "It's tiny."
She shook her head. "No, I was expecting it be smaller than this! Before I was adopted, one foster parent I lived with had an apartment half this size! And I was one of four foster kids she took care of!"
Thinking about it, Rick had trouble visualizing an adult and four children living in a space smaller than he was in now. Heck, with just him and his dad, the apartment felt too crowded sometimes!
He smiled and motioned to his old – but trusty – couch. "Wanna sit down? The others should be here soon, but you're first, so you get your pick of seats! We have the couch, an old recliner, and this lovely wooden chair between them."
Sam giggled at the presentation and responded by primly sitting on the couch, back straight, bag on her lap. She motioned with her eyes for Rick to join her.
He gulped and sat next to her, not quite sure how things should progress. Or even if they should progress. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before Sam stared speaking.
"So, I was thinking about what we talked about the other day. Uh, Sunday. At the territories. About... uh... kissing?" A pink blush slowly spread across her face and Rick realized that she was just as worried and nervous as he was!
"You, uh... you don't say," Rick replied, trying to sound confident. He wasn't entirely sure he should be having this conversation with the two of them all alone like this, but he wasn't about to change the subject either!
"Yeah, um... you don't say," Rick replied, trying to sound confident. He wasn't entirely sure he should be having this conversation with the two of them all alone like this, but he wasn't about to change the subject either!
"Yeah, um... well, I just figured that everybody always makes too big a deal when it comes to a first kiss, you know?" she explained. "I think that... uh, if... if we just got it over with, we wouldn't be so, you know, nervous about it, right?"
Rick's throat was so tight he was having trouble breathing, much less speaking! All he could do in response was nod. Was she really suggesting what it sounded like she was suggesting?
"And," Sam added quickly, "I don't count that quick little peck I gave you near the bridge. That wasn't a proper kiss." Her face was almost bright red now, yet somehow, she still managed to keep a sense of composure.
"So," Rick managed to croak, "you want to, uh, take away all the mystery and mystique of the first kiss?"
Sam looked at the bag in her lap before nodding. She looked so un-Samlike, as nervous as she obviously was. She was actually cuter when she was flustered, Rick observed. She certainly didn't display this kind of vulnerability to many.
Rick scooted a little closer and leaned in slightly. She mirrored him and raised her head, looking him in his aquamarine eyes. "So," he said quietly, "I guess we should just... stop overthinking it and, uh, do it?" He knew he was failing miserably at sounding confident, but he had nothing else to work with!
Carefully, he brought his hand to the side of her face and gently stroked her cheek with his fingers, like he'd seen in all those Rom-Coms his dad liked so much. Maybe that was why he watched them; advice. Sam seemed to like it, letting out a small sigh and resting her face in his hand.
He gulped. It was now or never! He leaned in, while bringing her face closer to his, moving slowly so as not to scare her. Her eyes were already closed, but he kept his eyes open, mainly so he could see what he was doing. He was so nervous; he was afraid he'd kiss her nose or chin!
Their faces literally inches from each other, a loud BZZZZT made both of them jump suddenly, forcing themselves apart, leaping to opposite sides of the couch. It was only after a few moments that Rick realized it was someone buzzing him to let them into the building.
Checking the live feed, he saw Lisa, arms crossed, a foot tapping. She was glaring up at the camera. Sighing, Rick let her in, looking at Sam, who grinned and shrugged.
A minute later, Rick opened the door and Lisa walked right in. "Yo! Am I the first one here?"
Rick sighed as he shut the door. "C'mon in."
"Hey, sis," he heard her say to Sam. He turned the corner and saw Sam sitting ramrod straight, her bag still in her lap. Her face was a light shade of pink. "I thought I'd be the first here. Those donuts?"
She plopped down next to Sam as Rick sat on the recliner. "So, what have you two been up to?" she asked.
"Nothing," They both said at once, rather loudly. They glanced at each other, then quickly away. Yeah, that wasn't suspicious at all...
"I, uh, just got here". Sam said quietly, her blush returning in full force. "I beat you by like, thirty seconds."
Lisa's eyebrow's rose. "That right?" She glanced at Rick who refused to open his mouth for fear of the stupidity that would tumble out. "I bet. Well, whatever. Just don't go all mushy on each other while I'm around, or I'll spray you two with a garden hose."
The two said nothing, studiously not looking at Lisa nor each other.
About half an hour later, Sarah and Jayne Lieber arrived, also carrying snacks; bagels from uptown, which Lisa punched on immediately.
Sam, Sarah, and Jayne all watched longingly as Lisa greedily smeared cream cheese on her bagel half. It was nearly to her mouth when she noticed the stares. "What? I have a workout tonight."
"Must be nice, not gaining weight," Sarah said.
"Lucky athletic types," Jayne added.
Rick just smirked.
After everyone had eaten something. Sam rose from the couch, signifying the start of the meeting; the first real meeting of the newly expanded Crystal Conclave.
"Thank you all, for making the time to meet. I hope this is the first of many meetings, each time with more members. Also, thank you Rick, for the use of your apartment.
"I also hope that the majority of our meetings don't have to be so serious, but recent events have forced our hands. Fortunately, if we play our cards right, we may be able to gain a foothold of legitimacy, politically speaking. I may have been able to find the Conclave a strong ally."
Rick grinned inwardly. That was Sam; always thinking of the future of her Legion.
She moved from in front of the couch to around the coffee-table, in front of the TV. Her face was one of concentration, as if she were collecting her thoughts. Finally, she let out a breath and nodded at the four pairs of eyes looking at her.
"Upon hearing from a source I trust," she glanced at Rick, "I have been able to confirm that Peach Parfait, Senator of the Slip Circuit and child of Pewter Slip, has been abducted in the Unlimited Neutral Field by the Lupus Guard."
Both Sarah and Jayne let out quiet gasp of surprise, looking at each other in shock.
After a moment, they both nodded, acknowledge that the Lupus Guard would absolutely do something like that if it fit their purposes.
"Having talked to Pewter Slip," Sam continued, "she was able to confirm that Peach Parfait was ambushed while hinting Enemies with a small party of level 5s and 6s, when they were ambushed.
"She's level 8, so she was able to put up a fight, to allow the party to get away, but not everybody was able to. The ambushers ordered her to leave with them, or they would perform unlimited PK on her allies that had died in the attack. She takes her responsibilities as a Senator very seriously, so naturally she agreed to go with them, to save her fellow Legion-mates.
"Those that managed to escape returned to their fallen allies after the ambush party left. Once the dead respawned, they returned to the Slip Circuit to report what had happened."
"Where did the kidnapping take place?" Jayne asked.
"Apparently, they were going to fight the Enemies guarding the entrance to the International Hell Labyrinth."
Everyone but Rick let out a groan.
"What?" he asked. "What does that mean?"
"The International Hell Labyrinth in the UNF is the U.N. Building in the real," Lisa explained. "Which means the kidnapping -"
"Technically happened on our land," Rick finished, understanding the problem. It was a fairly early, yet devious way to set up an opponent. "But Pewter Slip can't think -"
Sam raised her hand, shaking her head gently. "Relax. Pewter Slip is a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them."
She turned her head slightly, looking at Jayne. "Also, I know what happened to you yesterday, and I'm sorry you had to suffer that sort of pain. I was aware of the bounty on all of our heads, but I had no idea they would ever send anyone like that after you. Understand that, if we decide to put my plan into action, there's a very real possibility that we may run in to Magnesium Apex in the Unlimited Field. If so, you two," she looked at both Rick and Jayne," will need to be the ones to face him. If you don't, neither of you will be able to move on."
Both nodded silently, though Rick wasn't entirely sure what she meant. Of course, where Sam and Brain Burst, that was par for the course.
"But before we cover anything else," Sam said, "I need to give you a little background on Magnesium Apex. I know why he does what he does. See," Sam turned away a little, actually looking nervous, "we have the same parent, Zinc Burst."
Everyone perked at that. They all wanted to know more about Sam's past as a Burst Linker. Especially Rick. She let out a half-smile and nodded.
"Zinc Burst," she started, "was the first Burst Linker in New York – possibly even in America – to reach level 9. He was parent to three, as Gen-Oners were able to give the program out three different times. Myself, obviously, Pewter Slip, his real-life little sister, and Magnesium Apex, his friend. We were all in the same foster home, you see." She glanced at Rick as awareness spread across his face.
Duh! He though, angry at himself for not recognizing the hint. The three others she lived with in the apartment smaller than mine! She practically shoved that hint down my throat! Why else mention it?
"As often happens to those in the foster care system for a long time, we were pretty close, though we all needed a bit of time to learn to trust one-another rand our foster parents. When Greg," she sighed. "Zinc, came home from school that day – first grade – he stared talking about a new game that downloaded onto his neurolinker right in the middle of the class, without him doing anything. He said it could stop time, and his personal avatar would get armor and he could be a hero in a fighting game."
"Well, we didn't believe him, of course. Who had ever heard of such a thing? Well, to prove it, we mailed him about a dozen or so net surveys – you know, the cheesy surveys we would fill out as kids asking about favorite colors and movies and stuff, He completed them all – about thirty of them – in about two seconds. Obviously, that caught our attention."
Everyone let out a chuckle.
"At the time, Greg knew that he could give the program out, but that it might not take, and that he only had three chances. He gained a few levels and finally decided to let 'Pex, uh, Magnesium Apex download the game. When it took and his avatar was revealed, well, you've fight him. The two were a nearly unstoppable tag team."
Rick started at that. If Magnesium Apex had been a Burst Linker for so long, why was he level 7? Shouldn't he be level 9 by now, running his own Legion?
"Greg," Sam continued, "was only in First Grade, six years old at the time, and I was only nine myself, but Apex was eleven, back then. Really, he was a bit of a loner and something of a bully he got Brain Burst. It changed him for the better, and he and Greg became good friends, despite the age difference.
"Well, about five or six months after the two of them began to dominate the Accelerated World, I was adopted into the Watt family. As a good-bye gift, or as a way of staying in touch, Greg let me try to install the game and it worked. I'm not entirely sure when Pewter Slip downloaded it – she's a year younger than Greg – but soon after I got settled into my new family, the four of us were the most talked about team across the AW."
She smiled at what Rick had to assume were fond memories. "This was before any of the major Legions were established and the Metallic colors were lifted above all else. At that time, things were much more chaotic and hectic, with several little Legions vying for power and trying to grow their meager borders. It was like an actual game; no politics."
Rick certainly wished it could go back to that!
"Well," she sighed, "Greg thought the game was fun, but that the penalty for dropping to zero burst points was too harsh, losing Brain Burst forever. This was before we knew about the memory loss. All four of us agreed that it wasn't fair to weaker Burst Linkers that didn't have anyone to guide them, as four foster kids who could understand that feeling.
"So, we tried to establish the borough of Manhattan - or at least most of it – as a safe haven for those who were short on points and needed help to recover."
"A Legion with a social welfare plan," Sarah commented.
Sam nodded. "It was around the same time that the Lupus Guard was formed in the Bronx and began to take over the entire area. Not long after, Titanium titan appeared and established his Empire in Staten Island."
Everyone was on the edge of their seats, eager to know more, but Sam was quiet for a moment. Finally, she let out a sigh and turned away from the group, head bowed.
"Around two years ago, Zinc Burst was ambushed in the Unlimited Neutral Field and driven to total point loss. Nobody knows why or how, but many suspect another level 9 had to be involved."
"Well, of course," Jayne chimed in. "Who else but a level 9 could take out a level 9?"
Sam shook her head. "It isn't just that. See, the only way to attain level 10, the only way, is to defeat five level 9 opponents."
"That doesn't seem too tough."
"But, when a level 9 Burst Linker is defeated by another level 9 Burst Linker, they immediately lose ALL of their points."
A look of realization spread across Sarah's face. "That's why you hardly ever level 9s fighting in the UNF! They can't risk being ambushed by another level 9!"
Sam nodded. "And while nobody knows who did it, at that time, there were only two other level 9s that were known to the Accelerated World, and one of them doesn't leave Staten Island.
The quiet implication hung in the room, everyone knowing that the only other level 9 would've been Silver Lupus.
"Afterwards," she continued quietly, "everyone kind of went their separate ways. Greg was the one who was able to keep us together, focus u son one objective. And when we learned that, not only had he lost Brain Burst, but also all of his memories about it and all of our adventures together... well, we all lost something special." A tear trickled down her cheek.
Rick couldn't imagine the feeling of losing a person that close, not to illness or death, but to amnesia. To know that that person was so much more than what he could remember. It was almost like a form of living death.
"I put my anger and anguish towards fulfilling his dream of a safe space for down-on-their- luck Burst Linkers. Slippy, uh, I mean Pewter Slip developed her brother's tenacity when it came to gaining burst points and leveling. When Zinc Burst died, she was level 4. She got to Level 9 within a year of that. Then, she and Greg were adopted by a nice family in Queens and that's where the Slip Circuit was established.
But Pex... lost more than we did, I think. He was level 7 then, and he almost uninstalled Brain Burst. I couldn't blame him, really. He saw his best friend go from certifiable genius back into a normal fourth-grader. Well, he became a bit of a recluse after that. He went to court and was able to get himself emancipated, so he didn't have to belong to the foster anymore and he just disappeared.
But now you tell me he's back and acting as a bounty hunter? And that he has an actual child that may be the youngest Burst Linker ever?"
Rick and Jayne both nodded.
"That's quite the revelation," Sam mused. "Still, while I'd like to sway him with words, I can't see a conversation changing much. At the end of the day, the one thing that Magnesium Apex responded to, better than anything else, was the duel. He always spoke with his sword."
Rick nodded again. "That's the sense I got. He didn't seem like a bad guy, his violence towards my Legion-mate aside. He just seemed... lonely. I... I think that's why he made his daughter into a Burst Linker; he wanted someone to be with."
There was quiet for a few minutes before Lisa spoke up.
"So, the question remains: Do we rescue Peach Parfait?"
"Slip can't do it, or be seen aiding anyone to do it, because she'd be invading another Legion's borders, which is an act of war under the charter the four Legions signed."
"But we're not members of the charter," Lisa said.
Sam nodded. "Yes, but there are obvious risks in doing this. If successful, we could gain a major ally in the Slip Circuit, however. I would hear your thoughts?"
"What's to talk about?" Lisa asked. "Another Burst Linker is in major trouble, we all know who did it, and Silver Lupus is a jerk! Let's do it!"
A wry grin escaped Sam's lips. "Everyone feels this way?"
All four of them answered in whoops and shouts, expressing their desire to do it.
"Well then, I guess that's decided," Sam laughed. "Keep in mind, we have no idea where in the Lupus Guard she may be being held, nor who's guarding her. We'll have to be quick, and speed will be better than strength."
"But," she added, "with Mauve Dictionary – who no doubt will insist on joining us – we're a Legion of six; hardly a competent invading force. If you can think anyone who might be willing to come with us, talk to them. We'll need the help."
Lisa smirked. "I have an idea of who to ask."
Rick had an idea or two himself.
"Well then," Sam said, sitting back down on the couch, "now that that's settled, we need to talk about avatar levels. We don't know the level of the avatars we'll be fighting, so it might be a good idea to get a few free burst points; what do you think?"
"Free burst points?" Jayne asked. "How so? I'm always down for free stuff!"
Sam nodded at Rick and he rose from the couch. "Well, the other night – or morning is more like it – I was visited by Emerald Buckler. Who said she was present at the territory battle, the other day."
Lisa, Sarah, and Jayne nodded, Lisa looking a little sheepish, even though she and Rick had already discussed this.
"So, it turns out that she was the one who turned in Terracotta Break. As punishment, Pewter Slip used the Judgment Blow on him, taking his burst points and putting them on a gift card of sorts. Then, Buck gave the Conclave the card as recompense."
He shrugged. "I talked to Leander about it and he said to split it evenly with everyone."
"But we haven't even been in your Legion for a week yet," Sarah said, motioning to her sister and herself.
Rick held his hand up, much as Sam did when she wanted quiet. "Excuse me Sarah, but this is OUR Legion, and you and Jayne are very much a part of it. I mean, you two were there for Leander when I couldn't be. If that doesn't make you a Conclavian, I don't know what will. That said, Leander specifically told me to make sure you two get the same amount of points as the rest of us."
"But -" Jayne started.
"Leave it," Lisa said. "That's how Leander is. You're in the Conclave, you're family. He may not act it, but Leander's a very caring boy."
"So, if the discussion's over," Sam said, "I thought we could distribute those burst points." She reached into her pocket and pulled out several XBS cables, handing them out to the others. "Well need to for a directing chain."
Rick and Lisa both plugged in their cables without question, but Sarah and Jayne eyed the cables nervously. Directing with another neurolinker was an act of complete trust because it opened each neurolinker to the one directing with it, meaning that with the click of a virtual button, all of your private files and information could be displayed on the other person's AR screen without you knowing anything about it. Rick could well understand their apprehension.
"Please," Sam said sweetly, holding out her cable to Sarah. "We won't go snooping in your 'linker. IF you're caught doing it, the penalty is the Judgement Blow, no exceptions."
This seemed to do little to ease the sister's anxieties, but after a moment of silent conversation between the two of them, they complied, linking to each other first. Then Sarah took Sam's cable and plugged it in.
The group sat in a semi-circle around Rick's living room, Rick linked to Lisa, Lisa to Sam, Sam to Sarah, and Sarah to Jayne.
"Now then," Sam said to them in neurospeak, directly into their heads, "I'll count down from three and then we'll activate Brain Burst together, okay?"
Everybody nodded.
"Three, two, one-"
"Burst Link!" everyone shouted.
Rick's living room vanished, as did the four bodies linked together by wires on the furniture, and instead, everybody's assigned home avatars stood in an empty blue cube.
His personal avatar was the exact same one he was assigned at school; himself wearing neatly pressed khaki slacks and a white polo shirt. Brown penny-loafers completed the ensemble. Not having had any real friends except for Lisa until recently, he'd never really thought he'd need a home avatar. Now that his stable of relationships was growing, he'd need to reconsider.
Lisa's normal home avatar was a waist-high purple bunny, cartoony, with big eyes and floppy ears wearing pink pajamas and a nightcap. Next to Lisa was Sam, looking like her normal self, but in her tennis outfit, complete with sweatband and tennis racket. Her parents had selected her avatar for her and Rick absolutely wished he could see her like this playing tennis on the school net, but the servers wouldn't allow the skirt or the amount of leg it revealed.
Curious, he looked at the twin's avatars and there, saw a study in contrast.
Sarah's avatar looked just like her, but had a complete Disney Princess make-over. A long pink gown hiding her feet, golden blond hair in a braided pony-tail that trailed her back, and elbow length pink gloves covering her forearms. A diamond tiara rested atop her head.
Meanwhile, Jayne had become a punk rocker. A small black T-Shirt – which exposed a pierced belly-button – and black jeans with holes in the knees was her entire outfit, but it was her hair that caught the most attention, spiked in a mohawk. Sh had more piercings in her ears, nose and tongue, and held an axe-style electric guitar over her shoulder.
"That... seems a little extreme, don't you think?" Lisa asked Jayne.
Jayne smirked. "Said the bunny in PJs." Lisa responded with a laugh.
"Now then," Sam said, swishing her tennis racket to get everyone's attention, "Rick, if you would be so kind as to hand me the gift card so I can distribute some points?"
Accelerating in the Brain Burst program like they were, Rick could access his inventory, no problem. But because they were directing, he could've accessed any of their inventories and they never would know. Not that he never would – Sam's threat and his own morals wouldn't allow that – but the temptation was always there.
He clicked the BB logo that his avatar could see in its digital display and only ever appeared while he was accelerating and accessed the Options Menu. Here, he could check his Move and Ability lists as well as his win/loss/tie record and other various things about the game, but what he needed now was his inventory.
Clicking the appropriate link, the window opened to reveal the only two things that Rick owned in the Accelerated World; the Heart of Gold enhanced armament and the small gift card containing the burst points of one Terracotta Break. He made a number of selections and sent the card to Sam, who nodded in acknowledgement she'd received it.
Sam closed her eyes in concentration before looking at everyone. "Divided five ways, everyone will receive seven-hundred and forty-seven points."
Rick's jaw dropped. That was almost four thousand points on that card! And terracotta Break STILL hadn't been level 5!? How many points did you need? He knew it would be a lot, but still!
To get to level 4, Rick only needed two-hundred and fifty-nine points, so he'd figured he'd probably make it sometime after Memorial Day when school let out. But now? Heck, he'd probably make it sometime after Memorial Day, when school let out. But now? Heck, not only could he make level 4, but he'd have a great cushion of points in the event he hit a losing streak in a series of duels.
"What about Leander?" Sarah asked.
"That's including Leander," Sam replied.
"But you said five ways," Jayne pointed out.
"I did," Sam said. "I wasn't counting myself. What are burst points to a level 9?" She sighed. "I don't know if I'm going to attempt to get to level 10 one day, but I do know that you four will put those points to better use than I will."
"Still," Rick said, "You had to spend most of your points to get to level 9 two months ago, right? You must need SOME points as a cushion, since you don't duel anymore. I mean, just in case...?" After saying it, he realized how utterly ridiculous it sounded. Crystal Seraph? Lose? No chance!
She smiled at him. "That's sweet, but I already have a safety net of points. I spent a solid month hunting Enemies in the UNF after reaching level 9, but thanks for worrying."
Rick nodded; glad she wasn't upset at his presumption.
"Well, now that that's settled, let's get those points!" Lisa said excitedly. "I wanna see how close I can get to level 6!"
"When did you get to level 4?" Rick asked. When last he'd checked, she'd still been at 4!
"Last week," she shrugged. "I thought I told you. Maybe not...? Meh, I got a lot on my mind, so don't judge me!"
Everyone laughed.
A chime sounded in Rick's head, and he watched his burst points begin to rise, digit after digit, until it finally stopped, well above the threshold for level 4. He wondered for a moment whether reaching level 4 in two months was some sort of record.
Selecting the "Level Up" option in his Character Control menu, a confirmation window appeared. After confirming – twice – that, yes, he did in fact wish to level up, a bell rang and Rick was able to see the stats of Copper Tarnish rise, if only a little.
Luckily, when your avatar leveled, you could select two additional stats to raise a little more, so as to specialize. Up to now, Rick had always enhanced his health and defense, so as to counter against Indigo Viper's speed and attack power, but his loss to Magnesium Apex made him think twice. To defeat such an opponent, he would need agility and power, since just about anything Apex did would nearly ignore any armor he might have.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided to raise his attack and speed stats.
That done, a new screen appeared, asking Rick which of four options he would like to select, each a new type of ability or special attack. Each level, one of the options was the same; to extend the duration of how long his Heart of Gold enhanced armament lasted. And he'd chosen it each time.
Now however, he thought about his other three options. Number two would allow him to use his Special Attack gauge to increase his jumping ability, giving him devastating, dive-bomb like kicks. Option three was an aura that would surround him for a short time, damaging anything that came into contact with it, be it environment or avatar. But option number four...
For some reason, that one caught his eye. It would allow him to change his punches and kicks – usually blunt-type damage – into either slashing- type, piercing-type, or blunt-type at will.
It spoke to him, and he didn't really know why. After all, it didn't really matter what he hit Magnesium Apex with, he wouldn't be dealing all that much damage. Still, it would certainly enhance his offensive abilities...
Quickly, before he could change his mind, he selected option number four. With that, the menu closed and Rick was left with only the blue Accelerated World and the four girls who watched him intently. Apparently, he was the only one who had leveled up.
"All good?" Lisa asked
He glanced at Jayne, a tiny spark of guilt over her pain, despite what Leander had told him. Solidifying his resolve, he nodded, looking at his friends, standing in a row in front of him.
"Yeah. Let's do this."
All four girls nodded back and Sam stepped forward.
"I've received word from my contacts within the Accelerated World that the Governor's Meeting I've proposed will take place on Memorial Day."
"So, when will we rescue Peach Parfait?" Rick asked.
Sam smiled. "Well, let me tell you about what Pewter Slip and I discussed yesterday..."
Thank you for reading Accel World: America, Volume 2, Burst Point. I wasn't sure whether or not I should include an Afterward for you, the readers, but since I'm trying to emulate Reki Kawahara, I figured why not? I hope you've enjoyed your trip into the Accelerated World thus far and hope you'll enjoy them in the volumes to come!
When I started writing Volume 1, I only had a very loose idea of the kind of story I wanted to tell. I wanted a very boring, normal person to get an unusual avatar with a unique ability that wasn't flying. And when I started writing, I didn't even know what that ability was! I had a few characters in mind absolutely no plot, other than friends going into the Accelerated World and having fun.
The funny thing about creating your own characters (as most of you writers may know) is that once you give them personality, they start to tell you their own story. I kind of knew that with some of the short stories I've written in the past (none of which will be featured here, thank God!) but when I started to take this project seriously, I watched as my characters, my creations, took on a life of their own! And where they went was up to them; I had very little to do with that!
Such was what happened when I started Volume 2. The initial ideas I brain stormed turned out VERY different than where the story ended up. But that was okay, because again, the characters were telling me the story. I was just writing it down. That said, I always HAD decided that Volume 2 was going to end on a psuedo-cliffhanger. The ideas I had for continuing were just too elaborate to include in a single Volume, so as soon as I finished Volume 2, I started on 3. Here's hoping it's up soon, right?
Again, I thank you for reading my humble little story, that started out as a simple idea and has actually become something I'm proud of, even if not everyone may agree. I'd also like to thank my beta-readers (you know who you are) and my friend Axar for typing and posting my story while I am unable to do so. Without any of them, you wouldn't be able to read this or anything else I've written. If you have comments or questions or ideas, please post them! I'm open to criticism, so don't think I might be angry or petulant. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing, so anything constructive you have to say, by all means, say it!
With luck, those of you who care, Volume 3 will be out soon and the adventure will continue. Until then, adventure on...
-Quovatimus