Game Quest

Tapping her right hand on a leather sofa. Vincent sat next to Auntie Freya. Still eager to know what he had done wrong.

'How close are you to Shanazer?' Auntie Freya asked, casting an unblinking gaze at Vincent, making him uncomfortable.

'Not that close. Why do you ask?' Vincent replied, yet posing his own question.

Auntie Freya paid close attention to every detail of his facial and body expressions. It was clear from the signs that he did not think of her anything.

'Well, you know that her life has changed, she will never be the same, not even our family will ever compare to her, your father is almost retiring, Olivia is not married and does not have a stable source of income, you know how bad things are, and you too don't have any source of income. We need someone in our family to connect us to OxyamCorp. That is the only way for us to survive, therefore, I want you to draw closer to Shanazer and get to know her better. Do you understand what I mean?' Auntie Freya articulated, then fired a question to see if Vincent understood her.

Vincent looked at Auntie Freya with a puzzled face.

'Auntie! Do you mean - - - - ?'

From her elaboration, Vincent had comprehended, sensed and knew Auntie Freya's intentions were.

'Absolutely!' Auntie Freya responded without even flinching.

'But I already have someone I love, Auntie Freya?' 

Auntie Freya wore a thoughtful face for some seconds.

'Forget about her and focus on Shanazer. She is a real deal, she can change the fate of our entire family.' Auntie Freya said, pausing for a while before resuming, 'Remember I am getting old, and I won't be here all the time to take care of you. Therefore, stop being selfish. We have to preserve our family legacy at all costs. In life, we need to make sacrifices for the greater good. You can't express yourself fully if you are not satisfied intellectually, spiritually and physically, which indeed needs money. I want you to think about this seriously and push this family to the next glory.' Auntie Freya gave Vincent a thorough prolonged lesson.

Vincent lost himself in Auntie Freya's words, completely contemplating them as tears welled up in his eyes. He knew the state the world was in, how bad things had become, how everyone found it hard to survive the next day. On the bright side, he did like Shanazer, it was just that such thoughts had never crossed his mind.

 'OK, Auntie, I will think about it. Can I go to bed now?' Vincent uttered in a solemn voice.

Auntie Freya gave a dim smile, knowing that she had achieved her intended goal and planted a seed in him.

'Yes.' 

Vincent observed Auntie Freya's countenance, which was now better than before.

'Goodnight then.' Vincent got up to go. Auntie Freya expressed a happy face.

'Good night.' She replied.

Late that night after coming back from syntheticas, Shanazer decided to check out the game and improve herself.

SYNTHEN? The system activated. 

The hologram display appeared in her mind.

Wow! This is definitely new? Exclaimed Shanazer in surprise. She was familiar with a smartphone display. She scrolled through the options and then pressed on the option game quest. 

 'Welcome Shanazer Athens to the game of martial arts fighters in the worlds of champions in different dimensions and fighting. Here only the strong survive! You have zero points in your account and no free package pack available.'

'The rules are very simple in this quest. You need fifty points to enter a fighting match!'

'You are still at level one stage, you have lost two matches and won none!'

'If you win a match, your points are multiplied by two, and you qualify for the next round. The opposite is equally the same. There are more than one thousand levels, and you can qualify by winning any challenge!' The games official voice gave a brief explanation.

I already know all this? Shanazer said and skipped the tutorial voice. She pressed the option to buy a package. 

What? Five hundred coins is equal to a hundred coins? This is too expensive! Shanazer proclaimed.

But I need to improve my skills. I will have to sacrifice. Besides, I am expecting to receive my daily upkeep from OxyamCorp. Shanazer thought.

Right away, she purchased a hundred points, which cost her five hundred coins.

'Congratulations Shanazer Athens! You've purchased a hundred points, and you have been granted thirty free points for accessing a gym and sparing matches.' Announced the game's official voice, and continued, 'Do you wish to draw a fight, go to the gym or a sparing match?'

Great! That is amazing! I love the free points, except losing. I guess I will start with a sparing match first.

Sparing match! Shanazer decided.

'Very well! Sparing match it is. Please note that you will use ten of your free points.' Clarified the game's official voice and went on, 'Level one selection is in progress. A beeping sound rang and a number of faces were being swapped on the hologram display, which meant player selection. The selection went on for ten seconds and came to a stop upon reaching Tingtang, the Tai chi master. With a whooping sound, Shanazer is transported onto an open stage.

She meets an old folk on the stage. He seemed to have many years of fighting experience in Shanazer's eyes.

'Hello sparing partner?'

'I hope you are going to give me an interesting fight. I have been so bord over the past two months.'

'I was beginning to think that I did not exist in the AI system. At least they remembered me, and now I will feel young again, though my hair is turning gray every single day. Come on? Show me what you got?' Stated the old folk.

Oh? Shanazer frowned and carried on with her examination. He is definitely not mean. He must have some skills, I suppose. Shanazer thought while weighing him.

'Not so soon, sir?' Shanazer challenged and paraphrased her own question, 'Do you care to tell me your real name?' 

The old folk, Tingtang, looked at Shanazer in amazement after listening to her. 

'You are strange. Most young stars I encounter seem to be in a rash, but not you?' Tingtang complimented in a questioning manner.

'My real name is Jefferson Mantagwani. And what is yours, young lady?'

'Shanazer Athens.' 

'You are fascinating! Why use your real name in a game?' Inquired the old folk, Tingtang.

'Is there anything wrong with that?' Shanazer frowned, after she posed her own question.

The old folk, Tingtang, chuckled, 'Nothing, particularly?'

'You are just too real?'

Shanazer lunged with a flying kick aimed at the old folk's head when he had put his guard down and luckily he ducked. 

'Wow! You have a little devil inside you!'

'Don't you?' The old folk, Tingtang asked.

Shanazer smiled mischievously.

'You are not bad!' Shanazer smiled even more.

'You dodged my sneak attack?' Countered Shanazer.

'You can't fool an old man like me.'

'I have so much experience with such tricks.' Retorted the old folk, Tingtang.

The two continued wrestling.

A knock came at Shanazer's door.

'Shanazer? You are requested to the outside world?' The game's voice interrupted them.

'I have to go, mister Mantagwani. Thank you so much for the time we have had. I wish there was a way to meet you again?' Shanazer expressed her deepest emotions, she felt a close attachment to the old folk.

'Me too, but we can only meet by chance, and thanks for making my day a bit cheerful.'

Shanazer was transported back to her room. The knocks continued. Shanazer thought she knew who it was, at least.

'Come in?' Her voice was filled with confidence and a bit of sweat on her forehead from the sparing match.

The door was pushed from outside, which gave a squeaking sound as usual. Next, Tairen Exon and Anna walked in majestically, looking very serious. Shanazer wondered what caused their countenances to be in such a sorry state.

Shanazer offered Tairen Exon her one and only metal stool and Anna sat on her bed.

'How are you Tairen?' Shanazer broke the silence. Tairen Exon kept looking at Shanazer with questioning eyes.

'What?'

'Have I done something wrong?' Shanazer asked, not knowing what this visit was all about? Her question was not answered, she just received a strange cold ice gaze from both Tairen Exon and Anna.