From the very first moment I joined the game, I felt this was different. The loud music was practically tearing my ears apart, the lights almost driving me blind and that smell…
A mixture of perfume and sweat, so devastatingly real that my gear could barely manage to keep up. Everything in Club 69 seemed impeccably candid. But, nothing was in fact real. I was completely baffled. And don't even get me started on the floor, who the fuck took their time to design this tackiness?
Iven did the impossible by even getting me access to here. 'I really do need to pay him back for this,' I thought, 'I owe him big time - maybe he's somewhere around here now? I could look for him but, I don't remember him telling me about his avatar.'
I took a deep breath and looked around. In front of me, was a stage and on it was a pop Idol group I recognized. Lovesense, it had become petty widespread of late so much so that it has made its way into one of the biggest VR open world games of the 21st century, ReDo Life Online, also known as RLO. It was the first time I was seeing a live performance though. But I could not stick around and listen, I had something more important to do.
To the right I saw a bar. 'Bartenders know a lot of things, they know people,' I thought. Or at least, that's how these things worked in movies. The guy behind the bar was staring at me blankly. The only thing missing would be a question mark above his head. He was neither hostile nor friendly. 'Beats me, his probably just a bot.'
After questioning myself whether to approach or not, he raised his hand and signal me to come over with a hand gesture. I hesitantly proceeded to the bar and took a seat on one of the bar stools. "First time?" the bartender asked while eyeing me up and down. "Yes." I bluntly answered.
Bartender- "Then welcome to the real world my friend."
Loki- "Seriously? It's the Matrix all over again?"
Bartender- "That's the trend around here. Better get used to it."
Bartender- "So, what can I get you?"
I looked around to make sure no one was listening before I spoke.
"I need answers." I responded with a sharp tone in my voice. "Do I look like tourist information to you?" he responded. "Aren't bartenders supposed to talk to their customers?"
He shook his robotic hand. The soft sound of rattling ice cubes in the shaker he was holding wasn't the most discreet hint.
Loki- "What do you have?"
Bartender- "Alcohol, simulation ranging from 1 to 3 per mile. It's hard to stand straight after drinking the strongest one. And the after effect is stronger depending on the level. Dizziness, drowsiness, you name it."
Bartender- "Non-alcohol drinks simulates cold and warmth on a scale from 0 to 10. And increasing or decreasing sensitivity to stimuli, also on the same scale."
Loki- "How does alcohol work?"
Bartender- "What do you mean how does that work. What are you, twelve? Go ask your mum."
'What the? Who designed his personality. Is he supposed to be a dick?'
"Just give me Alcohol 1." I said. It took a few seconds for him to grab a glass and pour in what I believed was what I ordered and put it in front of me. I grabbed the glass and pulled up to my mouth. It was a classic pint of beer. It tasted a bit like lager, but was dark like stout. I had drunk beer before, so there was no need to be cautious.
At least that's what I thought. My vision was getting more and more blurry with every sip, I felt the heaviness in my limbs. The music became damped. The sensation felt so real I was starting to believe that this was the real world. But the feeling was a tad exaggerated.
"So, what brings you here?" the bartender asked. Still disorientated from the drink I answered, "I am looking for somebody." The bartender spoke, "Yeah just like most of the guys here." He continued "Don't worry, people are coming here to have some fun, even with this avatar of yours you should be able to find someone, friendly."
"She used to use an avatar of a red-head girl with emerald green eyes, early twenties, dressed in a mid-evil style black dress, black boots and black stockings." I explained and continued, "She had this habit of fiddling with a pendent necklace."
Bartender- "Sounds like a keeper."
Loki- "It's just unfinished business."
Bartender- "Sure it is."
Loki- "I owe her. And that's it."
Bartender- "Whatever helps you sleep at night but no, I haven't seen anyone like that around here."
'Bartenders know everything my ass.' "Then there's no point in me staying here." I started to get up from the chair when his robotic arm pulled me back down. "I didn't say I cannot help you at all." He said.
The shaker moved before my eyes suggestively. I bit my lips. 'I didn't get shit last time for my drink. But do I really have a choice here?' I thought and forced a smile.
Loki- "Same, please."
Bartender- "And that's the type of customer I like."
It took a few seconds for him to grab a glass and pour in what I believed was what I ordered and put it in front of me.
Bartender- "Now, did you notice anything weird about this place?"
Loki- "That this part of the game exists?"
The bartender laughed and said "Fair enough. But what about its visitors?" He gestured towards the dance floor. The crowd was so dense that it was hard to see anything particular. Changing lights and loud music didn't help me to concentrate. "Wait a second, the crowd!" From what I knew, the user base of Club 69 didn't exceed two hundred people. Right then, there were at least Three hundred avatars in the club itself.
Loki- "It's impossible for so many people to be here!"
Bartender- "Very good, newbie."
After he said that, it became clear. I started to notice patterns in the avatars movements, repeated animations. They were great, but far from perfect. "Bots!" I mentioned. "Yeah, but that's not all." He continued, "Take a closer look at the crowd, I hope your girl has better moves." I kept watching the crowd, captivated, and hoping to find anything that would remind me of her.
Then I saw her. The girl moved sensually, with her hips hypnotizing while slowly swinging from side to side, and her breasts, barely contained by a microscopic crop top. The girl was smiling seductively every time our eyes met. Soon I noticed she was doing the same whenever somebody looked at her. "AI!" I thought. "She's not the best one around here, but pretty good, isn't she?"
I continued to look around. My eyes stopped and fixed themselves on a couple. They looked like they were arguing loudly, but I couldn't make out any of their words, only a general impression that she was angry and shouting at him while he was asking for forgiveness. "She looks real." I said, "But he looks confused, not angry. There is something about his hands."
Bartender- "It's a GoodMike4.0. He's supposed to act like a human, but he can't get angry with Her"
Loki- "It looks like she doesn't know its AI."
Bartender- "Yeah. Humans ignite conflicts all the time. He's just programmed to mitigate one."
Once again I continued look around, analyzing every little detail. One character seemed to grab my full attention. It was her, the same person I had described walked through the crowd, evading everyone in her path. A red haired girl with a necklace in the shape of a pendent hung from her slender neck.
I couldn't lose her. Not again. I had to know why she left me that day. Without a trace, breaking our life into pieces after all those years. I got up from my seat and quickly followed after her, not paying any attention to the bartender that just helped me find her.
Suddenly, somebody bumped into me, nearly knocking me over. I tried to pick up the pace, but I was drowning in the sea of hot, sweaty bodies. The overwhelming stench of alcohol was making me sick. It felt like hours, but finally, I managed to break free and emerge on the other side, seeing a sign that read "Private Rooms". I saw a strand of her hair disappear behind one of the doors in the corridor. This was it, I found her!
I took a deep breath and rushed towards the room. Suddenly, I realized the corridor seemed to stretch out into infinity. The doors to her room receded with every step I took forward. I felt like I fell right into a horror-like movie trick. The perspective kept distorting.
I was exhausted trying to reach the intended door. "Holy shit!" I stopped and looked carefully around. "I get it!" It was a separate level designed specifically to boost the tension and make the users even more impassioned. "Smart move. Not smart enough though."
I started looking for meaningful details. There it was! The handle! I focused on that tiny feature and successfully approached her room. A shiver ran down my spine. My heart was racing like crazy. I was about to see her again, after all these years ...
Knock Knock!
A girl answered the door, "Yes?" The door was opened slightly enough for me to see her upper body. I was speechless. Meeting her for the first time in years since she left was thrilling. And she was naked. She was wearing a new avatar, but her sliver pendent, the one I gave her on her birthday, which was the same day we had our third date, was hanging between her ample breasts.
Deep down in my heart I felt she was her. My Rose. "Sorry honey, not right now, I'm waiting for someone else." She said. She tried to close the door and go back into the room, but I was faster, blocking the door with my foot. "What the hell?" before she could say anything else I continued "Wait! I need to talk to you." "Talk? I don't even know who are." As soon as she said this, the tone in her voice changed from confused to seductive. "Oh, I know the kind of 'talking' you want."
She opened the door wider, grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to her. I could feel her breast pressing against me. I was trying to remind her of who I was, but her hand, slowly moving towards my dick, was too distracting. Her tongue playfully caressed the skin on my neck, making its way towards my ear. "Mmm, you smell nice mister." She started to rub my cock through my pants, her touch, both tender and arousing at the same time, was erasing any remaining thought from my mind.
Loki- "Shit!"
Suddenly, her grip on my balls tightened painfully. We weren't joyfully playing around anymore. She was threatening me! She whispered in my ear. "I told you, I'm waiting for someone." She released her grip and took a step back. "So get lost." After being relieve form the pain, I bent over, placing my hand on my balls. "It's not like that. Don't you remember me?!" I said.
I barely struggled to speak. "Rose!" My finger pointed towards the pendent hanging from her neck. "What are you saying, I don't know you!" She responded. Her face paled, and she clutched her necklace. I wanted to calm her down, to explain who I really was, but then everything went to shit. My vision suddenly and intensely became distorted beyond recognition. The sound of people, cars, doors, speakers turned into one big mash and echoed in my ears. The world plunged into darkness, and I suddenly felt nauseous.
The smell of burning flesh hit me painfully. There was nothing, but agony, pain and darkness.
To be continued…