1 Routine Development!

There once was a time when I was a normal person. A person who went through the routine of their life with little passion and determination. I guess one could say that my current life has been lackluster thus far. It isn't often that my routine is interrupted. Tonight was no exception.

It had been a few months since I actually started playing VRMMORPGs, and I started to play one that was suggested to me by a friend. It was called Infinity Unleashed.

Infinity Unleashed boasts itself on the user's ability to direct their own destiny and have near infinite choices in their experience. A world that sits outside our own with super-powered beings where one person could be a world-saving knight and another could pursue their dreams of being a baker on the same server. It was truly a marvelous game, and since it was the Nerve Core Virtual Reality set, it allowed for full immersion for the player. It didn't take a genius to figure out why something like that became an instant hit on par with even the Call of War games.

It may not be the most exciting game on the market, but its simple controls and flamboyant abilities make it easy for even the most casual gamer.

That meant that it was right up my alley. That is why recently I have been spending a lot of my time after my physical training to boost my character in that game. It was kind of a big thing coming up in the new guild that I recently joined. In my eyes, I was progressing rather nicely to take my rightful place in the upper echelon of the guild.

"Infinity Unleashed! Hyaahhh!"

Those familiar words that accompanied the intro sequence were called out from my television screen. There, I could watch the same few characters appear on the screen and go through their usual motions. Despite how cool most of those characters looked aesthetically, most of them were a bit tedious to actually play alongside. You see, Infinity Unleashed is a VRMMORPG and one of the originators of the sentient NPC. As the name suggests, the NPCs within Infinity Unleashed are actually sentient within their world, and depending on the server at the time, the story will constantly be different. Even in the online servers, the story was always shifting to go with the flow of time.

While waiting for the game to properly load, there would be a sharp ringing through the air. A thudding vibration layered onto the additional sound.

'I wonder what Tomika wants right now."

Looking at the phone, my guildmate and friend from Japan suddenly called me. It wasn't too uncharacteristic to receive a phone call from one of my guildmates, but Tomika did break the routine.

"Hello -"

"Where are you, Dom?", Tomika asks frankly.

"As impatient as always, T. I'm booting up the game right now -"

"Hurry up."

With that being said, Tomika ended the call as quickly as I had accepted it. A huff escaped my lungs as once more the impatience of the woman caused me unnecessary stress. While I was online, I played under the alias of "The_Dominator," and for short, those who knew referred to me simply as "Dom." In reality, my name is Dominik Forte. A twenty-one year old college student with a little bit of time on my hand. Good grades were my goal, and excellence was my destination. I'll no doubt be the best in this virtual world in my region. I got the confidence, and I got the time. I guess you can say that I was always a man who got what he wanted.

My family could be traced throughout the city of Los Angeles, and a little over two centuries ago, my ancestors were brought over to America. That was then, but flash forward now, and you will find that I am no different from any regular person who goes through their lives. Scrap that, I am likely better than your average person. Especially when it comes to gaming. Not to toot my own horn, but to this day, I have yet to lose any type of duel in Callous Warriors. Sure, I have only faced less than ten people, but the logic still stands.

As I took up my controller and took my seat, that same ringing occurred.

"Another phone call?", I muttered.

I was correct. Hopping up, I went over to retrieve my phone from my desk. I had expected the phone call to be from Tomika since she was the impatient type. Though to my surprise It was not. The phone screen indicated that this phone number was an unfamiliar number. It wasn't uncommon for a random person to call asking for someone else or a spam call from an organization designed to waste my time. Most of the time, I normally answered and listened to it for a second.

Usually, there would be a brief stint of silence before the automated voice blurted out whatever message that was intended for my ears. This time was different. There was a delayed silence before a soft feminine voice reached out.

"Are you The Dominator?"

The words, although simple, actually surprised me. Considering that the label was my gamertag online, I was a bit stunned to hear the voice on the end refer to me by it. Keep in mind that I didn't know who this was, so I firmly denied that person a response by simply hanging up on them. I was planning to return to my game, but before I even placed my phone down it, the ringtone sounded off in my hand. Looking at it, the words on the screen said the exact same thing as before.

This time, I decided not to answer it. I simply placed my phone back on my desk. Knowing Tomika, she would be throwing a gasket about now for me being a second late. Since the game had completed loading up, the first thing that I did was meet at the usual spot for my party.

"You're late."

Tomika's voice blurted out of the screen due to me not having my VR set hooked up yet. Her voice was combative as usual, but I tried to overlook it. On the surface, she isn't the most hospitable individual, but she is consistent. I will give her credit for that.

"I had something to do, so try not to hold it against me that much, kay?". I respond playfully.

Tomika was not amused by my sentiment. Booting up the game before placing my VR set on also broke my usual routine, but it could easily be overlooked. Upon the connection of my headset, there is no longer any need for a controller. All five of my senses warped, and soon, I began seeing things from my avatar's perception.

An indicator usually popped over the head of an avatar once a person swapped controls, so I wasn't too surprised to see Tomika's eyes hover over that spot. Considering that Tomika had been playing this game longer than I was, it wasn't too surprising that she wore a special insignia next to her name. That insignia was shaped like a tree with small branches branching out. It was an indicator of her race. If the long pointy ears were not proof enough, Tomika's bright red hair was a clear indicator.

From what I gathered, Elves within Infinity Unleashed is the race that has the most variety when it comes to hair color. It was ingrained in their design, so it was often obvious to spot an elf and what subspecies that they come from. Tomika knew that, but she never once attempted to mask her race. She had light gray eyes and currently wore a dark red robe over a black, leather armor that shielded her upper torso.

Tomika was actually undersized for a fully matured elf. She's barely over five feet and five inches tall, and her long red hair trailed down her back in a braid.

"Come. We have things to do now.", Tomika ordered.

Although she wasn't really in charge, Tomika seemed to enjoy bossing me around. Maybe it was because I was a newbie compared to her, but her venom leaked out no matter what she said. She could wish you a happy birthday, and it would sound like an insult.

"Fine. Fine. I'll lend you my strength again, Senpai. God knows that you need it."

Tomika snapped around when she heard me call her "Senpai." She didn't like it when I called her that since I always said it in a mocking tone. Still, her sharp gaze did make me flinch for a second. Despite being six inches taller than the woman, her gaze was enough to trigger my instincts.

All things considered, I expect that I could beat her if we really came down to it. While Tomika was an elf, I opted to be a human. I was aiming to be a knight in this world, but I hadn't yet reached that status yet. It was fortunate that I joined the guild since they gave me the tools necessary to at least dress like one.

I had this set of armor that had no helmet. The shoulders are actually pointed and moderate in size. They're decorated with a silver base and a gold lining around the edges. My upper arms are protected by a pair of crimson, armored gloves that reach from my fingertip to my elbow.

The breastplate is made from many layers of smaller metal pieces, mimicking the scales of a dragon. It covers everything from the neck down and ends at the groin, but there's a fairly wide neckline that is somewhat exposed. Now, the upper legs are covered by a chain-mail skirt that is wrapped around the front of the groin. The lower legs are protected by silver and gold-lined greaves. The boots had a red arrow painted around the front, and a gold line wrapped around it. I didn't necessarily earn it, more so it was like a hand-me-down. Someone in the guild before me had this armor

The only thing I had that was unique to me was the red tips that I had in my braids. I was actually surprised that they allowed a person to have their actual hair transferred over, but I was also allowed to make alterations to it. That gave me the opportunity to redesign the bland braid tips to one that looks more fiery in comparison.

"I know - I know. Let's get onto my pressing matters, T. Where are we headed to today?", I ask her, attempting to divert that piercing gaze of hers.

A sigh of relief slipped when I felt her scrutiny shift away from me. The way Infinity Unleashed logins worked is that the player could choose a location that the main character spawn in upon choosing the game. It granted options, and currently, the two of us had spawned in the last place that was located. That being the outskirts of a walled city named "Astakoplis." It is a melting pot city where a lot of the races intermingle with one another, but more importantly, it is where the headquarters of our guild is located.

"The guild wants us to head south for an event. They believe that we can handle it, so we have to meet their expectations.", Tomika explains.

Our guild was called "The Gold Coin Brigade," and it was one of the most influential guilds on this server. They tipped their toes inside everything, and that included sending foot soldiers like Tomika and I to deal with odd quests to help the guild's economy. I am never against a good quest here and there, but I do wish that we can keep the reward for ourselves sometimes. It is thanks to the guild that we are able to get as strong as we could according to Tomika.

"A sudden event? Now you have my attention. Where are we going?"

She held out her hand, and before my eyes, a screen flashed. This was a skill of Tomika at work. One that she earned through her servitude of the guild. After a moment of scrolling through the options, a map appeared and filled the small screen.

"We're heading to Stormpass.", She answered.

I had heard of Stormpass. It was a relatively decent sized town in the south, and its not really known to have any good loot nearby. That meant that most players stayed away from it since they would gain nothing worth the journey. The developers must have noticed its dwindling population and placed an event in hopes of helping things out.

"Stormpass. I assume that we get to keep the loot this time since I doubt that it would be anything notable."

Tomika shrugged her shoulders at my words. Her map screen closed, and the elven woman pointed towards the Astakolpis in the distance.

"We have one person to pick up now, so let us return to the guild to gather the supplies needed for our journey.", Tomika instructs.

Her instructions were sound, and as such, I would follow her towards the gates of Astakolpis. There was this sneaking curiosity that filled my mind as we approached. Not only was I curious about the identity of the person we were going to pick up, but I wondered about what kind of event would happen in Stormpass. It must not be too impressive since they were sending just three members of the Gold Coin Brigade, but I could never guess. Tomika was the one running point, so it's best to let her do what she does best.