Fate Online: Shadow

Eleven o'clock in the morning.

Back at his apartment.

Michael slowly laid down on his bed, and then wore his virtual helmet that immediately covered his sight into total darkness, before a flash of light appeared in front of his eyes, along with a message pop up.

Connect to Fate Online?

When the message appeared, he shouted without any hesitation.

"Yes!"

Shua!

Michael immediately appeared at his previous location when he logged off.

An hour and a half earlier.

Michael was waiting at the entrance of the restaurant, while his new parents already went home ahead by themselves.

"Yo! What did you want to tell me?" a hand tapped Michael's shoulder, as Dylan stood beside him, while looking at him.

Michael turned his head towards him and said, "Do you have any plans in playing Fate Online?"

"Wait, did you seriously have me go on a break to just ask me that?" Dylan said to him, as he slapped his shoulder.

"Yes, so do you have any plans to play it?" Michael said to him seriously.

Hearing his serious tone, Dylan suddenly felt that there is something different about his friend, but he just can't just put his hand into it, so he just answered him, "I don't know bro. You already know what my family situation is, and buying a one grand worth of virtual helmet and paying $300 for it every month is too expensive for me. So yeah, I don't have any plans for it"

"Alright, I'll buy you one as long you pay for its monthly fee" Michael patted his arms, before walking away from him.

"W-what!? Hey! I told you that I'm not playing it! I won't pay you if you really buy me one!" Dylan yelled at him.

Michael just waved his hand without looking back.

"Damn, when did this guy have so much money that $1000 sounds like a meager thing for him now?" Dylan just smiled helplessly as he watched his friend getting farther away.

Dylan looked towards the blue sky and sighed, "At least I could pay the $300 monthly fee as I work to jobs, and since when did that guy become this forceful and he just left after telling me that, and only two minutes had passed since I took my break!"

"Geez, this guy!"

Michael then went into a nearby gaming center to purchase a virtual helmet, and he noticed that on the way there, a lot of the women he passed by would try to check him out, while he would then just smile at them which would make the ladies blush in embarrassment!

He entered through the entrance and saw a small line of people, waiting towards the counter as they waited for their turn.

"Hey, did you hear? Some people from Black Skull harassed the Miss Jenny from War Angel and I saw them got their assess kick earlier. Hehe" Michael suddenly heard the person in front of him whispering about the event that happened with Jenny.

"Seriously? Those from Black Skull really are shameless for harassing her"

"It was actually Kevin's brother who was harassing when she was all alone earlier, good thing a lady stood up for her and her son beat them up when one of them tried to slap, tsk, tsk"

"Serves them right, that Kevin too finally died for good, but will that family be okay though? People from Black Skull are very notorious for getting their revenge"

"They're probably going to be okay, after all, no one is stupid enough to get theirselves in trouble knowing that the people their messing with are from Black Skull"

"So what happened then? How did the guy beat them?"

"It happened like this…"

The guy then started describing that one sided fight in every detail, that Michael who is listening to them had helpless look on his face.

Then at the other side, Michael was also hearing a very different conversation.

"Hey, that man is so hot" a girl around early twenties whispered to her black haired friend, while blushing as she pointed towards Michael.

"Stop ogling your eyes. I'm sure that man is a playboy using his handsome face to fool girls like us Mia" the black haired girl scoffed.

"Oh please, this is the reason why you're still single"

Michael who were listening to the two can't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Then a few minutes later, it was finally his turn, and the action of the woman who was behind the counter made him uncomfortable.

After all, this guy isn't used to girls sending him flirty looks.

Back to the present.

Shua!

Michael once again appeared on the streets of Haven City, and around him are the hustle and bustle of the city, as the players around him peddled their items with other players or with the NPC's.

"I have an Uncommon Grade Long Sword for Barbarians for only 30 Silvers or a trade for a Hunter Bow of similar quality! Come check it out now!"

"I have three Common Grade Wizard's Staff for only 30 Coppers!"

"Selling Uncommon Grade Wizard's Robe for only 1 Gold!"

Michael just passed by the peddling players, where he saw a lot of the different character classes inside the game, with each of their different kinds of equipment they are using.

Some are wearing cheap looking plated armors or chainmail, while some in leather armor, with each player having their own weapons of their own, from staff made from some kind of a long tree branch, or rusty looking swords, axes or flails, then there are those players armed with short bows, and lastly, players in long white robes with books in their hands, with the different symbols of the gods in the game carved at the front cover of the book in their hands.

In the world of Nevareth, there are five major gods and goddesses and they are.

The Goddess Artemis, who governs the wilderness and the animals, her believers calls themselves the Church of the Wild, most of them are Hunters, Beast Tamers or Druids.

Tyr, the God of Combat, his believers resides in a building called Combat Arena erected in the middle of huge forests or mountains, its members are all Monks, who are sacred warriors who channel divine power through sheer force of will, healing waves, mantras of protection and attacks empowered with holy might from their God.

Balder, the God of Sun and Purity, his believers worship him in a place called Sun Temple, his believers are of different people from all walks of life.

The Goddess Freya, who governs love, sex, beauty and fertility. She is a goddess who exerts a strong influence on humans, who worships her in a place known as Church of Freya.

And lastly, the Evil God known as Anu, not much is known about him except that he is the God of Darkness, Death and Destruction and the arch enemy of most of the righteous gods.

There are also minor gods in Nevareth, but that would be a story for another time.