Chapter 4: Companions

The stable was located just off the dusty road. Its wooden beams worn but still looking sturdy. Carriages lined the side like waiting ships, some already filled with players in various costumes—roman legionaries, wanderers, scholars. Other carriages lie idle, waiting for their passengers.

Tayo is with a stable boy dressed in a patched tunic. Without much fanfare, he handed over a few coins. In return, the boy gave him a folded map, its edges curled and ink markings showing routes, towns, and terrain types across the virtual world.

Guy peered over his shoulder.

“Where are we going?” he asked, his voice full of curiosity.

Tayo didn’t look up. His eyes were tracing the roads on the map. “Remoni,” he murmured. “That’s where the opening’s taking place.”

Guy, drawn by the smell of hay animals, stepped inside the stable. Wooden stalls flanked both sides of the corridor, filled with horses of varying breeds—each one looks majestic. Yet, one creature in particular caught his eye.

It stood still in a far stall, quietly chewing—meat? Its body was like that of a horse—muscular, sleek—but its face was distinctly different: sharp snout, tall ears, and clever eyes. No way! Its head is like a fox. The creature’s reddish coat shimmered in the light, and its tail flicked like that of a dog.

Guy blinked. Then he grinned.

“Tayo! Ray!” he called out.

Tayo jogged over, folding the map. “What?”

Guy pointed. “I want one.”

Tayo looked into the stall and raised his brows, impressed. Another stable boy who had been tending to the horses, chimes in, “A forse,” he said. “Rare mount. Fast, smart, stubborn as heck but loyal.”

“I love it,” Guy said, eyes fixed on the animal.

Tayo glanced at the stable boy, then back at Guy with a smirk. “Alright”

The road stretched through the canopy of trees. Sunlight filtered down in patches across the dirt path. Birds flitted between the branches, and a soft breeze rustled the leaves.

Tayo rode ahead, sitting on a sturdy brown horse. Just behind him, Guy rode the unusual creature—his forse. The animal’s gait was smooth yet swift, and it responded to him as if they'd been partners for years. They overtook a heavy wooden carriage being pulled by four horses, its wheels creaking gently over the earth.

From behind them came a sweet voice.

“Excuse me! Hello!”

They slowed. The carriage caught up, and a girl, no—a young woman has her head poked out from the open side. She was strikingly beautiful—straight, jet black hair cascading down her face, a floral wreath slightly tilted as she held it down against the wind. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Hey!” she said, directing her gaze at Guy, “Hi, I’m Hiro. What’s that you’re riding?”

“It’s called a forse,” Guy replied, gripping the reins as the creature shifted slightly beneath him.

“May I try it?” she asked.

Tayo interjects. “Sorry, we’re in a hurry.” Then, to Guy: “Guy!”

But Guy wasn’t listening. His attention had shifted from Hiro to what he saw inside the carriage. Through the open curtain, he could make out a low table laden with food—bread, glistening fruit, pastries, some kind of roast. Three other players lounged inside eating and drinking.

It was the kind of meal Guy hadn’t seen in forever. After so long on strict diets, being tube-fed and carefully monitored... this looked like heaven.

“I’ll let you ride it,” he said, “if I can have some of that.”

The forse galloped circles around the moving carriage, Hiro exclaiming with joy as she leaned forward, her hair flying behind her. Occasionally, she veered off into the trees, racing between trunks before emerging again with a wild grin on her face. The creature responded to her naturally, as if sensing her enthusiasm.

She couldn’t stop laughing. It was everything she’d hoped this world would be—vivid, free, thrilling. For a moment, she forgot she was just a player in a simulation. She felt truly alive.

Inside the carriage, Guy lounged comfortably, chewing on a slice of fruit with a satisfied hum. He leaned back, soaking in the moment. Across from him sat Sophia, quiet, unimpressed, and a bit anxious. She wondered, how could her friends be so at ease in a world such as this. Didn’t they feel something was wrong, unnatural?

Hiro glanced back at the carriage, watching her friend sulk.

She muttered to herself. “I should have taken a forse too.”

She urged her steed into another run through the trees, grinning like a child set loose in a park.

The light began to thin as the road wound deeper into a dense and mist-filled part of the forest. Trees leaned in closer now, their branches forming natural archways above. The mist clung low to the earth, crawling between roots and across the road like restless spirits.

Tayo rode beside the carriage, his eyes narrowing. The steady clop of hooves slowed to a cautious rhythm. Just ahead, a silhouette emerged from the mist—a man, walking alone down the center of the road.

The coachman tensed.

“Sir,” he said, his voice tight. “Could you draw your sword?”

Tayo responded without hesitation. His fingers moved in muscle memory, pulling the blade from its sheath, as if he was a student of the way of the sword. Behind them, Hiro—still riding the forse—straightened in her saddle and fixed her eyes on the approaching figure.

Inside the carriage, the mood remained deceptively casual. Haruto watched with growing amusement as Guy devoured another pastry, licking sugar from his fingers like it was his first meal in weeks.

Sophia frowned, watching him. “This game will encourage gluttony,” she muttered.

Haruto shrugged. “Does that really matter? It’s not like it’ll actually make you fat.”

She turned to glare at him—sharp and disapproving. The carriage gave a soft jolt as it slowed to a full stop.

Moments later, Tayo’s face appeared at the window.

“We have a quest,” he said flatly.

The group had gathered outside the carriage now, standing near the nervous horses and the wary coachman.

The stranger stood before them, his name? HENRY. He had a well-groomed mustache and long dark ponytail. His armor was sleek and gleamed faintly even in the now dim light. A sword hung from his hip.

“We were attacked,” Henry said, calm and composed. “The driver and the rest of our horses were killed. The creature dragged them into the woods. My companions bailed out.”

Sophia leaned toward Hiro. “Is he an NPC?”

“No,” Hiro said, her voice hushed. “Look at his neck.”

Sophia’s eyes landed on the tattoo along the left side of Henry’s neck—proof that he was a fellow player.

“So why are you still here?” Sophia asked, directing the question at him with a raised brow.

“I have an appointment,” he replied coolly.

“That’s it.” Sophia turned to Tony. “Time to leave. I told you not to pick this town.”

“It’s the closest one to the venue,” Tony mumbled.

“But it goes through a damn forest,” she hissed.

Henry shrugged. “I have a plan to get us through.”

Sophia wasn’t buying it. “No thanks.”

She tapped her tattoo, and her dashboard hovered before her. Tony followed her lead. They both pressed the "LOGOUT" icons, prompting a confirmation screen with the question, “Are you sure you want to logout?”

“It’s just part of the game,” Hiro said softly.

Tony looked to her, apologetic. “We’ll pick another town to land in.”

“Later, Hiro. Haruto,” Sophia said curtly. Then she tapped Yes.

Her avatar disintegrated in a shimmer of light. Tony sighed and followed suit, vanishing seconds later.

Hiro turned to Haruto. “Don’t tell me you’re scared too?”

“What? No!” he said quickly—but his body betrayed him.

She placed a hand over his heart.

“If it beats any faster,” she teased gently, “you might get ejected.”

He blushed and managed a nod. She leaned in, gave him a light kiss on his lips, and hugged him.

Meanwhile, Tayo rode up beside Guy.

“If you want,” he said quietly, “we could logout too.”

Guy looked at him, stunned. “What? No!”

Haruto reassured Hiro. “I feel better now.”

Guy turned toward Henry. “So... what’s the plan?”

Henry unsheathed his sword with a confident, deliberate motion. “Wild animals don’t take kindly to running,” he said. “So... we stand together and kill it.”

Tayo frowned. “Huh?”

The coachman spoke, his voice gravelly. “What wild animal was this?”

Henry’s tone darkened just slightly. “Couldn’t see it clearly. But it looked like... a gorilla. A huge one.”

The coachman's face went pale.

“That shouldn’t be hard, right?” Guy asked, still eager.

Hiro stepped closer. “What if we go around it?”

Henry shook his head. “My team tried that. It chased us down. Besides—behind it is the bridge we need to cross.”

Nobody else spoke. The forest around them seemed more dangerous than before.

Henry glanced at them all, reading their hesitation. “It’s our first adventure,” he said with a small smile. “So—”

“Can I make a modification?” Tayo interrupted.