1. The Poorest_Naga

 “God I hate it!” Snow_Naga slammed her mug down on the table at the game bar and threw her arms back in despair. “If I have to get another job I’m going to throw up.”

“Hey, hey, Reicchi chan, don’t be so hard on yourself!” The adorable voice that attempted to encourage Snow_Naga was none other than her best friend in the whole world Layla. Layla’s Avatar was pretty short, only 5’0, which in LodeStar was the shortest you could go. The Symbiotes made your characters extremely large, pushing anywhere between 7 and 8 feet tall. Layla’s Symbiote however only made her 6’3, she was very adamant about her armor maintaining a cute aesthetic. It meant everything to her. Reicchi was Layla’s nickname for Reina which was Snow_Naga’s real name. Considering they’d been friends since kindergarten only Layla got the privilege of calling her that. Layla wasn’t Japanese but she thought Reicchi was a cute nickname for Reina because Reina was half-Japanese and half-Korean. Not that Reina cared too much personally which side she looked more like. There was plenty of bad blood between her relatives but her mother and father were very happy together until her mom passed away. And now…

“I have to figure this out, alright. Obviously I don’t want another job but I thought I’d have a chance to strike it big in this game,” Reina said, scratching her head. Currently they weren’t in their symbiotes so they got to see each-others avatars in their full glory. Reina had silver white hair that ran down her back with purple eyes, a sharp but well-structured nose and the type of ice-queen persona she’d always dreamed of having. Layla on the other hand had adorable cheeks with a pinkish tinge. Her eyes were a soft blue that glistened in the light and her blonde hair was done up with a princess braid with two long twirling strands of bangs. Her smile was adorable.

“Well, I mean. There’s not much we can do about that! This game is not a cake-walk you know. People mean business. Besides—” But Layla was cut short by the loud swing of the front door. Five men walked in and their faces were not thrilled.

The bar that they were in served alcohol, food, and drinks of all kinds. But it was virtual so of course, while you could taste it, it couldn’t ever affect you in reality. But that was the great part about it. It gave people that struggled with weight gain a way to enjoy their binges or alcohol without real repercussions. Naturally it had its limitations, but it was better than nothing. Of course the reverse was also an issue. If you stayed in too long you risked malnourishment but due to government regulations systems were installed to monitor your vitals, hydration levels, blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight. It was carefully designed to ensure you were alerted about everything and how to fix it. That didn’t mean people that dove in VR often were healthy, but it was better than nothing.

However the men were not there for a joyous occasion, they were there to let off some steam. Reina watched them step up to the bar across from where the two girls were seated and the man in the middle, a large fellow with a buzz cut cursed loudly.

“I swear if I catch that fucking asshole I’ll tear him to pieces!”

“As if, man, he lit your guys up in an instant, you’re just another tally mark to him,” One of his friends said after.

Then Reina recognized him. He was BrickBones, he had just been showing off that impenetrable armor of his. She wondered what had him all worked up.

“Maybe if you fuckers had logged in earlier we would have had a chance!” BrickBones spat.

Two of his buddies started shouting as well. “Yeah, you assholes left us waiting in the desert.”

“We had to eat!”

“And what about your damn armor, huh? How’d he get through it?”

BrickBones finally sat and slammed the bar. “Sonofabitch sniped me through my vizor.” Then he lifted his hand before adding, “Five rounds, whatever you got, and open a tab.”

The barkeep rubbed the glass in his hands with a towel and then nodded and began

making them drinks.

Another two guys from across the way called over, “Yo Brick, what the hell happened? Heard your bounty got claimed.”

“Shut your mouths!” BrickBones spat.

“Ay, maybe I’ll buy me one of those armors you got, once it gets posted on the market?” Another guy teased.

Reina could make out enough to know that BrickBones got killed, but by who? If she remembered correctly his bounty was decent. But claiming his armor was major money. She would have gone for it too, but she didn’t have the means to tackle that type of symbiote so it wasn’t worth her time.

“How bout I murder the both of you?” BrickBones was angry. He looked up at the large monitor that displayed daily ranking, general information, and bounties. Then he yelled, “Show Top bounties!”

The display listed the top ten and on there some notorious names were written. BrickBones then clenched his fist. “One Million on Aufhocker!” Brickbones shouted and then a screen prompt opened up. He swiped a few keys and then hit accept. Afterwards, Reina watched as the most infamous man in the game's bounty went up from 15.6 million to 16.6 million.

“Amazing…” Reina couldn’t believe her eyes. That bounty was around 16 thousand dollars now, just for being the first person to claim they killed him. If someone could get their hands on a piece of his equipment, the leading bets being on his Symbiote, which was rumored to be perfectly invisible, and his sniper because it was good enough to kill even BrickBones and that would be like… “I’d be rich!” Reina suddenly exclaimed and Layla raised her eyebrow at her.

“What kind of scheme are you up to now?” Layla sighed.

“We’re going to hunt Aufhocker!”

After Reina said that, the guys in front of them started laughing. “You? Hunt Aufhocker, you’re nuts girl. What level are you? 45?”

“56!” Reina snapped.

The men laughed harder. “I’m level 83, and I had the best armor in the game and he got me before I even saw him. What hell makes you think a little girl like you has a chance?”

“First off, asshole, I could be a sixty-year-old man for all you know! And secondly, I have something you don’t!”

BrickBones glared and shouted, “Oh yeah, and what’s that?”

“A brain!” Reina spat. “I got a plan. And once I claim that bounty we’ll see who’s laughing.”

But BrickBones didn’t get angry instead they all busted up into laughter again. “You hear that, she’s got a plan she said!”

“Yeah, she’s gonna charm him, bet she PM’s him some tit pics and lures him in for a good time,” One of the guys added.

“Oh, Aufhocker, I just love you so much, you make my heart flutter, please come take my virginity!”

Reina’s eyes began to twitch. “You disgusting pigs, just fucking watch. I'll kill all of you while I’m at it!” Reina began to reach for her side arm but Layla stopped her.

“Nuh-uh Reicchi, you know the bar won’t permit that,” Layla held her back and the two stood up.

Layla quickly paid for their drinks and the two walked towards the exit, ignoring the mens sexist banter. The truth was that many women played games now. But the anonymity granted by online only served to embolden certain behaviors. Sure chat bans and grievances existed. But on certain games there wasn’t as much moderation as others. LodeStar was a hardcore PvP experience. The PvE was great as well, and the customization and feeling of building your symbiotes, flying, player homes and workshops was a great experience for any type of player. But at the heart of it, competition was the point. Because of that the guidelines for toxicity were low. Physical harm in public spaces was impossible. If Reina had tried to use her gun it wouldn’t work. And there was a natural barrier to prevent people from touching you inappropriately based on your safety settings. But the chat was mostly free. You could say whatever you wanted and there was little repercussion. Trash talk was encouraged because it kept the money rolling in. You’d kill someone, talk shit on them, then they’d put a bounty on you, the game got a small cut and it kept people playing. It was vicious but part of the gameplay loop.

“Don’t be so angry Reicchi, I believe in you,” Layla said encouragingly.

“Thanks, Layla, those guys just piss me off,” Reina replied.

Layla nodded, her bright curled bangs bouncing. “Right, right, so what’s the plan?”

“Uh…” Reina laughed softly. “Well, you know…”

“You don’t have one, do you?” Layla said.

“Not, yet…but I will! I swear!”

“I know, Reicchi, I’m sure of it.”

“Thanks Layla, look I’m gonna go. Let me think of a plan and I’ll figure this out. You’ll help me, right?”

Layla looked at Reina with soft, beautiful eyes and smiled brightly. “Always. You can count on me. Even if you plan to take on the most dangerous man in this world, that has absolutely zero deaths on record, and over a thousand bounties claimed. Even if he does have complete invisibility and can snipe us before we get within 3000 meters of him, even if he did kill a man with completely impenetrable armor and has killed as many as a dozen people at once all by himself. No matter what the odds, I’ll be there for you.”

“You’re being facetious, aren’t you?” Reina sighed.

“Only a little. But I really do have your back, you know?” Layla laughed.

“Thanks…”

After a brief goodbye Reina logged off. She would think of a plan. It was important. The money that killing Aufhocker could roll in could be life changing. If it was 16 thousand for the kill and she got a schematic she could make…what, 70ish thousand, 80 thousand even?

Reina was laying in her bed now she took off her helmet and stared at her ceiling.

“80 thousand dollars…”

Reina sat up and turned on her light. She fixed her disheveled hair and realized that she looked very tired. She opened the door and walked into the living room that doubled as her father’s room. They had a very small one bedroom, one bathroom studio, but it was more than enough to keep Reina content. She had a lot to be thankful for. She still had her father after all, even if she had lost her mother. Reina walked over to her father. He was lying in bed and was hooked up to a number of machines. She looked at the readings and then pressed a button. After waiting a few minutes her father’s helmet that linked him up online turned off and she unplugged him.

“Reina-chan,” her father said.

“Hi dad, how was your meeting?” Reina sat next to him and began filling a syringe.

“Oh, good, good!” He nodded. “You know, Arnold, remember my old coworker from the factory?”

“Uhm—” Reina thought and uncovered her father’s thigh and began to inject him with medication. “I think. The white guy that likes fishing?”

“Yes, yes him…he told me when we were playing poker, he said that his son is getting married. Can you believe it?”

“That’s nice, dad. I”m sure he’s really happy.”

“You know, I think if you went out a little more instead of worrying about me so much, you could find someone nice and settle down, maybe—” but Reina cut him off.

“Dad, I’m not looking to date right now.”

Reina’s father nodded. He looked very tired, more tired than Reina. “I just want you to be happy.”

“I am very happy, dad. You’re the only man I need. Just focus on getting better,” Reina tried to reassure him.

He frowned. “When you were five that would have made me very happy to hear. But now, it just worries me.”

“You have nothing to worry about. Just rest up.”

“If I could at least work online, maybe there's something that I can do that’s low impact

on my body.”

“Dad, stop!” Reina said that a bit too forcefully and she took a breath. “I’m sorry. We’ve been through this. I don’t want you putting strain on your body like last time.”

“Yes…yes dear, I guess you’re right. Your old man just can’t help wanting to support you,” his voice broke as he said so and Reina had to try really hard not to cry.

She knew her father was doing his best. He was working really hard despite his disease. His disability only gave him a small amount to live on, and with his level of MS even his speech was beginning to slur. His body was half-useless as is and even worse, because of the neurodegenerative nature of the disease even his online body had limitations. He could meet some of his buddies for simple things like poker and fishing but his connection was unstable. The VR system used the brain's synapses and neurological drivers to deliver information. Someone with cancer or a paraplegic could at least find some small amount of salvation online. While logged in they could walk, run, fight, or find online jobs. But for people with neurological disorders the types of limitations it put on the body also damaged the way VR functioned. In essence her father was still trapped. In a world of endless potential not even virtual reality could save him.

“I have to go to work dad, promise me you won’t push yourself again?” Reina grabbed her fathers hand and felt his warmth. He tried to squeeze, she could tell because she felt a small twitch. But in the end it was very weak.

“I promise Reina-chan. Please, be safe at work…” He said, slowly.

Reina hugged him, swapped out his IV and then plugged him back in. At the very least he could watch some movies and get some rest. If nothing else. Reina changed and ran to catch the bus before she was late for work. On the ride there she leaned her head against the window and stared out at the sea of people. “80 thousand” she thought and thought.

How could she kill him?