Yvvaros: The Clash of Worlds Read Free Page A

would have blown over by now.
    In the aftermath of the Battle of Kantor, Luke, or rather, his character Kato, had become a   celebrity in Yvvaros. Even though Luke had done his very best to make it clear that the victory had been a group effort, it was his face and his story that the people had latched onto.
    “How did you do it?” asked the player. “I’ve heard about the battle. Is it true that you can hack the game’s code using hand gestures?”
    Luke smiled and wiggled his fingers.
    “Yeah, totally.” He rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m just a normal player. I don’t have any game breaking tricks up my sleeve. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m on my way to pick up some supplies for my guild…”
    I’m starting to get sick of all of this attention.
    He could still feel the eyes of the player on him as he pushed his way deeper into Stark Town. The settlement was alive with conversation and activity bustling from every direction. The smell of smoked meat and baking bread wafted on the air.
    This level of immersion felt normal to Luke, but it hadn’t always. Originally, Yvvaros had been released with a much more basic version of the Gamesoft VR headset. The difference between the first and second generation, which connected directly to the brain using noninvasive electrodes, was like the difference between watching a movie and being a part of it.
    Maybe that’s why I don’t like the attention and living up to the expectations of random players.
    The merchant he was looking for had a cart drawn by the Yvvaros version of a horse. The beast looked like a combination of a dog and a mule but was big enough to ride or pull large loads. He made his way through a cluster of players to get closer and pulled out his bag of gold.
    A couple of minutes later, he was slipping iron ore and wooden planks into his satchel. The bag was magical, as many things in Yvvaros were. The satchel could expand to accommodate objects of any size but it had a weight limit. Luke bought enough building supplies to bring him in just under the limit.
    After buying Katrina’s supplies Luke headed to the Inn. The real reason he was in Stark Town was to learn anything he could about what the Arbiters were up to. He passed the bulletin board on his way to the inn and stopped to read the notices players could leave for each other.
    He was shocked. Instead of the usual help wanted ads advertising quests, the board was filled with missing persons notices. Luke estimated there were easily 100 notices.
    “Jesus…”
    They’re abducting people left and right.
    He turned to go. The thought of Tess’s face ending up on that board haunted him. He shook his head, trying to force the thought away. A worried group of players had shown up to scan the faces alongside him. Luke moved away from them.
    Before he left, Luke stopped at a food vendor waving meat kabobs in the air and purchased one. Marveling at the depth of flavor, he wondered how the developers had managed to create such intricate detail. The contrast between the vibrant world the creators had developed and the bleak one run by the Arbiters was striking.
    He was lost in his thoughts for most of the walk back, but was quickly brought back to the present as he approached Dunidan’s Rest. A group of five heavily armored soldiers, all of them wielding long spears, were standing outside the gate of the settlement.
    The Arbiters have finally come for Tess.
    He breathed deep and increased his pace to close the distance. Each Arbiter was wearing armor that looked as though it had been created to channel the brilliance and style of Kantor. Their breastplates and greaves were a mix of shiny gold and polished steel with a white cloak draped over their shoulders. Their helms obscured all but the faintest gleam of their eyes.
    “What’s the meaning of this?” Luke called out to them as he approached, noticing Silverstrike and Katrina already up on the wall.
    “Do you represent this zone?” The lead