[Dorian: Hey… where the hell are you, buddy?]
Elias brushed through the message on his phone before typing one of his own.
[Already here. Will meet you in a jiffy. And yeah, text me your location too.]
BEEP
A new message arrived in the same breath.
[Dorian: We are all at the Game Haven inside the basement. Give those security personnel your name and you will be allowed right in.]
Elias put his phone back in his pocket, looking at Lizzy, who was furiously moving the joystick while playing some game called Meteor Smash on the Arcade Machine.
Elias couldn't count how many times she had lost, but annoyed as she was, she always came back, playing the game only to lose again.
Although she was pouting now, Elias could still catch the sparks of excitement dancing in her eyes.
He smiled, walking to lean by her ear.
"Boo!"
She yelped, turning to look at him angrily while the screen blinked red, showing two words in capital letters.
GAME LOST.
"Biggy! That's not fair!"
Elias narrowed his eyes, speaking seriously. "This is important. I am training you to keep your focus."
She opened her jaw, shut it close, and opened it again before puffing up her cheeks.
"Big brother is shameless."
Elias furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not true at all. I am probably the most honest person you have ever met."
She snorted. "Humph!"
Elias patted her hair. "Come on. We are going to meet some uhh… people. You will like them… probably."
She blinked curiously before holding him by the hand in answer.
Feeling her hand tighten around his, Elias spoke into the device on his wrist.
"Give me the directions to the Game Haven, Nova."
[Computing request…]
Following the bunch of arrows that appeared on the screen, Elias walked out of the room with Lizzy in tow, passing rows and rows of compartments where other people stood playing games with the arcade machines.
Elias couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Stingy ass fuckers."
For a place like the Concordia Labs, having an Arcade that looked no different from that found in untiered cities was strangely disappointing.
But if Elias was to guess, that was probably because of how the entire place was structured, accessibility granted only based on how deep your pockets ran.
The name of the section both he and Lizzy had spent a few minutes in was the [Arcade Core], and he had quickly settled for it because it was the cheapest floor.
And that was saying a lot because playing just one game on the machine was worth thirty Arvon dollars, and while Elias didn't certainly consider himself dead broke, he certainly wasn't rich either.
He already had a feeling that something like this would happen, which was why he had been very receptive about joining Dorian at the Arcade.
After all, he planned on making this day as unforgettable as possible for Lizzy, and it was totally not because he was planning to leech off someone else, okay!
So this [Game Haven], Elias could bet everything that it was the real deal.
Soon enough, he reached a section of the large hall where the neon lights barely illuminated, finding himself in front of a staircase that extended downwards.
Two men in tuxedos stood by the side of the staircase, their eyes framed by dark shades.
They seemed to wear some kind of permanent scowl that probably wouldn't disappear until they were done with their job for the day.
Lizzy hid behind him, peeking at the two of them from his back.
"Your ID and entry ticket," the larger of the two called, his voice imposing.
Elias felt a little strange, and that was because of the fact that he could sense nothing at all from them. While Chordbearers were capable of suppressing their ripples, there was still that weight they seemed to cast on the world.
At the very least, his instincts should be warning him if they were Chordbearers, right?
'They are mundanes?'
Now that was certainly interesting. But most of all, it made him wonder why the both of them were so bold and addressing him so casually when he was capable of kicking them to the moon.
Of course, he was exaggerating, but still–
Why were ordinary people put in charge of such a place teeming with Chordbearers?
Weird. Very weird.
Elias coughed. "I have no ticket."
The larger one sighed, like this was something he had seen too many times.
"Kid, don't make our jobs difficult. Quietly turn and walk away–"
Elias rolled his eyes, his ID silently appearing between his fingers.
He raised it lazily to their faces. "Elias Verdan. I am Elias Verdan. You should have been expecting both me and my little sis already, right?"
The smaller of the two looked at his ID intently before turning his head to his partner.
Both of them nodding at the same time, they stepped aside, making way for them to pass.
Without sparing them another glance, Elias led Lizzy down the stairs, feeling his body thrum in anticipation of this [Game Haven].
The lights flashing from behind the massive curtains at the end of the stairs became brighter as they walked deeper down, his ears already catching the distinct sound that can only be made by video games.
Lizzy swung his hand. "Those men are so scary, Biggy. And, and they are ugly too."
Elias laughed, ruffling her hair. "It must be difficult withstanding other people because your Biggy is so handsome almost no one can compare. But this is something you can only get used to, little pumpkin."
She snorted, no longer saying another word. But for some reason, she began to pull at his hand violently…
Or maybe it was all in his imagination.
Soon enough, they reached the base of the staircase, emerging out of the half-open curtains into the [Game Haven].
Beside him, Lizzy let out a yell of surprise.
It was… breathtaking.
The massive room was luxurious, adorned with designer sofas lying across the smooth, tiled walls, their edges lined with strips of gold.
Floating a few meters below the ceiling were balls of light, shimmering and changing colors intermittently. The balls of light moved through the air, swallowing the entire room in their dazzling, illuminating brilliance.
Numerous people sat on the sofas, talking or just catching a rest while drones flew past, serving them refreshments.
Elias could spot Dorian now, standing right in front of a section of the massive LED screen that pretty much extended from one end of the [Game Haven] to the opposite wall.
He was furiously clutching a controller and yelling into the air while pumping his fist, the game he was currently playing lighting up his own section of the gigantic LED screen.
Elias walked over to him with Lizzy following closely behind, stopping just when he felt Lizzy nudge his hand slightly.
"Biggy is… is he okay?"
It was quite obvious why she asked, and that was probably the question that was resounding through the minds of almost everyone that passed by, evident from the stares that were thrown towards Dorian's direction.
And that was because of how Dorian kept tweaking his waist while doing some kind of weird dance!
There was literally no way anyone would recognize him as a normal person.
Elias couldn't care less, though, ignoring the stares while walking towards Dorian, tapping him on the shoulder.
Dorian flinched and paused the game, snapping his neck towards him in the same breath.
The hologram of a scoreboard appeared right above his head at the same time.
[Player: Turtle_Turtle
Opponent: AI Gamer
Game: Star Hopper
Win Rate: 87%]
Dorian's eyes lit up with surprise. "Huh? Elias? Have you been here for long–"
"Not at all. Where's Cherry, wasn't she coming along?"
"Oh, she's with Belle. They went to try out the VR back door."
Elias tilted his head, half amused. "Belle? Dude, this breakup of yours didn't seem to have lasted for more than a day–"
"Of course it won't!" Dorian was quick to reply, raising his head smugly.
"It was simply a setback in our relationship, nothing much. How can I break up with someone as demure and sweet as my beautiful Belle~"
Elias grumbled internally. 'This guy is completely hopeless.'
"But enough about me," Dorian continued, walking towards Lizzy and bending till his face was just at the same level as hers.
Lizzy didn't pull back, her round eyes blinking at him curiously.
He grinned. "Cute, so cute! You didn't tell me your little sis was so adorable."
Elias rolled his eyes. "Do you really expect me to tell you that the sun rises from the east?"
Dorian huffed, turning back to Lizzy.
"Hey, I am Dorian Aragus. What's your name?"
Lizzy turned to look at Elias, only speaking when he gave a slight nod.
"Lizzy Verdan."
Dorian's lips curled into a warm smile.
"Now Lizzy, your brother and I are neighbors, and as neighbors, we look out for each other, and that includes a cutie pie like you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?"
Lizzy hesitated for a moment before she slowly moved her head in a nod. "Kay."
Elias watched their interaction silently, already having the feeling that the both of them would get along quite well.
'Focus, Elias. You are here to game.'
And talking about gaming…
Elias pulled away from them to walk towards the direction of glowing circular platforms a few meters away, raised just at the level of his waist and supported by steel poles.
Atop the platforms were the controllers. Picking out two of them, he headed back, handing one over to Lizzy.
Lizzy accepted it, looking at the device curiously.
Elias turned to Dorian, who was currently waving his hands furiously towards a drone carrying a bag of chips.
"Hey, I will help her in setting up an avatar. It will probably take some time, so continue your solo before I come join in."
Dorian nodded, the drone dropping the bag of chips in his hands before it zoomed off.
He handed it to Lizzy, who raised her hands to accept it with a giggle.
Dorian rubbed his chin now, the edge of his lips curling slightly into a grin.
"Hey, leave the designing to me."
Since he was planning to help, Elias certainly had no reason to reject him.
"Yeah, no problem."
Raising the controller to Lizzy's face, Elias got ready to explain some of the functions while she watched curiously, slowly munching her chips.
"Now listen carefully, little rascal."