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The Gam3: Chapter 5

"Didn't I tell you? He has no plans to end The Gam3."

"Perhaps," answered Liberty4U, finally moving another piece after two sessions of pure observation. "We can put him out of our mind. Now I can focus on proving to you my point."

Her opponent threw his head back and laughed. "Really? Still going to stick with that tired on mantra? Please. When given the opportunity, people will seize the moment and find the better life in the shortest way possible. They won't care for the journey."

"In that, we disagree," she answered, pushing her rook forward. "It is your move. Make it a good one."

Her opponent grinned. "I don't have to. I just have to make sure that it's better than yours."

******

Tom had given the excuse that he was out recruiting for a Tank on Thursday before he had left and he hadn't said a word sense. He was online for most of the day though but his status was set strictly to 'do not disturb'. Pete felt rotten for how he had blown up in front of Tom. Really, it wasn't the dragon's fault. They were part of a party and they went down as one. Realistically speaking, they should've gone into the village with him and taken on the orc together. Pete wanted to apologise all day after his rage session and was glad when Tom finally called him and told them to meet at the fountain in _The Gam3_Friday evening.

With just one day left before the Ganymede's Respite event, Pete was anxious to help Tom level up so they could place well in the event. There was also the matter of them finding a suitable tank for their team. Of course, all his concern vanished when they finally met up with Tom who was walking beside a massive wolf dressed in intricately crafted blue armour trimmed with gold.

"Hey guys!" the dragon greeted, waving one of his four arms.

Even Ed was surprised by the sudden transformation of their friend who strode eagerly towards them, tail lashing behind him. "Tom! What... Did you go up against the chieftain yourself?"

"Nope! Turns out I got it anyway and my boyfriend was nice enough to fix my armour up for me!" Tom winked and pulled the wolf forward. "Guys, meet Wilbur!"

"Wilbur?" Pete repeated. "As in that smith Jake sent you to after our encounter with YoungPride?"

"The very same! We sort of... erm..." The dragon suddenly seemed to trip over his own tongue.

"Fucked," Wilbur grunted. "And fucked. And fucked. Over and over again. After about the tenth orgasm, he finally had the balls to ask me out."

"What!? Stop lying!" Tom exclaimed as he lightly nudged Wilbur, his cheeks shining bright red even beneath his ruby scales.

"Fine. We only screwed twice before we had dinner out and then we made our status official. We did screw a lot yesterday though."

Ed grinned toothily. "So is that the 'recruiting' you were doing?" Tom just replied with a faint and prolonged 'er' before Wilbur picked up the conversation.

"In his defence, this little dumbass invited me to the party before we asked me out."

Pete didn't think he'd ever feel jealousy again but found himself puffing out his chest and comparing himself to the big wolf. He was taller than Wilbur though probably not as muscular. When Wilbur began talking about his abilities and stats, he scanned the wolf, checking his statistics and equipment for himself. The wolf was definitely more on the damage soak side than Pete. Both of them had high Physicality stats but Wilbur focused more on Fortitude, Endurance and Resistance than Pete's Strength and Metabolism. Wilbur also spent points in his Mentality to supplement his many support abilities while Pete invested in his Agility to deal more damage and in higher frequency. His armour and equipment, however, were the real show-stoppers. They were simply legendary.

"Neat hammer," commented Ed.

"Yup," Wilbur answered, fishing out his massive great hammer from behind his back. He had to carry it in both paws as it was simply enormous. The shaft was silver with a golden filigree just beneath the broad, square head shaped like gears. "It actually doubles as a miniature cannon for range."

Right before their eyes, the hammer shifted, the head travelling down the shaft to about midway with the filigree becoming handholds for the wolf to grip. Holding it by his waist, the hammer now looked like a minigun with a rather narrow barrel.

"Cool, huh?" Tom said, beaming brightly. "Wilbur spent most of his time here as a smith though he did do some adventuring before. It's how he got these FCs! Speaking of which..." Tom reached into his backpack and tossed Pete a pair of vambraces and an FC to Ed. "He made that for you, Pete, and he had an extra +Tentacle FC lying around for you, Ed."

"Think of it as a peace offering," Wilbur said, smilingly slightly. "So, am I in?"

"Hell yeah!" Ed exclaimed as he tightly gripped onto the FC in his paw before slipping it into his pocket. " Although we were actually just going to go around power levelling today so I hope that's not too boring for you."

"I've been out of the adventuring game for a while so I'll need a refresher before the Event. We -"

*Bing!*

PMS suddenly appeared in front of each of them.

"Attention, players. The Ganymede's Respite Event has been moved forward to today as part of an executive decision to balance gameplay and time available. The Event will start in one hour and has been officially extended by a whole day. We apologise for the short notice. Please enjoy the Event. Signed, the Gam3 Team."

PMS vanished abruptly.

The four players exchanged glances. Then, all at once, they bolted straight for the Quest Square. Even Tom knew that once an Event started, the Quest Squares of the major cities would be simply packed as registration took place. Tom led the way as he took off into the air and zoomed a few feet ahead of everyone. Some part of Pete felt a pang of jealousy as he saw the two halberds crossed against Tom's back that seemed to spark with energy. Did Wilbur give those to him as well?

By the time they arrived at the Quest Square, the individual quest boards were mostly abandoned with only those uninterested in participating in the event milling about them. The Event Obelisk, however, was jam-packed with players of all shapes and sizes, pushing, shoving and even trampling as they hurried to get registered.

The four quickly formed a party so that even if they got separated in the horde, they wouldn't get lost. It made Pete nauseous how Wilbur and Tom stuck close to each other. They were even holding hands!

"How can a guy find a boyfriend after two days?" he muttered, not sure if he was angry, jealous or both.

"Feeling a pang of envy, are we?"

He flashed his gaze at Ed who looked rather smug as they became sandwiched by more players coming in to register. "No. I'm just concerned. What do we know about this 'Wilbur' guy? Whose to say that he just isn't using Tom for sex?"

Ed laughed as the line shuffled forward. "Oh come on. If anything, it's Tom that's the mooch. He got a lot of free stuff including some neat FCs." He eyed Pete with that all-seeing, all-knowing gaze that sent chills down Pete's spine. "Now come on, what's really got your panties in a twist?"

"None of your business!"

Bad move on Pete's part. "Oh come now. I'm your mother. Everything is my business." Without waiting for a response, Ed said, "It's because Tom possibly has a lasting relationship out of_The Gam3_ while you didn't get anything out of it except an escape from your pitying mom, your alcoholic of a father and your illness."

"Fuck you!"

"Then that would make you the motherfucker," snickered Ed. "Tell you what, Pete," said the tiger with a strange glimmer in his eyes. "The Event is going to start soon and it _is_an Anarchy Event. So why don't you spam the Chaos Drives?"

The stag gave his friend a puzzled look. "What?"

During Anarchy Events, all three Chaos Sockets were filled at the start of the world clock and players were allowed to use up to two during the day without consequence. Chaos Sockets were infinitely filled meaning their use would not consume one. It was common strategy during Anarchy Events to avoid using Chaos Drives until the very last minute as instant replays of big fights and top teams were constantly displayed on the forums to keep participants informed. This was crucial information that could give other players a big edge against each other in future matches. Thankfully though Chaos Drives were not scannable in normal conditions, but if players could see them actually using their Drives during the events, anyone could learn how to avoid it or turn it against them. i"Why?" he asked. "If I use all three -"

"I'm not saying to use just the three," Ed said, a puckish glimmer in his eyes. "I'm saying use four, five or even six. Go nuts with it."

"I'll be putting myself out to the world! I could never PVP again!"

"Just trust me. Mother knows best."

Pete opened his muzzle to object but suddenly found that he was at the front of the line. The NPC Helios was there taking names alongside other NPCs who were franticly trying to get all of the participants organized. He even caught sight of Jake and some of the other Admins guarding the registration table while Moderators were patrolling the crowd. He didn't have time to argue with Ed before he was moved to Helios lest he lose his spot to some overeager noob.

"Hey, party of four for the event," he said.

Helios looked up and beamed. "But of course. Please list the party member names here..." He held out a little holographic panel. Pete did as he was told, using his menu to discern Wilbur's handle. "Perfect. Would you like to see what the prizes are for this Event?"

"No thanks," grunted Pete.

"Please be informed that this is just a five day event and as with other Anarchy Events, there are daily prizes based on your ranking. Rankings will be taken every 24 hours game time from when the event starts and then every 24 hours after that. You can collect your prizes from your inbox."

The rest that he told him was pretty standard Event stuff and Helios looked tired from having repeated the same things over and over again. He handed Pete a stack of information in the form of papers before waving him away.

Pete messaged Tom to meet them at the edge of the Quest Square and was surprised to find Wilbur with the dragon already there.

"Bur saw you were at the table," the dragon said. "We decided to wait over here."

"Right, of course." Pete waved the sheets in front of him. "You know the rules of the Event?"

"Yup! Bur taught me. Teams duke it out in a special PVP area. Each victory against another team earns you points based on difference in level between the sum total of your party's level and your enemy's. The more points you get, the better your rewards. There are also Hunters out there who are World Boss level players employed by the Event. They get different rewards to us but get points instead based on how many teams they smash. Conversely, if we smash a Hunter, we get more points and a temporary boost to the number of points we can get! Oh, and we get to use our Chaos Sockets three times a day and at the end of each day, our points are tallied for daily rewards!"

...

"You got it," Pete said, forcing a grin. "So, everyone ready? Got all your equipment? Supplies?"

Ed nodded and reached into his side satchel which jingled and clinked with various healing potions. "I've got an ample supply of potions here to keep us going."

"I'm basically a mobile smithy," Wilbur grunted. "I've got raw materials in my pack so if we need to fix any equipment, I should be able to do so."

"And I got these neat halberds and armour for Bur!" exclaimed Tom.

Wilbur... again. What was this guy? Some sort of super-smith? Chances were he was some fat, old asshole preying on the innocent and the noobs. Tom was acting like a fourteen year old who had just been kissed for the first time not the 21 year old construction worker he knew in real life.

Still, Pete kept his silence as the Event began. They all opened their menus and hit the 'To Event' button. Swirls of light swept them off their feet and moments later, they were standing in a lush mountainous area dotted with slate white columns and ruined structures overgrown with vines.

"In ancient times, there was a boy, Ganymede."

The voice boomed across the landscape. Pete glanced around, searching for the source but instead, he found beams of light shooting down from the skies, heralding the appearance of other teams.

"This boy was renowned for his beauty and innocence. The Gods, coveting this rare and handsome creature, abducted the boy from his parents while providing compensation to his greedy parents. The boy was granted immortality and made the cupbearer to the Gods. However, every year, Ganymede was allowed to roam mortal lands once more, given respite from his divine duties to experience the world outside of Heaven.

"Ganymede visited one land in particular that he favoured greatly. This land became known as Ganymede's Respite. The day when he would descend from the heavens and roam the lands is never known to anyone save for the Gods and Ganymede himself. Mortals have often come to the Respite in hopes to glimpse the boy that had made the gods envious.

"And they would do anything_just for that glimpse..."_

Pete suddenly felt he could move again, like pins and needles running through his entire body. He shook the sensation off and retrieved his massive sword, activating Bloodbath Blade immediately. When engaging against other teams, he wouldn't have the luxury to activate the ability every time especially against faster teams. Beside him Ed cast his supportive spell, 'Strength Surge' to give the team a boost to their Strength Stat. Pete grew a little bitter when Wilbur activated his abilities.

'Primordial Shield' gave them higher resistances against the four basic elements of Water, Fire, Wind and Earth.

'Brave Guard' boosted the integrity of their armour.

'Aura of Courage' gave Wilbur a powerful passive aura that increased the attack strength of those around him within an area.

'Blessed Barrier' prevented the team from suffering stat-reducing ailments against their Physicality attributes.

Lastly, 'Shield of the Undaunted' was just a personal defensive spell for Wilbur, boosting his Endurance and Resistances.

Tank, indeed.

Ed touched his shoulder lightly. "I know you like being the big, beefy barbarian but you've got your role and Wilbur has his. So for the sake of the team and the Event, don't let your jealousy overwrite your objective. Just do what I said and everything will be fine."

Pete sighed and nodded.

They didn't even have to move before one the more overeager teams came rushing at them, shouting battle cries. Intelligence was the first part of winning any battle and Ed quickly scanned the team members.

"Total maximum level is just 25. We're at 73."

73? Last Pete had checked, Tom was at level 8 and Ed was at level 20. Pete was about the middle ground at 17. That meant that Wilbur was a whopping Level 28! No wonder he was so powerful.

"Stay close," grunted the wolf, switching his hammer into its ranged mode. "Let's play smart. Hit them from afar and -"

Pete let out a bellowing cry and instantly stamped his right foot three times. The words 'Chaos Drive: Hell Charger' appeared above his head. He immediately surged forward, leaving a trail of flames behind him. The opposing team froze at the sight of the charging stag but never got the opportunity to turn tail and run. He ploughed right into the closest player before leaping six storeys into the air, his blade wreathed in seething flames. He brought the weapon crashing back down with an all-mighty boom!

A tremendous explosion surged out from the impact, bathing a large area around him in flames. The cries of the other team was barely heard above the roar of fire. A soft ding cut through the sounds, however, heralding the defeat of the team and the acquisition of points for his team.

"Damnit!" cried one of their foes. Though completely uninjured, the health bars that hovered over their heads were completely reduced to zero. They all sighed and gathered to side, waiting for the minute to expire when they would be teleported to a safe zone.

"What the hell was that!?" Wilbur roared, shoving Pete's shoulder roughly. "You just wasted a Chaos Socket out of your three! Worse, you just gave away our position!"

Pete's cocky grin wavered but to his relief, Tom stepped in.

"Take it easy, Bur. That's just Pete's fighting style. Charge first think later. He's our damage dealer."

"Damage dealer or no, he's still part of the team," snarled the wolf. "You're putting the rest of us in danger!" The wolf paused suddenly and sniffed the air before he began to walk away. "Come on, other teams are on their way."

Pete still felt rather pleased with himself especially since Tom had come to his defence. Pissing off Wilbur was going to be fun especially if they got results.

They hurried away from the first encounter, making their way through the lush forests that covered the area. The sounds of battle echoed all around them. It was considered poor manners to jump into another team's battle and prey on the weak but it was not unheard of. Though Wilbur made it clear he didn't want to be reduced to that level and although Pete wanted to do the opposite of whatever the wolf said, he was inclined to agree.

They encountered another team a set of ruins and dispatched them quickly. This time, Pete pretended to have taken Wilbur's words to heart and fought with some bare restraint. He drew the enemies to himself by taunting them - although provoking abilities did not work on other players - and struck them down with his sword. Wilbur offered excellent protection, taking the brunt of their damage while Tom and Ed struck them with precise strikes from a range. Tom's new Rush Swarm ability really tore through their ranks.

Team after team fell to them with little difficulty. They were a perfect, balanced party and with Wilbur's high level and healing ability - _Flash Heal -_they found little difficulty against like-levelled foes. Although when they encountered a higher levelled team than their own, Pete and Ed were forced to unleash their Chaos Drives to beat them back.

After Six hours of fighting, a massive gong rang out and suddenly the sounds of fighting stopped. The rest of the team suddenly began to relax, but Tom still seemed incredibly on-edge, looking for the source of the sound and for his next opponent.

"Relax kid, it's the intermission." Stated Wilbur as he sat down with his hammer across his lap.

"Intermission?" Tom asked.

"The programmers can expect us to fight for twenty-four hours," Wilbur said. "Every six hours, we're give an hour break. Sit down. Rest." Wilbur reached into his pack to take out a repair tool. "Anyone need a touch up?"

Pete guzzled a potion provided to him by Ed. It tasted like an energy drink and filled him with renewed strength. Checking his FG, he was back up to three filled Chaos sockets. He had used two so far and he only had one left before the 'consequences' would be felt. He began wondering what Ed meant when he cryptically mentioned to trust him.

A small cough made him turn and he glanced over his shoulder. Wilbur stood there, arms crossed and staring down at him. Pete grunted in response as he knew just what would be coming. Here it comes. The talk. He had gotten it so many times from his dad.

'If you keep messing around, you'll get someone pregnant.'

'You're reckless and irresponsible.'

'You're putting yourself, this whole family and that poor girl in danger!'

Pete was getting ready to roll his eyes.

"I know your type," grunted the wolf. Yup, that was how it typically began. "Gungho to prove himself, needs to be the alpha male and thinks that power is all you need to win the day."

"Get it out of your system, grandpa," he grunted.

"Grandpa? I'm just in my twenties!"

Pete waved him away. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Wilbur growled and Pete eyed him with a challenge. He expected a blow any time soon. He was ready for it though. Strangely, Wilbur instead reached into his a small leather pack that was hanging from his hip.

"Whatever it is you've got to prove, you're not going to prove it with that those pathetic stats. So here." Several red FCs were dropped at Pete's feet. "You're all attack. Fine. I can live with that. Those should boost your strength and stoke that massive ego of yours."

Pete bent down and plucked the FCs from the ground. When he got a good look at them, he flicked his gaze back to Wilbur in shock.

"Like it or not, I'm here to stay," grunted the wolf. "I don't give a flying fuck about you or that tiger but for some reason, Tom does and I just want to make sure he's safe and happy. He's not going to be happy if we end up fighting each other and losing this Event."

Wilbur turned his back to Pete. "If you want some better armour as well, I can give you a discount."

"I can't get it for free like Tom?"

"He pays.... Boy does he pay." Said Wilbur with a cocky smirk.

Pete found himself shivering slightly both because of the innuendo and also because Wilbur had just given him some pretty darn rare FCs including the +Legs FC he had been after for quite some time. Checking the timer, he still had a good forty-five minutes before it was time to resume the Event. He quickly alchemised the FCs with the ones he had already. However, there was no time to put the newly obtained FCs one by one as they each usually led to an extremely pleasurable transformation leading to orgasm and with these FCs in particular... well, he had no doubt he'd be spilling his seed all over the place.

"Hey guys," he said, waving his FG at the rest of team. "I'm going to cum."

Tom looked baffled by the statement but then flinched as Pete began to strip off his armour. The dragon was so cute when he was frazzled.

Pete pushed the FCs into place and braced himself. From what he had heard, each player experienced their transformations differently. With his own, it felt like the overwhelming sensation of each of his muscles twitching uncontrollably as they grew and expanded. He recalled Tom describing that his transformation was like someone heated his bones and that heat radiated out into his muscles. Ed described it as every muscle on his body obtaining this petrified layer that the muscle beneath just wanted to burst out of.

Pete fell to his hands and knees, grunting with sweat rolling off his brow as the transformation came into full swing. The changes started first with his legs. They quivered, thrown into wild spasms that send rapid waves of relief through his body like he was stretching old, unused muscles. He stretched his legs out in front of him, barely registering as they began lengthening out before him, his thighs and calves thickening to make sure he was perfectly in proportion with his added height.

The greater change, hover, came when the quivering moved up to his waist. A loud groan erupted from his lips as he arched his back, having to support his entire weight on his arms. Two large mounds began jutting out from his flanks, shaking uncontrollably. At first, they were just two, long, fleshy tentacles but then bone and muscle began filling them out, shaping them, moulding them into the perfect form that would support Pete's increasing weight while also doubling his speed. Black hooves jutted out from their tips as thick, vascular calves took shape followed by tremendous thighs. Pete's lower body shifted and changed, stretching further and further away from him. He wasn't growing taller, he was growing longer.

His spine began to curve at a strange angle where his new legs were forming. Some part of him felt a bit of regret as his cock began travelling further and further away from his reach as his ass grew bigger, suiting his new tauric shape. His cute little stag tail flicked eagerly when his rear legs shifted, losing their bipedal stance to take on the shape of a creature free to gallop through the forests at high speeds.

A loud cry exploded from Pete as the final changes to his lower body reached completion, sending him collapsing onto his new, long flanks.

"Whoa! Pete you're -" Tom began but Pete interrupted with a second shout.

The quivering abandoned his lower body and immediately rippled up to his upper. The thick muscles already there were filled with renewed strength and mass, growing bigger and bigger as his spine stretched to keep his body perfectly in proportion. Thick biceps already bulging to the point of requiring visible veins to keep them fed grew even bigger, a lattice of the rivers running all over his forearms and rolling over his biceps and triceps.

The veins thickened in particular over his pectorals. He could feel the blood pumping in them, feeding his hungry pecs as the demanded more and more oxygen. More than that, he could feel them gravitating towards his nipples like an army slowly enclosing upon their prey. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening but it felt far too good to think beyond the abject pleasure of the moment.

He felt thick, warm fluids rolling down his abs. This different from his sweat, though. It filled the air around him with his thick musk and sent signals to his brain, telling him what an alpha he was. His huge hands went straight towards his nipples where the euphoric sensation was at its highest. Just the slight brush of his fingers against the sensitive nubs sent waves of blinding ecstasy through his brain, nearly knocking him out.

He gnashed his teeth together as, fighting to keep his grip on consciousness. He wanted to be awake for this, he wanted to feel that glorious rush of release and embrace the afterglow that followed. His fingers suddenly felt resistance against his fingers and he grinned to himself as the tips began to take on a different shape, something alien to the normal human form.

Pressure began building just beneath the surface of his nipples, a growing urgency for release overwhelming him from two points. He began panting loudly, every breath jostling his already impressive pecs and letting that pressure out just little by little. It was more than his nipples just lengthening. They were leaking precum. The growing lengths of pulsating flesh were two thick, penises pushing themselves into existence on his chest!

Pete found himself able to grip the lengths, letting out cries of ecstasy as his hips began to buck wildly, his third and primary cock desiring attention and release. Part of him wanted someone to touch him, to fill his world with not just two points of ecstasy but the three he so desperately needed.

He wanted Tom...

Wait... why Tom?

That stray thought broke the last barriers he had between orgasmic bliss and taunting desire. He screamed in pleasure, arching his back as thick ropes of cum exploded from his two, newly acquired nipples, getting their milk from some unknown source. His balls jostled and the member between his rear legs shot its own sizable load, spraying his underside with a coating of warm seed.

Pete squeezed the last drops of cum from his nipples before he found the strength ebbing from him... and he collapsed, barely conscious. Though his eyes were open, he wasn't really seeing anything. There were cries of concern somewhere but he didn't mind... it was a good feeling... The lengths of cocks against his chest began to slip back into his nipples, hiding away until he became aroused once more. He became aware that a salty liquid was being pressed between his lips. As it slipped down his throat, he felt a rush of strength fill him.

One part of him wanted to spit it back and just drift lazily in the cloud of afterglow but a stronger desire to finish the Event and make sure that Wilbur's peace offering did not go to waste. He eagerly lapped up the drink and found himself returning - albeit reluctantly - back into the realms of full consciousness.

He found himself staring straight into Tom's eyes.

Tom...

But those eyes were marred with panic.

"Thank god!" Tom shouted. "Pete, get up and -"

WHAM!

Pete immediately sat up when a massive, silvery bolt struck Tom's shoulder and send him skittering off to the side. His health bar dropped to about a _tenth_in a single shot.

"The hell!?" he cried, leaping to his feet. He spun towards the source of shot and his eyes widened.

Four players stood at the edge of the small clearing. Each of them looking highly customised and at extremely high levels.

One was a tall, lithe female leopard sprouting six pairs of wings from her back, each one spread wide and threatingly while the top set surrounded her head protectively like a white feathered crown. She was barely dressed in just an armoured bikini and G-string but Bright runes danced around her body and she had two, miniature dragons that hovered around her. She lowered the large crossbow she had used to pin Tom and smirked.

"A level 8 player amongst level 20s," she purred softly. "Pathetic."

"Who the fuck are you guys!?" Pete shouted.

WHAM!

He heard Ed let out a strangled cry and not too far away, a massive, armoured boar pulled his enormous spiked mace back. Ed lay on the ground, face flat. His own draconic familiar nuzzling him gently, trying to urge him to get up. His health bar was dangerously at zero. The boar snorted, his entire, muscle body covered in thick, black armour and spikes.

"This whimp wasn't much of a challenge either," snorted the boar. "All offensive spells without any defence. Doesn't even have a decent normal attack."

A loud cry erupted from the group of four as Wilbur crash tackled a short, otter dressed in typical rogue clothing. The otter went down and Wilbur lifted his gun-hammer at point blank range.

BOOM!

Wilbur was propelled past the group of four and came crashing right beside Pete. Despite the explosion, the otter barely seemed to have any damage dealt to him.

"The fuck!?" Wilbur cried.

"Level 28," the other snickered, pulling up his hood. He wore two large daggers - larger than himself - around his squat form. "But you're a tank, aren't you. All health and resistances but not much attack. All that defence won't do you any good against critical hits!"

The otter vanished in a puff of smoke. Before Pete could cry out a warning, the assassin appeared right behind Wilbur, swinging his daggers in a blinding storm that sent Wilbur crashing to the ground on his paws and knees. The big wolf's health bar went down straight to 1 point.

Pete looked around in panic. Had he been out for so long that the Event had started up again? He checked the timer.

There was still thirty minutes left! Players shouldn't be allowed to target one another!

"What the hell is going on!?" Pete shouted, leaping to his feet and grasping his sword. "Who the fuck are you guys!?"

The fourth and final member, a rare hybrid of eagle and lion - a gryphon - stared at him through half-closed eyes and strode forward on his big pawed feet. He pulled two enormous greatswords from over his shoulders, holding one in each hand and each one being bigger than Pete's.

"You don't need to know," growled the gryphon.

Pete did a quick scan of the gryphon. Strangely, the statistics display was completely garbled except for the player's level.

"Level 99!? That's... That's impossible!"

"To you maybe," the gryphon grunted. He suddenly rushed forward.

Pete barely had enough time to bring up his sword before -

WHAM!

He was sent back several feet. Even though he had blocked the blow, his health bar went down to half!

Who were these people!?

Desperation overtook him. He needed to activate another Chaos Drive. But one more hit from the gryphon and...

Ding!

Words suddenly sprang up from over Wilbur's head. 'Chaos Drive: Archangel'. Bright light suddenly sprang up from around Pete. A glorious, armoured archangel appeared above him and filled him with strength.

"You're invulnerable!" Wilbur shouted. "Do it!"

Long ropes of darkness lashed out from the ground around the wolf, instantly binding him to the ground and preventing him from moving.

"Quiet you!" shouted the leopard.

Ding!

Ed was up and pointing straight at Pete, the words 'Chaos Drive: Hero's Strength' springing up above him. A red aura appeared around Pete, joining with the golden light that he was already encased in. Ed immediately swung his arms in a rapid pattern.

Ding!

'Chaos Drive: Global Silence' appeared above his head just as the otter appeared behind him and bound his paws together with a piece of rope quicker than Pete could even blink.

"Fuck!" shouted the boar. "Quick! Finish him before -"

Pete didn't need any further prompting. He threw his head back and let out a blood-curdling roar, mentally commanding another Chaos Drive to activate. Chaos Drive: Bloodthirsty Curse immediately took effect, cloaking his foes in a deep, blood red aura. All of them grimaced as their Strength doubled but at the cost of constantly taking _monumental_damage.

Pete didn't stop there. He pressed his enormous sword against his forehead, running his hand over its length. Chaos Drive: Critical Blood_caused his entire sword to shimmer with ruby light, ensuring that for the next thirty seconds, _every strike was a critical strike and he would regain health from every blow that connected.

Now it was time to go on the offensive.

He stamped his left foot three times. He bowled the gryphon over, crashing into the boar, a trail of fire flickering flashing behind him. The boar gave a strangled cry as he was thrown to the ground and Pete used him as a launching pad to leap into the air. Swinging his fiery sword through the air, Pete brought it crashing back down, unleashing _Chaos Drive: Hell Charger_one more time. The world around him became bathed in flames.

He was far from done.

He had one more move.

He swung his sword three times in the air.

Chaos Drive: Death Whirl.

Even in his new tauric form, Pete was able to spin around wildly, holding his sword out wide. Sickles of pure energy erupted from the whirlwind that had become his body, slicing right through his foes and sending them crying out in shock and pain. He didn't even register why they were experiencing pain until after his attack ended and he collapsed to his knees, panting from exhausting. All the buffs surrounded him faded.

Glancing up, he saw all four of the hostiles were down.

Had he done it?

Had he beaten them?

Shtick!

He went rigid, his entire body locking up. Above him, his health bar went down to 1.

"I love the Decoy ability!" the otter laughed, pulling his dagger from Pete's back. There was no wound but the damage was done.

The otter leapt happily off the tauric stag, gazing at his teammates. "Everyone okay?"

A groan emerged from the gryphon. "Son of a bitch rammed right through me... Caught me by surprise." The guy just got up! After being hit by dozens of critical strikes and multiple Chaos Drives, he just got up!

"You just weren't careful," answered the leopard, brushing herself off. She shook herself, brushing the ashes off perfect, spotted fur. Her health bar was just down to a quarter! The boar didn't even have any damage and he just grunted!

"Who the hell are you guys...?" Pete gasped.

A familiar voice interrupted them.

"They're Shapeshifters."

All eyes flicked to the towering black wolf with skeletal wings made of chains standing right next to Tom. The dragon had his menu open and his claw on the Whistle button. The four Shapeshifters visibly blanched at the sight of the Admin.

"Shit! It's him!" the gryphon cried. "Jump out! Jump out!"

"Don't you dare back out!" snarled the leopard. She grinned hungrily at Jake. "This might be our chance to take down the famed Admin and grab some neat loot. I've always wanted wings like those."

Jake's sapphire blue eyes were cold and unforgiving. They turned first to the leopard. "Player known as QueenCleopatra. Goes by the shorthand of 'Cleo'. You've assaulted over sixty players and stolen their gear and multiple ability FCs. In particular, you stole that crossbow from the winner of an event three months ago."

Then he turned to the boar. "Player going by the handle Rushman. Assaulted a hundred and two players in total and hacked the World Boss-only Armour of Vengeance. Any damage dealt to you will automatically be returned to the enemy in full. You also have about two hundred ARAs on you to ensure virtual immortality."

When the those eyes fell on the otter, the little assassin just smirked. "You know about me too, eh Jakey-wakey?"

"Tzzird. Apart from making a handle that's nearly impossible to pronounce, you're accused of breaking into other people's homes and stealing from their personal banks. Further, you have assaulted over fifty players 'just for the fun of it'."

"Bingo!" The otter vanished in a puff of smoke before he appeared behind the Admin.

"Jake!" Pete cried but before the otter could even strike, Jake's wings lashed out and seized the otter, restraining him.

"I wasn't finished," the Admin said coldly. The wings, acting perfectly like another appendage, threw the otter straight at Rushman. Tzzird easily somersaulted in the air though and avoided colliding with the spiked boar. Jake turned then his eyes towards the gryphon. "Dandelion. Known to the world simply as 'Dan'. A new member of the Shapeshifters who hacked and obtained the gryphon Core FC from an Event without earning it. Apart from the usual game-breaking stats you all possess, nothing much else." Jake's eyes narrowed. "I'll save you for last."

"Ha!" Cleo shouted, lifting her crossbow. "You think you can beat us, Admin? Even with your inflated stats, you're below ours! You can't beat us all!"

"Not in a fair fight, I agree," answered Jake with a smirk. "Before we begin, Rushman, I'm sending you a message. Please read it aloud."

The boar blinked as the message box appeared in front of his face. Scratching his head he opened the letter and then said aloud, "Control... Alt... Delete." Suddenly then, his eyes went wide. "Oh shi -!"

The massive, spiked boar suddenly exploded into a shower of green ones and zeroes, disappearing from the field.

"I love doing that," snickered Jake.

"That's a dirty trick!" a horrified Tzzird shouted.

The Admin's eyes narrowed at the otter. "Well how about some compensation?" Jake opened his menu panel. "One of an Admin's powers is to refund gold to a player in case something goes wrong in the system. How much would Rushman be worth? I'm thinking around the area of ten billion gold?"

The otter looked puzzled. "What -" He never got the finish as a notification appeared in front of his face. "You just deposited ten billion gold into my account!? Why?"

Pete's eyebrows shot up. He knew where this was going.

"Because of one simple rule," answered Jake, closing his menu. "A rule that few videogames replicate even today." His grin grew broad, sinister. "Gold has weight."

Thwack!

A single gold coin landed on Tzzird's nose and the otter let out a yelp, looking up. His expression fell, his jaw opening wide in horror as

CRAAAAASH!

A venerable waterfall of gold coins came crashing right into him, burying him in ten billion gold coins. Pete had to shuffle away as the enormous mound occupied most of the clearing.

"Oops." Jake said without a hint of remorse. He flashed a grin straight at Cleo. "See. You're not the only one that can play the system."

The leopard snarled and lifted her crossbow. "Fine! But you've still got two of us to contend with and we're still stronger than you are!"

The Admin threw his paws into the air, rolling his eyes in mock helplessness. "Oh woe is me. What ever can I do against such overwhelming odds?" Then he grinned. "Oh right. This."

A shadow suddenly loomed over Cleo. She only had one second to look up before -

WHAM!

An enormous, wooden hammer the size of a skyscraper came crashing down upon her. The words 'Banhammer' were emblazoned on the side.

"I'm not going to humour you people with a fight when you're actively trying to break The Gam3." The wolf turned towards Dandelion, the gryphon on his ass, cowering. "Now I don't suppose you're going to come peacefully and expose the rest of the Shapeshifters, are you?"

Dan shook his head defiantly from side to side despite clearly on the verge of pissing himself.

"Loyalty. Admirable." Jake flicked his wrists, his ethereal blades appearing from his paws. "The funny thing about your rule-breaking ways is that to do what you do in a PVP scenario, you're breaking the code and that code includes the pain inhibitors. PVP games remove the inhibitors to prevent torture and acts of sadism. However, to be able to enter the Event, pass screening, carry your contraband and steal other people's FCs and bound equipment, you need to do so as if you were entering a personalised PVE zone. As we all know, PVE zones allow for pain, mild as it is.

"That said... You're only one here that can experience pain, aren't you Dan? And you have, let's see... Nine-hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine health points? I take no pleasure in this but rest assured, I shall take my time whittling away every single point as excruciatingly painfully as possible."

All Jake did was take a single step forward and the gryphon let out a strangled scream.

He immediately opened his menu and teleported away.

Pete found himself utterly in awe. Jake the Admin just got rid of four Shapeshifters without even really lifting a finger or taking a single point of damage. Jake opened his menu and began chatting with someone. Pete vaguely heard the words 'ban' in there. No doubt he was making sure Dandelion and the other Shapeshifters were banned and couldn't re-enter the Gam3... at least as much as possible.

Unfortunately, with his health bar still at a miserable 1 point, he couldn't get up. Jake had been right. In PVP areas pain was not a factor but the restrictions on their body still were. It was like his entire form was numb and he couldn't move a single limb.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Jake's voice boomed all across the zone. Across from him, the Admin was speaking into a holographic panel. "Please be advised that this Event is being cut short due to Shapeshifter interference. For the next twenty-four hours, the Ganymede's Respite even will be down as we, the administration team, perform checks and improve our security around the Event. We apologise for the inconvenience. High quality items will be sent to your inboxes as compensation. Thank you and stay safe."

Once done, the Admin waved his paws and a golden light drizzled over Pete and the rest of the gang. Their health bars were filled to the brim and Pete felt the strength return to his limbs. He let out a relieved sigh and got to his four feet.

"Thank you so much!" Tom exclaimed, bounding over to the winged wolf. "Those guys... They were unbelievable strong!"

"No need to thank me," the wolf said. "Truth is, they weren't the only Shapeshifter team in the area. I've been running around smacking them left right and centre." The wolf actually looked tired as he rubbed the back of his head. "This is the sixth time I've had to do this. Other Admins are doing the same. We've just made the executive call to cancel the Event for today. I didn't think the Shapeshifters would be so bold as to attack en masse like this... In a public event too..."

"Are they planning anything big?" Tom asked shakily. "Are they going to take over the Gam3 or something?"

Jake laughed. "Dude, it's a videogame. They're just a bunch of bandits and thugs. Whatever they achieve won't be worth jack in the end. Now come on, let's get you out of here. I've got to think up of more creative ways to kick out the Shapeshifters. I'm even thinking about sending down a metallic orb with a single orange eye embedded with an AI that's obsessed with outer space."

Pete inclined his head to the side. "Haven't I heard of that before?"

Jake smiled and nodded

"Perhaps, but did I fail to mention that the moment they touch it, they'll be launched into outer space? That might shut up that damn sphere once and for all..."

*****

Pete sighed and removed the helmet from his head. Today's session had been filled with its ups and downs. Learning about Tom and Wilbur had really jabbed him in the heart for reasons he was just starting to understand. That, coupled with the fact that Wilbur was actually a decent guy and the Shapeshifter attack... it felt like he had accomplished so little today.

He took a moment to lean back in his seat, close his eyes and sigh. His feelings for Tom... What were they? Somehow, he couldn't help but think Ed knew all along and the Gam3 was his way of getting the two together. Ed was the first to purchase the Gam3; he was rich after all. Pete had gotten it shortly afterwards as pity gift from his mother. Then, Ed had urged Tom to play.

Was it really that obvious?

It really didn't matter now... not really. Tom had Wilbur, a real stand up guy. Okay, Wilbur was gruff around the edges but he gave Pete some extremely race FCs. Two +Penis FCs and a +Legs FC? Those were extremely rare! Hell, Wilbur even offered to make him some armour at a discount! How could he compete with that?

Should he compete with that?

Pete opened his eyes and sighed. His room was dark, the blinds closed and the window shut tight. His mother was obsessed with ensuring he didn't catch anything despite his HIV still being under medication. Still, she was sweet that way. He could always go to her for advice, he supposed. His dad was still the deadbeat he always was, always telling him to man up so he wasn't any help.

He checked the time.

The hour was late. He needed to take his medication.

Though the room was dark and it was late, the light from spraying in from the other room through the cracks under his door was enough to guide him to his dresser. There, he pulled open the first drawer... and froze...

His medication... it was gone.

A pang of fear shot through him. He had always kept it there so he didn't lose it and he was sure that he had plenty of it left. Did someone come in and take it? No, the helmet was designed to kick him out of the_Gam3_ if something changed in his environment, even the slightest thing.

Maybe he took it to the kitchen when he took his last pill. Those damn pills were hard to swallow.

Yeah, that was probably it.

Calming himself, Pete stepped out of his room just as his mother rushed by. She was putting on her earrings and she was dressed in a figure-hugging red dress. She never dressed up anymore. Not since she had gotten married.

"Mom? Have you seen my pills?"

She glanced at him, puzzled. "Sorry dear, mommy's got to run. I've meeting your father at that ritzy new place that just opened. Oooh, I'm so excited!" She practically squealed as he hurried towards the door.

"But mom, my pills!" he protested.

She gave him a puzzled look again. "What pills dear? Are you coming down with a cold?"

Was this some sort of sick joke or was she just in extreme denial at the moment. "You know... for my... illness..."

Her expression shifted into that same, pitying look. A moment of relief crossed him and at the same time guilt. She was going out to have fun, with his father no less, and he was ruining it by being self-centred. Maybe that was why Tom was never attracted to him. He was always so selfish. It's what got him infected in the first place...

He was surprised when his mother pressed a palm against his forehead and then checked his pulse. "You're not burning up..."

"Are you kidding me?" Pete replied, agitated. "My pills for my HIV!"

She reeled back, horrified. "HIV!? What happened, Pete! How did you get infected!?"

Did she have some stroke or was she struck in the head? He'd been living with HIV for months!

"I got infected months ago when I did Shauna," he replied, feeling his cheeks burn. "You were always scared I'd catch something and locked the doors. Wouldn't let me go out to see my friends anymore. You wouldn't even let me go to the gym or get any gym equipment for the house because you were afraid I'd break something. I'm practically skin and bones!"

His mother moved away from him and picked up the phone. "I think you are coming down with something, honey. You're delirious. Let me call Doctor Hartman... You go lie down..."

Pete clutched the sides of his head and let out frustrated cry. Maybe his pills were somewhere in his room and he just didn't look well enough. He stormed back inside and switched on the lights... For the second time that night, he froze.

His room... was not his room.

It was messy. Though really it was typical for a young man of his age. Clothes were strewn everywhere and there were pictures of football stars and epic passes plastered on the walls. There was even a half-eaten sandwich on his desk. He grimaced at the sight alone. Since his infection, he had tried to be clean and tidy to the point where he was a neat freak. He allowed himself to be a little sloppy in the Gam3 because there were no consequences -

The Gam3.

Pete dove for his phone and immediately dialled Ed's number. As he straightened, he caught sight of himself in his bedroom mirror. His jaw dropped. The figure looking back at him was not scrawny kid that was so pale that he would've burned the moment he stepped out into the sun. He was a tall, lean, muscular man somewhere in his twenties with big, strong muscles fit for an amateur bodybuilder or a personal trainer.

"Hello? Pete?"

"Ed... what the fuck is going on?"

He could almost hear Ed grin. "It's happened, hasn't it? The changes?"

"Y - Yeah..." whispered Pete shakily.

"Tell me what's happened? What's hit you? What's changed?"

"Well, for one thing, I don't have HIV anymore, apparently."

"You had HIV?"

He held the phone out at arm's length, staring at it incredulously. "Of course I did! I -" He growled and massaged a temple. "Will you just _please_tell me what's going on?"

"It's the Gam3_, Pete. I don't know how it does it or why but when you overuse the Chaos Drives, good things happen in the real world. But no one but_ you remembers what things were before. Did you know I was a dirty poor kid who could barely dress myself in anything except for ten year old hand-me-downs let alone buy the console?"

"What? Your dad is loaded!"

"No he wasn't. But when I got rich in the Gam3 and started using my Chaos Drives more than once a day, suddenly, my dad got promoted, my house became a fucking mansion and I had a whole goddamn wardrobe instead of a drawer I shared with my dad! It doesn't happen all at once, though. It's gradual but the more Drives you use, the more it happens!"

Pete regarded his image in the mirror, running a hand over his thick pecs. "So you think the more we use our Drives in the Gam3..."

"The sweeter it gets, baby! That's why I've wanted you two to play it with me! So we can live the sweet life together!"

Grinning, Pete flexed his bicep. It was huge. "Yeah... yeah, I can definitely see that."