3 Vol 1. pt. 3 Patch 2.0: Socializing, Raiding, or Fishing? (1/2)
Fenrir has learned that not only does the game do a wonderful job of simulating scenery and senses, but also is capable of perfectly creating feelings of shame and embarrassment.
He now realizes that he has not started with a single piece of gear. He and his plus-three-inches are available for all to see. ”You could have warned me sooner!” he shouts at Saya, though to any potential passersby, it will just look as if he is shouting into the wind.
”I was waiting to see how long it would take you to notice! Besides, I did point it out. Eventually. I'm surprised to see you so embarrassed since you were whipping that thing around during creation!” Saya replies.
”I wasn't whipping it around, and this is different! You're virtual and in my head! Anybody else who sees now is – you know, an actual person!”
”Teeecchhnicalllyyyy, they would also be virtual creations inside of your head.”
”You know what I mean.”
”Such a mean Onii-chan.”
”The effect is going to wear off if you keep on calling me that.”
”We both know that isn't true, O-nii-chan.”
”I'm ignoring you now.”
Rather than deal with the brat of a virtual little sister assistant inside of his head, he decides to look around for something to cover himself with. There has to be something around here.
Wait, he still has his tail, right? He reaches back to feel for it. There haven't been any feelings from it this entire time, but as soon as he touches it, he's suddenly aware of exactly where it is and what it's doing. He can even move it now! Instead of going caveman style by finding some nearby leaves like he was beginning to think he would need to, he simply wraps his tail around his waist to keep everything important hidden.
But it gets tiring surprisingly fast. It feels as if he's going to get a cramp in his tail if he keeps it in such an awkward position for too long. He needs to quickly find a better solution.
Wait, if he couldn't feel his tail before… he thinks about the ears on the top of his head.
An experiment. His canid ears twitch atop his head as he raises his right hand up to them. Slowly and gently, he traces the tips of his fingers from the base of his ear up to the tip. It twitches as his finger slides against it, and he finds himself involuntarily pushing his own head up against his hand. It's only after his fingers leave the tip of his ear that he realizes his tail is wagging against himself.
This is dangerous. If it feels that good just from his own fingers, what if somebody else plays with his ears?
He looks around to make sure that nobody is around before petting his head. Not only is his hair ridiculously soft and fluffy, but it feels great just to pet his own head! He now understands why anime girls always love getting their heads petted. And dogs. Does this mean that anime girls and dogs are related?
He may not know the answer to that, but he does know one thing: headpats are love; headpats are life.
He looks down at his stomach. Alright, rubbing his own belly would just be weird. He's not going to do that.
…
…
He looks to his left.
…
He looks to his right.
…
His leg starts shaking the second that he begins rubbing his belly. Alright, this is just weird. All he has are wolf ears and a wolf tail – he doesn't want to behave just like a dog!
”Saya, I feel like you're judging me right now,” Fenrir says.
”Of course I am, perverted doggy Onii-chan,” Saya confirms his fear.
”How does – was this sort of thing programmed in? Does everybody with animal characteristics act like an animal when it comes to this sort of stuff?”
”Of course not. Most of them do, but that's only because it's how the player feels their avatar should react. So if you get all excited just by touching your own ears and rubbing your own belly, that's because your subconscious is telling me to make your avatar react that way, perverted doggy Onii-chan. If you expect it to have that sort of effect, it's going to have it!”
”Please stop calling me a dog. I don't need to develop any more cringe-worthy fetishes than I already have.”
”Don't worry, I'm sure nothing will ever be stronger than your love for girls wearing sweaters!”
It's true. There is no better sight in the world than that of a cute girl wearing a sweater.
Alright, now that he's covered his plus-three-inches and has learned that he apparently has a subconscious desire to behave like a dog, it's time to find his friends. They should both be around here as they've had their headsets ready and waiting for him, and were supposed to go ahead and get used to things while he got his headset ready.
”Alright, I'll talk to you later, Saya. I've got to find my friends before they kill each other.” Fenrir gives her a mental wave goodbye.
”Good luck!”
Now for finding his friends.
While they could all choose the same spot to spawn in it, it's not nearly as precise as they would like it to be. It is more like they chose the same area to spawn in rather than the exact same spot. The map only allowed them to zoom in with a square selection area to a certain point and then stop before allowing them to get any more precise, so there is large square of land that they could be spread throughout. Fortunately for them, they figured out a way around this: everybody heads towards the center of the square. Since Fenrir spawned near the edge of the square and to the west, he has to walk east.
East it is.
Walking through grassy fields without any clothes on is an odd feeling. He hasn't been outdoors in anything other than jeans and long sleeve shirts in almost a decade, so to feel the bare blades of grass brush against his skin is an unfamiliar yet relaxing sensation.
”Viktor! Spencer! You guys around here?!” Fenrir shouts every now and then. He gets no response.
Given that he hasn't seen any players and only wildlife, it feels as if he's the only person in the world. It's crazy to think that, in a game with over fifty million active players all sharing the same server and world, that not a single soul is around. This world is massive. ”Viktor, I've got vodka for you!” Fenrir tries to get his friend's attention, but there still isn't a response.
Then an interesting sight pops up in the distance. He sees a small, petite boy with horns being chased by a massive, bodybuilder-wannabe… orc? More importantly, it looks as if the orc wants to brutally kill the small boy that he's chasing.