" Are you sure you want to use 0.2 MP and call off your work obligations for the day?" Leo's bracelet asked him.
Having no option but to stay within the confines of their own room, Luke and Leo tinkered with their ankle monitors to see if they could call on security to help them manage the situation, but while they could not call on security, Leo discovered that he could completely bypass the mandatory work attendance, if he paid for his absence with MP.
" Yes, I'm sure" Leo said as 0.2MP was deducted from his account and with it went away any punishment that he might have received for not showing up to work.
" Administrator, I also wish to pay for my brother's absence-" Leo said as the ankle bracelet lit up once more.
" Are you sure you want to use 0.3 MP and call off Luke Skyshard's work obligations for the day?" The bracelet asked as the price had increased from 0.2 to 0.3.
Although Leo did not understand what had driven the price increase, he paid for his brother's absence as well before facing him as he said "This is an opportunity in distress brother.
We must escape sector E at any cost possible and now we have extra hours of game time to make sure that we have an edge over our competitors.
While they work, let's improve and ensure our spot in the top10%"
Luke nodded with determination. After talking to Cervantez, he too was pumped to play the game and improve as fast as possible as little by little he too was catching the fever of viewing Terra Nova Online as something more than just a fun game.
***********
( Meanwhile Amanda, a.k.a Vain Kitty )
Amanda was ready to head off to work, when surprisingly a blonde man with handsome features and blue eyes walked into her room unannounced.
"My Apologies to barge in unannounced, but I come in peace with a business proposition" Cervantez said as he walked into her room with both his hands raised in the air assuming as non threatening a stance as he could manage.
For a second Amanda was starstruck by his noble features, however, once she noticed his white robe with a big 'S' written on it, she immediately had a bad feeling starting to well-up in her chest.
" Please tell me you did not just walk into my room after openly parading through sector C in those clothes?" Amanda said as she genuinely hoped that Cervantez would have been more discreet, however, the blank look on his face immediately betrayed her expectations.
" Ugh, great-" Amanda said as she opened her apartment door slightly and just as she had expected, there were hundreds of sector C players gathered outside to understand what was going on.
" Don't worry about the crowd, the administrator will provide you with appropriate security" Cervantez said as he thought that all arc ship passengers were given that feature, completely unaware that people under sector A were not privy to that feature.
" What security?" Amanda asked and Cervantez tried to teach her about the security call feature, only to realise midway that she did not have the same options.
" Why don't you have the security feature?" Cervantez asked in panic as Amanda rolled her eyes and said "Why don't you have common sense?"
It was at this moment that Cervantez realised what sort of a mess he had left back in sector E for Luke and Leo to clean as he could already imagine how the brother's would feel seeing the group of hoodlums gathered outside their door.
"Shit, shit, shit….. I messed up" Cervantez said as he involuntarily trembled, earning some pity from Amanda who found his antics cute.
" It's okay….. since you're here already, let's understand what brought you here" Amanda said as she sat down in front of Cervantez and waited for him to start explaining his offer.
Amanda was a slim woman with a strong Irish accent.
She had beautiful tanned skin, an extremely defined shoulderbone and sharp facial features.
If rated by nerdy men who had never had a girlfriend of their own before. Amanda was a solid 10/10. However, even for Cervantez who had seen countless beautiful models and exotic beauties in his life, Amanda was still a solid 8/10 gorgeous.
When she sat in front of him leaning towards him and exposing that shoulderbone, even Cervantez had to admire her beauty for a second as he was forced to recollect his thoughts and remember the purpose that brought him here.
" I'm here because I want you to join my guild. I'm Cervantez, a.k.a DarkEmperor the second ranked player within the game and I am forming a team of some of the best players in the game.
I already know that you are called 'Vain Kitty' and that you have been selected as a Blacksmith Apprentice and hence I'm here to recruit you before anyone else can, because I need a capable forger in my team" Cervantez said as he learnt from his past mistakes and constructed a better proposal this time than what he did when talking to Luke.
"How do you know my in-game name?" Amanda asked surprised as Cervantez chose not to answer this question.
" That's my secret, sorry I can't say" he said as he avoided answering that question.
Amanda was intrigued by the offer, she was already worried about her future within the game as forging did not give much EXP compared to killing monsters, which meant that she was most likely going to be demoted to sector D because of the path she was following.
She did not wish to drop to sector D if it could be helped, however, even at the cost of dropping to sector D she was not ready to leave the side of the old dwarven lady who had taken her in as her apprentice.
Although Terra Nova Online was just a game, that old dwarf with heavy amnesia genuinely believed that Amanda was her apprentice who she had raised ever since she was a small kid and Amanda did not have the heart to leave her side.
The doctors said she had very few months left to live and Amanda was willing to see those months through even if it meant that she stagnated as a player.
The old dwarf reminded her of her own grandmother who used to love Amanda like she was her entire world, yet sadly Amanda lost her to a natural disaster a few years ago as she could not crawl under the table fast enough when the earthquake came.
Amanda remembered the scene of the ceiling falling over her frail body vividly, she also remembered her pants as she slowly bled to her death as ever since that day Amanda constantly prayed to God for one more chance to be with her again.
Although she could never meet her grandmother again, she met this beautiful dwarven woman within Terra Nova Online, who was helping her gain the closure that she never found with her own grandmother in life.
" I will pay you a monthly stipend and provide you with the resources you need to progress as a forger.
I won't ask you to leave the old granny's side either.
I only want you to join me in my guild when you're ready and not join any other organisation" Cervantez said after a while as his words snapped Amanda out of her daze as she once again looked into Cervantez's eyes.
" Okay-" she said as she extended her hand for Cervantez to shake as just like that Cervantez recruited his second team member.