VR WARS Volume II - Coalition Army

ARRIVAL

The VR Wars Competition 1st Prom Dance,

Legends Keep,

May 1st, 2025

Before being deployed to the ball, we all had to make some “changes,” mainly our outfits; it was a formal event after all, so it made sense to dress up for the part. All this had already been told to us via email a few days ago. During the meeting, my companion and I discussed the color and style of our matching outfits, but what was standing before my eyes was surreal. There were hundreds of dresses, suits, brands, styles, and colors. It was insane. I felt like I was a successful businessman, swimming in money in a room filled with the latest designs of suits. But as I selected a beautiful blue tuxedo, a window appeared, telling me it was unavailable and reminding me that I had already pre-selected my outfit days ago. What started as disappointment quickly faded after accessing my minimal inventory section and seeing that piece of pure master craftsmanship. In a nutshell, I selected the item without batting an eye, and as soon as I did it, the scenery suddenly changed to the inside of a bedroom. The intention was for the atmosphere to look more comfortable, although it didn't ease the pressure one bit.

According to the flavor text, the outfit was of Italian design and white all over, with the exception of the bowtie, the buttons of the shirt, and the belt, which were all black. A small black handkerchief neatly folded was visible in my upper pocket, giving the whole thing a little more glamour than I honestly deserved.

Next, my index finger tapped on the icon of an outfit and selected the option “wear.” After ensuring everything looked good, the next item on the list was to go to the option locations as instructed by the email we all received, and lastly, press the button. It raised a whole new section inside my menu that strangely felt remarkably empty.

There was only one place market on it that went by the name of Legends Keep.

No sooner had my finger released the pressure exerted on the button, than my body then began to dematerialize into blue sparkles, only to materialize again a second later. I opened my eyes slowly to an unnatural bright and warm light that alerted me to the presence of a tall lamp above me. An unusual sight when considering the bushy environment surrounding me. But even more bizarre was the presence of a paved walk smearing the purity of nature with its industrialized practices, much to my distaste.

Yet, those thoughts soon were turned to dust and shadows as I gazed at the howl of the full moon high above. It was the perfect night, absent of rainy clouds with only the glitteriest stars to welcome me into their sparkling show of lights. The color coming from the sky was so intense that it provided more than enough visibility for me to notice a parked carriage just a few steps in front of me. The crafted vintage vehicle appeared to be coated in a bright brown color with an open cover and two smaller oil lamps hanging on the sides. And for its engine, powering the carriage with literal horsepower and not mechanical rotations were two majestic silver horses.

Are those unicorns?! I’ve only heard of them in fairy tales, but they have that horn on the forehead, so yes, they must be unicorns. My first time seeing one and probably my last.

A sudden urge lifted my arm without me realizing it, and before I knew it, I was gently caressing that magnificent beast’s muzzle. With each stroke to its detailed fur that responded amazingly to the touch, my curiosity peaked until I was completely absorbed in it. Then the horn called out to me; I wanted to feel it, like a curious child, I wanted to touch everything. It wasn’t until the last second that I managed to restrain my hands from doing so. The unicorn suddenly turned his face towards me and, almost in gratitude, licked the palm of my hand. It ticked, and it made me smile. Somehow, fantasies of riding a unicorn into battle came to mind, a feeling that prompted me to pull my hand away quickly. Doing such a thing would be a calamity. That creature was pure. It did not belong in an ugly place that was hell on earth.

“You’re late,” came a voice from inside the carriage.

I had been so focused on the unicorn and the scenery that I overlooked the fact that I wasn’t alone there. Inside the carriage, my colleagues and companions impatiently awaited my gracing presence.

“S-Sorry. I got caught up with the suits.”

“The diversity also caught my attention. Now, come on, we’re late.”

“Yes, mam,” I reluctantly answered while making my way towards the side of the carriage. Feeling my mood worsening by the minute with each step taken, I silently took my seat at the far right end with the perfect view of the fantastic scenery. Concurrently, my not-so-glamorous behavior of evading eye contact, which all my life had worked out just fine, backfired now that I reminisced that I was not going to this alone.

“So…you’re not going to say anything?” Her voice holding a grudge made in the bowels of hell made me break into a cold sweat.

You godforsaken clueless f*****g i***t! How could you forget about her!?!?!

“About wha—” I tried to lighten her mood with my obnoxious jokes, but all it took was one look at Vera in her dreamy white dress sitting by my side to immediately make me lose track of what I was going to say. Instead, I opted for a humbler, “W-Wow!”

“That’s the reaction I was going for,” she smiled slightly before returning to her resolute former self. “…Though you could've started with that…”

She was stunning. Her white dress not only fitted her perfectly, but it also destroyed the image I had of her. Where are those sharp fangs that are constantly scraping my throat? They had vanished entirely. I did not even feel a hint of killer instinct coming from her, she had the look of an innocent little girl, which couldn’t be further away from the truth, and I didn’t want it to be either. Apparently, at some point, my staring made my companion feel uncomfortable to the point where she started to tilt her face to the side. Occasionally, turning her eyes to me to see if I was still staring, which I most definitely was.

Moonlight shined on Vera’s dress, reflecting hundreds of tiny lights; it was as if fireflies were stitched to her dress— diamond fireflies.

She was sparkling. Behind her back was a big black ribbon tied in a gift shape, and on her neck was a black bow tie to match the accessories implemented in my outfit. The dress was long, covering her legs, but she showed some skin on her upper torso and arms. It was part of her seductive charm to captivate our adversaries' attention, or so we all thought. However, I had a feeling that she simply chose the outfit she liked best.

“Remember, people, do not draw unwanted attention from the big three.”

…Well, that's going to be a bit difficult now.

“The other coalitions might be going for the same strategy as us, so keep your focus on the prize and don’t let your guard down,” warned Pedro yet again, sitting in front of me with his companion Silvia. Her athletic form fitted in that luxurious light-green dress like a glove and was a sight for sore eyes. But not as much as her. I couldn’t take my eyes off Vera until I saw it.

As the carefully constructed path began to spread out, the vegetation thinned out, and something shaped like a triangle formed ahead of us. It was a huge mountain, and, at its highest peak that scraped the clouds, stood a heavenly castle. I could tell that a great deal of effort was put into the development of this stage. The castle, our fancy dresses, the carriage, all of it had been perfected to a whole new level of design, and even the beautiful landscapes screamed next-gen tech.

The Bermuda System seemed to be maximizing our senses to its full potential to take it all in. During the battles, it was no wonder that most of their effort was put into the fighting, and although the landscapes were there, here, it was a different story. We could feel everything, hear everything, and even smell the exotic fragrance of the local flora. The sense of smell in the battles was not as active as this, and for a good reason. Bearing in mind how brutal the conflicts were, imagine having to put up with the stench of the whole thing. Breathing in all the smell of blood and gore would be unbearable, even for me, and in addition to that thought, I couldn't begin to fantasize how they would reproduce the smells in the first place.

As we made our way past the gates to the mountain castle, our unicorns started to accelerate to the point where they were at full throttle, but there was no turbulence inside the carriage. Could there be any inertial dampeners installed in this? I wonder, only emerging from thought once we moved up the mountain faster and faster; this was probably programmed not to waste too much time and likely to provide a fun distraction for the people in the carriages as if they were on an uphill rollercoaster. I never enjoyed those very much, but I had to admit it—This part of the ride was a lot of fun.