Synergy and perfect teamwork personified were on full display, with Kai and Eliza taking down the hordes using masterful baiting techniques.
Eliza, often referred to as Eliza-ling-kins by a select few, brandished a makeshift VR selfie stick with a mirror affixed to one end, ingeniously repurposed as a fighting rod. Each blow she landed allowed her adversaries to witness the injuries reflected on their own faces, potentially sapping their morale and resolve in battle.
With her stick hoisted in front of herself and Kai, Eliza was able to check the mirror while walking forward, guarding against any ambushes from behind.
Eliza muttered, "There is another blue person creeping behind. What are these blue things, anyway? They look so dumb and weak, but, being blue, they might carry some virus or something nasty I can catch, like warts."
"I believe they're Smurfs. They are high-level players who target low-level or weaker opponents because they suck, often resorting to cowardly tactics such as ambushing from behind," Kai replied.
"Sooo, Kai-kun, do we take them out for easy EXP?" Eliza inquired.
"That's the plan, Elly-kins," Kai affirmed. "Just keep luring them in with your yellow sparkle trail and stick, and we'll take them out one by one."
The yellow sparkle trail, first seen as just for looks, turned out to be useful, leaving a bright path wherever the character went. Players were drawn towards yellow things in games, especially when they sparkle.
Eliza smiled, satisfied; she knew she wasn't much of a fighter but felt she could do anything with such a great partner/boyfriend with whom she shared such a strong bond, boasting more nicknames for each other than a person had for their beloved pet puppy.
Their loyal dog, Gig-git, circled around Eliza's legs, though he offered little assistance in the battle. Fortunately, the hitboxes didn't intersect, reducing the risk of Eliza tripping, especially as her attention was fixed on the mirror of her selfie stick.
Kai observed a group of peculiar, 'ugly-looking' blue avatars advancing along a linear path. "Unlike Path-walkers, they seemed more like daft-walkers," Kai thought to himself. If one turned around to look at them, they froze in place like statues, oblivious to their strikingly blue hue while standing out in the open. They believed that as long as they remained motionless, they were invisible to everyone.
Eliza walked steadily ahead of Kai, her selfie stick raised out in front of her, allowing Kai to have a full view of it and to spot the incoming blue figure edging closer from behind, gripping his Bun-chucks tightly in both hands as he pulled on the chains. The Bun-chucks, a form of weapon similar to traditional nunchucks but 100% cuter, were crafted from solid steel, each with a steel ball on its end featuring sharp, spiked ears and charming bunny snouts and lips. So you either got a bunny kiss or a sharp pain. The strike was so swift that one's brain couldn't comprehend it. The weapon perfectly complemented Kai's speed stats, fast footwork, and attacks.
As one of the blue guys crept forward, about to lunge at him, Kai grabbed and thrust one hand forward, slapping the person with the end of the Bun-chuck. Swiftly throwing it to the other hand, he struck the other side of the attacker's face. To the uninitiated, this might seem like wasted energy, but it was a cunning strategy.
By switching hands with the weapon so quickly and striking the opposite sides of his face, the frame rate diminished, causing the attacker to be unable to retaliate. The blue guy stood there motionless, having endured all the strikes and trying to process what just happened. His VR gear was not powerful enough to handle demanding amounts of data, leading to his collapse and pixelation, ejecting him from the game in a cascade of digital disarray.
Eliza stared smugly, proud, and then quipped, "That's a lot of bunny kisses for his face."
"No need to get all yellow jelly, my flutter-pug! Some simply can't handle... Bun-bra-Kai." With a thunderous roar, he then shouted, "Kai-yah!" hoping to thrill her with his prowess.
"Hey! I told you to stay out of my drawers."
"Stay out of where? Wait, what?"
After saying this, Eliza wondered if she even owned a bunny bra before she realised that the strike he had just executed was a fighting move and not a cry of agony due to the straps digging into his shoulders. "Ah, your Bun-Kai. 'Bun-bra-Kai,'" she corrected herself, gazing at him lovingly. "That fighting thingy! Not that other thing." She wanted to check his inventory and the clothing items chosen to be certain. Meanwhile, more blue guys were approaching and ambushing them while they were distracted by this discussion.
They approached in single file, with Kai proudly standing in front of Eliza in his Bun-bra-Kai fighting stance. It wasn't done to be cute; rather, it involved a lot of hopping backward and forward, allowing for quick use of his personal weapon.
Kai's voice boomed, "They say Bun-chucks are only for short ranges. But is it true?!" With a swift motion, he threw the Bun-chuck, effortlessly catching it with his toes. Extending his long legs, he delivered a powerful strike to the incoming blue Smurf's face, making it even bluer, surprising Eliza with the sheer force behind the strike, especially given that he was using his foot.
"Simply incredible, Kai-pie! Your footwork is amazing! You must have been practicing a lot!" exclaimed Eliza.
After Kai was done striking them, the Smurfs tumbled one by one, landing at Eliza's feet like tiny, blue dominoes. The selfie stick was no longer just for one's 'self'ie, and she decided to share it. She gave each of them a mightier slap on the derrière with her selfie stick.
In the midst of the chaos, Gig-git, the Dinglebarry doggo, joined in with enthusiastic yaks, his furry face alight with excitement. "Yak yak yak!!" he barked, adding to the cacophony.
Eliza rewarded Gig-git's participation with a pat on the head, her voice dripping with approval. "Good doggo!" she praised her little furry friend.
Her attention swiftly returned to the hapless Smurfs, each receiving their fair share of attention from the selfie stick. With a theatrical flourish, she switched between chastising and praising Gig-git; the rhythm of her actions was almost hypnotic.
"BAD doggo!" she scolded, punctuating her words with a resounding thwack on a Smurf's derrière. Then, as quickly, she pivoted to Gig-git, showering the doggo with affectionate pats. "And you are a good doggo!" she cooed, her tone brimming with warmth.
She did this to each Smurf's bottom that came her way, accompanied by a "yak" from the doggo, before they vanished into the ether. What a noble departure from the virtual realm! Each exit was marked by a farewell message of "1 vs. 1 me!" or a colourful comment about your Bunnee Guardian.
Kai looked behind with concern and perplexity at first, but then he laughed at the ridiculousness, relishing the fact that Eliza seemed to be having fun with all of this.
The two remaining blue creatures did the unthinkable—they actually 'thought.' They recognised that attacking in single file was not a good idea. Halting, one of them retrieved a shiny blue lump from its pocket and passed it to the other. Kai instantly recognised it as one of the gemstones the elderly woman with heavy eye shadow sold to him—the opal gemstone that turned out to be some sort of sour candy, while the green one emitted a foul odour. Being a scaredy-catto stemmed from the unknown, but since Kai knew these gemstones were weak sauce, he was not concerned.
Eliza, keenly observing the unfolding scene, saw Gig-git taking a brief pause from the chatter. With a wry grin, she remarked, "She's giving him blue balls! Watch out!"
Kai, utterly disregarding the unfolding scene ahead, boasted with cocky confidence, "Hah! I've got this in the bag! Blue balls are nothing to sweat..." Before he could finish his sentence, a blue ball was hurled at them, detonating the stone slabs beneath their feet. They plummeted into the depths of the purple slime. The explosion obliterated the floor, leaving them struggling in the viscous goo. There was no stone slab in sight to aid their escape. As they floundered in the slime, it offered some buoyancy, but their movements were painfully sluggish.
Eliza and I looked for Gig-git, and to our relief, we saw him bobbing up and down in the slime, much like a dolphin. The doggo's appearance, resembling a giant silverfish hybrid, confounded me. How did he swim through such a thick substance? It was both perplexing and awe-inspiring to witness. At least our digital doggo was safe.
Eliza and I battled through the viscous goo, alternating between breaststroke and doggy paddle. Eliza cast me a stern look. Kai nervously stuttered, "I thought... I thought they were just blue candies, nothing to worry about."
"Harumph!" Eliza huffed. One of the two remaining blue figures grumbled irritably, while the other frantically searched his pockets, presumably for more balls. They recognised our vulnerability, leaving us at their mercy. We attempted to swim towards the stone slabs to pull ourselves up, but traversing through the dense slime proved arduous. Despite Kai's high-speed stats and vigorous limb movements, he made little progress.
The two blue creatures toyed with us, enjoying our helplessness. Gig-git effortlessly glided through the water, but attempts to bark under the slime led to a fit of coughing. "Glub glub... cough... cough... cough... Ack! Hack hack! Yaaaaaake! Splutter gasp!" Gig-git attempted to bark underwater but ended up coughing uncontrollably.
"Are there any other swimming techniques you're familiar with? We must find a way out of this slime pit immediately, or we're in serious trouble," Kai inquired urgently.
"Kai-pie, there's only one thing on my mind right now," Eliza responded resolutely, standing upright in the murky slime pit, determination etched on her face as she trod water. Though lacking a brilliant plan at that moment, she refused to be the sole target of the impending sliming. She grabbed a handful of slime and threw it while treading water, but she lacked the strength in her swing to throw it far. It barely travelled half the distance of Gig-git, the dense slime hindering its flight. The blue couple just laughed, already preparing a new blue ball to launch at the two of them.
When entering any water area within a VR game, weapons were instantly unequipped and stashed into our inventory. Thus, we were left defenceless, lacking weapons to aid our swimming or to use as... weapons.
Kai was acutely aware (but not as cute as Eliza) that water and swimming constituted one of his weakest areas, despite training in the Hyper Aqua location and Raven Arena against formidable foes; however, this situation was entirely distinct. He struggled to gain even the slightest speed or manoeuvrability in the thick slime surrounding them, no matter his efforts.
We were both doomed, Kai grimly concluded. Yet a glimmer of hope flickered. In his mind, he realised, No, not both of us. I could still shield Eliza from the impending blast, bearing the brunt of the impact, and perhaps salvage her chance of surviving and carrying on the game on her own.
Kai got in front of Eliza as fast as he could, but it wasn't quite fast enough; the blue balls were already hurtling towards them. A massive wave crashed into his face, not caused by the impact of the blue ball hitting the slime water's surface. Then, like a super doggo-dolphin, Gig-git emerged from the slime water, swiftly snatching the thrown blue ball in his mouth mid-air, mistaking it for a treat meant for him. "Giggy!" Eliza's voice pierced the air. "That's not treat meat! That's... "
But Gig-git swam off, licking his lips with his back turned to the Smurf couple, as a rumble began deep within Gig-git's stomach. "Here, Giggy," Eliza called out. The doggo swam towards her, the blue Smurf couple following closely behind. Then, another rumble erupted, and the blue balls exploded inside Gig-git. He bounced atop the slime, and then a massive, blue gust of wind—like an explosion, tornado, thunderstorm, and mudslide combined—erupted, hurling from the backside of Gig-git, causing the Smurfs to fly away and sending half the slime flying into the air.
Gig-git swam to Eliza and started licking her slime-ridden hands, oblivious to the chaos happening behind him. Though many dogs were startled by loud, sudden noises—such as fireworks and the toast popping out of the toaster—Gig-git remained unfazed, nonchalant to the commotion behind their behind. What a special doggo, indeed! Something then flashed in front of them, and it wasn't a person in a trench coat:
** Mega Blue EXP Bonus! **
** Exp gained: 558,333,455,335,550.9! **
** Plus, special EXP Bonus EXP: 4 EXP! **
** EXP tax: -5 EXP **
** All blue avatars eliminated from the game! **
** Level up! **
** Level up! **
** Level up! **
** Level up! **
** Level up! **
** Unlocked new outfit **
** Unlocked new jewels and accessories **
** 5 More abilities learned! **
After the last of the pop-up messages vanished and their vision was no longer obscured, Kai and Eliza saw where they should swim. The dopamine rush from the EXP gained boosted their motivation, fuelling their drive to power through the lingering slime and hoist themselves onto the stone slabs.
Gig-git was already up on the stone slabs, waiting for Kai and Eliza with a proud look. As they climbed up, Gig-git danced around their legs. Covered in slime, Gig-git now resembled a teenage lad with far too much hair gel, his fur drooping down in a big comb-over.
A moment later, Gig-git heard a rumble in his stomach, followed by a small puff of wind escaping. He swiftly spun around to bark at his flatulence, then returned his focus to Kai and Eliza, dancing around and between their legs once more. It was strange how he hadn't heard that massive explosion earlier but could hear this. There was absolutely no continuity with this doggo.
Kai vigorously shook off the slime clinging to his clothes before remarking, "That... that doggo... is something else." Eliza nodded as she elegantly brushed her hands, flicking away some of the slime.
"A something else it may be, Kai-pups. A Dinglebarry Realisation we can cherish in the real world as well."
"Yes, I realise it's a realisation, Ms. Kins," Kai continued, "and I truly believe this doggo is sentient. It exhibits self-awareness, intelligence, and free thinking."
Then, Gig-git wiped some of the slime off its face onto Eliza's ankles by rubbing his face against them. Eliza's ankles, already covered in slime, resulted in even more slime on Gig-git's face. It looked up at Eliza and yakked, "YAK YAK YAK!!"
Eliza exchanged a knowing glance with Kai, confirming, "I think you might be onto something."
As they began to relax and catch their breath, their weapons automatically equipped once more now that they were out of the wet area. Their senses heightened by the anticipation of danger—they knew that relaxation was a luxury they couldn't afford, even for a second. Yet, before they could fully let their guard down, they were ambushed once again. In the relentless world of The Mask, danger lurked around every corner.
"Kai Uzros! KAI KAI KAI KAI!!! Oh my gosh, Kai! My strength stat just increased by seeing you!! You look even better in the digital world than you do in the photos. Literally mind-blown! Show me some sweet moves," the hyperactive fan squealed, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.
Eliza observed the fan with disapproval, sensing her precious attention being drawn away from her partner. The newcomer began shooting peas from a small shooter at Kai, who effortlessly deflected them with his Bun-chucks. Both Kai and Eliza understood that this was merely an attempt to observe Kai's skills, knowing full well that the peas posed no threat, despite being momentarily weakened by the explosion.
As they watched, they couldn't help but notice the fan's mismatched attire, a jumble of assorted garments that paled in comparison to their avatars' coordinated outfits. Meanwhile, Gig-git continued to scurry beneath Kai's and Eliza's feet, shaking vigorously to rid himself of the slimy residue clinging to his fur. With a mighty shake, slime muck scattered in all directions, dousing the manic 'fan'.
Eliza said, "When the muck hits the fan, who will stay like a man and who will cower and run?"
The fan replied, "I am not scared of doggo!"
"Good, because they are a good doggo!" Eliza exclaimed. With a flick of her hand, she signalled Gig-git to shake once more, and obediently, he did. However, this time, some of the muck landed right inside his mouth.
"Hope it tastes good," Eliza chuckled.
He tried to use his peashooter again, aiming it at Eliza. However, it was clogged with slime and no longer functioned, no matter how hard he blew into it.
Gig-git then bit his legs, instantly depleting his health points, which, at a mere single digit of 5, dropped instantly. The fan faded out of the game without an over-the-top death animation.
** Exp gained: (0.444 + (3/4)) × 0 **
Eliza locked eyes with Kai, a grin spreading across her face. "Well, aren't we just swimming in experience points, Kai-zen-kins? And no longer swimming in, you know what?"
Kai flashed a proud smile. "You bet, Eliza-Oo-ee-oo-ah-ah-ting-tang-wally-wally-bing-bang-ling-a-ding-kins."
Eliza blinked, processing the absurdity of her new nickname. "Alright, that one's a mouthful even for me."
Kai chuckled. "Got to keep you on your toes, Eliza. But you're right; it's time to cash in our experience and use it on our stats."
Eliza's enthusiasm returned. "Absolutely! But first, did we ever check the abilities we picked up from those who took out the blue pests, as well as the loot, jewels, and so on?"
Kai shook his head. "I don't think so. We got a bit sidetracked, as usual."
Eliza grinned. "Well, let's not waste any more time! Abilities, experience, and rewards... here we come! Gimme, gimme, gimme! Let's see what we've got."
"I can't wait to see each of our jewels," Kai said with great excitement.
Eliza looked at the new items with a shocked expression and exclaimed, "Oh no."
"What's wrong?" Kai inquired.
"This is quite strange and not what I was expecting to see at all," Eliza responded.
Kai whistled innocently.
Eliza said, "Only the doggo has jewels for us to look at."
"What are you talking about?" Kai asked, puzzled.
"You'll see..." Eliza replied mysteriously, leaving Kai intrigued.
Kai went to inspect the new abilities, jewels, accessories, and outfits received, unsure of what he was seeing. He remarked, "I think the game is corrupt!"
"No, it's not, silly," Eliza explained. "It's quite simple. Doggo got four new abilities: 'yak yak yak,' 'yak yak yak yak,' and 'YAK!!!'... with three exclamation marks... and 'YAKYAKYAKYAK' is the last one."
Kai glanced at the descriptions of all the attacks, which simply described them as "Yak yak yak yak yak yak!"
Eliza added, "The last attack is especially useful... because..." with a long pause, "It's like a turbo yak."
She then triggered the last ability. Gig-git summoned stone debris from the exploding slabs, and the pieces shattered into smaller fragments. The doggo yakked, "YAKYAKYAKYAK!" as the debris continued to break apart, the sound like a fire alarm in machine-gun mode.
"My innocent ears!" Kai complained.
"Now you see why it's useful? A very talented doggo, just like me."
"Yes, I agree," Kai hesitated before finishing that train of thought, not thinking it wise to list all the things she shared in common with the doggo.
Eliza continued, "And his jewel is just a big diamond to put on the name tags of the collars."
Both Kai and Eliza looked at Gig-git, and Eliza could guess what he was thinking, which she addressed.
"He may not... right now... have a collar to put it on," she continued, "we will figure out this co-nun-dumb later. Okay? Thank you, next and next."
Eliza swiftly swapped the new outfit for the doggo, which looked exactly like the default outfit. She rapidly alternated between the two and asked, "Which one do you like best?"
Kai didn't notice any differences between the two. He didn't want to inspect the doggo thoroughly to see any changes. Instead, he said, "The first one." Then, with a few things now making sense, he asked for confirmation on a few things that just transpired: "It seems like all the Smurfs we just took and the fan account, the doggo Dinglebarry Gig-git, got all our experience. Even the experience we earned together, because the doggo got the final blow on the last Smurf." The game amalgamated them as one, crediting the doggo with all the EXP.
Eliza, surprisingly tuned in to Kai's chat about 'The Mask', then said, "I know it usually pairs people up into pairs. The game got lazy, and it didn't want to do it with these guys... just because."
Kai concluded, "Well, it's not the end of the world, I guess."
"That's right, Kai-ly. The world ends when I decide. It disappears when I switch off this game or block someone on eBunnee. They vanish from my world forever."
Kai, speaking like a seasoned warrior and channelling ancient wisdom, said, "Blocking... is a key technique for successful combat."
She just stared at him and nodded.