-chapter two-

FINN

I yawned as I made a last flip for my scrambled egg. Inaantok ko itong inilagay sa plato. I stretched and sat on the table, facing my breakfast in the heat of eleven noon.

Maaga na akong nakatulog. And by maaga, I meant alas tres ng umaga. We had the practice cave wars in my other game kung saan hanggang ngayon galit pa rin sa'kin si West. I scoffed a chuckle upon reading his rants on our discord channel.

West
I'm telling you all, that was cheating.
How can Sparrow appear from the other side of the cave then in front of me?

Gloria
Sparrow's just fast, West.
Ayan kasi't lagi kang wala sa mga guild events kaya hindi mo alam.

Dierran
Hayaan mo na, Lori.
Pre-med 'yan eh HAHAHAHAHAHA

Humalumbaba ako. Oo nga, West was a rare find in our guild. Magaling siya sa offense at defense. He's also the brain in all our raids. Kaya kahit na hindi siya nakakasama ay pinapabayaan na lang.

I joined the guild, Autumn's Fall, way before West. Nakapasok lang din naman siya dahil sa malapit niyang kaibigan ang guild leader. There were criticisms at first but he proved to be a wise and skillful member.

"Finn, lalabas lang muna ako."

Napatingin ako kay Tita Layla nang magpa-alam siya. Isinu-suot niya ang kaliwang sapatos habang may hawak na dalawang malalaking bags. Tita Layla is Mama's older sister at isa siyang online seller. It's a job to de-stress herself from her main office work.

"Ikaw na muna bahala sa bahay?" tanong niya habang inaayos ang hairclips.

Binigyan ko siya ng tahimik na tango. Ngumiti si Tita Layla at muling nagpaalam bago tuluyang lumabas ng bahay. I scanned over the conversations in discord and closed the chat when it was too much to backread. Nagkukulitan na rin naman ang ibang guild members namin.

Autumn's Fall have never met each other in person. Mostly sa mga members dito ay streamers na may malalaking subscribers. A selection of us are also very private in our lives.

Pagkatapos kong hugasan ang pinagkainan ay sandali kong nilinis ang buong bahay. Then I opened the television while browsing for the new update. Under maintenance pa ang game na tine-take care ko and my streams are all on the evening.

Natigilan ako nang mabasa ang isang post. It was about the invitation that the BBG sent two days ago. I'm actually considering the email, lalo na't we streamers are actually advised to become beta-testers. As pros, we can provide more insights to the game and hints to the players. It becomes a learning opportunity for all of us.

Huminto ako sa pagbabasa ng post ng isang kilalang streamer about sa game nang tumunog ang discord notif ko. A peek of the chat appeared on top of my screen. It was West and he chatted something about the RWO, kaya naman binuksan ko na rin ang app.

West
Are you all signing up for that beta-tester invitation?

I munched on my chips. So he got an invite too? Ano ba ang criteria ng BBG in selecting out gamers?

LuhFam
HA?!
NAPASALI KA WEST?!
HALA BA'T AKO WALA, EH MAS MARAMI PA AKONG NASALIHANG EVENTS KAYSA SA KANIYA!
AT PAANO KA NILA NAHANAP WHEN YOU'RE NOT EVEN STREAMING UNFAIR PRE
*crying anime gif*

Napasimangot din ako do'n. West is rarely online but when he is, he contributes a lot. Not to mention he's only shown in the stream of other people. I thought the company sorted out gamers through their influence and standing in the gaming community.

Sparrow
Maybe the player's are not selected by attendance but through skills. West was probably shown in our videos and he made a good impact.
Besides his plans are considered godly by our other players.

Dierran
tru tru
HAHAHAHAHA next time p're, busy ka rin naman sa beta testing do'n sa FPS diba?

Gloria
YES! THIS IS HER FIFTH MESSAGE IN OUR DC CHAT!

Ibinaba ko muna ang phone nang makitang alas dose na. I walked towards the small cabinet at the top of our stairs, under the painting of a large meadow. Nakalagay dito ang dalawang kandila at picture frame.

Ipinagsalikop ko ang palad at pumikit. Mama, Papa, I'll be off for now.

Pagkatapos kong ayusin ang mga gamit ay umalis na ako ng bahay. I locked all the doors and took a peek on Gavin's house. Magkatabi lang ang bahay namin kaya agad ko siyang nakita, abala sa pagbabalanse ng bola sa ilalim ng paa.

"Gavin." tawag ko. "'diyan si Tita Geneva?"

Napatigil siya sa pagbalanse at napabaling sa'kin. He slightly frowned when he saw that I was all ready. He softly kicked the ball up and tucked it in his arms.

Gavin nodded to the direction of their house. "Sa loob. Bakit? May pupuntahan ka?"

"Mm. May delivery si Tita Layla. Pabantay ng bahay?"

"Saan ka pupunta?"

I hesitated for a moment. "Big Box Games company. Part of a beta testing program."

Gavin's eyes slightly widened. Then his expression turned unreadable at tumango siya.

"Sige. Mag-ingat ka."

Ngumiti ako't nagpaalam sa kaniya. I went out of our house to the nearest bus stop. Our town is beside the city, mga one hour drive siguro. The city is considered the third biggest city in our region at hindi pa ito ang capital city, but then I know BBG has a company there. Kung nasa capital, baka abutan pa ako ng three to four hours of travel.

Maliit lang ang bayan namin. Malapit kami sa dagat kaya we're mostly called a fishing town. We have one school that caters kindergarten to highschool. Mayroon din kaming isang maliit na mall for people who liked to hang out. Mas marami ang mga small and local shops sa'min.

Napatakbo ako nang dumaan sa bahay ni Reñee. Kapag nakikita niya akong lumalabas, uma-activate ang Mama mode niya. Lahat-lahat na lang ata ang tinatanong niya sa'kin. And I don't want to be late to this assembly.

I boarded the bus with a deep sigh. The bus was half full dahil sa weekend ngayon at gumagala ang mga pamilya o magkakaibigan. The bus ride home will be a fight amongst passengers. Kailangan ko sigurong makauwi ng maaga para hindi ako masama sa rush hour.

I took the two-person seat in the last rows of the bus. Sa may bintana ako pumwesto at hinanda ang headphones ko. I can doze for the entirety of the ride.

The soft melody and the hoarse voice of the Japanese singer entered my ears. Napapikit ako sa pinapakinggan. When the bus started to run and I opened my eyes, the blue sea welcomed me. Kumikinang ito dahil sa sinag ng araw. May mga magkakaibigan na naglalaro sa taas ng sea wall. Napangiti ako sa nakita.

Getting out of our town means watching the never-ending stretch of the gorgeous sea. Pinanood ko ang mga mangingisda, na mula sa malapit na baryo sa'min, maglayag. There were a couple of teens who were diving into the water, splashing their friends with all their might.

Natigil ang pag-andar ng bus kaya napatingin ako sa harap. It's unusual for the bus to stop midway dahil wala namang masyadong baryo o bahay dito, aside from the big families that occupied the lands between the city and our town.

A man whose hair was tucked into a hat entered the bus. Nakasuot sa tainga niya ang dalawang puting headphones at panay ang kalikot niya sa cellphone. May isang black bag na nakasabit sa balikat niya. His face was hidden by the cap and the black mask he was wearing. Tanging ang mata niya lang ang nakita ko.

He took the seat in the middle of the bus. Bumalik ako sa pagtingin sa labas nang muling tumakbo ang sasakyan. The sun is almost scorching hot, touching me even through the glass.

The bus arrived in Central at around one-thirty. Hindi naman malayo ang BBG mula sa bus station. Mabilis lang din itong mahanap dahil isa ito sa mga pinakamalaking gusali, with its high skyscraper belittling the establishment around it and the giant logo that would make nobody lost.

The fastfood establishment that stood beside it looked like a mere dog house in comparison. Napatingin ako sa paligid. Marami-rami nang tao ang pumapasok sa loob ng gusali. Some of them are even familiar to me. Streamers.

Sumunod ako sa isang grupo ng kilalang player squad na pumasok. They're well known for their teamwork and quirky attitudes. Sila siguro ang isa sa mga kilalang group streamers. Kahit saang game ay kompleto sila.

There are streamers who are loyal to one group or squad. Dahil sa mga videos nila kung saan iisa lang ang mga kasama at talagang may bond nang namuo, mabenta ito sa Streamtube. One of them usually have the highest subscribers while the rest gets dragged to fame.

Madaling makakuha ng viewers once you're in a group. Meanwhile, for us solo streamers, we are mainly watched for tips and tricks. Of course malalapit din kami sa mga kilalang players sa community, however we are more likely to appear in episodes and not at every video.

Marami ng tao sa hall ng BBG. Guards littered around the room, securing the glass windows, walls and for security check pagkapasok. Nakita kong lumapit ang ibang mga kasama sa front desk kaya sumunod ako.

Nang matapos ang pagtanong ng grupo sa harap ay binigyan ako ng ngiti ng babaeng clerk. I offered a small smile before handing out the email the company sent me. Ang instruction kasi ay ipakita lang 'to at sasabihin na lang kung saan tutungo pagkatapos.

Kumunot ang noo ko nang makitang nanlaki ang mata ng babae. She flickered her gaze from the email to me.

"Something wrong?" tanong ko.

Did I give the wrong email? Should I show an ID to confirm my identity?

Napakurap-kurap ang babae bago umiling. Binigyan niya ako ng isang nag-aalangan na ngiti.

"Ah... wala po. I was just surprised-" tumikhim siya. "Anyway, uh, nasa right corridor po kayo at third conference hall po. Just show your email to the standing guard."

Tumango ako't nagpasalamat. I made my way through the ever-growing crowd. Naglakad ako papunta sa right corridor na sinabi niya.

A small frown appeared on my face after seeing the difference of numbers between the left and righr corridor. Sa kaliwa kasi, maraming tao ang nakikipagsiksikan o pumupunta doon. However, the right hallway had lesser people and more vacancy. Bakit kaya?

Ipinakita ko muli ang email na natanggap sa guwardiyang nagbabantay. He gave me a brief nod and opened the door.

A large room with white walls and a wide glass windows welcomed me. May mahabang mesa sa gitna na napapalibutan ng sixteen chairs, two on both ends and seven on each side. May isang malaking board sa likod ng taong nasa unahan ng mesa. Aside from that man, there are nine others in the room.

In total, eleven kaming lahat.

Umupo ako sa pinakahuling upuan na nasa left side ng mesa. Ang lalaking nakaupo sa pinakadulo ng mesa ay nakasuot ng isang cleanly-ironed business suit and his greyish hair is combed back. He's probably the one handling the meeting, which means the other nine are... players like me.

"Hindi ba't para sa mga pro at influential gamers ang right corridor?" malakas na tanong ng isang lalaki habang masama ang tingin sa'kin. "Bakit may bata dito?"

Oh. Judging from his neck-length brown hair, he's one of the famous streamers, especially in action genres. Si Amnesia.

The woman two seats away from me chuckled. "You never know, kids today are dangerous."

Unlike Amnesia's arrogant tone, hers was mellow and soft.

"This is an action MMORPG game, right? Baka Minecraft lang alam niya." another female stated, one I recognized as a streamer known for her quick wit and skills.

"Baka nga mas magaling pa 'yan sa inyo." wika ng lalaking nakaupo sa tabi ni Amnesia.

Another male, known for his dungeon raid skills, chuckled. "I don't really play girl games, so sure," ngumisi siya. "She'll win."

"Girl games are so adorbs kaya!" exclaimed the shortest person in the room.

Si Depore ang isa sa mga streamers na dini-describe ng lahat bilang "cutest streamer to ever walked the world" kasi hindi nila alam kung gaano ito kasakit magsalita sa likod. Maliban sa pagiging baby-face niya ay hindi din siya kataasan. Her hair was sort of similar to my favorite style, ngunit sa halip na naka-bun ay twin tails ito.

The two other people in the room aren't familiar to me. They were sitting just beside me and their faces were slightly hidden. The first man wore a cap with his face buried deep in a book. The second one had a white mask and his long fringes hid the eyes. Hindi ko alam kung natutulog siya o ano.

"Hey, old man!" singhal ni Amnesia. "Talaga bang kasama dito ang batang 'yan?"

Almost everyone flinched when one of the last two men slammed the book down. His ocean blue eyes fixed Amnesia with a glare.

"You're so damn loud!" iritadong reklamo nito. "Why are you acting like a literal child is not even here?"

Depore only giggled at being mentioned in the conversation. Despite how amusing her laugh must have seemed, the dangerous glint in her eyes provided warning. Bilang sagot naman ay sinamaan ni Amneisa ng tingin ang lalaki.

"Depore is a well-known gamer." itinuro niya ako. "Siya hindi!"

I blinked. Oh. Ako pala ang tinutukoy nila mula kanina?

"Please, let us all calm down."

Natahimik ang lahat nang magsalita ang matandang lalaki. His voice was deep but soothing. Para itong nakikipag-usap sa mga bata. Binigyan niya kami ng isang tipid na ngiti.

"I assure you that every single person here deserves to sit in these chairs. Ito ang confidential room ng top streamers in the world. We're still waiting for five more, so I request the humble players to prevent any more arguments."

Nagkapalitan ng tingin ang lahat. That's right, every single player in this room is well-known and respected in the gaming community. Sa espesyal na kwartong ito rin, kung saan nagrequest ng confidentiality of identity ang mga players, ay pwedeng publicly known or hindi sila.

Napakagat ako ng labi. I know this room is safe for me but I fear for what lies ahead. Ayokong may makaalam sa kung sino ang naglalaro sa likod ni Sparrow. I don't want the two of my characters to mix, or so my silent wings of escape will forever be cut off. For five years, I've successfully kept it hidden, at hindi ko hahayaan na lumabas ang lahat sa beta-testing program na 'to.

I did email BBG about the player's privacy rules, and their reply consisted of my right to keep my stream name to myself. Thus making me wonder if, instead of Sparrow, gagamitin nila ang totoong pangalan ko?

Hindi nagtagal ay nakompleto din kami. I gave a relieved sigh when their faces were all unfamiliar too. It saves me the trouble of being narrowed and figured out to be Black Sparrow, although marami din namang silid maliban dito. Maybe... Sparrow's in another room, right?

I can avoid it as long as I don't reveal my voice. Hindi naman ito mahirap dahil hindi din naman ako palasalita.

When everyone’s cozy and ready, the old man clapped his hands. "Now, now, dear streamers, may I have your attention?" he tapped the whiteboard, the game symbol and rules then showing. "I won’t repeat the game’s description because I believe you’ve already studied it. I have never met any top gamers or streamers who have never researched their games."

That’s correct. It’s our second nature to study the nature and genre of our possible game. Gano’n na rin ang tingnan ang overall objective and list of missions nito, also judging and comparing their monsters and features to other similar games and assessing its quality and uniqueness. 

Based on the email, the game revolves around completing a specific city mission. Hindi ito ang usual MMORPG game kung saan kailangan lang maglevel-up at tapusin ang mga quests in order to reach the final objective, which actually depends on the storyline or game lore. Dito, para makompleto ang quest, kailangang tapusin ang kung ano mang kailangan ng city na kinaroroonan. It’s quite similar to tower missions, wherein your primary objective is to reach the top in order to complete the game. In this case, the cities are the floors.

"I'll proceed to explain why we picked you and how this game works. We've handpicked two hundred players to be our beta-testers, from pro-gamers to aspiring players. Any type of gamers, whether they played for a long time, making this their career, or if they’re new to this community. From all genders and a variety of ages. This is a diversity of gamers! Why so? To promote and create a fair place for you, as well as receive dynamic critics and feedback in our case."

Ngayon naiintindihan ko na kung bakit marami ang nasa kaliwang corridor kaysa dito. Those on the left side must be newbies or rising streamers. On the other hand, our corridor consisted of reputable content creators and pro-gamers/streamers.

"As chosen players, your responsibility is to beta-test the game. You will experience firsthand the game elements. You must actively engage yourself in this program and provide honest feedback after.”

The man took out a remote from his pocket, pushing the only button in there. A small area of the table opened, specific to each player, and a similarly-shaped rectangular box inclined upwards. A virtual gear and vital sign wristband lay atop the box. Mangha kong pinagmasdan ang kabuuan nito. While games are one of the most popular form of entertainment now, VR games are not commonly consumed due to the expensive pricing and exclusive games. Itong dini-develop na RWO, o Rogue Wars Online, nga siguro ang unang ibibigay for public consumption.

Probably why they also need beta-testers. They want to show the world how high-quality and safe their products are.

"Alam niyo na siguro ‘to, pero isa ito sa mga virtual reality game na ini-experimentuhan para mabenta sa public. The wristband is an additional function for us to assess your health statistics and emotional reactions during the game. I’ll shortly explain the game function once again before letting you start the gear,” he tapped the whiteboard again. "The general rule is to complete a city in order to proceed. Each of these cities has a task you are required to accomplish. It can be killing two dragons or simply planting a tree. Certain cities include a time limit, at kung hindi ka makalabas sa time limit na ito, either you wait for another time limit to appear, if applicable, or you will be eliminated."

He continued, "There are a total of twenty six cities. Matatapos niyo ang laro kapag nakaabot kayo sa final city, the twenty-sixth one. We will award the completing beta-testers with a set of the latest gaming or streaming equipment, an official merchandise of this game, and a monetary reward of five-hundred thousand pesos-"

Nanlaki ang mata ko. The rest of the players were also baffled at the amount of payment offered to us. Five-hundred thousand plus official and latest equipments?! Hindi ba sobrang-sobra na niyan?

"Question." someone raised a hand. "Kapag ba ikaw ang isa sa top five na nakatapos para makuha ang reward?"

Umiling ang lalaki. "No. You only need to complete the game."

Someone’s jaw dropped. The book-man suddenly started to whisper rants on his friend. Kahit ako’y hindi makapaniwala. Talaga bang iyon lang ang kailangan para sa gano’ng reward? Either they have a confident budget or completing the game is not as easy as everyone thought. 

"That's absurd!" sigaw ng isang babae. "You're giving us that much money just for completing the game?!"

Nakangiting tumango ang lalaki. "Of course. But that is if you can complete the game."

Baka nga tama ang isang konklusyon ko. This game, whatever it is, is not an easy task. 

"To proceed, the cities are not just randomized quests. We want our beta-testers to enjoy and learn so we applied several elements of a game here. Isa ito sa kailangan niyong tandaan. It won’t apply to the rest of the stages but this is very crucial in your first cities.” He tapped the board again, the word “alliance” showing up. “I know you’re all well aware of what this word means. It works similarly to a guild or squad, but this doesn’t have a limit to members. Pwede kayong gumawa ng alliance kahit kanino niyo gusto. There is no required level or in-game money to make one.” 

Lastly, he showed the leaderboards. “This is used as a rank board. Dito ipapalabas ang points na naipon ng players. Your points will grant benefits, and these benefits will be your special advantages in the game. Kapag natapos mo ang isang city, you’ll earn ten points. If you have a Revolution flag, you’ll earn thirty points.” 

That's three times the amount of city completion.

"These revolution flags are red, skulled flags hidden around the city. Magka-count lamang ang points once the player or alliance have moved cities. I say alliance because these flags can be shared. Every member of that alliance will then get thirty points, but it depends on the guild leader if they want to deduct points for members with lesser contributions. However, a revolution flag with personalized benefit can only share twenty-five percent of its points."

Aside from the point system, naintindihan ko rin na pwedeng manakaw ang flag as long as the holder hasn’t crossed cities. 

When his next tap on the board showed a blank page, he smiled. “I guess that's it. Any questions?”

May nagtaas ng kamay. “How long will this game take?”

Misteryoso ang naging ngiti ng lalaki. “Depende kung gaano niyo ito kabilis na matapos.”

"Tch." Amnesia clicked his neck. "Let's get this over with. May date pa akong pupuntahan."

"Well then, please wear the wristband and gear to start the game.” 

Pinanood ko ang mga kasama na hindi man lang nagdalawang-isip bago sinuot ang mga gears. I couldn’t help the nervous gulp when I touched the head gear, feeling it's cold touch against my skin. Hindi maganda ang pakiramdam ko dito. 

"Miss Finley, is everything alright?"

Like a deer caught in headlights, I turned to the man with a surprised expression. Hindi ko napansing nakatunganga na ulit ako at na ako na lang ang hindi pa nagstart ng game. Sinagot ko siya ng isang iling at sunod na pumasok sa laro. Plain darkness swallowed me before a rush of letters appeared.

This is the Rogue Wars Online. A war for the rogues and not for the heroes.

Name: Finley Lilliane Gustillo
Age: 17
Date of Birth: February 09
Nickname: Finn
Streamtube Handle: Black Sparrow

Nang mawala ang personal details ko ay natagpuan ko ang sarili sa taas ng isang gusali. I was wearing the same clothes as before, letting me realize that my personal appearance is no different from the game one. 

The city was almost abandoned, with its broken-down buildings and crimson sky. Tila ba naliligo sa kasalanan at dugo ang lugar na ‘to.

A bunch of words started to appear in the sky. Starting City: The Opening ang nakasulat. After a second, a brokenly animated voice spoke. It was impossible to detect the primary tone. Tila malalim ang boses at napapaos, ngunit maririnig din ang kasiyahan at galak dito.

"We are glad to announce that you are now officially a beta-tester! Congratulations! Remember that to complete the game, you must finish all twenty six cities. And I may have forgotten to mention this but..."

The faceless voice's next words brought fed me terror.

"You cannot log out until the game is completed. Good luck, my beta-testers. May you be alive until the end."

-chapter end-