Our Amazing Guild

[Sovereign64]

This story is based on the Fairy Tail universe but also includes characters from other series including Your Name, Gundam, Tales of Vesperia, etc. The two main characters are OCs of mine, and I know there are people out there who have problems with OCs, but I hope you will give them a chance. With that said, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Heroes of this Perilous Adventure

Spoiler

Inside a room in a housing apartment somewhere in Singapore, a man is slurping his noodles from a bowl while sitting in front of his flat-screen computer. He has messy black hair, black eyes and wears glasses, a simple blue t-shirt and brown khaki shorts. As he ate his food, he could hear his mother calling from outside of his room.

Spoiler

"Darren, you better not dirty your room again as you eat your food inside!"

Darren swallows his noodles before turning his head to the side and replied in annoyance, "Ma, I won't!"

After putting his bowl aside, he places his fingers on the keyboard. He leans towards the screen of his computer and adjusts the speaker of his headphones.

"Alright guys, we're heading to Watchpoint: Gibraltar." Darren said to his speaker. "Remember the strategy we discussed. I'm going to play as McCree and one of you guys better play as Ana. And please, no more than two tank heroes and at least one defense hero! In a previous match, the other team had four tank heroes and absolutely no defense heroes and we all know what happened to them."

Darren gazed on the screen as the match begins. As soon as he steps out of the starting point, Darren shot down one enemy with military precision. One enemy however took out one of his teammates, but as soon as he reloaded his weapon, Darren took out that enemy with only a few shots to avenge his fallen teammate. His other teammates took out two other enemies while Darren moves his character over to the payload and gets it moving.

After the remaining two enemies fled, his teammates gathered around the payload to help him move faster. One teammate who got eliminated earlier has return back into the game and quickly goes over to them from behind.

As they moved the payload, Darren speaks to his teammates through his speaker, "So Sonicfire, did you watch the latest episode of One Piece?" The man momentarily fell silent as his teammate replied to him. "I know right? That guy totally ripped Zoro apart. Geez." Darren paused again when another of his teammates speak to him. "No, Dragostea79, they still haven't found the damn treasure after 24 years. But hey, at least be glad that Eiichiro Oda is consistently updating his story, and not making it slow as molasses like Berserk."

When they got near the first checkpoint however, an enemy positioned himself at the middle of the top of a metal platform in front of a giant door and transforms into tank mode. He fires a rain of bullets at Darren and his team, eliminating three of them.

"Dammit! I knew one of the enemies will respawn as Bastion! Fall back!" Darren quickly hides behind a nearby pillar while his remaining two teammates hide in the room beside them. This allows the other enemy players to come out of their hiding places and surround the payload.

Darren briefly brings up the status screen and sees who the two characters his surviving teammates are playing as are before going back to the game.

"Okay. DukeTheDaring, distract that Bastion with your Zarya's Particle Barrier. Sonicfire, use your to fly over to Bastion and bring up your EMP barrier to block his firing. I'll take out that Bastion and his surrounding teammates in one blow." Darren ordered his teammates.

His teammates obliged. They come out of the room and Duke's Zarya brings up a barrier around 'herself'. As every enemy in the room focus their firing at 'her', Sonicfire's flies over to the enemy Bastion and brings up an EMP barrier to block his firing.
The barrier around Duke's Zarya disappears and 'she' gets taken out by the enemies. But as soon as 'she' got eliminated, Darren's McCree comes out of his hiding place and unleashes his ultimate attack. He aims at the Bastion and all the enemies in his sight and a second later, he fires his bullets at all of them, eliminating the entire enemy team including their Bastion at once.

Darren and Sonicfire move their characters back to the payload just as their other teammates returned back to life and they secured the first checkpoint.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Darren cackled, taunting the enemy team. "How do you like that?! You go high noon'd, suckers!"
Suddenly, his moment of triumph got rudely interrupted when an irate player started letting out his frustration and shouting obscenities at the man and his teammates. The man's frown of annoyance quickly turned into a sly smirk as he presses a key and replies to the person.

"HAHAHAHA! You god damn crybaby. You only know how to Kao Pei Kao Bu and blame Blizzard for stuff just because you suck so much ass. Don't like it than don't play and just quit lor!"

(Kao Pei Kao Bu – Hokkien sentence used for people who makes a big fuss over something.)

Darren and his team continued playing and trudging on until they successfully escort the payload to the end of the map, winning the match. He sighs blissfully as he removes his fingers from the keyboard and leans back on his chair.

"That's my 51st victory to my continuing winning streak." He said as he places his hands behind his back. "I truly am awesome."

The door behind him opened and a short 13-year old boy with short black hair and wears a white t-shirt and blue shorts pokes his head into his brother's room.

"Gor, your ang moh girlfriend is here." The boy said to Darren.

(Gor – Singaporean slang for 'brother')

(Ang moh – Singaporean/Malaysian slang for 'Caucasian')

"Ang moh?" Darren turned his head and glances at his brother with an arched eyebrow. "You mean Alicia? She's here?"
"Yeah, and she wants to talk to you."

"Huh? Okay. And for the last time, she is not my girlfriend!" Darren snapped at his brother.

"Wah lao, you got an ang moh friend and you don't consider her your girlfriend?"

(Wah lao – Hokkien sentence usually used by Singaporeans to express surprise and disappointment)

"Shut up, you disgusting brat." Darren muttered as he turns back to his computer just as the next match is about to begin. His younger brother sticks his tongue out before walking away and leaving the door open.

As Darren leans forward to the screen of his computer and picks his next character, a young woman opens the door wide and enters his room. She has blonde hair, tied to a single ponytail, carrying a black sling bag and dressed in a white short-sleeved school uniform, a dark green skirt and white socks.

"Hi Darren. Nice to see you here." The girl greeted as she waves her hand at him.

"Hey Alicia." Darren replied while his eyes are still fixated on the screen. "What do you want to talk about? And why don't you just talk to me over the phone?"

"I want to talk to you personally. This is really important." Alicia said to him. "So can you please stop playing for a moment?"
Darren groans and rolls his eyes. "Fine." He presses a key to speak to his teammates. "Sorry guys, but I have to go now. Bye."
As Darren exits himself from the game, Alicia removes her ribbon from her ponytail, letting her long blonde hair hang down freely to her waist. She turns her head around and examines her friend's room. On her left, there are anime and video game posters pasted on the wall. Right in front of her and next to Darren's computer is a large wooden shelf. The top two shelves are filled with tons of video game boxes being arranged vertically while the bottom two are filled with several anime and video game merchandise ranging from statues and poseable action figures.

Right beside her and behind Darren is his bed. On the right side is a flat-screen television hanged on a wall and below it is a video game console and two controllers placed on top of a small and wide wooden drawer.

After he is done, Darren turns around and faces Alicia. "So, what is it that you want to talk to me about?" He inquired.
Alicia lets out a sigh. She has no idea how her friend is going to react to the news she is about to deliver to him. However, she knows that there isn't an option for her to turn away anymore.

She gently puts down her sling bag and goes over to the front of Darren's bed. She sits down and kept her head down. After a few moments of remaining silent, Alicia looks up at Darren, frowning worriedly.

"I'm returning to Wellington after my graduation."

Darren's eyes widened with his mouth slightly agape. "Really?"

Alicia nodded. "Darren, I'm just a foreign student here and my parents are awaiting my return back in New Zealand. They want me to study in a university back in my own country after I'm done with my college education her. I want to tell you this personally because…I'm worried about you. When we first met, you told me that you don't have any friends at all until I came along. You felt really lonely and quiet back then. But as we hang out with each other more, you became a lot happier and…I'm glad to see that. So I'm worried that if I were to leave, you'll have no one in your life all over again. So I really want to know, can you take care yourself after I'm gone?"

Darren stared at Alicia wordlessly with his mouth slightly agape. He had no visible reaction for an entire minute. Feeling concerned for her friend, Alicia asked worriedly, "Darren?"

"It's okay." Darren finally replied. Alicia widens her eyes.

"Really?"

"Come on Alicia, don't worry about me." Darren's lips take form of a small reassuring smile. "I'm 20 years old now. I can take care of myself. I'm still unemployed but since I've graduated from college with flying colors, I don't have to worry about rushing to find a good job right now. Besides…" He adjusts his glasses. "If your parents want you to return to New Zealand, I won't stop them because I don't want to be selfish."

Alicia slightly drops her jaw for a moment, as if she wanted to say something. But she later shuts her mouth and shakes her head.

"Yeah…" She murmured before lowering her head. "I guess so. Thanks."

Darren hangs his head as well and the two stare at the floor as he speaks, "I'm grateful to have you as my friend."
"Likewise." Alicia replied.

Suddenly, the door opens and Darren's brother pokes his head into the room again.

"Gor, mommy says lunch is ready." He said.

Darren and Alicia lift up their heads and turn to him. "Coming, Jerry." Darren said to his younger brother. He and Alicia turn to each other and he smiled, "You want to stay for lunch? My mom makes the best."
Alicia silently nods her head.

-----

Darren and Alicia sat with his brother and mother at the dining table and enjoyed the meal that his mother had prepared for them.

During their meal, Alicia happily converse with Jerry and his mother while Darren silently ate his food. Not only did Alicia love the food that Darren's mother had cooked, she enjoyed telling his family about herself and all sorts of interesting information about New Zealand. Darren on the other hand remained quiet and expressionless throughout lunch.

When they finished eating, Alicia thanked his mother for the food and told her that she will be staying in their home for a little longer. His mother bows her head, cordially welcoming her to stay. Alicia then turns to Darren and gestures him to go back into his room. The two then got up from their seats and head back inside.

When the two step into Darren's room, Alicia closes the door behind her. She whirled about and sees Darren smiling at her while extending out a controller to her.

"So Alicia, since you're going to stay here for a while, wanna play some Tekken Tag Team Tournament 3 with me?" Darren coaxed.

"Darren, you know I don't play video games, right?" Alicia frowned at him as she folds her arms.

"Come on Alicia, it will be fun. Besides, I've grown exhausted from playing so much Overwatch today so I'm now moving onto my console."

Alicia groans as she reluctantly takes the controller from Darren. If there isn't anything else she can do to spend her time with her friend, she mind as well play along with him.

"That's the spirit." Darren said as his teeth breaks out into a grin. He picks up another controller from the table and the two sat down together on his bed and face the television. "Let me just turn on the console." Darren pushes the power button on his controller and his console automatically turns itself on. "There we go." As they wait for the console to set itself up, Alicia turns to Darren.

"Darren, I'm speaking to you as a friend about this. But sometimes, I honestly wish you can prove to everyone that you are capable of so much more." She uttered.

Darren's smile flips into a solemn frown as he remains silent and waits for the console's main screen to come up. When it does, Darren advises Alicia to press the power button of her controller in order to connect to the console. After selecting their profiles, the home screen appears.

Suddenly, a notification appears at the top left corner of the screen.

"Hold on, I got a message. Let me check this one first. It's coming from a user named 'Vimas'. Probably an invitation to challenge me to a match." Darren said to Alicia. His friend watched as he goes to his inbox to take a look at his latest message. When he opens it up, the two widen their eyes as they read the message. "What the?"

Sender: Vimas

Hello Darren and Alicia,

I wish to play with the both of you.

If you want to, insert 'Tekken Tag Team Tournament 3' now.

Alicia trembled as she and Darren stared at the screen in complete horror. "D-D-Darren…h-how does this sender k-know my name?!" She struggled to say the words out of her throat. "E-especially when… t-the message is a-addressed to you?!"
Darren took a gulp before turning to Alicia. "What should I do?"

"You're asking me?!" Alicia snapped. "Of course you should delete this message right away! The sender is obviously some sort of scammer!"

Darren turns back to the screen and stares at the message for a few moments. Then, much to Alicia's surprise, Darren's lips form into a smirk.

"Let's accept the challenge."

"WHAT?!" Alicia yelled incredulously. Before she could think of trying to stop him, Darren already inserts the game disc into the console, much to her dismay and horror.

"Vimas, you are going down!" Darren yelled confidently.

"Darren, what are you doing?! How can you trust a person who sends you a message like that?!" Alicia cried in terror.

"Chillax, Alicia. This is the gaming world. You get messages and challenges from total strangers all the time." Darren smiled at her.

The two turn back to the television as the game's main screen appears. An invitation from the mysterious 'Vimas' pops up and Darren immediately accepts it.

"Come on Alicia, prepare yourself. You're my tag team partner for this match." Darren said, gazing at the television screen as he selects his character. Alicia lets out a sigh before holding up her controller and picks her own character.

"I don't know if I can do this, Darren." Alicia said nervously.

"Oh don't worry Alicia. Fighting games are all about rotating the joystick and mashing buttons. It's not hard at all." Darren reassured his friend. "Oh yeah, and you need fast, reflexing fingers so…that's the challenge to that." As the match begins, the two turn back to the screen. "Alright, let's see which two characters this Vimas chose to play as."

The opponent's character appears on screen by taking a huge leap and lands on the floor of the fighting arena with a huge thud. Darren widens his eyes and drops his jaw incredulously. It is a large monster that stands three times taller than the characters Darren and Alicia are playing as and resembles a primate. He has white fur, has pointy head and ears, black legs, a long black tail, white eyes and long and muscular arms that reach down to its knees.

"Darren, what's wrong?" Alicia asked, seeing the baffled look on her friend's face.

"I-I-I-I-I don't know!" Darren stuttered. "I-I've never seen this character ever in my life! Never in this game or any other entries in the series!" But a few moments later, his reaction instantly turned from bewilderment to amazement.

"Probably a hidden secret character that hasn't been discovered until now! I'm so jealous of this Vimas guy now!" He whooped excitedly. He lowered his head and adjusts his glasses as he smirked.

"But it doesn't matter. Even if I've never seen this character in my life, it is my duty to take you down!" Darren declared as he jabs his finger at the screen of his television.

"What?" Alicia uttered.

Darren firmly grasps onto his controller with his eyes fixated on the television. "Come on Alicia, let's take him down." He said to her solemnly.

"Alright." Alicia turns back to the screen and they both begin playing. Darren goes first. His character delivers a barrage of punches and kicks to the opponent's character.

However, only ten seconds into the match, the opponent's character fires a huge energy blast from its mouth. The health bar of Darren's character instantly depleted much to the astonishment of him and Alicia.

"What…the…" Darren managed to whisper out.

A second later, Alicia's character enters the screen.

"What?! My turn now?!" Alicia panicked.

"That's right! Fight him! Go!" Darren cried.

Alicia then randomly rotates the joystick and mashes the buttons on her controller, causing her character to just stay at her spot and just throw its punches and kicks in vain.

Another five seconds later, the opponent's character goes over to Alicia's character and repeatedly punches her before delivering a powerful uppercut, sending her into the air and instantly depleting all of her health.

After losing the match, Darren and Alicia gazed at the screen with their jaws plummeted.

A message then appears on the top left corner of the screen.

Sender: Vimas

Do you wish to give up?

Darren's grip around his controller began to loosen. But a few seconds later, he firmly tightens his grip around the controller and fire lit up in his eyes as he quivered in rage.

"You really think I'm going to give up just like that?! No freaking way!" Darren shouted. He selects the 'rematch' options and he and Alicia find themselves fighting against the same opponent again.

He places his hand on Alicia's shoulder. "Come on Alicia, we can take him down. Just follow my lead."

Alicia took a hard gulp before holding up her controller. "Got it."

-----

Twenty seconds later…

After losing another match against the mysterious Vimas, Darren and Alicia groan as they fall back and lie down on his bed, putting aside their controllers.

Another message appears on screen and Darren lifts his head up to look at it.

Sender: Vimas

I think you really should give up.

Darren growled through his gritted teeth as he gets up from his bed and sat upright. "GIVE UP?! NEVER!"

Alicia also jolts upright from his bed and stares back at the television screen as Darren restarts the match.

"Come on Alicia! One more time!" Darren shouted.

"Got it!" Alicia nods her head, her eyes narrowed with determination.

-----

Thirty seconds later…

Darren and Alicia sigh heavily as their shoulders drooped.

"At least we lasted thirty seconds this time around." Darren said wearily.

"And we managed to remove almost half of his health." Alicia added. Then, a message appears on the top left corner of the screen again.

Sender: Vimas

If you can't win, just give up already.

"UUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" Darren and Alicia both growled angrily.

"THIS GUY IS REALLY MOCKING US AT THIS POINT!" Darren bellowed.

"WE'RE NOT GIVING UP THAT EASILY!" Alicia screamed.

Darren then selects the 'rematch' option again and they both shout in unison, "ONE MORE TIME!"

-----

Meanwhile, at the living room, Darren’s mother and younger brother are sitting on the couch watching television together. Darren’s mother lowers the volume of the television and turns her head to the side when she could hear noises coming from her older son’s room.

"What is it?" Jerry asked his mom.

"Nothing." She replied as she turns to her younger son with a wan smile. "I guess your brother and his friend are having lots of fun in there."

"Maybe they are…you know…" Jerry gave his mother a sly grin. His mother gave him an irritated scowl before slapping his shoulder. "Ow!"

-----

"COME ON, COME ON, COME ON!"

"KICK HIS BUTT DARREN!"

"KICK HIS BUTT TOO, ALICIA!"

"GIVE A GOOD BEATING TO THAT NO-GOOD POINTY HEAD PRIMATE!"

It was an extremely tough fight for both Darren and Alicia and their battle would continue on for another twenty rematches. But finally, after ten minutes of mashing buttons and shouting enthusiastically at the television, they did it.

They finally defeated their opponent.

Darren and Alicia wordlessly gazed at the television screen with mouths agape as their characters strike their victory poses.
"We did it…" Darren murmured under his breath.

"We did it…" Alicia uttered. Then, huge smiles take form on their faces. They both stood up from the bed and shouted ecstatically as pump their fists into the air.

"WE DID IT!"

The two turn to each other and laugh triumphantly as they pull themselves into a tight embrace.

"Darren, you were awesome!" Alicia whooped.

"So are you, Alicia! Not bad for the first-timer!" Darren replied.

They both continued laughing until the two suddenly snap their eyes open and look at each other in surprise, realizing that they are wrapping themselves tightly in an embrace.

The two quickly remove their arms and turn away from each other as their faces blush in embarrassment. Darren scratches the back of his head while Alicia sheepishly places her arms behind her back.

They turn back to the television when a new message appears on the top left corner of the screen.

Sender: Vimas

Congratulations, you two. That sure was a tough battle, wasn't it?

Darren holds up his controller which is still in his hands and replied to the message.

It sure was. You're a pretty tough fighter. But at the end of the day, we still triumph over you.

After sending his reply to his opponent, Darren and Alicia stood still and silent, waiting for Vimas' reply. A few moments later, it came.

Sender: Vimas

That's good. Really good.

You two are worthy.

Darren and Alicia widen their eyes as they stare at the message incredulously.

"What?"

That was all they could both utter before suddenly, the television turned white and bright and burning light burst out from the screen. Darren and Alicia both let out cries of horror as the light illuminates the entire room and everything went white.

-----

'Huh…do I feel wind?'

"DARREN!"

Darren snaps his eyes open upon hearing Alicia's horrified scream. To his surprise, he finds himself in the sky and plummeting through the air. He turns to Alicia who is clenching onto him tightly and staring back at him with her eyes wide and shaking. The two could feel their clothes and hair blowing through the wind.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Alicia shrieked.

"HOW WOULD I KNOW?! IT JUST HAPPENED!" Darren shouted back at her.

"Hey guys, look up!"

Darren and Alicia lifts their heads up and see the source of the voice flying towards them from above with her arms and legs spread out.

When the girl descends to their level, she gets herself into a standing position and places her hands behind her back. She tilts her head to the side and greeted the two with a tender smile. "Nice to meet the two of you! I'm Vimas and welcome to my world!"

"You're Vimas?! Our opponent?!" Darren inquired as he and Alicia now have a better look at the girl. She has long and curly bright blonde hair, dark green eyes and dressed in a white long-sleeved dress and a large red ribbon around her neck. The most distinguishable feature about her is what looks like white feathered wings sticking out from where a person's ears would be.

"Yup. But well, Vimas is just an acronym of my real name actually." The girl smiled at the two sheepishly as she scratches the back of her head. The girl then spreads out her arms as she proclaimed to the two who continued staring at her in bewilderment. "My real name is actually Mavis. Mavis Vermillion. And welcome to Earthland!"

"Earthland?" Alicia said.

"Mmm." Mavis nodded. "I'm an elder God! Me and my friends watched over this world for many generations. But now, our world is in grave danger and I have chosen you two to save it!"

"Huh?!" Darren and Alicia both cried incredulously.

"Chosen us to save it?!" Alicia then said.

"Like what?! We're chosen heroes or something?" Darren inquired.

"That's right." Mavis nods her head again. "You two defeated me in a battle, and that's why I've decided to choose you two to be my world's saviors! Now take it!"

Mavis holds out her hands and suddenly, a red scabbard and a brown sling bag magically appeared in front of Darren and Alicia. While still clenching onto each other, the two each reach out a hand to grab the stuff in front of them. Darren takes the scabbard while Alicia grabs the bag.

"Inside them are your sacred weapons created by the elder Gods, which I'm one of them!" Mavis paused for a moment to place a finger on her cheek and wink an eye at them. "Use them to fight the Alvarez Empire and defeat their evil leader, Lord Zeref!"

"HUH?! You mean you want us to fight?! Like actual fighting?!" Alicia cried in disbelief.

"I don't understand what you're saying, Mavis! Everything you're telling us sounds like the storyline of a JRPG! What is going on here?!" Darren yelled incredulously.

"I wish we could chat longer but that's it from me! I hope we can see each other again soon. Ta-ta!" Mavis flaps her hand goodbye before she magically disappears in front of the two.

Darren and Alicia turn their heads and stare at each other for a few moments before they realize they are still falling through the sky. They turn back to their front and scream in horror as they plummet further down to the bottom.

Fortunately however, there is an extremely large lake waiting for them at the bottom.

But, they splashed into a large pool of muddy water located next to it instead.

A few moments later, Darren and Alicia gasped for air when they reach the surface of the muddy water. After making sure they are still holding onto the scabbard and bag that were given to them, the two quickly swim over to the edge and pull themselves out of the pool.

While Darren puts the scabbard down on the ground, Alicia puts on the sling bag over her shoulder and looks down at herself. 

"Oh God…" She cried in disgust as she sees that her school uniform and long hair are wet and covered in mud. "This really sucks."

After wiping off the mud and water on the lens with the pocket of his shorts, Darren puts his glasses back on and looked down on his shirt. "Wah lao eh, this is my favorite t-shirt. Now look at it." He said indignantly.

Darren wrings out the water from his shirt. Despite doing so however, his shirt is still covered in mud stains, much to his displeasure. He lets out a heavy sigh before picking up his scabbard. He turns to Alicia who gazed at the front with her eyes wide and mouth agape in horror.

"Darren…" She said, barely unable to speak above a terrified whisper. "Where are we?"

Darren turns to the front and sees that they are standing in the middle of a huge grassy field with several scattered pine trees and large bushes. There is a large lake at the side and in the distance are several tall rocky mountains with pure white snow covered on top of them.

"I don't know…" Darren uttered as his arms drooped to his sides. "But we are definitely not in Singapore anymore."

 

[Sovereign64]

Chapter 2: Their Companions

Spoiler

Darren and Alicia groan as they trudge through the rough terrain. Never in their lives have they ever been in an extremely bad situation like this. After all, they are travelling through a grassy and rocky field with absolutely no food, water, money and any sort of device to call for help. To make their journey more aggravating, both aren't wearing any shoes and their clothes are still drenched. The cold temperatures cause them to shiver and they would occasionally wince as their feet press against the small rocks on the ground. They have only just been here for thirty minutes, and that is already enough time for them to go insane and maybe possibly die by evening…by insanity.

"You are a great friend, you know that? Did I ever tell you that?" Alicia said to Darren icily.

"Well, yeah." Darren shrugged. "Maybe once, twice…or even three or four times-"

"THAT WAS A RHETORICAL QUEST-OW!" When Alicia stomps her foot, she immediately howls in pain when she accidentally stepped onto a rock. Darren watched as Alicia lifts her foot up and keeps herself balanced as she rubs on the area where it hurts. After the pain disappeared, Alicia carefully puts her foot back down. She turns back to Darren and shouted angrily at him again. "THAT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION! I already told you to delete her message and completely ignore her, AND LOOK WHAT THAT HAS GOT US INTO!"

"True. Except when I did accept her challenge, you decided to play along with me afterwards!" Darren yelled back, jabbing a finger at her.

"I just…well…it was your gaming mind that hypnotized me to do it!" Alicia shot back, also pointing an accusing finger at Darren. The man groans as he rolls his eyes.

"Look, we can yell at each other all day but first, let's find a way out of this field." Darren said to her.

Alicia growls as she rubs her temples. After calming herself down, she walks ahead of Darren. "Alright. Thankfully, back in New Zealand, my curriculum activity in school was being a Girl Guide." She points her finger at the river beside them. "Back then, our Rangers taught us that if we just follow the stream, it will eventually lead to some sort of civilization."

Darren watched as Alicia moves her finger up to their front and to his horror, he sees that the stream of water leads through a large forest with densely-planted pine trees in the distance. His jaw plummeted.

"Y-y-you want us to g-g-go through t-there?!" Darren stammered.

"The river goes through it, so why not?" Alicia said, placing her hands at the sides of her hip.

"OH NO!" Darren frantically waves his hands at her. "I'm not going through there! National Service was a nightmare for me! I just recently finished serving it and now, I have to go through a forest again?!"

"Hey, if we just follow the river, everything will be fine." Alicia frowned at him.

"Uh-uh." Darren turns away from Alicia and folds his arms. "I swore to myself after National Service that I would never go through another forest to get myself bitten by mosquitoes and perspire under the hot sun ever again."

"Well if that's how you feel, you can stay lost in this field for all of eternity!" Alicia yelled angrily at him.

"Fine!" Darren snapped at Alicia before the two walk their separate ways.

Shortly after, Darren instantly encounters three mildly-large sized green feathered birds with red horns and long gold-brown tails, resting on some large rocks.

"Oh hey, what strange looking birds." Darren commented. The birds then spread out their large wings and screech ferociously at him, causing Darren to shriek in horror and run away in the other direction.

"ALICIA, WAIT FOR ME!"

-----

Darren and Alicia spent another thirty minutes walking through the forest together. The trees and bushes become denser to each other as they move on. [size=medium]Darren groans as he wipes off the sweat from his forehead.

"I'm perspiring, I knew this would happen." Darren said miserably.[/size]

"Just be glad there doesn't seem to be any mosquitoes in this world." Alicia said.

"Unless there's something even deadlier than them here." Darren pointed out. This causes Alicia yelped and turned pale.

"Don't remind me. Ever." Alicia said as her body trembled in fear.

"Natsu! What are you doing?!"

Darren and Alicia gasp upon hearing a feminine voice coming from the distance.

"What else? I'm practicing my Iron Fist!"

"We're saved!" Darren and Alicia said in unison as they face each other. They turn back to the front and run forward to the direction of the voices.

"But you didn't have to shoot your flames at my way!"

"And you didn't have to practice your own fighting near me!"

Darren and Alicia rush over to some large bushes. They poke their heads out of them and see two people in front of them.

"Well, at least thankfully, your flames didn't burn my whip. This thing is really precious to me." One of the two said as she examines her black whip. She is a teenage girl with long blonde hair, tied to a side ponytail by a blue ribbon, has chocolate brown eyes and wears a sleeveless white shirt with blue outlines and a large horizontal blue stripe across the top section, a blue skirt, a brown belt and black boots.

"And at least you didn't cane my butt while you're practicing with that." The other person said as he places his fists on the sides of his hip. He is a muscular teenage boy with spiky pink hair, black eyes and wears a white scarf around his neck, a sleeveless black jacket, a black wristband around his left wrist, a brown belt with a silver round buckle, a black waistcoat, white pants, and black sandals.

"Of course I would never do that to you with my whip, Natsu." The girl said to him as she looks up and arches an eyebrow at him.

"Lucy-san is having funny thoughts now…" A small anthropomorphic blue cat with large white wings on his back squealed playfully as he appears behind the girl and floating in the air.

"SHUT UP HAPPY!" Lucy snapped at him with her cheeks blushing crimson.

Natsu takes a deep breath before a huge grin appears on his face. He turns back to the river and gets back into a fighter's stance. "Alrighty, time for me to get back to-huh?"

Natsu, Lucy and Happy turn their heads to the large bushes and gaze at Darren and Alicia in confusion. Both of them are sobbing and staring back at them with large puffy eyes.

"I never thought we would ever stumble across another human being after travelling through this unknown world for hours!" Darren bawled.

"And two of them no less!" Alicia added.

As Darren and Alicia continued sobbing while stepping out of the bushes, Natsu and Lucy briefly look at each other before turning back to the two awkwardly. They see that Darren and Alicia have blemishes and stains all over their clothes and bodies and they aren't wearing any shoes.

"Judging by the way you guys look like right now, I'm guessing you two could really use some help." Lucy said as she scratches her head.

"DESPERATELY!" Darren and Alicia both shouted in unison.

"Alright guys, don't worry. We'll help you." Natsu reassured as he holds up his hands. "But first, how about introducing yourselves to us?"

"Yeah, who are you two?" Lucy inquired, placing her hands on the sides of her hip.

"Well…" Darren adjusts his glasses. "My name is Darren Leong."

"And I'm Alicia Ribery." Alicia placed her hands behind her back.

"Nice to meet ya, Darren and Alicia! I'm Natsu Dragneel!" The pink-haired boy greeted with a huge toothy grin as he jabs a thumb at his chest.

"And I'm Lucy Heartfilia!" Lucy introduced herself as she places her finger in front of her lips and winks an eye at them.

"And my name is Happy! Nice to meet you two!" The blue anthropomorphic cat greeted as he stood on the ground and lifts up a hand. Suddenly, Alicia shrieked upon seeing him.

"BWAH! A TALKING CAT!"

THWACK!

Without warning at all, Alicia kicks Happy directly under his chin, sending him flying into the sky. Natsu and Lucy froze in astonishment as Happy lets out a loud wail as he plummets through the air.

Natsu and Lucy then instantly made a beeline to Alicia and shouted several angry comments, condemning her for hurting their friend. Darren stood right in front of Alicia to protect his friend from the extremely irate duo. Alicia just stood and watches the display with dull eyes. Eventually, after a few minutes of releasing their anger, Natsu and Lucy are able to calm themselves down enough for them to back away from the two and allow Alicia to apologize to them and explain to them that she has never stumbled across a talking cat before, considering the world she and Darren came from.

After Alicia finished explaining, Happy returns to them, his head twirling in circles and has a goofy smile plastered on his face.

"I see floating mackerels..." Happy uttered stupidly.

"So let me get this straight, you two came from a world where there is this creature that looks like Happy called a 'cat' and they don't talk?" Natsu said.

"Yup. Pretty much." Alicia nodded. "And they don't have wings either."

"What a strange world you guys come from." Lucy said, frowning and tilting her head to the side.

"Besides, Happy isn't a cat." Natsu said.

"Aye! I'm an Exceed!" Happy exclaimed as he flies up to Natsu's level with his wings spread out, causing Alicia to yelp again.

"You call our world strange? Pot calls the kettle black." Darren murmured.

"Look, we can talk to you guys about our world all day, but first, can you help us by giving us some spare clothes?" Alicia asked.

"Sure thing." Lucy smiled. She removes a golden key that was attached to her belt the whole time. "And not just some spare clothes, but a completely new set of clothes and I know the person to help you with that." Darren and Alicia curiously watch as Lucy lifts her key up into the air. "I CALLED UPON THEE, OPENING THE GATE OF THE MAIDEN!"

Lucy swings her key horizontally before shouting, "VIRGO!"

She then swings it vertically before a beam of light shoots out from the tip of the key and lands onto the ground. A woman then magically appears in front of everyone present. She is about the same height as Lucy and has blue eyes, short pink hair and wears a typical maid outfit, consisting of a black under coat and a white, frilled-trim apron. She also has shackles cuffed around her wrists.

Upon laying their eyes on her, Darren's jaw plummeted, his arms droop to his sides and his eyes grew as wide as saucers as he gawks at her while Alicia gasped and a wide smile takes form on her face as she places her hands on her cheeks.

Lucy and the woman then cup their chins and lean towards Darren and Alicia. "Okay Virgo, what kind of clothing should we give to these two fellows?" Lucy inquired.

Alicia yelped as Virgo goes behind her and places her hands on her shoulders. "Hmmm, the girl has such beautiful skin and body. How about I recommend something that helps show off her attractiveness and at the same time also displays her as a strong woman?" Virgo suggested.

"Good idea." Lucy replied to Virgo as she slides over to Darren and rubs his upper arms. Darren turned to her. "As for Darren here, he seems very good-looking and muscular. I think I have the perfect clothing for him that helps make him look more tough and charismatic. Are you ready, Virgo?"

"Ready." Virgo nodded firmly. The maid snaps her fingers and suddenly, two round curtains magically appeared under their feet. One of them surrounds Virgo and Alicia while the other surrounds Lucy and Darren.

Virgo and Lucy proceed to wipe off the stains and blemishes from the faces, arms and legs of Alicia and Darren with their towels. Then, they spend a few minutes to remove their dirty clothing and change them into their new ones. And after combing their hair and Lucy cleaning the lens of Darren's glasses, the round curtains disappear and Lucy and Virgo exclaim as they place their hands on Darren and Alicia's shoulders.

"TA-DAH!"

Two mirrors magically appear in front of Darren and Alicia, allowing them to look at their new appearances.

Darren leans towards the mirror as he examines himself. He is now wearing a sleeveless black jacket with a sleeveless white tank top underneath it, a silver cross necklace around his neck, black gloves with silver plating on them, blue jeans, two black belts strapped around his waist, black kneepads and black boots. He is also wearing a red harness around his shoulders that helps carries his red scabbard on his back.

Alicia also looks at herself in the mirror in front of her and sees that she is now wearing a sleeveless green zipper shirt with a white sleeveless v-collar shirt underneath it, a brown belt with a silver buckle, dark grey shorts, black stockings with red outlines and white boots. She is still wearing her brown sling bag over her left shoulder.

"What do you think?" Lucy asked with a soft smile.

Alicia was dumbfounded for a moment before she finally regains her ability to speak. "This…looks…FANTASTIC! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" She lets out a squeal of delight before turning to Virgo. "Thank you so much! I love my new clothing!"

"You're welcome, ma'am." Virgo said as she bowed to her.

"What about you, Darren?" Lucy asked Darren.

"These are some very nice looking clothes and all but…" Darren frowned as he adjusts his glasses. "Do I really have to look like a thug?"

"Huh?" Lucy arches an eyebrow. "Oh come on, Darren. You don't look like a thug. You look like a true warrior! The sleeveless clothes help to show off your strong arms so that you can display your strength and manliness to everyone and those jeans do fit you as they are a symbol of toughness."

As the mirrors disappear, Natsu and Happy approach Darren.

"Don't worry Darren." Natsu said as he gives a pat on Darren's shoulder. "You'll get used to it. I also wear a sleeveless jacket and it helps me intimidate my enemies!"

"Which makes me wonder how you can never catch a cold when you're not wearing a shirt." Darren mumbled.

"Oh, I never catch a cold because my body is full of fire!" Natsu grins, placing his hand on his bare chest.

"Literally!" Happy added.

"Seriously, you have fire inside your body?" Alicia asked. Natsu suddenly turns his head to the side and blows flames out of his mouth and into the air, causing Darren and Alicia to yelp and back away from him.

"Enough proof for ya?" Natsu asked as he turns back to the two. Darren and Alicia simply nod their heads.

"So Lucy can summon a beautiful maid and curtains while Natsu here can blow fire out of his mouth. It's like you guys are magicians or something." Darren said.

"Magicians? You mean 'mages', right?" Lucy said.

"Mages?" Alicia uttered.

"Yeah! We mages are people who have the ability to cast magic!" Natsu said.

"Magic?" Darren widens his eyes.

"Yup! Magic is everywhere here in Earth Land!" Lucy did a twirl with her arms spread out.

"Earth Land?" Alicia arches an eyebrow. "You mean Earth?"

"No. Earth Land. Earth is the name of a magical element." Virgo said.

"But Earth is also the name of our world!" Alicia cried to Virgo.

"Huh. So your world is just a giant rock?" Natsu said puzzled as he folds his arms.

"Well…" Alicia turns to Natsu as she scratches the back of her head. "Yeah, technically."

"That really sucks." Happy frowned.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Darren yelled as he bends his knees and frantically waves his arms horizontally, causing everyone around him to turn their attention to him.

Darren then stood up and pondered as he cups his chin. "Strange world…Chosen heroes…Evil Empire…Weird creatures…Mages…Magic…Breathing Fire…Earth being an element…" He opens his eyes. "Oh, I get it now…"
"Get what?" Alicia said.

"We are in a VIDEO GAME!" Darren exclaimed as a huge grin takes form on his face and he pumps his fists into the air enthusiastically.

"HUH?!" Alicia, Lucy, Natsu and Happy said incredulously. Virgo remained silent as she watched.

"That's right! Can't you see, Alicia?" Darren said ecstatically as he turns to Alicia, places his hands on her shoulders and shook her frantically. "Our reward for defeating Mavis in a video game is being in a video game itself!" After letting go of Alicia, he turns back to his front and looks up skyward with his eyes wide and a huge smile plastered across his face. "Now we can truly experience what it's like to be in a fantasy RPG and that is amazing!"

"Mavis?" Natsu uttered as he and Lucy frowned.

After recovering from her dizziness, Alicia snapped at her friend, "Amazing?! Did you even hear what you are saying?!"

"Yeah, I do." Darren nodded to Alicia.

"Then tell me what part of being transported into a different world filled with strange creatures and an evil empire is amazing?!" Alicia screamed.

"Chill Alicia." Darren smiled as he shrugged. "I've played hundreds of RPGs back home, both Western and Japanese. I've mesmerized every quest and storyline of every RPG I've ever played and as a result, I basically know every step on how to beat every single one of them. As long as you have me, we can beat this game too."

"Then what about actual fighting?! Mavis said that we are brought here to fight an evil empire!"

"Oh don't worry about that too. Back in our world, my curriculum activity is Wushu and yours is being a Girl Guide, which is great because with the combination of my fighting skills and your trekking knowledge, we will surely survive what's coming for us."

Alicia momentarily stared at her friend dumbfounded before shaking her head. "I can never understand what kind of person you are." She muttered.

"Um, if you guys are done talking here, would you like to follow us to Underwood Town?" Lucy asked the two.
"Yeah, the sun is going to set in an hour-" Natsu tried to speak but Darren suddenly interrupted.

"Because if we don't reach civilization before night falls, monsters will appear frequently and they are more dangerous than when they appear in the day time!"

Natsu, Lucy and Happy stared at Darren in bewilderment. "You're right." The three said in unison.

"Haha! See?" Darren smiled at Alicia as he folds his arms. "Saving this world will be a piece of cake!"

Alicia lets out a sigh. "Why do I still have a feeling that I cannot trust you completely?"

"Alright, Virgo. Return back inside." Lucy said to her servant as she holds up her golden key. Virgo bowed solemnly to her before Lucy swings her key horizontally and aims it at her servant. Virgo then magically disappears and white light illuminates Lucy's key for a brief moment, indicating that she had returned inside.

"I gotta admit, that's pretty cool." Alicia said to Lucy.

"Heh. Thanks." Lucy replied gratefully.

"Is there any more of these…servants you have?"

Lucy's eyes softened as she lowers her head and reattaches her key to her belt. "Well, they're not really 'servants'. They're called 'Celestial Spirits' and…" She paused for a moment before looking back up at Alicia. "Let's just say Virgo is the only one who still stayed by my side."

"Oh." Alicia said in concern. "I'm sorry that I brought that up."

"Oh no, it's okay." Lucy smiled at her as she nonchalantly waves her hand back at her.

"Come on guys! Let's go!" Darren called. The two girls turned and see Darren, Natsu and Happy standing in the distance and looking back at them.

"Hey, wait for us!" Alicia cried before she and Lucy ran after them.

-----

Darren and Alicia widen their eyes and gasp in awe as they and their acquaintances entered the town of Underwood. The town is small but lively. Most of the buildings are two-floor apartments and along the road is a huge marketplace where several people are walking through the area and standing around the stalls, examining the items that are on sale. Some of the merchants are shouting and encouraging any potential customers to buy whatever they are selling.
"This town is a sight to behold…" Darren commented.

"Indeed." Alicia said in agreement.

"Because it's everything I expect a town in a fantasy world to look like!" Darren added with a grin as he pumps his fists into the air. "I've always wanted to see how a fantasy town looks like through the first-person view of the game's protagonist, and I'm finally experiencing it first-hand! Woohoo!"

Alicia sighed in frustration as she hangs her head. Then, the two heard a rumble, causing them to turn their sights to Natsu and Happy.

"Oh God…all that training earlier made me starving." Natsu whimpered as he and Happy clutch their stomachs.
"Me too…" Happy moaned. "I'm so hungry that I bet I could eat up to thirty mackerels right now!"

Lucy lets out a sigh before turning to Darren and Alicia with a sheepish smile. "Right, I forgot to mention, Natsu and Happy really love to eat and they get hungry very easily."

"Huh, is that so? They should come to Singapore then. Back where I lived, you can see people eating everywhere you go!" Darren said, causing him and Lucy to laugh.

"Anyways, we should head to an inn and rest for the day." Lucy said, turning back to her front.

"Right." Darren stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Because inns are where heroes rest after a long day of fighting evil!"

"We haven't even fought anybody yet." Alicia muttered as she narrows her eyes at him.

-----

Darren, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy and Happy head into the nearest inn. The first floor is huge with several people sitting around the wooden tables that are placed everywhere in the foyer. The people are either having their meals or doing something for their leisure. At the very back of the huge room is the reception and bar tables while located at left side is a staircase, leading to the upper floor.

"You guys go ahead and find a table. I'll book a room and order some food for us." Lucy said to the others before walking her way to the reception and bar.

While Darren, Alicia, Natsu and Happy are walking through the tables and trying to find a vacant one where they can sit, they pass by a brown-haired boy who is holding a deck of cards as he sat on his chair. He has blue eyes and currently dressed in a black long-sleeved jacket, long grey pants and black shoes.

"Well, have you decided on a card?" A young adult man with spiky blonde hair asked the boy as he sat in front of him and at the other side of the table. A black-haired man and a white-haired woman both sat beside him at both sides.

The boy sighed as he leans back on his chair while gazing at the cards in his hand.

"Tsugini shiyō suru kādo wa doredesu ka?" the boy said to himself.

(Translation: "Which card should I use next?")

Darren froze upon hearing what the boy said. Did he just hear what he said correctly? That familiar Asian language that consists of vowels and usually ending with 'ehs', 'ees', 'ahs', 'ohs' and 'oos'? He turns to the boy and also examines the skin color and facial complexion. His eyes sparkle as his teeth breaks out into a wide grin. That's no doubt about it.

"This boy is Japanese!" Darren squealed ecstatically. He walks over to him and he began to shake and giggle uncontrollably while placing his hands in front of his lips and teeth. He couldn't believe that Japanese people actually do exist in this world. Throughout his life, Darren always had an obsession with Japanese people and their culture, which he developed through his love for anime, manga and JRPGs. And back in his world, whenever he encounters a Japanese person in public, he would always crack up a delightful smile.

Darren then holds back his excitement for a moment to take a look at the cards the boy is currently holding in his hand. He leans forward and sees that he is currently holding up five cards. One of them is an Ace of Spades and next to it is a King of Spades. The other three cards are different values that are lower than the King and higher than an Ace.

The boy finally made his decision. He places his fingers on the King of Spades. But before he could pull it out, Darren quickly grabs his wrist.

"Huh? What the-" The boy said incredulously as he turn to Darren.

"Psst. Do not pick the King of Spades." Darren whispered to the boy.

"Huh? Why?" The boy asked in a loud whisper.

"Because the King of Spades is inferior."

"Are you kidding me? I thought the King is usually the highest ranking card in the deck!"

"True." Darren nods his head. "But in a game of Pinochle which you and that man are clearly playing, the Ace outranks the King. So my advice? Pick the Ace. You won't regret it if you do."

"Darren! There you are!" Darren turns his head and sees Alicia calling out of him with a frown. "Come over here. We got a situation."

"Okay." Darren replied to Alicia before turning back to the boy. He smiled and waves his hand at him. "See ya!"
As Darren walks off, the boy narrows his eyes at him. "Weirdo."

"Come on kid, we don't have all day." The blonde-haired man said, sounding impatient.

"Right." The boy turns back to his cards and pondered what Darren had told him. He grits his teeth and frowned deeply. 'As if I would listen to someone who is clearly a two-bit thug.'

The boy decides to ignore Darren's advice and picks up the King of Spades. He places the card onto the table. The blonde-haired man and his companions look at it for only a brief moment before they all burst out laughing.
The boy arches an eyebrow at them. "Huh?"

Darren walks over to Alicia who is sitting at a table along with Natsu and Happy. Lucy is also sitting with them and she clearly looks distraught.

"What's going on?" Darren asked as he pulls out an empty chair.

"This is bad!" Lucy cried as Darren sat down. "Only now did I realized that Natsu and I don't have enough money to book a room and buy dinner!"

"That means we're not eating anything tonight!" Natsu cried before he and Happy wail in distress and agony.

"I want mackerel!" Happy bawled unhappily.

"We're going to starve to death!" Natsu howled.

"Calm down, you guys!" Alicia cried at Natsu and Happy. "Sheesh! You guys are acting so melodramatic over this."
"What should we do? Perhaps we should go to another inn that's cheaper." Lucy said.

Darren looks around the room before his vision lands on a man with black eyes, blue hair and dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt, dark purple cape, dark red pants and black shoes, sitting at a nearby table with several cards laid in front of him and his opponent.

"Next victim." The man said, smiling smugly with his arms folded. His opponent sighed dejectedly before getting up from the chair and walk away. The other Poker players exchange uncomfortable looks with each other as they stood beside the blue-haired man. "Come on guys, don't be shy to get yourselves humiliated."

As the man laughed, Darren smirked before getting up from his chair and walks over to him.

"Um, Darren? Where are you going?" Alicia asked. Natsu and Happy stop their crying as they and Lucy also watch Darren in confusion.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Darren asked as he strolls over to the man at his table. The man turns his head and glares at Darren in annoyance.

"Huh?" He grunted as Darren stood in front of him.

Darren briefly looks at the nervous Poker players before turning back to the man. "Gotta say, you seem to be a pretty good Poker player." He remarked.

"Ha!" The man smirked as he places his hand on his chest. "I am only Bora of Prominence, the best Poker player in all of Underwood."

Darren snorted as he rolls his eyes. "Seriously, only a town? Not even a region?"

"HUH?!" Bora snaps his eyes open and slams his fist on the table. "DID YOU JUST MOCK ME?!"

"What's the matter? Getting butthurt over a tiny comment?" Darren said to him calmly. "Tell you what; I can give you a chance to make me eat my own words. Let's have a game of Poker together."

"What?" Bora said incredulously. The Poker players standing beside them look surprised.

"Yeah, you heard me." Darren goes over to the other side of the table. He sat down on the chair and drags himself over. "And let's make this even more interesting. If I win, I want you to give me all of your money."

"What?! Are you kidding me?! Do you know how much money I have?!" Bora shouted at him.

"What's wrong? Are you too scared to bet even a single penny on a Poker game? Some best Poker player in all of Underwood you are." Darren murmured. Bora snarled at him while clenching his fists tightly.

"Fine!" Bora slams his fist on the table again before jabbing a finger at Darren. "If you think you are so smart, I'll do it then!" Then, a devilish grin takes form on his face. "But if I win, I want you to strip off your clothes and go around this town naked, knowing that you have been greatly humiliated by me! Bora of Prominence!"

"Sure, whatever." Darren shrugged. Alicia, Natsu, Lucy and Happy all watch nervously from their table.

"I really hope he knows what he's doing." Lucy whispered.

"We're not even here for 24 hours and this is already such an eventful day." Alicia murmured.

"Heh, mark my words, I truly am the best Poker player around here and I'm going to make you regret mocking me!" Bora boasted.

"Let's do this." Darren said. He and Bora grab the cards on the table and shuffle them into decks. Afterwards, they place their decks aside. While Darren and Bora draws out the top five cards of their respective decks, the latter looks at his cards and sees that he has a King of Hearts. He draws out the King and places it upside-down on the table.

As Darren casually examines the cards in his hand, Bora's lips form into a smirk. 'Heh, just a stupid kid who has too much confidence over experience.' He turns to his deck and for a brief moment, before he places his hand on it, an Ace of Clubs magically appears under his palm. He slides his hand through the top of deck, pretending that he is taking a new card and places the one he summoned behind the other cards he is holding in his hand.

Unbeknownst to Bora, Darren was watching him for a brief moment before looking back at his own cards in his hand. He could tell that his opponent is cheating but he chooses to stay silent.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Bora said to Darren mockingly. "You haven't even drawn out a single card yet. Are you running into some bad luck, you poor miserable boy?"

Darren sighed. "Yeah. I was at the comfort of my home playing video games until suddenly, my friend and I are warped into this world, took a skydive, landed into a pool of mud, got ourselves soaked and dirty and walk through a field and forest barefooted. What a day." He said wearily.

"You did what?" Bora arched an eyebrow at him.

"Forget what I said. Are you ready?" Darren said nonchalantly. Bora smirked again.

"Ready and waiting." Bora said confidently. "What about you? Do you want to draw out a card?"

"Nope. I'm cool." Darren replied.

"Heh." Bora's teeth broke out into a wide grin. "In that case…TOO BAD, ASSHOLE!" He grabs the cards he placed in front of him with a single horizontal swipe and flips them over. He slams them onto the table, revealing an Ace of Diamonds, an Ace of Clubs, an Ace of Spades, a King of Diamonds and a King of Hearts. The Poker players beside the two men gasped in awe. "FULL HOUSE!"

"Oh yeah, too bad indeed." Darren deadpanned. He places the cards he had in his hand onto the table, revealing a Ten of Diamonds, a Jack of Diamonds, a Queen of Diamonds, a King of Diamonds and an Ace of Diamonds.

Bora instantly drops his jaw and widens his eyes in horror upon seeing the cards. "R-R-R-ROYAL FLUUUSSSHHH?!" He howled as he slams his hands onto the table in disbelief.

Darren leans back on his chair and folds his arms. "Yup. Neat, right?" He said as the Poker players applauded him.

Bora continues gawking at the cards placed on the table before looking up at Darren with his eyes shaking. "W-w-w-who are y-y-y-you?" He stammered.

Darren simply smiled at him.

"Just a guy who is chosen to save your world."

-----

Darren, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy and Happy walk through the hallway of the inn's second floor. After winning the Poker game, Bora reluctantly handed over all of his money to Darren, which is twice the amount of money he and his acquaintances need to pay for a room and dinner.

"That was amazing, Darren! I can't believe you actually beat that guy in just a short amount of time!" Natsu said.

"Yeah, at least for once, you used your gaming skills for something good." Alicia smiled with her hands stuffed in her pockets.

"What's your secret? How did you beat him so easily?" Lucy asked as they arrived at the door leading to their room.

"Oh, the answer is simple. I cheated." Darren smirked.

"Huh?" Everyone else said incredulously.

"But come on, you guys. That guy was cheating too so, I don't feel bad for doing it." Darren shrugged.

The others sigh before they turn to the door. Lucy opens it and everyone step inside their room. They all gasp and widen their eyes in awe upon taking a look at it. The room is huge and has four separate beds placed vertically. Next to the doorway is the bathroom while at the end of the room is a huge window with curtains.

Lucy squealed as she widens her eyes and clasps her hands together gleefully. "This is great! I love it so much!" She cried.

As Alicia closes the door behind them, Natsu chortled as he wraps an arm around Darren. "Way a go, Darren! You may have cheated, but thanks to you, not only are we going to have a big dinner tonight that will be directly delivered to us but you also got ourselves a huge comfortable room!" He said with a toothy grin.

"You're so awesome, Darren!" Happy cried happily as he flies over to Darren's left shoulder and wraps his tiny arms around him.

"Thank you so much for your help." Lucy turned around and smiled at him.

"You are all welcome." Darren smiled smugly as he waves his hands.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive into our beds!" Natsu exclaimed, pumping his fists into the air. "Happy and I are getting the bed at the far end!"

"Aye!" Happy added.

"And I'm getting the second one!" Lucy shouted happily as she points at the bed next to theirs.

Darren and Alicia smile as they watch Lucy, Natsu and Happy run over to their beds enthusiastically. The three friends dive into their respective beds and they all laugh merrily as Lucy and Natsu sit up. Happy laughed as well as he bounces on the bed he and Natsu are sharing.

"Darren…" Alicia uttered. Darren turns to his friend.

"Yeah?" He asked as he places his hands on the sides of his hip.

Alicia's eyes softened as she lowers her head. "Do you think we'll ever go back home?"

Darren frowned solemnly as he stayed silent. He turns back to Natsu, Lucy and Happy and gazed at them as they continue laughing. "Relax Alicia. I'm sure we will."

Alicia sighed. "I hope so." She and Darren turn back to each other. Darren extends out a hand, which Alicia firmly grabs it.

"As long as we have each other, we'll be fine." Darren reassured to her softly.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, getting everyone's attention.

"Oh, that must be our dinner!" Lucy said as she and everyone else stare at the door.

"Great! I can't wait to see what food we're having." Natsu smiled as he rubs his hands together. Darren whirled about and grabs the doorknob.

"Hello?" He said as he opens the door. To his surprise, it wasn't a staff member of the inn. Instead, the person standing outside their room is the brown-haired Japanese boy. Except this time, he is completely naked with the exception of his underwear and he shakes uncontrollably while wrapping his arms around his own body.

"D-d-don't mind if I c-could come into your room?"