Read Yvvaros: The Digital Frontier for Free Online

when a familiar voice spoke up in the background.
    “I can lend you the money if you want.” The girl from before, Tess, was peaking in through the crack of the door. She had a guilty look on her face, as though she was a little embarrassed about listening in.
    “Wait, how do you have 50 gold if you’re just starting out?” asked Luke. Tess smiled at him and then shrugged her shoulders.
    “I got the preorder bonus,” she said, “500 gold to start out with, along with a couple of other extras, including this nifty cloak.”
    Tess grabbed one of the edges of her cloak and spun around, flourishing it as she did. Luke stared at her for a moment, smiling despite his urgency.
    Is everyone in this game incredibly generous, or am I just lucky?
    “Anyway, here.” She reached her hand out and dropped a small bag of gold coins into his hand. “Just be sure to pay me back, okay?”
    Luke nodded.
    “Of course,” he said. “Thank you such much.”
    Tess reached into her satchel again and pulled out a small piece of parchment and a quill. She smiled and passed it to Luke.
    FRIEND REQUEST FROM TESS: Sign to accept.
    “Friend… request?” He looked at her dumbly.
    “So we can find each other easier in-game,” said Tess. “This way, I can make sure that you pay me back.”
    Luke’s smiled broadened, and he signed the paper.
    “If you’re trying to revive somebody right now, you should hurry,” said Tess. “The potions only work for up to five minutes after death.”
    Luke nodded and tossed the coins to the NPC. He took the potion and then hurried out of the store.
    “Thanks again, Tess!” he yelled over his shoulder. “I owe you one!”
    He rushed forward back into the grassy hills, pushing his legs into the ground as fast as they would go and hoping he had enough stamina left to make the round trip.

CHAPTER 4
     
    Silverstrike’s body was no longer on the ground when Luke made it back to the spot where the encounter with the Yvva Wolves had taken place. Lying where it had been was a massive amount of blood and a couple of the beast’s corpses. Luke crouched down next to the scene and felt his heart sink. He spent a couple of minutes looking off into the distance, feeling as though he’d let his friend down.
    When it became apparent that Ben’s avatar was no longer there to be revived, Luke crouched down and skinned the rest of the wolves. A small pop-up message floated across the bottom of his vision as he dropped the fifth one into his satchel, letting him know that he could complete the quest. He skinned the last few and took them with him, along with his fallen friend’s equipment.
    At the very least, I can give these to Ben as a “sorry for letting you die” gift.
    The sun had just set in-game, and it made Luke wonder what time it was in the real world as he made his way back toward Stark Town. He walked slowly, and by the time the settlement was within view, there were stars out in the sky.
    Two features even larger and more dazzling came into view against the black of the night. Luke could see a medium sized moon, bigger than the one in real life, and colored azure blue instead of white. Slightly behind and below it was a smaller red circle, and it was hard to tell whether it was a second orbiting body, or a far off planet. Either way, together the two objects were beautiful.
    “About time you got back!” Silverstrike was waiting for him in the middle of Stark Town, frowning and watching Luke as he approached. “I waited in spirit form for as long as the game would let me. I bet you got back to where I died just seconds after my soul returned to its bind point.”
    Luke nodded. He felt relieved to see his friend walking around again. He knew it was ridiculous considering the rules of the game, but a part of him had been expecting his death to be permanent, especially after witnessing the violence that had been inflicted on his avatar.
    “Sorry about that,” said Luke. “Here’s your stuff. And