Battle Royale Grand Prix

[gundam]

My first story here...

April 5, 2051

Location: Seattle Washington


Nick clocked into work as usual that Friday. Slightly busier than usual at his Starbucks job but after three years there he was used to that kind of customer flow. It was a decent job. His manager was cool as well as his coworkers and it did pay the bills...mostly. At 23 years old, he was finishing his final year of college working towards a bachelor's in computer programming. While he did have a gift for coding, his love was gaming. Whether it be console, PC, or mobile, he was into it. This Friday would start out like any other, but it would end like nothing he would ever expect...

"Sup Nick" a younger man said seeing Nick pop open his locker. "Oh. Sup Jase" Nick replied seeing his coworker Jason, a 19-year-old young man who started the job six months earlier. "Heard you're into Battle Royale" Jason said. "Yeah I dabble into it. It's the hottest mobile game out there right now" Nick said to him. "Which is why I thought of giving it a chance. Can you teach me the basics?" Jason asked. Nick looked at the clock. He had arrived early, and his shift didn't begin for another 15 minutes. "Sure, why not?" Nick replied. Nick sat down next to him and opened the game app on his phone. "I see you already downloaded and installed it. Any particular class you decided on?" Nick asked. "Class?" Jason asked. "That answers that question. Before you pick your character to make you need to choose a class first. There's eight classes. Paladin, Gun Meister, Combat Mage, Assassin, Shield Maiden, Spell Weaver, Martial Artist, and Tamer. Each one has its own combat style with strengths and weaknesses" Nick explained. "Which one do you use?" Jason asked. "Paladin. They have good balanced offense and defense stats, but they're limited to melee combat unless you have an attack card to play" Nick said. "Cards?" Jason asked.

"It's kinda like that Yu Gi Oh game a few decades ago. You can collect cards as drops you can play that gives your character temporary special attack, defense, or null buffs. Like for example the card Piercing Edge gives a melee weapon extra damage for 30 seconds" Nick replied. Jason nodded. "I think I'll choose Gun Meister. I mean who brings a sword to a gun fight?" he said laughing. "Careful now. Gun Meister is great at long range attacks and DPS, but they suck at close range combat. However, if you know how to use them correctly they can be a powerhouse" Nick said. Jason nodded and tapped his phone screen confirming his class choice. "Now you can customize her look. Clothes, colors, hair, even race. There's literally thousands of combinations" Nick said. Nick looked at the time. "Gotta get going. Those fancy coffees won't make and serve themselves" Nick said before leaving Jason to play on his phone.

Nick worked through his shift taking a 15-minute break midway. Jason had already left leaving him alone for the moment in the break room. He checked his phone and was surprised to find an email he had received. Nick opened it. "Congratulations. You've been selected to play in the Battle Royale Grand Prix. The winning champion will receive one million dollars. Please use the attached link if you wish to participate" Nick said reading it. At first he thought it was spam but the more he stared at it, the more it seemed genuine. It seemed to come from Bandei Gaming, the company that made Battle Royale. Truth of the matter was Nick was barely keeping afloat with what he made at his job. It paid the rent, utilities, food, and whatnot but barely made a dent in his credit card and student loan bills from his previous stint in college just two years earlier. A million dollars would change all of that. Nick figured what did he have to lose and tapped the link. It took him to a webpage asking for his personal information. Still skeptical he checked the page for any malware or spoofing. None that he could see. He entered his information and tapped the next icon. The next page took him to a character creation section where it asked him to build a character from scratch. "Guess they’re keeping it fair by making us start from square one" he muttered. Nick stuck to what he was familiar with. He chose a paladin class and made her into a copy of his current character. White with green eyes, black hair, white and silver armor, age around 19, and slim build. Once done, he pressed confirm. "Creating character. Creation of character successful. No further action needed at this time" the screen said. Nick found it strange not to see this character in the game all itself. He hoped he hadn't been phished after all.

Nick finished his shift a few hours later and went home. He was surprised to see a package sitting at his apartment door. Even more so as the sender was Bandei Gaming itself. He picked it up and found it heavier than expected. Nick carried it in and placed it on the coffee table. Once settled it, he took a knife and popped it open. "What the hell?" he muttered looking at the contents. Inside was a phone, a flash drive, and a metal box roughly seven inches long and cold to the touch. He popped the locking tabs on the box and opened it. "What in the world? Why would they send me a figurine of my character?" he asked himself looking at a five-inch version of his character in a skintight suit. "Damn fine work though. No seams in the joints and the paint is flawless" he muttered peering at it. Suddenly, it sat up and looked at him.

"FUCK!" Nick yelled stumbling backwards. It blinked and turned to look at him. "Please show me your finger" it said. "No way. No fucking way. That's it. I finally lost my fucking mind after too many lattes" Nick sighed. "Please show me your finger" it said again. Knowing not what else to do, Nick showed it his thumb. "Scanning fingerprint. Scan complete. Scanning biometric data. Scan complete. Thank you Nicholas Warren. I am your Tactical Integrated Neurolinked Automaton character for the Battle Royale Grand Prix. Please view the video file on the flash drive for the introductory tutorial" it said. Picking it up with a shaking hand, he plugged it into his tv and pressed play.

"Greetings Player One. I am Barnabas Newsome the CEO of Bandei Gaming. Welcome to the first ever Battle Royale Grand Prix. Before you is your selected character. Let me answer some questions you may have. First, she is real. This is no trick or illusion. Your character is made up of cloned flesh over a carbon nanotube skeleton with a biomechanical multiprocessor for a brain. She has real blood infused with nanite technology for necessary operations. She breathes, acts, interprets, and essentially is a living person...under your direct command as her user. Is it legal? Yes as she's the first of her kind hence no laws forbidding her existence. Including you, eight users have been given similar avatars. Why create such a thing? For the ultimate experience. It's easy to command and throw a collection of pixels into battle. A living thing makes one carefully consider what they do next. Along with your avatar, you're provided a special phone designed specifically for Battle Royale duels. Everything is the same on it as any other phone except the "Realize Drive" program installed. Realize Drive is the body of the game while your avatar is the soul. Once you activate it, it will surround you and your opponent in a holographic combat field invisible to outsiders along with your avatar's armor. Give it a try when you have time. For all other questions, ask your avatar. Good luck" he said before the video ended.

"Video tutorial concluded. Setting up communication parameters. Please designate the manner in which you wish to be referred to. Mr. Warren? Master Warren? Master Nick? Master?"

"Nick. Just Nick is fine" Nick said. "Understood. Avatar One will now synch with your phone" she said. "That's your name?" he asked. "Currently. You may register another one if you wish" she replied. "Tactical Integrated Neruolinked Automation...how about Tina?" he asked. She blinked. "Tina is now registered under Avatar One. Phone synch complete. Wi-Fi link complete. Downloading Avatar OS patches 1.1 to 1.97. Standby" she said closing her eyes. Nick leaned in closer, curious. "She even breathes. I wonder how realistic she truly is" he thought. "Patch install complete. Restarting" she said startling Nick making him fall backwards onto his sofa. In seconds, she opened her eyes once again. "Evening Just Nick" she said. Nick looked at her. "Just kidding Nick. So, you're one of the eight selected. You must be pretty damn good" she said. "Uhh...you seem different now" he said. "You mean my personality? Have you to thank for that. When we're shipped, we're only rocking the basic firmware. So what I did was download and install the latest which includes a personality subroutine. In order to make a personality, we sync and download data from your old phone" she said. "What kind of data?" he asked. "Oh, you know. Text messages, dating apps, browsing history..."

"My browsing history?" Nick asked meekly. "Oh don't worry. That info is kept confidential so don't worry about your fetishes being leaked. Oh, since you're 18 years old and over, I'm authorized to satisfy you sexually as well. So feel free to bukkake me or play with my pussy as much as you desire. Unfortunately, I'm too small for you to fuck me but anything beyond penetration is fine by me. My healing factor can handle extreme conditions so have at it if you so desire" she said frankly. Nick stared at her dumbfounded. "If you don't mind, can you pop the back of my cryopod open? I want to change out of this stuffy insulation suit" she said. Nick did as asked finding a removable back to the box and opening it. Inside was vacuum sealed clothing for her. He took them out and out of their packaging. "Here are some..."

Nick stopped as he turned back to see Tina naked bent over slipping off the suit. Sensing him looking, she turned to face him. "Good you found them" she said. "You, you really do have a pussy" he whispered. "Well yeah like I said silly. And a butthole too" she giggled taking the clothing from him. "Do you actually eat?" he asked. "Actually, I was going to ask you for some food in a moment. We're shipped with low energy. I don't require much. Basic nutrition, sugar, salt, and water to sustain my organic components" she said. "Will a peanut butter sandwich and a Twinkie work?" he asked. "Quite well" she replied smiling. Nick walked to his kitchen to prepare some food.

He made the sandwich and Twinkie and sat down giving her a portion no bigger than a pea. Tina quickly gobbled it up. "Here" he said balancing a drop of water on his finger. The tiny girl drank from his fingertip and patted her belly. "Ahh…hit the spot" she said kicking her bare legs and feet happily. Nick has to pinch himself as the surreal sight still made no sense. A five inch girl, dressed in a tee shirt and shorts was sitting on his coffee table staring at him. A girl apparently partly human designed for a video game. "So, do you go to the bathroom or anything?" he asked as if she ate, what was left would have to come out...right? "Yes kinda like you but my metabolism is far more efficient than yours. Not worry as I'm totally self-sufficient in that regard. I poop, pee, sweat, and fart like any girl. I don't menstruate though as installing a uterus is pointless for my kind" she said quietly. Nick sensed a feeling of...sadness from her about that point. "So, what's next?" he asked. "We can practice a little if you like. You need to get to use to the ARIS anyways" she replied. "ARIS? What's that?" he asked. "Augmented Reality Interface System. It's easier to show you. Pick up your new phone. It should've finished cloning your old one by now" she said. Nick picked up the seemingly normal phone.

"Open the game app" she said. Nick tapped it and it opened. "Right now, it's just in standby. You should see my current stats" she said. Nick saw and read what they said.

Name: Tina
Class: Paladin
HP: 125/125
AP: 60/60
EXP: 0/1000

Current Equipment: War Mail lvl. 1 (default) Durandal lvl. (default)

Status: N/A

Strength: 20 Defense: 20

Magic: 5 Magic Defense: 5

Luck: 10 Stamina: 2 AP per sec

Speed: 10

Regen: 1 HP per sec

Special Attack: Deus Vult (Damage: (45 piercing). Cost: 40 AP. Cooldown: 120 sec)

(projectile attack where a paladin stores holy energy in her sword and launches it with a sword swing. While extremely fast, the initial strike deals low damage but completely ignores any defense rating or buffs. However, if the enemy is caught in the firing swing, the damage is doubled)

"What does it mean by levels and experience? That wasn't part of the original game" he asked. "Between matches will be mini game combat. Winning those along with ranked player matches will net you experience points to level up your character. Earning a level up means your character HP and AP will rise. Earning a level, you can also spend earned skill points however you want. Increase defense, magic defense, speed, and whatnot. My nanites in my blood will actually...ahem...improve my body accordingly depending on what you choose to improve" she said. "So, if I wanted to improve your strength?" he asked. "Denser muscle tissue" she replied. Nick nodded. "Now for the fun stuff. Tap the practice icon and then tap Realize" she said. Nick did. The moment he did a blue light from the phone scanned Tina and a suit of armor materialized around her body along with a sword. "HOLY SHIT! That is the coolest hologram tech I've ever seen!" he yelled. He reached for her sword she now held. "Nick you shouldn't..."

"OWW!" he yelled yanking his finger back. He was shocked to see a drop of his blood on it. "I thought that this was just holograms and shit" he said. "Technically it is. It's called Hard Light holograms. By manipulating magnetic fields and plasma, it can simulate solid objects...among other things" she said. "How the fuck does a phone do that?!" he asked. "Proprietary information. Even I don't know that. Sorry buddy" she shrugged. "So, if you attack someone, you can inflict actual physical damage?" he asked. "That's right. And when our HP hits zero, we're dead for real" she replied. Nick grew very quiet. "That bothers you" she said quietly. "Of course it does! You're alive! You ate part of my sandwich for fuck's sake! Using you as some kind of disposable thing...how is this shit legal?" he asked. "You know what they say, it's not a crime the very first time. And besides...I'm not human Nick. I just appear human" she said. "That doesn't matter! What if I opt out?" he asked. "You're allowed to and you go your merry way. I on the other hand will be scrapped as I was specifically built just for you" she replied. "Perfect, just perfect" he muttered as he began looking for something. He found a baggie full of rolled joints. He pulled one out and lit it up. "Haaa..." he sighed as weed smoke escaped his lungs. "I'd offer you some but I'm betting you can't get high with a computer brain" he muttered. "No but I can orgasm. That you can look forward to...if you want" she said blushing. Tina could see the young man was troubled by what she said.

"You still want to practice or just hold off for now?" she asked. He shook his head. She closed the app on his phone for him and she reverted back to her regular form. "I wish you didn't feel so upset Nick. I consider myself very fortunate" she said. He gave her a look. "No, seriously. A chance to be alive and not only that service to a kind master" she said. "You've known me all of an hour. You don't know me" he whispered. Tina surprised him by jumping off the coffee table and on to the top of the couch. At her scale it would be as if jumping 40 ft. "I know enough you care about others and that's something that's become rarer these days. Why don't you enjoy your legalized chronic while I take a bath" she said. "I'll help..."

"Self-sufficient remember?" she said grinning before hopping down off the sofa and onto the floor. "She jumps like freaking Super Mario" he muttered as he took another hit of his joint. 15 minutes had passed, and Nick grew concerned. "She said she was self-sufficient but she's still five inches tall" he thought. Nick knocked on the bathroom door. "Come on in" Tina replied. Nick did to find her smiling and soaking nude in his sink. "Something else on your mind?" she asked. "If I win, what happens to you?" he asked sitting on his toilet lid. Tina cocked her head to the side. "Hmm, I guess I'm yours. Still alive, your personal information is stored on me, and you didn't resign. I really don't see good reason for my repo and termination" she said wriggling her tiny toes in the water. "Then I better win then" he said grinning. "That's the spirit!" she said splashing the water. "Still, it's different from the game. Mini game combat? Like the PvE events?" he asked. "Bingo. There are dozens of areas in Seattle designated "Battle Arenas" for matches. The PvE matches will be at random, and any player can join in during the allotted time. Your enemy will be the evil...hehe..."Glitches" spreading chaos in the area. Your main job will be to kill them all and clear the area" she said. "Glitches? For real?" he asked shaking his head. "An accurate name for errors in a hyper virtual environment. Just like my gear they'll be Hard Light constructs that can do real damage so don't take them lightly" she said. "You mean they can kill you. And if I ignore them?" he asked. "Bad idea as killing them and clearing the event nets experience points your opponents can use to level their avatars up. Won't be fun going up against a level 10 avatar when you're stuck at level 1. That match will end really quick" she replied. "Here" he said placing a dry hand towel near her. She nodded thanks before he left.

That night...


"You warm enough?" he asked her. "Cozy as a bug" she replied pulling the clean sock he gave her for a sleeping bag. To Nick, it didn't seem right for her to sleep on his nightstand or the sofa, so he had her sleep next to him on the bed. "Goodnight then" he said. "Night Nick. Entering sleep mode" she said closing her eyes. Within seconds she was fast asleep. "Ok that was different" he muttered. Nick laid there staring at her. Nothing that occurred in the last few hours seemed real but there she was, an artificial life form designed to fight, and possibly die for a game. A life form anatomically identical to a 19-year-old girl yet five inches tall. If anyone had seen her, one would swear the girl was human and had been shrunk. There was something odd beyond the whole toy sized girl thing. It was obvious she was made to be as lifelike as possible. Hell, she even could sweat. But her mind was beyond a mashup of programs and algorithms as she claimed. And the proof of that Nick could see as he leaned in close to her. Her eyes were moving under her eyelids. What does a program need with REM sleep? More importantly, dreams. Tina was dreaming. Of what he didn't have a clue. There had to be more to this entire situation and Nick knew it but until then he had to play ball or more exact play Battle Royale. Nick closed his eyes.

He woke suddenly due to a sound and looked at the clock. 3:13am. The sound was coming from Tina. "I'm cold" she whispered. Somehow she had crawled out of the sock and was shivering. Wearing only a flimsy nightgown (which had ridden up to her chest), Nick understood how she could be cold. He had almost forgotten how attractive she was. He leaned closer. Her panties, slightly too small for her clung to her crotch tight enough to give her the tiniest cameltoe but Nick already knew she had a pussy and a hairless one at that. Flat tummy with an innie belly button which he petted with his fingertip. Tina squirmed in her sleep. "She's not a sex toy Nick" he thought pulled her nightgown back down. Even though he said that to himself, there was no denying a growing attraction...growing in more ways than one. He caressed her right check with his fingertip before pulling the sock back up her body. "...please like me" she whispered as a tear rolled from her eye and down her cheek. A cold realization happened to Nick. Underneath her clowning, flirting, and bravado, Tina was scared. Scared of dying, terrified of being discarded. He closed his eyes wondering what this game really had in store for them.

[jeffrey-dallas]

This looks to be super fun! Angelic Layer and Busou Shinki mini mecha action! Is Tina based on someone?

[gundam]

This looks to be super fun! Angelic Layer and Busou Shinki mini mecha action! Is Tina based on someone?

No Tina isn't based on someone I know. However...oops spoilers. I had totally forgot about Angelic layer. Funny thing is my buddy gets annoyed when I point out the fact that the series Chobits is actually a continuation spinoff of Angelic Layer. Honestly, me knowing that is depressing because if anyone has seen Chobits, then you know the fate of the secondary characters from Angelic Layer. Anyways now for chapter 2!

[gundam]

Chapter 2...

"AHHHCHOOO!"

Nick woke up sneezing and immediately found...or felt the cause. "Uhhgh" he muttered pulling Tina's little foot out of his nostril. Apparently during the night, she left her little part of the bed and slept on his pillow. Tina was a tosser and turner it seemed. Tina sat up and yawned. "Mornin' Nick" she said rubbing her eyes. Her bedhead and ruffled tiny night shirt made her look extra cute in his eyes. He still found the whole thing bizarre though. "First one in!" she yelled hopping off the bed and running into the bathroom. He just quietly sat there before hearing the toilet flush. Then the sink run. Nick became curious as she didn't immediately come out. "You got it?" Nick asked. "Brushin' teef" she mumbled. Nick opened the door and there she was standing on his sink holding his toothbrush more than twice her size brushing her teeth like a normal human. "Well hurry up I gotta pee" he said. She spat and nodded giving him the bathroom. By the time he came out, Tina had made her way to his kitchen and set up a Keurig coffee pod. "You're off today so you want to practice?" she asked. "How'd you know I'm off?" he asked. "Synched with your google calendar" she replied. Nick remembered she did say she had downloaded his phone data directly into her. "So...you really do have all my phone data?" he asked. "Yep. Still getting it as I'm bluetoothed to it" she said hitting the on button on his coffee maker. "What 4chan category did I browse yesterday at work?" he asked. "Comics" she replied immediately. "And my old Pornhub account name?" Nick asked as he hasn't used it in years by this point. The cookies were still there however. "NicktheDick" she replied. "...fuck me" he whispered.

"You really shouldn't concern yourself with that. I'm a gaming peripheral. Not like I'm a judgmental human girl" she said walking to his bread bag on the counter. She yanked out two slices, dragged them to his toaster, and placed them inside before jumping down in the leaver. "A gaming peripheral with bed head, that pees, brushes her teeth, and apparently making me breakfast? Forgive me if I'm skeptical that's all you are" he said. "Beyond basic maintenance, it's also to prevent the "uncanny valley" issue" she said. "Uncanny valley? What's that?" he asked. "A human psychological response to a human imagined thing that's kinda off. Ever play a game with good CGI but there's something weird about it like bulging eyes or crooked mouth? The creepy feeling from it is the uncanny valley" she replied. "And the flirting?" he asked. "Basic human response for the need to be cared for based on the psych profile your phone gave me. Simply put, I want you to like me" she replied. "Tina that's not.."

*ding*

The toaster popped the bread up indicating it was done and Tina grabbed the tops. "Ow!" she yelped falling backwards onto her butt. Nick rushed over and scooted her to the sink. He turned on the water and took her tiny hands between her fingers. "I'm alright. The nanomachines are already healing my hands" she said. "As I was saying, I already like you. You don't have to sell yourself as a sex object to me" he whispered rubbing her hands. Tina grew quiet. Nick took out the toast and spread Nutella on them. He poured the fresh coffee and gave Tina a drop. As they ate, Nick browsed his new phone as Tina silently did a diagnostic on her body. "Should we begin training?" she asked as Nick put away the plate and cup. "Might as well" he said. "Goodie! First thing is a target. You got a soda can or something?" she asked. Nick went through his trash pulling out a discarded red bull can. "That'll do. You can set it on the floor along with me" she said. Nick did and sat on the sofa. "Alright. Open the Battle Royale app on the phone. Now just as before you can see my stats. Tap practice and then Realize" she said.

*REALIZE ON*

Tina was surrounded by sparkles of light that collected around her body. They formed her standard armor and sword. "Tingles. Now, the first thing to learn is the way I move is two options by you my owner. Auto which is where I fight, move, and defend on my own. This is useful for fighting groups of glitches as micromanaging everything can get stressful. Remember I can react faster than a human because of my computer brain and boosted body. However, even I can't match human experience. This is where manual control comes in. Your phone is directly linked to my nervous system. See the auto manual toggle there? Toggle to manual" she said. Nick tapped the icon. Five buttons appeared on his screen. A, B, C, D, and X. "A is for light punch. B is for heavy punch. C is for light kick. D is for heavy kick. And X is for special. Keep in mind that each attack will expend my stamina indicated in Action Points or AP. Obviously heavy attacks expend more points than light ones. Try a button" she said. Nick tapped the B button and Tina immediately swung her sword with both hands. "Good job, now see my AP went down by five points? Be careful not to deplete my AP too quickly. I will regenerate them but it's slow unless you have cards" she said. "What happens if you run out of AP?" he asked. "I'll show you. Spam the hell out of those button attacks" she said. Nick tapped all the buttons rapidly for 30 seconds until Tina stopped swinging and kicking. She fell to her knees panting. "As you can see I'm tired and can't move. I can still defend by my defense rating skill will be halved. That means even in defense I'll take more damage than usual" she said. "You okay?" Nick asked. "Fine. Just gimme a moment. As you can see my AP is regenerating" she said. Nick watched the screen as AP went up from zero point by point. When it hit ten, Tina stood back up. "Now for target practice"

"We're going to pretend the can is an enemy. Go and tap the light punch button" she said gripping her sword. Nick did and Tina took a swipe at the can with one hand on her sword. Her sword cut into the can and stopped. "Whoa. You actually cut it" he said. "But notice it didn't go very deep. One second" she said yanking her sword free. "Now tap the heavy punch" she said. Nick did and Tina slashed at the can with both hands on her sword. The red bull can was cut in half. "As you can see the heavy attack was enough to cut the can. As you already know, heavy attacks are great at breaking a defense stance but can leave you open if dodged or run out of AP. Use them wisely" she said. "And your special attack?" Nick asked excitedly. "Yeah...we're not doing that in your apartment. Pretty sure a scorched floor will void your deposit. We can do that later maybe at a PvE. Now for one other thing. I need you to step on me" she said. "Sorry but did you say step on you?" Nick asked blinking. "Learning firsthand about HP damage and regeneration is necessary" she said placing her sword to the side. "I'm not stepping on you!" Nick yelled. "Nick I'm wearing holographic hard light armor. You're not going to really hurt me" she said slightly annoyed. "You sure I won't hurt you?" he asked. She nodded. Nick raised his bare foot over her and stomped down. Not brutally but with some degree of force.

"Ooof! Yeah...that's good. Ease up buddy" she said tapping his big toe. Nick felt a little strange pressing his giant foot on this small woman. Almost...amused. He pressed harder and began to grind his foot. His toes squeezing her head. "Uhh...Nick?" Tina asked. "Sorry! Sorry..." he said snapping out of it and taking his foot off her. "Okay...as you can see I lost 3 HP from that. Keep watching though" she said. About five seconds passed and her HP went up by one point. "As I am now, my regen rate is about one HP per five seconds unless you use a card. You can tap the realize button now" she said. Nick did.

*REALIZE OFF*

Tina nearly instantly changed back to her nightshirt wearing self. "If you will excuse me, I'm going to take a quick bath. Worked up a sweat there" she said before scampering off. Nick was still bothered by not what he did but how he felt about doing it. An amusement, an excitement with pinning her under his foot and causing her pain. Squeezing her tiny skull with his toes. Seeing the look of worry in her eyes. Nick shook just dwelling on it. 15 minutes later Tina returned clean and now wearing a shirt and shorts. "Tina...about before with my foot" he muttered. "Getting excited?" She asked hopping onto the sofa next to him. Nick hung his head down. "You got excited. Big deal" she said shrugging. "It is a big deal to me. That's not me" he whispered. She placed her tiny hand on his. "Nick. All of this is brand new to you. It's natural to experience new feelings and urges. As you saw I was fully healed in 15 seconds" she said. "That's not the point. I know your nanomachines can heal you..."

"They can do more than that. Check this out" she said shaking her head. As she did, her hair turned blonde. "Now I'm a super saiyan!" she yelled. Nick chuckled at her. "And this" she said wriggling her fingers and toes. Nick watched as her nails turned cherry red. "I don't want you to hide your feelings from me" she said looking up at the giant. He held her hand between his fingers. Nick picked her up and brought her to his face. He caressed her cheek with his finger. Tina smiled warmly at him before leaning forward and kissing him. Nick jerked back. "I'm sorry! Did I read you wrong?" she asked. "I was just surprised is all" he said blushing. He kissed her cheek in response. "How about we pass the time binging anime" she asked. Nick smiled and nodded.

Later that evening...

*ding*

"What was that?" Nick asked pausing the tv. "You got a notification. It came from the game app". Tina replied. Nick picked up the phone. "PvE in one hour. It's giving me an address" he said. "Then we should get going" Tina said standing up and stretching. "Should we?" he asked. "Remember what I said yesterday. Not doing these will put you at a dangerous disadvantage" she replied. Nick recalled her saying that plus it being to earn effect cards as drops. Nick threw on some clothes and grabbed his keys. "Google maps has it as a warehouse a few miles from here" he said. "Hopefully we won't run into any other players, and you can farm all the XP" she said. "Wait. There are other players here in Seattle? I thought..."

"They would be playing in their own cities? How else would you do a PvP? No, the corporation brought them here to Seattle to play. Now let's get going. Time is ticking" she said. Nick carried Tina with him and left. "You sure you're up for this?" he asked following the GPS. "Ready or not it needs to be done. If we can't beat a PvE, we’re not going to win a one on one" she replied. Nick would've believed her bravado if it wasn't for her tapping her foot against the car seat anxiously. After traffic and stoplights, he arrived in front of a warehouse with ten minutes to spare. "I feel like I'm doing a crack buy. Let's go in before someone sees us and asks questions" he muttered getting out of the car. He approached the door and knocked. "Hello? Umm...I know is sounds stupid as fuck but I'm here for a gaming event!" he yelled. No answer. "This won't mean shit if we can't get in!" he spat. He pulled out his phone. As soon as he did an electronic panel on the door beeped and unlocked. "Could've told me to use my phone" he muttered. "Hey, this is new to me too" Tina said. When we walked in, the roof lights clicked on one row after another until the large warehouse was lit. "This is creepy" he said seeing nothing but a barren concrete floor. "Something supposed to happen? Uhh Tina?" he asked seeing her in some kind of trance.

"Connection successful. Authentication successful" she muttered. "You okay there?" he asked. "Yeah. Had to pass a security check is all. It's starting" she replied. A bright light began to shine from each corner of the warehouse. "Loading PvE. Please standby" a voice said. Pixels of light began to coalesce into forms and shapes. "Holy shit" Nick muttered when it had apparently finished. All before him was a very familiar part of Seattle...in miniature form. Even the largest office buildings didn't stretch past his chin. "Is that my Starbucks?!" he yelled pointing at a tiny shop. "Apparently" Tina replied. It was as if someone had shrunk, dug out, and placed his Starbucks and everything near it in a 10-block radius inside the warehouse. "Loading complete. Level one event. Field Urban daytime. Beginning event in 15 seconds" a voice said. His phone beeped. "Victory conditions. Kill all zom glitches. Failure conditions. Avatar HP hits zero or timer reaches zero before all zom glitches are killed" he read. "He looked at her. "What's a zom glitch?" he asked. Tina shook her head. Nick nearly jumped seeing people about the same size as Tina suddenly spawn around him. "Start" a voice said. "Nick you better summon my shit!" Tina said worried.

"REALIZE ON"

Tina transformed into her paladin character. Nick stood perfectly still as he feared stepping on the simulated people. "They act as if they don't see us" Nick said looking at them going about their day. The calm was interrupted by sudden screaming and a stampede of people around a corner. "Oh shit" Nick muttered seeing what was causing it. "Guess we know what zom stands for! Zombies!" Tina yelled. Nick looked at his phone and could see a radar-like screen. "Tina there's dozens" he said. "So...we're talking Walking Dead zombies or Last of Us zombies?" she asked. "They're running! Last of Us! Definitely Last of Us!" he yelled. "Auto or manual?!" she yelled. "...auto! Go auto!" Nick yelled barely realizing what she was asking. Tina smiled gripping her sword and charged in.

People ran in a panic past her as a sprinting horde of digital living dead closed the distance. The one in front was cut down swiftly by her. Then another, and another. "This is easy!" she laughed while swinging her sword. Nick was watching her AP go down slowly while glancing at the radar. "Tina they're trying to overwhelm you. Aw shit. They're multiplying!" he yelled seeing a small person bit and suddenly turning into one of them. Nick saw something large moving fast towards Tina. "Manual!" he yelled tapping the button and then tapping the back button. Tina jumped back just as an out-of-control tanker truck drove into the horde and flipped over. "Whoa! Nick...Nick I'm getting a little tired" she said. Her AP was down to just 20. "I'm pulling you back. Tina how real is this to you?" he asked. "Pretty damn real!" she replied. "Can you smell smoke or anything?" he asked. "Yeah but what's that got to do with anything?" she asked. "I'm hoping the realism is going to help our asses. I need you to rest until you get at least 45 AP" he said switching back to auto. Tina slowly stepped back as the seconds passed. As the AP regenerated, so did her footing. "Nick there must be over 50 by now. Everyone is gone but there's no way we can clear the event in the five minutes we have left" she said. Tina was right. Nick's radar was cluttered with enemies now. "Are they focused on you?" he asked. One ran at her, and she cut off its head. "I'd say yes!" she yelled. "Good. That truck that overturned, I need you to get close to it" he said. "Through the zombie horde?!" she asked. "Yes! I need them to follow you and concentrate there!" he said. Tina dashed forward cutting down as many as she could. Her AP dipped back down to 40. "Nick you better have a plan!" she said as she got near it. "You smell that?" he asked. "Other than decaying flesh?! Wait...I do smell something" she said looking down onto the street. Gasoline.

"A gasoline truck?!" she asked. "And you're the match! Get ready Tina!" Nick yelled switching to manual. He had Tina jump as high as she possibly could. He quickly tapped her special ability. "DEUS VULT!" Tina yelled. Her sword began to glow as energy built up within it. Swinging her sword downward released the only projectile attack her skill class had, a sword slash of hot light energy. The attack struck the tanker truck immediately causing it to explode. Tina was hit by the shockwave and was blown clear. She landed hard nearly a block away. "TINA!" Nick yelled seeing her HP drop to a harrowing 25. "That...hurt" she groaned.

"SECRET MISSION CLEAR. KILL FOUR OR MORE ZOM GLITCHES WITH ONE ATTACK" His phone said.

All of the zombies were either blown up or incinerated...except one. Sizzling, he shambled right towards Tina. "Tina you need get up!" Nick said as it was quickly getting close. He kept tapping an arrow key for her to move but nothing. "Fuck me" he hissed seeing her AP was at zero. Nick moved and instantly there was a warning. "Don't. You'll lose the match if you interfere" she muttered. "It's better than you dying!" he yelled. Tina staggered to her feet just as the zombie stood before her. It grabbed her by the throat and lifted her. A sound came from his phone and Nick quickly tapped the light punch. Tina stabbed the monster through the underside of hits chin with her sword killing it. Tina fell to the street. Nick sighed. At the last second she gained 5 AP. Just enough for one last attack.

"MISSION CLEARED" a voice said. "You can move now" Tina said chuckling. Nick dashed over to her and picked her up. As he checked on her, people hiding in the buildings emerged. "The fuck?" he thought seeing one simulated human in the crowd. It was his manager. He couldn't help but pick her up too. "Oh my god" he muttered as she was simulated in perfect detail. Right down to the freckles on her nose. It felt creepy to hold a tiny version of the girl he had a crush on. How the game simulated her to such details would have to wait for another time as the simulation ended and faded away leaving him and a very beaten up Tina. "How did we do?" she asked. "Huh?" he asked. "The experience points and drops. Should be drops" she whispered. Nick looked at his phone. Tina was right. XP poured in and Tina went from level one to two. Her HP increased to 150 and AP to 75. Nick had five skill points to spend however he wanted but that wasn't his concern now. "I got three cards. One star Piercing Strike. One star AP charge. And a two-star Defense Shield" he muttered. "Not bad for a night's work. Let's go home" she said weakly.

Nick heard her moan and groan softly as he drove home. She suddenly yelped in pain after a sickening pop could be heard. "What was that?!" he asked. "My hip was dislocated when I landed. That was the sound of it being put back in place" she replied softly. Nick drove faster. He quickly carried her inside of his apartment and to the bathroom. As he began to pull off her clothing, he could see bloodstains on them. "Tina..." he whispered as her naked body had cuts and scrapes all over it. "Sorry if I'm not much to look at right now. Just gimme another half hour and I'll be fine" she said. Nick ignored her and began using wet toilet paper to clean her body. Now and then she'd wince. As he cleaned her he could see the cuts and scrapes slowly disappear. "I had no idea it was this bad. Isn't your armor supposed to protect you?" he asked. "It did. Wasn't for it the shockwave from the blast itself would've killed me" she said. "How is it now?" he asked. "Sore" she replied. Nick ran some hot water into the sink and placed her in it. "I can take it from here" she said. "Quiet" he muttered gathering soap.

He started with her shoulders. Tina flinched but relaxed as his finger tracked down the front of her body over her breasts. "Sit on the edge" he said to her. Tina pulled herself out of the water and sat on the edge of the sink bowl. Nick continued soaping her naked body. By the way his fingers moved, Tina could see he was concentrating on caring for her rather than anything sexual. His delicate touch held her leg between his fingers as he ran them up and down from thigh to ankle. Tina held in a giggle as his fingertip tickled her tiny bare sole although she couldn’t stifle an instinctual curling of her toes. Nick went to her other leg and did the same. He had her get back in the water to rinse as he gathered a small dollop of shampoo on his fingers. Slowly and gently, he held her black hair between his fingers and soaped it. The pain, the aches, the tension in her body ebbed away as he trickled water over her head. "You look better" he whispered as she got out of the water. "I feel better" she said to him. Once she was dry, Nick gave her a set of clothing she could wear and carried her to the living room. She mentioned she was hungry, and Nick heated up some pizza pockets. "Sorry but I haven't had time to grocery shop" he muttered. "Don't worry about it" she said digging into a pizza pocket so big she had to hold it with both hands. Tina devoured it within a minute. "Hungry?" he chuckled. "The nanomachines heal me by using proteins, nutrients, and minerals to repair bone, muscle, and tissue. The more damage I take, the more I have to eat to repair myself" she said grabbing another pizza pocket. "How bad were you hurt?" he asked. Tina stopped eating. "Three torn ligaments, two cracked ribs, dislocated hip joint, cracked skull, and a bruised kidney" she whispered. Nick hung his head in disbelief. "This is my fault. If I had been better you wouldn't have..."

"If it wasn't for you I'd be dead" she said looking up at him. His hand reached for her then suddenly stopped. "Stop fighting it. I know you won't hurt me" she said softly. Nick wrapped his fingers around her torso and lifted her up. He looked into her eyes for a moment before bringing her in and kissing her. "Can you promise me I'm not taking advantage of you?" he asked. "Nick, I'm programmed to like you not to love you. Loving you was my decision and I do love you" she replied softly touching his cheek. When Nick pulled on her shirt, she lifted her arms for him. When he pulled on her shorts she lifted her legs for him. "Don't stare!" she said playfully kicking his lips. Nick opened his mouth and seized her foot. Tina laughed and squealed as his mouth and tongue licked and sucked on her tiny foot. He let go and began kissing his way up her right leg. He smiled as he reached her little pussy. Moving past it, he planted kisses on her small tummy and kept going up until he sucked both her breasts into his mouth. "Hmmm..." she sighed holding his nose. He let go with a tiny popping noise and kissed her teeny lips. Tina held his cheeks as she returned the favor making sure her little tongue licked his lips. He stared into her eyes with a softness that made the small girl warm and fuzzy inside.

He lifted her legs with his finger, and she spread them awaiting what she knew he wanted. He was gentle at first barely licking her pussy. However, the more she was turned on, the more wet she became, and Nick could taste the inhuman sweetness of her. The best comparison he could make was how cotton candy melted in his mouth. He had to have more. He parted her tiny pussy lips with the tip of his tongue making the girl moan. "Eat me Nick...fuckin' eat me..." she moaned as she grasped her own breasts. Nick was literally tongue fucking her as she grinded her crotch on his mouth. She arched her back and came with a little squeal saturating his tongue with her juices. She lay in his hand panting as he released his lips. Gentle caresses of her tummy and cheek just to make sure she was okay. "Your turn" she whispered.

She hopped off his hand onto his crotch. Taking ahold of his zipper, she jumped off using her weight to unzip his pants. Expertly, she flipped into the air back onto his crotch and pulled his boxers down. Tina was stunned at how hard and big he was. "Uhh...you don't have to..." he was saying until she bear hugged his shaft. Being careful not to hurt him, she planted her tiny feet on his balls and began jacking him off with her body. Nick braced himself feeling her soft little body on his skin. Tina moaned softly as her pussy and nipples rubbed against him. Within seconds the lower front of his cock was slick with her juices. "Tina...Tina I'm gonna cum" he groaned. Tina yanked his dick down so his cockhead faced her. At first he thought she was kissing it until he felt her tiny tongue enter his piss hole. "Fuck..." he hissed as he came. Tina held on as a deluge of semen came out right into her mouth. Mouthful after mouthful was swallowed until she had to back off letting the rest coat her face and chest. "Shit. You alright?" he asked seeing her covered in spunk. She wiped her eyes and grinned at him. Nick took her to the bathroom and cleaned her once again.

By now it was late, and both were tired, so they chose to go to bed. Tina slept naked beside him still smiling. Nick next to her petting her in her sleep. He was happy. Happier than he had been in a long time, but he was worried for two reasons. One, he understood how truly dangerous these matches were now. Even a level one match nearly killed her. Tina had mentioned that having a human like avatar like her would make their users more cautious about competing. He saw how true that was now. If he felt that way others would most likely as well. If that was true, could he kill someone that was loved by their user? Tina made it clear that the loser avatar would die either way, so a draw was off the table. Why would a game company do such a cruel thing? And that led to his second worry. During the match, he picked up a small simulation of his boss from work. How did a game company have such detailed data on people? How could they simulate something so complex? Where did the technology come from? These questions plagued him and part of him was scared of the answers that may come.

[Rusco57]

Great story so far. That's a different approach, a bio-mech miniature, I like it!!

[DocRick]

No good comes from falling for a cyborg.

[gundam]

Chapter 3

It had been four days since their very first PvE battle. Tina had fully healed back to normal, and Nick had gotten used to her being around including taking her as his girlfriend. Unfortunately, he couldn't show her off to his friends or family. However, his friends and coworkers did pick up the vibe that Nick was happier now. Even the most asshole customer couldn't put Nick in a bad mood. Everyone just figured he found a girlfriend but when asked Nick denied it. Jennifer, his boss and the girl he had a crush on wasn't buying his answer. In her mind Nick was lying but it begged the question why. Truthfully, she was jealous. She wasn't oblivious to Nick staring at her when he thought she didn't notice. She knew he liked her. Now he barely looked at her. It annoyed someone like her to no end. At the end of his shift, Nick would rush back to his apartment turning down any overtime at work. This just added to the mystery for her.

Nick would rush into his apartment, pluck Tina from wherever she was sitting, and kiss and cuddle her as she squealed and giggled. Even though she required simple nutrition and water. Nick would cook real meals for her to enjoy. They would watch tv while he rubbed her tiny feet, sneak kisses during commercials, and tease her by slowly pulling off her clothes when least expected. He was forceful during sex but never treated her as an object or slave. For instance, he was press her to his cock and use her naked body to jerk off with but only then knowing he had her consent. More than half the time it was Tina who asked him to do rough things like step on her or tie her up with shoestring. Ah yes, Wednesday she asked for some bondage play. Nick took a shoestring and tied her wrists behind her back. Threading the string down her back and between her legs, he then tied her ankles together. Tight but not too tight. Tina had considerable difficulty moving. Now having super strength (compared to her size) Tina could've easily snapped her bindings but what fun would that be?

Then came the fun. Teasing her hard nipples with his fingernail, tickling her armpits, her sides, and eventually her bare feet. Tina was shrieking and laughing as he mercilessly tickled her, but every time Tina wriggled even in the slightest, the shoestring between her legs would rub her bare little pussy. It became so much the thread became slick with her juices. "Nick I'm gonna pee! Stop!" she screamed. "Then pee. I got paper towels" he said with a lewd grin. Humiliation and arousal collided in her mind as he raked his fingernail up and down her soles until she squeaked. The tiniest stream of the cleanest urine spouted from her for three seconds and then stopped. Tina watched him clean it up with a simple smile. "I dirtied the coffee table" she muttered. "Nothing dirty about you" he said untying her. Later a warm bath and snuggle was all she needed to relax. That night like every night since the PvE he would hold her above his face as they lay in bed. He would lick her naked body for a few moments before looking into her eyes and telling her that he loved her. Those days and nights were full of bliss enough they forgot why Tina ended up with him to begin with. They got a reminder Friday morning.

As Nick readied to go to work, his phone beeped with a notification. "Tina..." he muttered. "I know. Another PvE event. 9:00 tonight at the docks" she replied. He forgot she was synched with his phone. Tina had expected another PvE before an actual PvP match to Boston everyone's levels and award more star cards. Apparently she was right. There was no way of knowing what exactly the match would be about. Last time the theme was a zombie outbreak. Nick went to work thinking about it. Jennifer pulled out all the stops when she showed up for work that day. The 24-year-old woman wanted Nick to notice her. Probably out of sheer ego knowing a fresh out of high school boy liked her but now deprived of that attention motivated her. Red hair in a ponytail, expensive perfume, extra makeup, Birkenstocks showing off her pedicured toes, and of course the obligatory smiling and giggling speaking to him. Nick had other things on his mind that day. Namely Tina's safety. The last event nearly killed her. Turning down the event would cost them precious XP they could use to evolve her. Make her stronger. Make her more survivable. Near the end of his shift, Jennifer went for broke, inviting Nick to a pizza parlor down the street. To her annoyance, he refused saying he already had plans. Annoyed, humiliated, and slightly guilty, Jennifer could only quietly nod.

Nick rushed back to his apartment to find Tina sitting on the coffee table quietly. "We should get going" Tina said pointing to the clock on the wall. "...yeah" he whispered picking her up. Nick drove to the Seattle docks arriving at his destination at 8:47pm. 13 minutes before the event would begin. As last time he was the only one. "Could they be having other events we don't know about?" he asked wondering why they were alone again. "Possibly. It would preserve balance" she replied. Nick walked up to the door of a warehouse and presented his phone. It electronically unlocked and they stepped through. It was just as large as the previous one, but it led to the shoreline. "Must be some kind of dry dock" he muttered. Minutes passed as their anxiety grew. On the stroke of 9, his phone beeped, and Tina went into a trance.

"LOADING PVE. PLEASE STANDBY"

Pixels of light surrounded the two and began to form into a tall, even for them structure. As the seconds passed by, the pixels took on a more familiar shape. "Whoa" Nick muttered as when it was done, he found himself standing in the end zone of Lumen Field football stadium. Not only that, it was packed with fans and spectators. The Seahawks cheerleaders were on the 50-yard line along with the mascot. A strange large box like thing behind them. Nick looked at the scoreboard. "Seahawks vs. Lions. 14-0. And it's halftime? The field is a football game during halftime?" he asked.

"LOADING COMPLETE. LEVEL 3 EVENT. FIELD URBAN OPEN STRUCTURE DUSK. BEGINNING EVENT IN 15 SECONDS"

Nick placed her on the simulated AstroTurf. "Victory conditions. Kill all Sha glitches. Failure conditions. Avatar HP hits zero or time runs out before all Sha glitches are killed. Select 3 star cards" he read out loud. Nick selected his cards. An easy choice as he only had three to begin with. "Piercing strike, AP charge, and Defense Shield" he whispered tapping them.

"BEGINNING EVENT"

It was as if someone hit play after a movie scene was paused. Everything began moving, sounds everywhere, signs flickering, and just as last time seemingly oblivious to the giant standing in the end zone. "This is unreal" Nick muttered seeing concession workers walking up and down stairs, the cheerleaders dancing, the mascot hyping the crowd, a young boy getting an autograph from a football player. Nick bent down on his knees before the boy and player. At his size even the player was barely bigger than Tina and the boy no taller than Nick's pinky. He thought it cute but was still bewildered at how much processing power it would take to do this. "And let's hear it for the Seahawk girls!" the announcer said. "In a moment we will begin with our guest musical performer Eminem and the fireworks display!" he said. Only seconds after hearing that, Nick and Tina heard screams. A police officer on the 40-yard line skewered by a black claw. People ran. The small officer fell forward and revealed to be an ominous black as night humanoid thing standing in the dead man's shadow. "Oh shit.." Nick muttered tapping his phone.

"REALIZE ON"

Tina transformed into her paladin form just as more screaming could be heard from the opposite side of the field. "Guess Sha stands for shadow glitches!" Nick yelled. "Yeah no shit!" Tina yelled charging to attack the one the killed the cop. More and more glitches appeared seemingly out of people's shadows and killing them. A cheerleader decapitated as her own shadow snuffed her out. Quarterback ran through the back with a clawed hand. It was sheer chaos as blood stranded the turf. The player that was signing an autograph rushed towards the shadow the killed the cop now coming for them. He was instantly clawed in the face. Tina closed the distance rapidly as the thing set its sights on the boy and mascot trying to get to boy to safety. They were running towards the stairs with the monster right on their heels. Just as it was about to attack, Tina jumped into the air and cleaved it with her sword. It disappeared like smoke.

"SECRET MISSION CLEARED. SAVE THE CHILD AND MASCOT"

"That wasn't too hard" Tina said. By this time, the stadium had mostly emptied but now the remaining shadows set their sights on Tina. Nick watched as the radar showed them coming right for her. All 15 of them. "Tina you got incoming" Nick said. "So I noticed. Oh shit...they look like the people they killed" Tina muttered as they approached. There was a gunshot and Tina deflected a shadowy bullet with her sword at the last second. Then another gunshot but this time she was struck in the back. "That hurt asshole!" Tina yelled striking down the cop looking shadow. "TINA!" Nick yelled seeing her HP drop by 30 in a second. "I'm okay. My armor took most of it” she said wincing but feeling blood run down her side. "They don't just look like them. They got their abilities too" Nick muttered touching a star card.

"DEFENSE SHIELD"

Tina's armor glowed and the selected card began to darken. Tina charged into the thinnest line and began attacking each shadow which seemed to wince in her presence. After a few minutes Tina had cut down each one. "Uhh...why haven't we cleared the event?" Tina asked huffing. She got her answer as the shadows reformed but this time each a dark shadow copy of Tina herself. "They can't be killed" Nick muttered. "There...there has to be way. The event said we would win if we did!" Tina yelled gripping her sword. Nick tapped another card.

"AP CHARGE"

Tina's AP went from 15 to 55 within seconds. "That's better but how do we kill them?!" Tina yelled. "I don't know. Maybe piercing strike since it ignores defense stats?" Nick asked selecting it.

"PIERCING STRIKE"

Tina's sword felt lighter as it glowed faintly for only a moment. She began attacking once more. This time however, Tina struggled to even land blows as they parried with shadowy swords. "They're using my moves?! Oh, you cheap ass mother..." Tina spat cutting the head off one of them. Nick kept backing her up as they kept pressing their attacks against her. Soon Tina was forced to defend and began to take blocking damage. "Nick they're getting stronger!" Tina yelled. "Why would they be getting..." Nick wondered until he noticed the sun in the simulation had almost set. "Oh shit the sun. They're getting stronger from the sun. Tina hold on!" Nick yelled tapping her special attack. "DEUS VULT!" Tina screamed unleashing her now glowing sword in a rolling slash. Instantly those attacking her were obliterated. Tina fell to her knees exhausted. Her AP now down to ten. "I...I think we got them this time" Tina said not seeing them reform. "Light, light is the only thing that can kill them. Should've known" Nick said to her. "Hey at least you figured it out and I'm not all banged up this time" Tina said checking and seeing the wound to her side had now healed. "Tina it's still counting down" Nick said looking at his phone. "But all the shadows are gone" she said pointing to the twilight lit football field in front of her. Nick looked around. "Oh my god. Not all of them! Tina move!" Nick yelled realizing the final shadow was none other than Tina's herself. "I can't. It's holding me!" Tina yelled. She tried twisting around to stab it, but she couldn't. Nick watched as the shadow grew by the second as the sun set past the silhouette of the stadium. Tina's shadow extended well into the second level of the seats. Nick frantically tapped the arrow buttons to move her himself to no avail. To his horror, a gigantic shadow version of Tina slowly emerged from her shadow. Tina was thrown forward landing on the turf as the shadow let go of her to move. Tina was shocked to see a giant version of herself crush the seats as it began to move towards her.

"Tina back away slowly. Let your AP recharge" she said. "Then what?!" she yelled. The monster his own size passed before him locked onto Tina. "Light attacks hurt it! We need to build up enough AP for your special again, but the star card is still in cooldown!" Nick yelled. Tina nodded. Nick checked his cards. "Defense Shield has another 2 minutes. Piercing Strike 3 minutes. AP Charge 5 minutes" he muttered. Due to its size, it quickly cornered Tina. Her AP was now up to 30. In another minute barely enough for her special. Tina didn't have that minute to spare. It tried to stomp her, and Tina dodged at the last second. It threw her off balance and it reached for her. She slashed its hand with her sword, and it did nothing. It flicked Tina hard in the chest making her drop her sword and roll onto the ground. Tina gasped and coughed blood. Nick tensed up seeing her HP drop by 30. It grabbed her and lifted her up. The shadow grinned as it squeezed Tina. There was a sickening crack and Tina screeched in pain. Tina extended her hand trying to will her sword back to her hand. The sword trembled on the ground until suddenly Tina was thrown into the shadow giantess' mouth. "No! Just one more....NICK!" Tina screamed as the giantess closed her lips. With a loud gulp, Tina was pulled down its throat into its stomach. However, the game did not end.

Nick lost contact with her. The auto function was greyed out leaving just manual. Nick tapped the punch and kick keys over and over and all it did was elect a belch from the shadow. He watched helplessly as Tina's HP trickled away by the second. No doubt a simulation of being digested. 50...45...40...35...

Then his phone beeped as a star card finished its cooldown. "That's it" he muttered tapping it.

"DEFENSE SHIELD"

"Nick...I'm sorry. Please don't forget me..." Tina whimpered as she felt her life ending. Suddenly her armor glowed. The shadow cried out in pain and doubled over. Tina was vomited out. "Yes!" Nick yelled gambling the light based card effect would harm it. Tina willed her sword back into her hand. It began to stand up. "Oh no you don't bitch" Nick said tapping her special. "DEUS VULT!" Tina yelled slashing its leg clean off. It screamed in pain. Another beep and Nick tapped another card.

"PIERCING STRIKE"

Tina quickly slashed its other leg as the split second light based effect took hold. Now down to 5 AP, Tina stood there to rest. It tried crawling to her, and Tina slowly backed up. "Nick it’s eating the shadow to regenerate" Tina said watching it regrow its leg. "Get ready Tina. We're ending this" he said having her begin running to its side. It turned its head to follow her. Nick's phone beeped.

"AP CHARGE"

Instantly, Tina's AP jumped from 30 to 70. "DEUS VULT!" Tina screamed leaping into the air and unleashing her attack point blank on the shadow's giant neck. Due to her sword connecting directly with its neck instead of ranged, the special attack did double damage. The slash of pure light sliced clean through its neck decapitating it. It screamed for a split second before disappearing like smoke.

"MISSION EVENT CLEARED"

Tina was weary and could barely stand but she stood proudly. She gasped as the XP forced her from level 2 to barely level 4. "What did we get this time?" she asked. "A two star Speed Up, a one star HP Recover, and a two star Illusion" he replied bending down. As he did the simulation faded. "Let's go home please" Tina whispered.

Nick carried her inside the apartment and sat down on the sofa. As last time, Tina took off her clothes so Nick could treat her injuries. They weren't as extensive as last time but she still had cracked, earlier broken ribs and struggled to breathe. She winced as his fingertip touched a healed closed gunshot wound. "If it wasn't for your armor it would've pierced your kidney" he said. Tina said nothing. When he went to set her aside, she gripped his finger tightly and whimpered. "I'm just getting up to fix some pizza rolls for us" he said. Tina let go but watched him as he entered the kitchen. When he finally returned, she devoured one and then quietly sat naked on his thigh. Nick could feel her shaking. It was clear to him she was in emotional shock. Nick picked up his phone and texted himself. Within a second it came through and Tina being linked to his phone saw the text.

"I love you"

Tina broke down crying so hard she couldn't breathe. Nick held her to his cheek muttering that he loved her. "I thought I was going to die. It swallowed me and it was just darkness. I felt it sucking the life out of me. I thought I'd never see you again!" she sobbed. Nick kissed her and quickly, almost desperately, returned it. "I want a life with you Nick. I want to be the only girl you look at. I want..." she muttered touching her abdomen. "Well, I can't have that no matter how much I want it" she said looking down at her abdomen. "She means a baby" he thought. "Then we don't fight to win anymore. We fight for your freedom" he said quietly. "And what chance is that? First it was zombies, then shadow monsters that ate me! What's next fucking kaijus? We haven't even fought another player yet! At this rate I'm gonna die. Stabbed, shot, eaten..." she muttered shaking. As she did, Nick felt something warm on his thigh other that Tina. "Oh god..." Tina muttered moving.

Tina was so terrified she peed herself. "It's alright" he said placing her aside to wipe his leg. Tina was so depressed she didn't say another word the rest of the night.

The next morning, Tina found herself alone in the giant bed. "Meet me in the living room" a note said lying next to her. Tina grew afraid. She grew worried Nick had changed his mind about having her. Maybe even decided to drop out of the tournament. Nick heard the patter of her tiny bare feet on the wooden floor as she entered the room. "I wanted you to have this" he said handing her a large piece of paper. Tina had to place it on the floor. Tina was shocked to see it was a penciled portrait of her in her armor. "I thought you gave up on your artwork" she muttered. "You know about that too?" he asked grinning. She nodded staring at it. "Why did you do this?" she asked. "Because you need a reminder of how awesome you truly are. You're not perfect and I never want you to be. Tina, believe in me just as I believe in you" he said picking her and the portrait up. "When did you draw this?" she asked. "Dawn this morning. I just finished" he said. "Five hours?" she asked. "Five or five hundred. You're worth it" he said grinning. "I love you so much" she whispered hugging his cheek. "I made pancakes and later we can have lots of kinky sex. Hell, you can even dominate me" he said grinning.

"You had me at pancakes" she said giggling.

[Imp8]

Love this story and love the writing keep it up

[gundam]

chapter 4 and onwards moved to VSW section due to violence

https://shrunken-women-board.com/phpBB3 ... =26&t=5830