Paradin!

Family Problems

2034
I had lost my job.
When it's for a good reason, like you slept with your boss's wife, it's okay, but when your company got buy it's not.
Because you're fired so that they can hire new personal to do your exact job, f*ck it.

I was leaving the subway with my box of belongings when my sister called me.
It was the first time since 2026 that I talked to her and it was not a pleasure.
She wanted to see me to talk to me about something, at her voice she needed help.
I still don't know why the f*ck I agreed, but at seven we were at her table.

I don't know why, but at my arrival, her husband tried to be my friend, again?
My sister's husband is so cliché that each time I see a bad movie, I need to check twice if that background guy who said the same lines in every movies is not him.
I ignored that moron and directly went to my sister.

More than parents both of us share pretty similar looks: daring blond hair, blue eyes and a good height, though I always lead by a head.
We are not in good terms usually, neutral at best.
It was weird that she called for me of all the people she knew.
Obviously there was a reason.

She began to speak, speed up, spoiled my neck with saliva and at the end, I still didn't have a clue why she needed me that much.
Her husband, his name must be John Doe, explained again.

My niece, their first child and only girl, began her life, but instead of been full of Believer's shit, she wanted to be a gamer.
But not some PC crap, a VR gamer, that's apparently some real stuff in the hood 'cause the material ain't cheap.
I was the same 15 years ago, but I was on X-Box One.
At the difference that my niece was into real professional gaming ( must really ain't be cheap ), at the start I thought that it was some noob's materials like cheats n stuff creation, but no, she was into competition, pioneers the new expansions and fight like hell against Chinese people in e-sports.

My sister's hopes were in a recent game named Paradin.
I had seen big posters and publicity of it there and there.
It's launch happened in December seven months ago, my sister wanted me to enter that game then the serious business part of the game to find my niece.

I still don't know why I accepted, (drug in the diner?), but my job since I accepted it was to get myself into the game and bring back Johanna.
Jessica asked me to hurry because her sons where drooling at their sister's life, well, I would have too at their ages ( 12, 14, 16 ).

Her husband drove me home, because VR games material is heavy, they gave me all the stuff needed my I didn't have a car.
VR gaming is a bit like in Ready Player One, you're in the game, but you don't really move, you're in a stinking suit with stinking gloves, but it's not to record your movements, it's to feel them.
The most important part of the set is the helmet, it intercepts your brainwaves so that in the game you move like you want and sends to your brain the visual and auditive informations and it sends the other informations to your suit.
The suit makes you feel numb when you're hit, hot when burned, cold when frozen and touch when... touched.
It was not that heavy in fact, but they didn't want to see the stock stolen by some subway thugs or dropped.

At my home, I put the box down, brushed my teeth and went to sleep.
Since I was fired the same day's morning, I could began this journey right at the start of the day after I have the time to sleep.
My sister still had the brain needed to predict my « no » incoming ( and to stay ) if she asked while I had work to do.
That fucking witch knows me, and I'm ready to bet that some shitty family witchcraft was involved in my company freedom's end.
It runs in the family.

The first time I put that suit, I begged the god of gamers ( whoever it is ) so that I don't get this suit's smell, he must have been occupied with the many prayers of good loots at that time, because I'm pretty sure that Teemo ( the devil ) listened instead.