God of the Game (Dreamstate) by Kit Yan Read Free Book Online Page B

had now folded his artificial wings back into his body.
       “As in the Evening Star? Brother of Morning Star?” I asked in schoolboy awe.
        Vesper nodded his head.
       “As in a Satan?” added Jai-I.
       “Nope. A Satan is someone else altogether. And so is the Devil. In fact there are many devils. But I’m one of them.”
     
     
     
    14
     
    Vesper
     
        Our friendship af ter that day in MMORPG Hell solidified rapidly. We went for a drink at a pub, plotting our revenge against Brunette for outsmarting us, and fantasized (guy talk) what we’d do to her well-oiled parts over bottles of beer and brandy.
        Vesper wears a different avatar every day. I’d never seen him looking the same , ever – dark gentleman, blonde double-O-seven secret agent, sun-bleached surfer dude, foul-mouthed Chinese businessman, fat bastard, prissy girl, ice queen, tribal chief, ninja warrior, bearded-turbaned holy man and chocolate-skinned well worn traveller are some I recall seeing him loitering around in.
        He was not yet at the pinnacle of Tower 1 when I arrived, so I killed time by browsing magazines. The material bug bit me, and soon I was choking on products I could acquire. Off my spam filter and advertisements catered to my profile flooded in from the four corners of the universe, and beyond. It was pretty fun. I visited showrooms, sampled stuff, tried new clothes, planned for holidays, test-drove the latest vehicles, all without promising or committing to purchase.
        However , note that economies are different in the eternal realm. It is not dictated by dollars and cents. Since anyone and everyone can have anything they can imagine, it makes no sense to sell. It's better just to give away for free. In fact, once out in the market, others can analyze your creation and copy. We only craft something unique and bask in the approbation of our fans, most notably if it hits cult status. That’s the meaning of money.
        It’s not about sales. Instead , it’s about sharing. Profit is intrinsic rather than financial. Within such a system, one requires maturity not to take things too seriously; one learns to honour and respect others, even as the same is returned. Life is only a game after all…a perpetual game; though winning can be everything. 
        This was what I could not comprehend in my human years preceding immortality. For lack of k nowledge, we take it too earnestly. Now that I know all things, I chill.
     
        When Vesper arrived, I recognized him in the spirit. Expected, he was physically a stranger, but I’m aware of his microbial code, and thus, I could pick him out amidst a crowd even if he resembled the Queen of England.
       This time though he was present as a wry serpent-woman, mocking the form his identical twin, Lucifer, is often associated with. If my memory serves me right, they have a business running together, some trading-organization-network working amongst gods, men and half-beings.
        I asked Vesper once why he always changed avatar, and he repli ed, “Oh, just a creative thingy; and I get bored easily.” As an afterthought, he added, “And yah, I’m a ‘celebrity’ of sorts with certain quarters, and I don’t want to be mobbed.”
        Vesper slithered across the roof of Tower 1 after emerging from the elevator that sped up two thousand floors. He, or should I say she, as it was a fema le form he was donning, was a colour of shimmering grey, her underbelly tanned white. Uncoiled, she was twenty-five-feet long, the snake body as thick as a voluptuous woman’s ass. The scales of the reptile ended at her feminine navel, which was pierced; and the goddess, waist upward, was a tone of ash. This black beauty stood proud. Like a Goth rocker; she was decorated in gold body piercings on all visible parts of her skin, similar to the one ornamenting the belly. And her head was shaven bald. Underneath her nose and ear rings connected by a gold chain was a