I laid back in the surprisingly comfortable backrest of the pod. With a hiss, the glass case was sealed around me. The seat was very comfortable and I could feel a warmth run down my back continuing down my legs It was so comfortable I nearly gave in to my dead tired body. Air jets gently made an artificial breeze. I placed the helmet on my head, completely covering my eyes and removing my vision

  Once the headset was on there was a suction of air. I couldn't hear the outside room anymore. The dark display of the headset turned on with a loading screen, and a small silhouette of a dragon flapping its wings was in the corner of my vision. I was almost shaking with excitement. Fulldive, it had been stated to be successful, in medical trials but it still wasn't available for personal use. If this was the real deal …

  The display changed to a countdown. 10.. 9..

  8.. I could almost hear the countdown outside of the pod as well but it could have been my imagination.

  3.. 2.. 1..

  Upload begins.

  The screen turned a blinding white.

  It was a bit uncomfortably bright, and I reflexively moved my hand to block out the bright light

  But then I realized. I was standing in a field, looking up at the sun.

  My surroundings were indistinguishable from real life. perplexed, I fell into the thick grass.

  “Am I really in a game right now?”

  I was still wearing the same clothes I had been wearing when I got in the pod. And the feel of the grass, even the dew drops and the dirt it all seemed so real, but I noticed my body felt perfect, my lack of sleep and exhausted muscles were no longer hindering me. I was in peak condition. Then I remembered I had 10 minutes to get an understanding of my companion and try to use those minutes to improve my chances of survival when the more experienced players joined in.

  I looked around for what might be my companion.

  And I spotted a solitary bird. About the size of a robin standing on a rock, gazing up at me.

  It was tiny but with colorful feathers A bright red with black swirls at the feather tips. Its head had a large cowlick like a crown of feathers and down its back very long swirling black tail feathers from its crown to the tip of its tail it was no larger than my fingertips to my wrist.

  Well, it's certainly not a size type like Titania had talked about…

  “So you're gonna be my partner huh?” I say smiling at the small bird.

  “Chirp!”

  “Huh, not much of a talker huh? Wel,l I suppose we can still work with that, so what kind of skills do you have?”

  The bird hops up and down excitedly. It then takes off into the air flying quickly. It rises high into the sunrise and then dives down at incredible speeds, returning to the rock, and looking back up at me.

  It's quite a fast flier.

  “Anything else?”

  “Chirp chirp”

  It flaps its wings, getting up into the air again. As it flies faster, a red trail starts to form as flickering embers fall from its wings.

  The embers fell down to the grass and then with a *Fwoosh* began catching patches of grass aflame

  *Fwoosh* *Fwoosh* * Fwoosh!!*

  The patches of flame were quickly becoming a wildfire as the whole field was quickly ignited as the embers that had spread in the air were all falling down.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Oh crap”

  I tried running away from the advancing blaze but the embers that had already begun to fall started more fires everywhere only adding to the expanding flames that the burning long grass spread.

  I was already surrounded.

  “Hey come on, you're gonna roast me alive like this!”

  Despite the surrounding very real flames, I only felt a slight panic rather than true fear. Perhaps because I knew it was just a game.

  The bird was happily flying around showering everything with its tiny embers.

  When it heard me shout.It flew back down to a lower altitude flapping in place as it chirped at me.

  The flames were all around now, but the air didn't feel any different.

  That was when I noticed there was a ring on my finger. It looked similar to the fluffy coily feathers on the bird wrapped in a loop on my ring finger.

  Then when the fire overtook me, it only felt like a warm shower standing in the burning blaze.

  “So you can set fires and give me immunity, huh, I guess that is quite a good power”

  “Chirp”

  There were only a few more minutes until the other players joined in, and this huge fire would probably draw a lot of attention. I still wasn't really sure about what the objective was, but considering the setup it was likely a battle royal of sorts.

  I ran through the flames to get a clearer view of the surroundings.

  I could see a city off in the distance, along with a forest behind me, which the fire was spreading towards.

  “That fire is really getting out of control oh well I guess it's not my problem”

  “Wait if the goal of the game is to just eliminate everybody else what if we just kept spreading fires, hehe …oh yea I need to think of a name for you little guy”

  I looked up at the bird who was flying overhead.

  Then noticing my gaze it landed in front of me, tilting its head.

  “Hmm a name a name, I'm tempted to call you Inferno after what you just did but that's not much of a name”

  The little bird hopped a few times and then picked at something on the ground before resuming its patient stare.

  It was hard to understand its intentions but clearly, the bird had enough intelligence to understand me.

  As the bird continues to stare. Waiting for me to think of a proper name.

  A roar echoes out shaking the trees of the newly lit forest that had truly become a blazing sight filling the air with thick smoke.

  A large beast ripped out of the burning woods, it was blue with a white large mane and angry yellow eyes. As a man was coughing, holding on to its back.

  “You! You set the whole forest on fire! What the hell, I just started this game and I'm not trying to get killed this early!”.

  “Huh? What are you talking about? Can't you see I'm burning up just as much as you are” I lie trying to buy time, it's clear who would win my tiny bird versus his lion I had to escape.

  “It's no use lying, I have an enemy locator skill it tells me who damaged me and where they are”

  “Well that's, nifty I guess it's no use, yea I set the fire, but same as you I'm not looking to get eliminated”

  “Can't believe a new guy like you pulled off such a dirty trick, so that tiny bird is your partner, no wonder you did something like this, trying to compensate for your tiny partner. It's too late now though me and my cloud stepper are going to destroy you!”

  The lion roared in agreement, its large yellow eyes bloodshot from the smoke that was still present in the air.

  The grass of the terrain that had been ignited was still lit but burnt low as most of the grass had already burnt down to the dirt. The earth was glowing, but the lion stood on white clouds swirling with blue energy that held it just off the red-hot ground.

  “Cloud stepper what kind of a name is that, isn't that just what It does!” I taunt back.

  “Yeah and what kind of a name did you give that bird of yours?”

  I paused not having a name to snap back with…

  “Ah well, I'm still getting that figured out but no matter are we doing this or not?”

  “Yep I'm gonna eliminate you before the veterans have a chance to get here”

  The lion roared even louder with shockwaves of wind blasting the grass and snuffing the flames.

  My bird chirped in defiance.

  “Alright, little bird just like before rain fire from above!”

  I shout to give a command. I wasn't sure yet how exactly a fight between the two of us would go, it was clear my companion wasn't really made for frontal fair fights. Looking at its abilities it seemed to be more like an opportunistic carpet bomber.

  My bird makes a look of concern for me, but then quickly takes off into the air. Flapping its wings hard as it spreads more of the embers which begin to make new patches of flames, though with there being little fuel now, it only stirs up the ashes on the ground making flashes of flame turn into smoke as the embers make contact.

  I quickly used the flashes of smoke and ran toward the ever-burning forest.

  The lion tried to leap into the air to try to catch my bird who had just hit it with some flames, but the bird was far faster than the lion's clumsy movements, the lion got a face full of explosive little flames as the bird took the opportunity to make a heavy movement with its wings pushing a large amount of the embers into the lion just as it dodged an attempted bite.