Welcome to Book Two, where more stuff happens! For those of you who didn't end up reading the edited version of Ilos that I posted over the past week, there were a couple changes that affect the storyline a little. Nick was captured by an organization known as the Terran Inquisition, led by Doctor Arterian Dark, and is held prisoner with cold iron shackles, which heavily restrict magic. I also made it more clear that the raid Tasalin and Corvid conducted was inside the ruins of a once incredible military fort and that much of the groundwork was still solid.

There were of course some other minor edits with wording and whatnot, and thank you Eric, Acrii, and Reist for catching a lot of those that I missed and letting me know about them.

 

So, here is the first part of book two, a piece of what will be Chapter 7, titled Exploration of Mysteries, which should be fairly self explanatory as to what this section is focusing on haha.

Oh, and a big thank you to Acrii who was nice enough to read through this and catch some of the dumb mistakes I made :)

 

-Tas

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7: Exploration of Mysteries

Ilos, Day 26

 

A deep laughter echoed throughout the chamber as the first Air Gate opened. The room was large, furnished by naught but an ever-burning lamp and a padded chair, in which sat the single occupant. There were no gaps in the walls, no windows, no exits, though if there had been the view would be nothing but blackness. The figure sitting in the chair was massive, ten feet of muscle that shifted as the man laughed. His short beard and hair were blood red, as were his eyes that stared out into space, seeing not the room he was in, but another place entirely.

It had been long, so very long since he last had a reason to laugh, the sensation was wonderful. Finally, finally, his plans were coming to fruition! He’d lost track of how many years he’d spent in his prison, suspended from time and space, but his freedom was coming. He could still see Ilos, could still communicate, if briefly, with those who were his tools, but he longed to touch it. Still bound by his immortal enemy, he could feel the power holding him begin to weaken.

A dark smile filled with anticipation filled the man’s face as his eyes glinted with eternal flame. “Soon Xynus. Soon you will regret the day you ever laid eyes on Arlanus!”

 

 

 

Ilos, Day 25

 

Crack!

Tasalin landed softly on the ground, at least for a fall of three stories with full armor and weapons. “Good?”

“Yes yes, very good, positively wonderful.” Roland replied, writing down something on what functioned as a clip board. “Now go back up and land as hard as you can this time.”

“Alright doc.” Tasalin nodded, turning to head back up the stairs of the building. I wonder what exactly he's getting out of this. He mused as he began his climb back up to the third floor balcony.

It’d been almost a month since the beta players had transported to Ilos, about two weeks since the big raid Sweet Dreams had done, and things had begun to settle into something resembling a routine. The guild had used claim to secure the run down fort a few days travel to the west of the city, and a good portion of the members used the place for free food and lodging. Corvid had decreed that if you were going to stay there, you would be expected to contribute somehow. Being able to partake in the food there or to have a room in your name required you to spend about a half-hour of work doing something to maintain the place, be that helping repair the walls, cooking up food, bringing in meat for the kitchens, clearing rubble, donating decorations, or any number of other tasks that needed to be done. The castle was big enough to house all of the members of Sweet Dreams and still seem mostly empty, and was run down enough that there was no lack of things to do to tidy up, so it worked out well.

Like most of the guild, Tasalin had a room at the fort that he used every night, and every morning he would go and get food at the dining hall, usually meeting up with Solani on the way. They’d mingle with the guild members there, and then use teleport to head to wherever they were currently questing. Corvid had long since stopped traveling with them, preferring to focus on running the guild. The pair of them would do quests and kill things the entire day, stopping to get lunch at the inn of whatever town or village they were in, then would port back to the fort to turn in whatever supplies they had picked up along the way and to get dinner. After eating they would go out to do some of the much more challenging night quests until usually a bit past midnight, then relax in one of the common areas while reading the news from the information division. Every division reported to the aptly named ‘Info Squad’ whenever they discovered something, or found a new quest, or what have you, and the people there would update their rapidly expanding database of information on Ilos to include it.

On that topic… Tasalin looked down from his view on the balcony of the three story building, noting that the man in the white lab coat was looking up at him rather than his notes and that there was now a woman standing off to the side a ways, watching.

“Go ahead!” The doc yelled up at him.

Just like the previous time, Tasalin stepped off of the ledge, this time trying to make as big an impact as possible.

BAM!

The stone cracked under his feet as he landed, dust flying up around him before slowly starting to settle back to the ground. Tasalin stood, shaking his head wryly when he saw that the doc was once again scribbling rapidly on his parchment and paying no attention to the world around him.

A voice spoke from Tasalin’s left. “So who is this again? He's dressed rather… oddly. And what are you doing? I know it's an abandoned part of the city, but you really shouldn't be destroying the street.”

“Ah, Lorilee, glad you could finally make it.” Tasalin smiled as he turned to look at the brown haired woman approaching him. As usual, she was dressed in the armor of the Capital Guard, sigils of rank adorning her shoulderplates. There was a large object which he assumed to be a shield in the shape of a thin crescent on her back and a bastard sword in its sheathe under that. She still wasn’t wearing her helmet, revealing her brown hair in a ponytail and those forest green eyes of hers that kept watch over everything. He enjoyed the company of the Commander, having discovered that she knew a surprising amount about Earth and seemed to have a drive to know even more. They’d talked a number of times after their initial meeting at the very beginning this whole Ilos situation, more so after the raid on the Plague Messenger when he had begun to actively seek her out, and when the science division had begun testing he’d invited her to come watch.

She nodded sharply, every inch the soldier at the moment. “I've more than one reason for coming here today, though I was interested in why you would invite me to watch you step off a building.”

“Well, you'd have to ask him if you want specifics, I'm just helping out, but I can give you the general idea.” Tasalin said, gesturing to the man still writing notes at a furious pace. “That's Roland Barclay, the division head of the Sweet Dreams’ scientists and previous leader of the Ilos Testing Crew. I'm not sure where he managed to get a lab coat or a clipboard, but he's trying to discover the rules of this place as they compare to what we know on Earth. I've been in the south training with Solani as we head towards the Air Gate in that direction, but Corvid has been keeping me up to date on his progress.”

The doc stepped forwards, his white coat a little dusty now. “Yes yes, see, physics only applies normally when the champion has no experience, though they all have the same base strength, but as they become more powerful they have greater control over how forces affect both themselves and the world around them.”

The doc opened his mouth to continue, but Lorilee held up a hand. “I'm becoming more familiar with your terms for things, but some I still do not know. 'Up to date' I assume means you receive regular reports, but what are ‘physics’? And what do they have to do with you breaking the street?”

Tasalin attempted to explain. “Physics is what we call the study of how the physical world works. If you throw a stone, why does it always come back to the ground? Why does it make a noise when it hits something? How hard exactly do you have to throw that stone to make it go a certain distance? On Earth we know the answers to all of those questions and a lot more, but now the doc is saying our systems don't work here in Ilos, so we're starting from scratch.”

“No no not exactly Tas. Physics still applies to everything but what champions here have a direct role in. A tossed stone would still act the same way as it would on Earth, but someone with sufficient experience could throw or catch such a stone at speeds that that act of throwing or catching should break it, but do not. You could throw an egg as fast as you wanted to and another champion with similar experience could catch it without it breaking as long as the air resistance doesn’t shatter the shell.” Barclay explained, lecturing, then turned a thoughtful eye to Lorilee. “Now that I think about it, it would be interesting to have-“

“Yes I'm sure it would be but the Commander and I have places we need to be so you'll have to excuse us, let me know if you need anything else later.” Tasalin quickly cut in, maneuvering Lorilee away from the scientist. The guardswoman resisted for a moment, then allowed herself to be pulled along down the street and out of sight.

“Apologies for the abrupt exit, if the doc got it in his head he wanted to run more tests we could have been there the rest of the day.” Tasalin explained after he let go of her arm, glancing up at the late afternoon sun. “What’s left of it anyway. I don't mind helping the man, but he's been going since dawn. You mentioned there was more than one reason for coming to the outskirts of the city today?”

“Yes, but this the third time I will be asking about this. Why were you breaking the street by jumping from a balcony?” The woman asked, her tone making it clear she was being patient but was starting to get annoyed that she hadn’t been answered yet.

“Right, right, sorry. If I'm right, that test was to see the extent that champions can manipulate forces as they gain more experience. I just hit 100k yesterday, so the doc really wanted me for testing.”

“A hundred kay?” Lorilee interrupted, slightly ahead and leading now as they walked.

“Sorry, one hundred thousand. We use the letter 'k' to denote thousands sometimes. Anyway, we were testing how much I could affect the downward force of falling, and as you saw I can land fairly softly, but I can also hit the ground so hard it breaks the street. Oh, and don’t worry about that, the doc will be fixing the damage right now with a little Earth magic and you won’t even be able to tell anything happened after he’s done.” He glanced around. “Are we going somewhere in particular?”

“I figured you'd be hungry after what you said, so we're going to the Wheel and Locket. Actually there's someone there who wants to meet you, which was the primary reason I came all the way out to edge of the city. Does this discovery of yours apply to all champions?”

“To varying degrees, yes. Solani- ah, you don't know Solani do you? She's what you would think of as a thief or assassin, quick and agile, the opposite of me in terms of fighting style.” Seeing the suspicious look on the Commander's face, he waved his hands side to side. “Sorry, sorry, that was a bad comparison. She's not a criminal or anyone you need to worry about, that's just the example that came to mind.”

Lorilee nodded, relaxing, and Tasalin continued. “As I was saying, Solani did the same tests when she hit 100k experience a few days ago, and while she could land without a sound, she could only make small cracks in the stone where she landed rather than crushing the street like I did, even when she had weights strapped on to her to make her as heavy as me.”

Lorilee frowned, and they walked silently for a moment as she puzzled over that. “So your fighting style affects your abilities even if you have the same amount of experience?”

“You'd have to ask the doc, but it sure looks that way, yeah.”

“Fascinating.” The guardswoman muttered, then continued at a normal volume. “If I had known this is what you were doing I'd have come one of the last two times you sent me an invitation. What else have you found out?”

“We did some of the same tests at 50 and 75k experience that we did this time too, though not the one you saw, that was new. Accurate measurement tools were some of the first things scientists made, including a set of weights. We are finding that certain fighting styles have more strength than others at the same experience level, like I could only lift slightly more than Solani could, but we could both do much more than a magic focused champion. However, strength doesn't seem to be all there is, I could block a much stronger hit than Solani using the same shield before sliding backwards, even when they weighed her down to balance out our weights.”

“What could you do to test that? Your 'scientists' seem too worried about precision to have someone merely attack you.”

Tasalin nodded. “You're right, which is why they built these massive wooden bows called ballista that have to be hand cranked. They've made special cushioned arrows so no one dies when they fire the thing, and notches on the side where they've determined what force the arrow has when they fire it. There are a bunch more tests too, like speed and magic, though they’re still figuring out how to accurately test things like dexterity. There are some things that aren't determined by experience, and they've been trying to examine those too. It's easy to test accuracy with a bow or throwing weapons, but swordplay and magic concentration are much more difficult.”

“Magic concentration?”

“That's what they're calling it anyway. It's the ability to cast magic when being attacked or otherwise distracted.”

“Ah, our mages call that a varia rating. You might try talking to Dancy Rosam about it, he's one of the mages in the Palace trying to create techniques to increase that aspect of magic.”

“I'll have to tell the doc about him, I'm sure they'd get along just fine. What's been going on on your end? I know you've been busy, but I expected you to come watch testing much earlier than this.” Tasalin asked as they began crossing the plaza.

“It's that Regent and his idiot nobles.” Lorilee sighed, rolling her head in annoyance. “They've all been living in the Palace since you got here, and they've just been talking, talking, talking. I didn't mind for a few days because they're discussing what to do about the sudden appearance of the champions and I know that takes time, but this is getting to be too much. The Regent and most of the nobles are ignoring their other responsibilities and pushing them on other people. I'm a soldier, not a damn scribe! I barely have time to go patrol anymore, and I haven't been able to go find someone to spar with in weeks!”

Tasalin glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye, noting the frustration on her face. I've never heard an NPC cuss before. Hell, if I didn't know any better I'd think she were a champion. She speaks differently from most of the city too.

She sighed, regaining her composure. “It's not all bad though I suppose. The craftsmen are working as fast as they can to make products out of all the things you champions bring in, and they've even hired some of you to help them. Without the nobles available to raise taxes on all the trading going on, anyone making or selling something the champions need is getting rich, especially the sugrid farmers to the south. Still, if the Ascendant would show up and take the throne after tossing most of the nobles into the Abyss where they belong, I would be a much happier woman.”

Fairly close to the Palace and a few streets away from the plaza, they approached a three story building. Tasalin noted that the sign over the door pictured a wagon wheel with the chain of a locket strung through the spokes as Lorilee pushed open the door.

“Here we are, the Wheel and Locket, owned by the ever wonderful-“

“Lorilee!” A red haired blur impacted the guardswoman, the teen girl not even causing the guardswoman to take a step back as she hugged the Commander.

“Vivika.” Lorilee finished her sentence warmly as she gently returned the embrace.

The smaller girl let go after a moment a stepped back, putting her hands on her hips. “I cannot believe you! It's been almost a week. A week!”

“Viv.”

“I cannot come to the Palace, so you have to come to me! I know we still talk all the time, but it is not the same!”

“Viv.”

“Your champion friend is here more than you! She is even here now! I just-

“Viv!”

“What?!”

Lorilee wordlessly pointed a thumb at Tasalin, standing slightly behind and beside her. He hesitantly raised a hand in greeting, really not sure what to make of the exchange, it seemed a huge departure from the almost stately Commander for her to be met like this.

“Ah- ah! I am so sorry, I did not realize- Please come in, welcome to the Wheel and Locket.” The girl – Vivika – said, stepping back and bowing her head in apology.

Lorilee stepped in, allowing the door to close behind them. “Tas, this is Vivika Ponri, the owner of this inn. Viv, this is Tasalin Viridis, the General of Sweet Dreams.”

Tasalin inclined his head in greeting as the girl bowed.

“'General’ is it now? Moving up in the world there Tas.” A voice called from a table with a chess board on it and a few mugs of some drink.

Tasalin rolled his eyes, smiling at his friend. “Hey Taktik, you trying to build up your win streak before I take it from you again?”

“Ha! I still win two games outta three with you.”

“Which is one game in three more than anyone else. You mentioned being a regular here last time we played, so I assume you know Vivika, but have you meet Lorilee here yet?”

“The pretty guardswoman? No I don't believe I've had the pleasure. Check.” Without looking, he picked up a chess piece and took one of his opponents rooks, then stood up and walked over, leaving the other man at the table staring at the board with his head in his hands. He bowed, still grinning. “I am Taktik milady Moon Knight, an honor to meet the only female Commander of the Capital Guard.”

Tasalin's eyebrows went up- Moon Knight? -and he glanced at Lorilee, who smiled warily. “I see you've done your research as well Tactician, we should play a game some time, though I'm not sure you have what it takes.”

“Ha! I like her! Tell ya what, we can talk more later over that game. I need to get back to wiping the floor with Dorman over there, so I'll let you get back to… whatever it was you were doing. Good luck Tas.” Taktik winked, nudging Tasalin with his elbow before sauntering back over to his table.

Lorilee watched the big man sit down. “He's… not what I expected. Why did he wish you good luck?”

Tasalin glared at the red-bearded strategist for a moment before waving off the question. “Ahh, don't worry about that, he's just making a joke. What was it we came here for?”

“A friend of mine wanted to meet you, and the food here is wonderful. Viv, could we have whatever your special is today up in the Key room?” She glanced around at the mostly full common room. “I’d ask you to join us, but I assume you are too busy. And before you ask, I do plan on staying here tonight, so we can have as much time as we want to talk then.”

Vivika, who had her mouth open to say something with an annoyed look, closed it at that and nodded, seemingly mollified. “I suppose that will do. I will send one of the girls up with food for you.”

“Thanks Viv.” The guardswoman smiled at her shorter friend as the innkeeper returned to directing her staff. Looking at Tasalin, she gestured to the stairs. “Shall we go?”

“After you.”

Tasalin glanced around as he followed Lorilee through the common room, noting the calmer atmosphere than most inns he’d been in. Everything was clean, the sawdust on the floor fresh, the tables cleared if they weren’t in use, and even the musician was playing more of what would be considered background music than anything upbeat. It wasn’t night time yet, so he didn’t expect any craziness, but this certainly was no dive even in prime hours. The stairs didn’t even creak when he went up them, and he got the feeling that fights just didn’t happen here. The Wheel and Locket huh? I’ll have to come back here with Solani next time we’re in Ilos.

Lorilee led him up the stairs and down to the end of the hallway on the second floor and opening a door on the right with a large key emblazoned on it, gesturing for him to enter first. The room was fairly small, containing six chairs, a table, and a crackling fireplace, but there was no evidence of another person despite Vivika mention of someone else. Maybe she just stepped out for a moment. He mused, moving to take a chair on the right as Lorilee closed the door behind her and turned to face the room.

She frowned in confusion, then she groaned, her face crumpling in pain as she collapsed to her knees, her hands clutching her head as she curled over.

Shock only registered after Tasalin was kneeling next to her, a healing spell at his lips. “Ka!” There was a tiny mana drain, the spell telling him the guardswoman was the picture of health.

If there’s no injury… a Spirit magic attack? Maybe the Spirit shield Corvid has been telling me to practice will work. “Sures!” He commanded, envisioning a bubble around the Commander’s head. The mana drain was larger this time because he was casting a shield, but he didn’t feel it cut anything like it should have if there was a Spirit magic attack, and it didn’t have any effect on the guardswoman.

“Xynus that hurt!” Lorilee snarled, pushing Tasalin back and then giving the air next to him a similar shove before rising to her feet unsteadily, one gauntleted palm pressed to her forehead. “I’m alright, I just…” She looked up, eyes flicking around the room as her arm slowly came down. “What in the Abyss…?”

Tasalin looked behind him, but everything was exactly the same as before. The fireplace was still crackling away, the table still had six chairs, and there was no one else in the room.

“Yes, I’m fine, I just had this huge pain in my head for a moment.” Lorilee said, speaking to the air a little bit to Tasalin’s right as she slowly moved past him as if in a trance to touch the air next to one of the chairs, then the back of the chair itself.

“Lorilee, what’s going on? What happened?”

She shook her head as she leaned back against the table, pressing her gauntleted palms against her eyes, then looking at the chair she touched again. “I think I must be going insane. I see two chairs there, but they’re overlapping, one partially inside the other. It’s like I’ve had way too much wine, but both images feel real and I’m certainly not drunk.”

Tasalin looked at the chair, not spotting anything odd about it, but stepped forward to touch it anyway, moving it away from the table and towards the entrance, then turning it around and sitting in it. “Is the other image still there?”

“Yes.” Lorilee nodded, then frowned at the space where the chair used to be for a minute before rising. “Lassea, can you let me sit there for a moment?”

Tilting his head, Tasalin watched the guardswoman wait for a few seconds, then sit down on apparently nothing. She was obviously sitting on something from the way her armor stopped on a perfectly flat plane, but he couldn’t see anything. He frowned, an idea forming in his mind as he stood. “Lorilee, you keep talking to someone named Lassea. Are you doing that telepathically or is she in the room with us?”

Her eyes widened a bit. “You can’t see her? She’s right here.” She reached out and put her hand on something a little in front of her and to the side, as if someone was sitting there, then looked there, listening to a sound Tasalin couldn’t hear. “Yes, Tasalin Nitidus, General of Sweet Dreams. He’s the one I went to to ask about your friend.”

Tasalin walked over to the guardswoman, kneeling down in front of her and waving his hand through where the chair legs should be, then moving it upwards until he touched her leg armor, feeling only cool metal. The invisible seat wasn’t invisible, it wasn’t even in the same dimension. Now he only needed one more test to see if his idea was right. “Lorilee, this Lassea girl is sitting right there right?” He asked, pointing to where she had been looking.

The Commander turned to look at him, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Will you ask her if she has a black Key and if she can log out?”

“He wants to know if you have a black key and if you can log out.” She looked to her side again, then back at him. “She says yes to both questions and wants to know if you were one of the ones with a silver key.”

Tasalin nodded. “Will you tell her to hang on for a second? I’m going to try something, and if I’m right it’s going to look really disturbing to you.”

“He says yes and wants you to hold on for a minute so he can try something. Go ahead Tas.”

He nodded, then stepped around the guardswoman and directly into the spot he assumed Lassea also occupied. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t look away until he stepped back to his original position by the table after a few seconds. “You saw me step through both Lassea and the chair she’s sitting on, right?”

She nodded. “That’s correct.”

A slow smile spread across Tasalin’s face as he made fists with both hands in excitement. “We’re instanced! God, Lorilee this is wonderful! We’re not cut off from Earth! Su!” *Corvid, Solani, I need you in Ilos at the Wheel and Locket inn right now! Drop anything you’re doing. I have a contact with Earth! The people who had the black Keys can still log in, they’re just in a different instance!*

*What!? How did you-? Never mind, explain when I get there. Corvid out.*

*See, I told you you’d find out eventually, you just have to take the days as they come. I’ll be there as soon as I finish out this quest.*

*Great! I’ll see what else I can find out about this.*

“Instanced?” Lorilee repeated, then glanced to her side. “I do not know either, Tas just said you and he are ‘instanced’.” She paused, listening. “I suppose that would be a good idea, I’ll relay everything to you though the spell. Tas, what does being ‘instanced’ mean?”

“Sorry, sorry, this is just the best news we’ve gotten since we got to Ilos.” Tasalin shook his head, taking a deep breath to try and calm the excitement inside him that threatened to bubble over. “Games with a large number of players in an area use separate identical zones known as instances. Even though everything in each instance is the same, they cannot interact in any way and no changes carry over, just like Lassea and I are right now. Generally if you happen to be in a different instance than your friends you… can…!”

“Can what?”

Tasalin grabbed the guardswoman’s shoulders, “You can switch instances! There’s no reason to believe this would be any different, which means we can possibly go home!” He dropped his hands, pressing one against his mouth and chin in thought. “Now to figure out how. There’s no grouping system in this game, which is how it usually works, no friends list either. Hell, there’s no connection at all-”

“Except for me.” Lorilee cut in. She looked at Tasalin, to her side, and then nodded to herself as if she’d just decided something, taking off her gauntlets and laying them on the table. Standing, she held a hand out to Tasalin and one to the air next to her, adopting a more formal stance. “This seems incredibly important to you both. Therefore I will do everything in my power to help you both figure this out.”

Tasalin stripped his gauntlets off as well and grasped her bare hand with a strong handshake, incredibly grateful for this woman. Immediately a girl appeared, holding the other hand with both of hers and smiling gratefully, a smile that vanished into shock as they locked eyes. She was a bit younger than he was, likely early twenties, with blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes that were broken by a splash of rich brown around her pupils. Not quite as tall as Lorilee, she was wearing a dress that reached almost to her ankles and had a bit of embroidery running along the hem and the sleeves. Tasalin’s own small smile vanished for the briefest of moments, then returned full force. “Well that was faster than I expected.”

To her credit, the girl’s shocked expression only lasted a second or two before letting go of the guardswoman’s hand and making a curtsey that would have fit in at any court. “A pleasure to finally meet you General Tasalin. Lorilee has told me a lot about you.”

What, is she like royalty or something? Well if she wants to be fancy, I can do that too. He thought as he dropped Lorilee’s hand and bowed low. “The pleasure is all mine milady Lassea, though I fear I am lacking the same level of information about you.”

The sound of giggling made him straighten to see this new girl doing her best to stifle her mirth and failing miserably. He glanced at a widely grinning Lorilee, then back, his eyebrows rising. It seemed he was the butt end of a joke he wasn’t privy to, but he only sighed slightly and sat down in one of the chairs. He’d learned it was usually best to do nothing in these cases, protesting or showing embarrassment in any way often just made it worse.

“Alright, alright, you win, I owe you a meal.” Lassea said, still laughing, to the guardswoman as she sat down across from Tasalin. “I know you said he would, but oh man that was so worth it, an absolutely perfect bow!”

A knock sounded at the door as the women were winding down, opening to reveal one of the Wheel and Locket’s serving girls with a large serving tray of food and wine when Tasalin called entrance. “Here you are Lorilee, blue wine for you and sugrid wine for your champion friends, along with the special boar flank.” She smiled as she set the dishes on the table.

“Thank you Tricha, this looks wonderful.”

The serving girl put her hands on her hips. “You are welcome, but next time do not stay away for so long. You know how Miss Vivika gets when you are gone.”

“Yes, I know, this is the only inn I ever visit.” Lorilee sighed, smiling as she handed over several coins. “I really must find her people she can talk to other than myself.”

“It has been better with Lassea here, but try to come by more often.” Tricha replied, curtsying to the trio before taking her tray and leaving.

As soon as the door shut, Tasalin leaned forwards, unable to keep silent any longer. “So Lassea, what happened after we got to Ilos? Did they put our bodies in hospitals to keep us alive or something?”

The girl’s face fell. “Yeah, about that. See-“

Tasalin started as Lassea vanished from her chair. There was no fade, no noise, she just… disappeared. “Lorilee, is she still there?”

The Commander looked at the chair and back at Tasalin, then addressed both. “You’re in different instances again?” She watched as Tasalin nodded, looked at the chair across from him, then extended her hands again.

Just as before, as soon as they were both touching the guardswoman Lassea reappeared with the same suddenness as she vanished.

“Well, it seems like the instance jump is temporary.” Tasalin observed as they broke contact. “I was a little worried about that. Can you still log off?”

“I don’t know. Let’s see.” Lassea answered, seeming to concentrate. When nothing happened, she crossed her arms, first three fingers of each hand raised. “Log off!” She hesitated, then dropped her hands and shook her head. “Apparently not. Damn, this could be bad. I’m going to try again when this instance jump end-“

Tasalin blinked, still a little startled by the sudden disappearance even though he was expecting it, but more so because the interval was so much shorter. He looked at Lorilee, who was watching the space where Lassea had been standing, questioning with his eyes.

The guardswoman nodded, then turned to him. “She’s gone.”

Tasalin let out a sigh of relief. They had definite and continuous contact with Earth now. “Good. The pair of you seem really close, has she told you a lot about the champions and Earth?”

“That you’re actually normal people on your world, if with incredible devices, and you originally thought Ilos was just a game? Yes. Some of the things she describes are almost beyond belief.”

“She comes here often? Or does she visit you in the Palace?”

“No, she never goes to the Palace, but she’s been coming here more than I have in the recent past.” Lorilee sighed. “I’m simply so busy with all of the Regent’s work lately. I don’t have the time to come by as much as I want to.”

Several pieces clicked in Tasalin’s head and he decided to play a hunch. “At least you have someone to talk to when doing all that work for the Regent, it would probably mind-numbingly boring otherwise.”

“Yes, she’s been very kind to-“ The guardswoman’s eyes widened, her posture stiffening.

“You can use magic can’t you.” Tasalin said, more statement than question. “And from your reaction you aren’t supposed to. Relax, I’m not going to go telling anyone if you want it kept a secret, though I’d like to tell a few people in my guild.”

Lorilee stared at him for a few seconds, her forest-green eyes boring into his dark grey ones, before she sighed again, the tension bleeding out of her body. “I suppose I have no choice but to trust you and your comrades eventually, I may as well do so now. Yes, I can use magic, and Lassea and I often talk using su.”

“Even when she’s not in Ilos?”

The guardswoman nodded.

Tasalin grinned. “Su!” *Lassea, can you hear me?*

There was silence for a moment. *We can…?! This- this is amazing! I didn’t think to try telepathy with you. Oh! Have you heard anything about a champion named Cariss? I know Lorilee already asked you, but…*

*No, none of the leaders have been heard from since this whole thing started, including The Calm. Can you stay logged out for a few minutes? I’m going to add Lorilee and two of my guildmates, is that alright?*

*You can do that? Ah, yes, go ahead.*

“Su.” He used the word of power to expand the telepathic link to include not only Lorilee, but also Corvid and Solani. *Corvid, Solani, Lorilee, can you all hear me?*

The guardswoman’s eyebrows flicked upwards. *I can hear you Tas.*

*Loud and clear Tas, what’s up?* Solani replied, her ‘voice’ a little distracted, likely fighting something.

*My teleport is almost finished, I’ll be there in just a few minutes. Did something happen?* Corvid asked.

*Yes, and you’re going to love this. Say hello to Lorilee, a Commander of the Capital Guard. She’s been helping me with what I was talking about earlier.*

*Cool, I didn’t know Illosians could use magic.* Solani responded.

*Yes, try to keep that on the down low, apparently it’s somewhat of a secret.* Tasalin cut in.

*Got it. Hi Lorilee! I’m Solani, the leader of the Nightmares. Nice to meet you.*

*A pleasure to speak to you as well Solani, Tas has had nothing but good things to say about you.*

Tasalin could all but see the beautiful black-haired woman grinning like a loon as she fought and rolled his eyes. There would be plenty of teasing about that particular comment later.

*Though it’s not in person quite yet, it’s a pleasure to meet you Lorilee. Taktik has voiced his approval of you already. I am Corvid, guild leader of Sweet Dreams.*

*I’ve heard of you Corvid, and I see you are just as well informed. My name is Lorilee Avenia. Avendavida.*

*Tas, I’m feeling one more person on this network, would this be the champion you spoke of earlier?* Corvid asked.

Tasalin grinned, shocking people, especially his friends, was always fun. *You are correct. Meet Lassea, a champion with a black Key, and one currently logged out and on Earth.*

*Ah, hello.*

There were a few seconds of silence. *She’s what?!*