After reading TG fiction for many years, I’ve decided to go ahead and give it a shot myself, or rather post some of what I have written. I’ve had a lot of fun doing it so far when I have the free time, so I figured I may as well contribute a little and see what people think. Any comments are much appreciated!

-Tas

Ilos

By: Tas

Prologue: Ilos, Day -100

A figure stood on the edge of the island, looking out over the expanse of the land as the light of the sun flickered into existence. High in the air, above the clouds, a myriad of dissimilar islands floated, and at the top there stood a man. He was dressed in grey, his robes, his hat, his hair and beard, all grey and worn. Creases covered his face from long years of effort as he kept his vigil over the land and over the people who looked to him for guidance, but his strength was coming to an end. Long had the islands been lost, the Gates closed, and only the mainland far below still flourished.

Soon. Xynus thought to himself. The time draws close that I will not be able to maintain the Great Sleep. But bringing in the number of champions needed at once will shatter my power, and they will be overwhelmed. Stroking his long flowing beard, his long eyebrows drew down over his eyes in thought. Perhaps if I only use the silver first, let them establish themselves, they can survive when the Great Sleep breaks.

Time passed as the sun’s first light drew light hues of pink and orange across the clouds below the man, and he pondered like he had done every day for some long forgotten length of years. The changes had been slow at first, a villager vanishing here, some livestock there, but as time passed, it was no longer a single person vanishing, but entire towns sometimes. Then the Gates were taken and locked, guarded by powerful beasts. His immortal enemy was finally on the edge of victory, the prison where he wove his machinations almost undone, and the man no longer had the power to oppose him directly. Now what were once the strongest bastions of humanity were reduced to mere pittances of their former glory, the ruins overgrown and forgotten, simple myths to the people that lived there.

Monsters freely roamed the wilderness where one could once travel the length and width of the land without fear, and there were so few of the people left. Xynus gave a heavy sigh, part relief and part despair. This was to be his final move, his last gambit, and if it failed, two worlds would fall.

Slowly he moved to the center of the island, and raising his staff to the sky, he began to chant in a gravelly voice.

Far below, in the center of humanity’s greatest city, with walls tall and never breached, a great light bloomed, blotting out the sun.

Chapter 1: Earth, Day 0

Nervous excitement bubbled in my gut as I sprinted down my school’s halls, my backpack bouncing wildly behind me as I moved to beat the kids now streaming out of the rooms along the hallway. Their stares followed me as the whisper of my shoes on the tile floor took me beyond the increasing crowds and towards freedom. It was the last day of school for the week, a Thursday, and I had plans for the four day weekend that loomed ahead of me. Or maybe the rest of the year… I thought as I contemplated skipping school for the remainder of the semester.

Today was the day I had been looking forward to for close on a month, the day I once again would have the opportunity to live in Ilos. The thick segmented white-metal necklace that hung around my neck was my Key to that wondrous virtual world, almost indistinguishable from the real one.

All I had to do was place it around my forehead and will myself to enter in order to escape from this annoying reality. Well, once the servers opened anyway. That time was a mere hour away, and I had things to prepare for my upcoming journey.

I was one of ten thousand to receive one of the silver headbands, allowing access to the ‘beta’ version of the game, if that is what it could be called. Ilos was whole and complete from the first second of the ‘beta’, and none of the other players I had talked to had found any sort of bug or odd occurrence that a beta was supposed to fix. Even more than that, the game was not advertised in any way. No commercials. No signs. No marketing whatsoever. And it didn’t matter one whit. News of the game spread through the internet and the world like a lightning bolt, and there wasn’t a person with internet access that didn’t know about it. Websites were established immediately, forums erupting with news as the beta players began to post what they had experienced. People bought and sold the Keys for unbelievable prices, hundreds of millions of currency crossing the internet in the first day as those with the funds bribed people without to let them use the mysterious devices.

Sure, I could have sold mine and spent the rest of my life in comfort, never having to work, never wanting for anything, but that would have deprived me of the thing I wanted even more: escape. I hated reality, the monotonous predictability of life in 2018. I knew exactly where I would have been going had I not gotten the headband. I would have completed school, then moved on to a graduate degree, then worked an almost meaningless job with idiots that I probably wouldn’t like for forty or so years, then I would retire, probably still unmarried, and indulge myself in whatever ways I could until I died. It was a stupid existence with no purpose, and the headband was my way out. No longer would I have to be a 6’ 1” mildly athletic twenty one year old guy with thick glasses and messy hair, but a warrior, able to beat the strongest foes with my strength, wits, or speed.

The ‘beta’ lasted for a solid two months, beginning right after the holiday break started, and I had spent every hour possible in Ilos, training, exploring, doing things that actually helped people, regardless of if they were computer controlled NPCs or actual players. The real world became just a shadow that I irregularly visited to hurriedly shower and shove food down my throat before jumping back to Ilos. I had skipped school when it had started up again, continuing my schedule and spending even more time as the beta drew to a close.

My body wasted away in my bed, and when I was forced back to the real world I was in terrible condition. I had dropped a good twenty pounds off my already slender frame, and was as weak as a newborn kitten until I began to eat regularly again and move around. I got back into my classes reluctantly, working long hours to catch up to my peers (and to assure my parents continued support for college). The normal distractions I had had before seemed pale and pointless compared to Ilos, the videogames I had so loved boring and pointless, my books of great adventures dull and lifeless. All I knew was that I had to wait a full month before I could again adventure in Ilos, and that all I had accomplished there would vanish as they reset the servers. The thought that all I had done would be gone was crushing, as if I had lost a part of myself.

After a few days I couldn’t care less. I just wanted back in.

Without the time wasting activities I was accustomed to, I found it easy to concentrate on what I needed to do in order to be ready when the game officially released. All of my energies went into this one goal, and I planned and schemed to get as much time as possible in Ilos when I was finally able to. My grades went from zeroes to high Bs and then As as I aced every quiz and every test in every class. I asked my parents for more money, bolstering my bank account and I began buying foodstuffs that would last a significant amount of time before I had to get more, probably several months depending on how much I ate. I was thoroughly obsessed, and I couldn’t care less. Everything was in readiness now; I just had some final preparations to make at my apartment.

Without any other work I would pass every class and end the semester with a 2.75 GPA, my apartment was paid for in advance until the beginning of the next school year, and I even had a service that would deliver the more perishable foodstuffs to my apartment. I had squared everything with my parents, lying about some unpaid internship that I had made up that would require me to stay the whole summer.

My reverie was broken by three rather large men stepping out in front of me. I knew these idiots; these were Bill, Ted, and Joe, all of whom had discovered what my ‘silver necklace’ actually was and what kind of value it had. Each was a muscle bound cretin that could snap me in half without trying if he got a good hold on me, which was never going to happen. They had all tried to get it from me, first by threats and then attacks, but they had never succeeded. They were the ones responsible for five separate attempted break-ins to my apartment trying to get the thing, enough that I had to get upgrades to the locks and windows so they couldn’t get in without at least making a hell of a lot of noise. The only reason they hadn’t beaten me to a pulp yet is that I could out run them easily and I was quiet when I moved, almost silent, so they had little warning when I was approaching and couldn’t follow when they lost sight of me.

Unfortunately, they had me good this time. They always kept the doors in this part of the building locked, and I heard the doors I just came through click shut behind me. I skidded to a stop and looked for a way around, but even one of them standing in the entrance would be enough to stop me from getting past. Their smiles widened as they saw I couldn't run away, their eyes already lighting up with greed for the circlet around my neck.

“You aint gettin’ away this time Applesauce.” Bill smiled nastily, flexing his massive muscles and gesturing with a long smooth stick he was carrying, “Why don’t you just hand over that little trinket and you won’t have to spend the rest of the year in the hospital?”

Yep, that would be me he was talking to. David Joseph Appleton, the nerdy videogamer sophomore kid who did free running as a hobby, enjoyed brown eyes that didn’t work without thick glass in front of them, short but unkempt brown hair, and the complete inability to grow any sort of facial scruff whatsoever. Oh, and at a slender 6’1” and 155 pounds, was totally outweighed by each of the almost 300 pound bullies.

My eyes widened as Ted pulled out a long knife and Joe showed me a revolver inside his jacket. Damn they were serious this time! They knew it was their last chance to get me before the release today, and they were willing to risk jail to get something that would set them for life. I would have been screwed if Bill hadn’t brought that piece of wood, something I knew exactly how to use.

I set myself and gestured to Bill to come forwards, bringing my other hand to my ‘necklace’. “Alright, just don’t shoot me okay?”

He stepped forwards, believing the whiny scared tone that had taken me so much effort to produce. Surprise marred his stupid face as I grabbed the makeshift quarterstaff in his hand, twirling it as I torqued his wrist enough to make him let go. I spun, cracking Ted’s hand and sending the knife flying as I slipped into the trance like battle state that I had been so famous for in Ilos, known widely as the Stillness. Every movement was in perfect balance and I used the resistance to spin my weapon the other way, clipping Bill’s knee as he turned and sending him to the floor. Sharp cracks punctuated my swings as I broke Joe’s hand as he reached for his pistol, shattered Ted’s knee, fractured Bill’s skull as he fell, cracked one of Joe’s ribs, clipped Ted behind the ear as he stumbled to the ground, and then hit Joe’s temple as he keeled over clutching his rib.

I had flipped the quarterstaff to my back where I had a holder for it in Ilos, hiting my backpack before I caught myself and grounded one end on the tile floor instead. Bill, Ted, and Joe were sprawled around me; all unconscious, mere seconds after Bill had stepped forwards. I smiled and dropped the quarterstaff as I hopped over them, glad to see I still had the instincts my weapons training in Ilos had brought along with the silent way I moved. Maybe I should have felt sorry for them, but I really really wasn’t. They had had a right beating coming to them, and I was completely unopposed to having given it to them. I wasn’t worried about police either, the three were well known bullies and petty criminals, and the idea that some nerd gamer kid half their size and six inches shorter beat the hell out of all three of them was ridiculous.

Putting it from my mind, I ran back towards my apartment at a nice easy ground eating lope. I considered what I would do at the very start of the adventure I was about to embark upon. Exactly 990000 regular metallic headbands had been sold across the world for the upcoming release, bringing the total players to exactly one million, and that was a little bit of a problem.

Having that many people all appearing in Ilos at close to the same time could crowd everything up, and I really didn’t like crowds. I figured I could skip the beginning intro quests that forced players to run around the starting city and get familiar with it before sending them out to kill things and just get to the next town and do the quests there. It’d be harder, but absolutely faster and much more interesting.

I arrived at my apartment with just under a half hour to get everything ready. I made some sandwiches without mayo so they wouldn’t get soggy; made sure the fridge was well stocked with water at the front and next to the bed, and even made sure the new shampoo and soap were in their places in the shower for fast scrubbing. Finally, I sat down in front of my computer and opened Skype, then called the two people that were my closest friends and the ones I would be spending most of my time with in-game.

Nick answered first, his curly reddish hair and bluish eyes shimmering with an excitement that matched the smile splitting his face. He too wore glasses, but weren’t nearly as thick and were more for when he was about to do some serious gaming, otherwise preferring contacts. Nicholas Finn Charleston was my rather enthusiastic partner in crime, if slightly less of a geek, and was partly responsible for me having a social life whatsoever. He chose a different college than I did (much to my unvoiced disappointment) and was an absolute whiz at anything economics or business related. He was already wearing his black headband and was fidgeting excitedly, obviously feeling the same bubbling feeling in him that I was. “Dude! Are you ready?!”

“Am I ready? Am I ready?! I’m set for freaking months dude!No no, the question is are you ready?”

“Hell yeah I'm ready! Do you know how jealous I've been of you?! The only person I know to get a silver key? Forced to listen you talk about how amazing Ilos is for the past month? You’ve got me so jacked to try this game!” Nick waved his hands wildly, trying to get across just how ‘jacked’ he was.

“Hey now! Who was it who begged me for details about Ilos? Oh yes, you! And I know exactly how jealous you are, because you’ve told me practically every time you’ve talked to me!” I laughed.

“Well duh, how could I not! I mean, you got to-“

“Yes yes, he got to play in the beta, and had a wonderful time in Ilos, and you’re entirely envious, and he’s so lucky. We know already Nick.”

“Good to see you too Jess.” Nick laughed, “Are you ready?”

She sighed, but was still smiling. “Sure. I’m still not sure how the hell you managed to convince me to try this game Brother, but it better be damn good to be worth the effort I've put in to clear my schedule for the entire week!”

My smile stretched wider, if that was possible, when Jess’ face popped up next to Nick’s. Jessica Abigail Baker, a beautiful girl with light blue-hazel eyes and soft blonde hair, was the second on my list of close friends, bringing the total to two. Her creamy and lightly tanned skin seemed to glow softly in the light of her computer, and I found myself once again staring into her dazzling and utterly unique eyes. The brilliant blue of her irises was broken by a splash of rich brown radiating out from her pupils, a configuration I had never seen anywhere else, and it for some reason mesmerized me whenever I saw them.

“-llo. Hello! Snap out of it Brother.” Jess was practically shouting into her mic.

I blinked, then shook my head, “Right, umm, what was I saying Sis?”

Nick, unable to hold himself anymore, bust out laughing while Jess sported a wry smile, fully aware she was the cause of my antics. All three of us knew I had a crush on Jess and that she didn’t return the sentiment, but for some reason it wasn’t awkward in the slightest. To be honest I was (secretly) a little hurt that she didn’t have the same feelings for me that I did for her, but at the same time she was the sister I never had in many ways, and I was loath to lose that. Both of us had a strong Christian upbringing, and ever since she found out that she was named after Abigail in the Bible (who was David’s sister) she had called me Brother (and nothing else), and after a year or so I started to do it too until we almost never used each other’s names. She was one person I really admired and was everything I was not. Where I had a hard time with strangers and social situations, she was a natural born leader and speaker, and I fully believed she could talk a boulder into following her up a hill.

“You called us to discuss where we were going to meet when the server opens if I remember correctly.” She hesitated for a moment, “Okay Nick, shut up now.”

I chuckled as Nick’s laughter renewed itself, then continued on to the business at hand. “Right. When you first get into Ilos you can customize the slightly randomized appearance based on your physical body that they give you. I would suggest you stick to close if not exactly what they generate for you as it will feel familiar. If you do that we should all look enough the same that we will be able to recognize each other even with the little changes they will put in. All you need to do is head north to the gate because we will all appear in different places. The starting city is a huge circle, so if you just head generally north you will be able to follow the wall until you get to the gate. I should be there before you, but if I’m not for some reason just wait a few minutes. After we all get there we’ll head north along the road the leads out of the city past the first village and into the following town of Riskmarl. The quests there are surprisingly easy and we will be free to complete them quickly without having to compete with the other million people for hunting spots or items. We will have to be careful though, because other players can kill you and probably will if they see you heavily injured, and it’s a long walk from the plaza in the city that you’re revived at and where we’ll be questing. With the three of us it shouldn’t be hard to do because all of the quests at that level are made for people alone, though we will have to get three times the creature drops to complete them. Nick, if I’m busy doing something or other, try to explain things to Jess, you know how these games work." I ran through my mental checklist of important information. "I think that’s about it.”

They both nodded, Nick having corralled his laughter by this point and was grinning excitedly again. Nick checked his watch again, “We still have eight minutes till launch, any last minute advice David?”

I thought for a moment, “Oh, before you meet me at the gate pick up whatever weapons seem interesting to you from the store by the gate, you should have enough money left over to pick up some health potions as well, so spend all the rest you don’t use on weapons on those. You will want as many as you can and you’ll go through them faster than you think you will. At the beginning it’s the only way to heal yourself quickly, and you will get hit a lot while you learn how to use your weapons. Keep in mind that there are no ‘skills’ like in other games, it’s all you, though you will have some assistance from the game while learning. Other than that we just need to level as fast as we can at the beginning and be ahead of as many people as possible to reduce the chances of getting robbed by other players.” I checked my computer’s clock, “Four minutes. See you guys at the north gate.”

“See you there Brother.”

“AHHHHH I CAN’T WAIT!! Let’s DO this!”

I saluted my friends, then hit the ‘end call’ button and shut down my computer. I slipped my Key from around my neck for the first time since the ‘beta’ ended and placed it around my forehead, unable to contain my wide grin as I laid down on the bed and waited. My eyes closed, and I waited for the feeling that would tell me I could again enter Ilos at will. Seconds seemed like hours as I readied myself to be the first person in, to watch as the multitudes began to emerge from areas of shimmering space, to breathe the sweet air and see the countless sparking stars unclouded by pollution, to see the islands in the sky that stretched out of sight, to once again walk the lush grass and explore the blooming forests of Ilos.

I felt it, and within the second shifted just like countless times before, the familiar light of the transition taking me to the world of my dreams.

Thanks to everyone who commented, and to Eric who pointed out something I should probably address real quick. When speaking of the biblical Abigail in the last part (Jess’ middle name), I was referring to King David’s sister (mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:13-17), not his later wife. For those who were wondering about how the game translated to David’s combat skills in real life, that will be explained (hopefully to your satisfaction) in this part.

And yes, both SAO and Log Horizon had significant roles in the concept of this story :)

THE EDITED VERSION IS POSTED AND THIS OLD VERSION CONTAINS NOTHING NEW TO THE STORY.

-Tas

Part 2

I selected the appearance I had already made for myself during the beta, studying myself in the mirror provided in the empty white space that was character creation. Rather than just a plain, somewhat athletic, messy-haired college student with glasses, a stoic looking young warrior stared back at me. He still had short brown hair and eyes, and was the same height and looked a lot like me, but his posture was more composed, and his muscles were plainly visible through his skin. His eyes seemed more vibrant, a warm chocolate color instead of dark dirt or mud, and his ears had slight points. I grinned, then confirmed the appearance and typed in the name Cariss on the keyboard that appeared in front of me. My vision washed out for a moment, and then I appeared in the central plaza of Ilos with a glow of white light and a tinkling sound.

Looking around, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Buildings surrounded the open area, though they were around two tenths of a mile away from where I stood. The plaza was massive; with a diameter of 700 yards, it was made to hold all one million players at one time. Most of the buildings were made of different colors of marble this close to the center of the city and the Palace towered upwards in front of me in all its splendor. The blocks under my feet were made of some kind of white stone that had never been seen on Earth, each containing thousands of shards of crystal that reflected the light into a myriad of colors. Looking down, I saw that I was dressed in the normal beginning armor, if you could even call it armor, in different hues of blue. It was essentially clothes that were thicker than normal, offering little protection, and there was a dull short sword belted at my left hip.

Lights flickered like a weird kaleidoscope across the plaza as more players logged in. I watched for my friends for a moment, but with the number of people appearing there was no way I would be able to spot them. Shrugging, I started off towards the North Gate, weaving through the rapidly growing crowd. Unlike every other online game ever, you couldn’t just walk through other players here, you’d just run right into them. I did see a few people do just that, and a couple good-natured arguments started up before I left the plaza.

Staying away from the crowds was easy, though it was because I knew all the back streets and alleys that led where I wanted to go. I stopped briefly at a weapons dealer, spending most of my money on as many throwing knives as I could buy, the rest would be for the few healing potions I could afford with what I had left over.

In the beta I had picked up a quarterstaff, only to get a much better one for a quest reward almost immediately, so I was just going to survive with the knives until then. I could use a sword, better than most really, but I would probably end up taking a lot of hits without a shield, which I wasn’t going to buy. Storing them, I ran back into the alley and up the wall onto the rooftops.

Everywhere was fair game here, rooftops, alleys, walls, basements, rooms, everywhere. As a free runner, it was amazing, a playground where even if you fell it didn’t hurt. And if it also happened to be the fastest way to get from one place to another, well, that was a nice bonus.

Consequently, I beat both of my friends to the North Gate and had some time to shop and got to watch the first few players leave the gates. As with most online games that allowed character creation, everyone who I saw was idealistically beautiful, handsome, tough looking, scarred and experienced, or some combination thereof. There weren’t really any ‘ordinary’ looking players around, ‘cause what was the fun of playing an RPG if you just wanted to be normal?

There were a few I noticed that seemed to know what they were doing and walked with confidence and a destination in mind, and many many more that were just the opposite, wandering through the shops and taking in the sights… and buying some of the most worthless items. I mean really, what were you going to do with a broad spectrum antidote potion? Drink it for the taste? There wasn’t any poison to deal with yet, that came much later. Or that guy that bought the Bronze Knee Spikes and nothing else, how could he possibly use that effectively? Though I must admit it was really amusing to watch people make horrible purchases and try to strut like they knew what they were doing.

I probably did some dumb things when I first came here too, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t funny.

After a good ten minutes or so my friends finally arrived, Nick speaking up to get my attention off of the fool who had bought a Woolen Robe, a comfort item, and was wearing it like armor and heading out of the gates. “What are you laughing at dude?”

I turned to greet my friends… and doubled over laughing. They were both standing there in their basic armor, puzzled looks on their faces, and struggling not to drop at least four different weapons each. I held out a hand to forestall their indignant responses while I got control of myself.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t explain the inventory system did I?”

I got a flat look from Nick and a puzzled one from Jess through the jumble of weaponry they were carrying.

“No, you didn’t really mention that dude.”

“Inventory system? What’s that?”

“Here, set those down and I’ll show you.” I said chuckling as I motioned with both hands like pulling on the corners of a square with my thumbs and index fingers, bringing up a holographic display in front of me.

Jess dropped her weapons with a clatter in surprise, eliciting another smirk from me. Nick set his down on the ground and looked curiously at the mostly transparent swirling area hovering in front of me, a few tiny looking items floating around in it.

“This is the Inventory display; it allows you to store items and weaponry so you don’t have to carry them around. You can reach into it and pull out any items you have in there, “ I reached into the window and pulled out one of the health potions I had bought, having it materialize in a flicker of light, “and to put something in you just do the reverse.” I pushed the potion back in, it dematerializing into particles as it passed the screen, a tiny red potion appearing in the display. “There is a weight limit that a Storage Gem can store, but not a size limit. Everyone starts with a basic Storage Gem set into the front of their belt, though you can move it to a different piece of armor or jewelry if you visit a specialty shop.” Closing the window with a brush of my hand, I continued. “You have to use both hands to open the inventory, so it’s usually a good idea to keep things you might need to use in battle on your person and save the inventory space for spares and things that would hinder you to carry. You can close the any window with a motion like brushing something off your shoulder with the back of your hand or by doing the same thing you used to open that window.” I hesitated, making sure I had gotten everything before shrugging. “And that’s all there is to it.”

After getting them to store their purchased weapons, Jess was looking at me funny. I cocked my head at her. “Yes?”

“Sorry Brother, you just look a little different from how you normally do. I’m not sure exactly why, but you do.”

“Yeah, you do look kinda different dude, but at the same time not really.”

“Well that’s what the system does at character creation. I know my eyes are a slightly different color, I don’t have any sort of acne here, and my ears are a little more pointy.”

I took in my friends again, looking for the differences I knew were there. Nick’s curly hair was still red, but more of a blood red than the brown-tinged color he had had before. His eyes were also a brilliant sky-blue rather than a dull blue and his face was more classically handsome as well. Jess was more beautiful, if that were possible. Her features were perfect, her eyes and irises were slightly bigger and more tilted, though they still had that brown into blue coloration unique to her. I noted that her ears were pointed when she brushed back her shining blonde hair, enough to be noticeable when viewed plainly, but invisible when she had her hair down.

She noticed me staring and gave me a raised eyebrow and a little smirk. “Looking at something Brother?”

I flushed as Nick started snickering. “Let’s – ah – let’s just go.” I stuttered as I headed out the North Gate, my friends laughing as I followed.

We went out to the hilly fields just north of the city, which were filled with one of the stock starting RPG enemies: Boars. I tried to explain a few more things as we walked the short distance. Unlike any other online RPG, there was no grouping system; anyone who helped with an encounter got experience based on their participation and performance.

Nick nodded, but Jess just looked confused. “Wait, what does any of that mean?” She asked, “And what do you mean by ‘gain experience’?”

I shook my head, “I keep forgetting you don’t play video games at all. By killing enemies, completing tasks for people, or discovering new things, you gain ‘experience’. The more experience you have, the more powerful you are, the harder you are to hurt, and the more help you will get from the system as you fight. You get more experience for doing more difficult things, and the more you help in fighting the more experience you get. The more damage you do to the enemy and the smarter you handle combat the more you’re given at the end. For example, you could still get experience for distracting or misleading enemies even if you don’t actually do any damage, though the more allies you fight with the less experience you will get individually.”

Jess blinked at me, absorbing that information, and Nick ‘hmmed’ thoughtfully before asking his own question.

“You said something about help from the system while you fight. What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, that’s one of the things I love about Ilos. There aren’t actually any ‘skills’ here like there are in other games, but when you try to do something you don’t know how to do, the system will help you out a little and sort of guide you along. You’ll see when we fight some of the boars that are out here in these fields, but when you swing your weapon you’ll feel some small pressure as a guide for your motions and attack. If you follow the guiding you’ll strike much more accurately than you probably would otherwise. Does that make sense?”

“Sort of…”

“Not really.”

I sighed, “Well I guess you need to experience it first hand, let’s go practice for a little bit.”

We stopped just off the road and I let them fight imaginary monsters for a bit to get used to feeling the guidance of the system. I would occasionally give advice or encouragement, though I don’t know how much I was really helping.

After about ten minutes or so, I took out my own starting blade and started working through the sword forms I knew, not that that was very many. Unfortunately I didn't have enough experience for the system to assist me with most of them, so I was just doing what I could with the muscle memory I had developed. A few of the most basic slashes and thrusts felt like I remembered them, but the rest were just a little slower and less powerful, though they did have decent form.

I stopped, twisting my mouth. Probably good enough to deal with monsters, if slowly, but not for a real fight. I hope my quarterstaff reflexes haven’t decayed similarly…

Noticing the silence, I looked up, seeing my friends staring at me open-mouthed. I blinked at them a few times, “What?”

“Dude. Where did you learn to do that? That was awesome!”

“Yeah Brother, I have to say that was a really impressive display.”

“Umm.” I responded eloquently. “I just followed the system assist. As you accumulate experience you gain access to more forms and it eventually just becomes muscle memory.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be able to defeat an actual swordsman with a sword, I’d need a quarterstaff, but I should be okay against monsters. If you’ve both gotten enough practice, let’s head out further and see if we can find some boars to kill.”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

Jess sighed, “Well alright, I don’t know what I feel about fighting though…”

“Oh c’mon Jess, it’s gonna be awesome!”

There were already a few players out and in combat with the boars, most by themselves, though there was a pair working together. One of the solo guys got hit with a boar’s charge, taking enough damage to kill him, collapsing and slowly beginning to dissolve into red motes that quickly faded from view. I spoke up in response to the concern on Jess’ face.

“Don’t worry, when you die you just respawn in the plaza in front of the palace, though you do drop whatever weapon you were using and random other things you had outside your inventory. When you respawn you will have a basic version of whatever you dropped, so if you were using a staff you will respawn with a staff to help you recover your items where you dropped them. Most people are nice enough that they won’t steal your stuff when you die, at least not at this level. Besides, I’ll be here to take down anything that you’re having trouble with.”

Jess and Nick pulled out their weapons as we approached the nearest boar, and I stood back to watch. “Remember to follow when you feel the system guide you!” I called out.

Surprisingly, Jess took the initiative to attack first, hitting the boar with a glancing blow with her sword and dealing a little damage. The boar tried to hit her with its tusks, its only close range attack, but it missed her. Nick ran in and swung his sword in a painfully slow arc, allowing the boar to just move out of the way. Jess attacked again, but now that the boar was moving she missed by just a little, dodging out of the way of its counter attack with a little scream. Nick screwed up his face in concentration and slashed at the boar again, almost hitting it this time, but not quite. Jess used her sword to stab at the thing and managed a glancing cut, but left herself open for the boar to ram her with its head, knocking her down.

I stepped in, slapping the boar across its flank with the flat of my blade to draw its attention and then holding it in place with its tusks. Unsurprisingly, both of my friends seemed a little shaken, flushed and breathing hard. “Remember, the monsters and things in this game can’t actually hurt you, though getting hit will make you feel a little uncomfortable. Just relax and focus on following the system assist, don’t be scared.”

Jess stood up, her wide eyes nervous but determined, and Nick reset himself and nodded at me to release the boar.

I let go of the thing and pushed it towards Nick, causing it to run towards him.

Jess managed to slash its flank as it ran past, opening it up to Nick’s attack, which was much better and caught the boar on its neck, dealing enough damage to kill it. The boar burst into white particles and faded away.

Grinning like a lunatic, Nick jumped up and down waving his sword. “Did you see that?? That was AWESOME!”

I looked apprehensively at Jess, but she had a smile on her face too as she sheathed her sword. “That was a lot of fun actually; I don’t have the whole system guidance thing down yet though.”

“That’s alright,” I replied, “you’ll get it soon enough and then you can try out the other weapons you bought and see what works best for you. It’s going to be scary at first while fighting, but just remember that you can’t actually feel pain here and try to relax. Here, let me heal you, you don’t regenerate health without potions or spells when you’re not resting.”

I walked over to Jess and put my hand over her stomach where she had gotten hit by the boar, focusing on what I wanted to do.

Kasi.I said in my head.

A dim light flowed out from my hand and into Jess, doing some minor mending and expending all of my mana, causing a slight dizzy sensation. “There ya go.”

“What was that?” Nick asked as he joined us.

“A basic Light elemental healing spell. It’s not very powerful, but it’s useful when you don’t want to use potions.”

“I thought you had to say it out loud to have magic work.”

“No, though it takes a lot more metal focus to do it in your head, and it’s a lot harder to do that in battle, so most people just say the spell out loud.”

“So how does this magic work?” Jess asked, looking up from examining her stomach.

“Hmm… Well, that’s kind of a long explanation, but I’ll try to put it so it makes sense. To cast a spell, you have to use a word of power and have enough mana to cast it. If you don’t have enough mana, the spell will sap your life force to provide the remaining energy, and can possibly kill you. You’ll be able to tell if a spell will cost more mana than you have, so it’s more of a desperation move than anything you’d do accidently. Like everything else in Ilos, the more you use magic the better and more powerful you become with it. Magic works a little differently than most things though. As you cast magic of a certain element, that element becomes more powerful like it normally would, but all magic also advances, if at a slower rate, except when using Light and Shadow. Spells are divided into nine elements: Fire, Water and Ice, Earth, Air, Nature, Spirit, Light, Shadow, and Death, each of which advances separately. Fire, Ice, Earth, and Death are offensive elements, Water and Nature, are healing elements, and Earth, Air, and Nature are supportive elements. Light and Shadow are weaker than any of the other elements, but are also the most versatile. For example, the basic Nature spell Ka, is a healing spell half again as powerful as the Light element healing spell I used, Kasi.” I paused, “Did all that make sense?”

“I… think so…” She answered, frowning. “So if I wanted to throw a fireball at someone, how would I do that?”

“Well, you wouldn’t be able to make one bigger than your fist and it would probably fizzle out after a few seconds, but you would just focus on what exactly you want to do, imagining as many details as possible in your head, then say the word Fas.”

She held out her hand, her eyebrows drawing down as if concentrating heavily as she stared at her fist. Nick and I glanced at each other, then returned to watching Jess with an expectant air. She suddenly opened her fist and commanded “Fas!”

A ball of flame appeared above her now open hand, one that was roughly twice the diameter of her fist. It flickered fitfully, changing color, size, and intensity constantly, but she managed to hold it in existence for a full five seconds until all her mana was depleted.

“Wow! That was really good Sis! I’ve never seen anyone get it to work on their first try, much less make one that big or hold it for that long after only defeating a single boar!”

“That was SO COOL! Lemme try, I want to do that!” Nick exclaimed before copying the same stance Jess had just a moment ago. “FAS!”

We waited expectantly, but nothing appeared over his now open hand.

“Oh come on! Fas! Fas. Fas! FAS!”

Jess and I were both laughing at his antics by this point as he tried different intonations of Fas and being overly dramatic with his stances. It took a couple minutes to get ourselves back under control, especially because Nick would deliberately try to cast Fas again in an exaggerated manner every time he saw one of us winding down. We finally had to beg for mercy though our tears before he would relent and allow us to stop laughing.

“You’ll get it eventually Nick, just get Sis her to teach you.” I grinned at him.

Nick just smiled at me, then seemed to remember something. “When you were naming off elements, you said Water and Ice, does that mean there are actually ten elements?”

“Oh, I guess I should explain that one. Water and Ice is a unique element, and the most versatile of the main seven. When you use a Water or Ice spell, that part of the element becomes stronger for a short period of time, but they advance together regardless of which part you use.” Seeing their confused looks, I continued. “For example, if you are attacking an enemy with Ice, the more mana you use to attack the stronger Ice will become. However, if you suddenly needed to cast a Water spell, it would be much weaker and take more mana to cast. Think of Water and Ice as a big round boulder. Once you get it rolling one direction, it’s easier to make it keep rolling in that direction, but more difficult to push it in the opposite direction.

“Ah.” Nick nodded, “Got it. How about Death magic? You didn’t say anything about that. And what’s so special about Light and Shadow elements.”

“See this is why it’s hard to explain magic, there are so many rules to remember. Death magic I know only by hearsay, I’ve never actually seen it used, mainly because Death elemental words of power are practically impossible to find.” I shrugged apologetically, “Unfortunately that’s just about all I know about Death magic. For your second question, Light and Shadow elements are kind of special. When you cast a Light or Shadow spell, your power in any of the other elements goes down, though I don’t know if that applies to Death. However, in exchange, casting a Light elemental spell increases Light as normal and also increases Shadow by half the amount. The normal elements are half again as powerful as any spell cast from Light or Shadow, but between the two it’s possible to recreate the effect of any spell from any of the other elements. Of course, the words of power for them are almost as rare as Death words, so you aren’t going to see many people using them.”

Nick nodded slowly, processing that, while Jess seemed to have gone into informational overload. I took as step forwards and tapped her shoulder to snap her out of it.

She started. “Huh? What?”

I chuckled. “Let’s just worry about all that later. What did you guys call yourselves here? I’m Cariss when we’re in Ilos.

“I named myself Finn.”

“And I'm Lassea.”

“Finn and Lassea, Finn and Lassea.” I muttered to myself, then shrugged and laughed. “I’ll try to remember, but no guarantees. Let’s see if we can we can get both of you used to the assist in real combat, it will give you a huge edge over most of the players. It took me around a month to figure out exactly how it worked.”

/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/

It took us most of the afternoon to get both of my friends mostly used to the system assist and then another few hours to let them get a feel for what weapons they liked best, but I felt it was worth it, despite the fact that we ended up with very little in the way of experience and loot. Monsters didn’t just drop coin, but the tucks we had gathered should sell pretty well in any town.

The sun was setting and we were walking back to the city to sell the extra stuff we had picked up fighting boars before logging off for the night. Jess had a small smile on her face; a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver at her waist, and was walking with a distinct spring in her step. She was also balancing a tiny flame, no bigger than a lighter, above her open palm, which might have something to do with her attitude. I honestly hadn’t expected her to enjoy the game so much, but I was happy she was.

Nick was possibly enjoying his time in Ilos a little too much. He was caressing his chosen weapon, a bastard sword, as we walked along and had a grin that seemed to want to split his face open. He’d taken to the system assist really well and was by far better than the normal player here.

As we approached the gates of Ilos, I remembered something I had forgotten to tell my friends, something that still puzzled me. “Oh, one last thing before we get into town. The NPCs in this world are… different… than any other game I've ever played. I've noticed that if you treat them like you would a human; they will often give you extra things when you do a quest for them, and even remember your name. They seem to be happier if you’re polite to them rather than treat them like computer generated objects. Just keep that in mind while we’re in town.”

“Wait, the people here aren’t real?” Jess asked.

“Of course not. Do you think whoever is hosting this got millions of people to just be shopkeepers and guards while everyone else is off going on adventures?” Nick answered.

“I guess not…”

“Hey David-

“Cariss.”

-Cariss, we should totally duel! I bet I could take you after fighting all afternoon while you sat back and chilled!”

I gave him a smirk, “You think so do you?”

“Yeah! C’mon, don’t tell me you’re scared!”

“There’s no possible way you’d win.”

“Then there’s no reason for you to say no then is there!”

I sighed dramatically. “Alas, your words of logic have slain my will to resist your request!”

“Alright! Let’s do this!”

I drew my pathetic excuse for a short sword and leveled it at him, the gesture for beginning a duel. “To accept or challenge someone to a duel, you just point your weapon at them with the idea in mind that you want to spar. You can also bet this way by thinking about that and having both parties agree to the terms, but that’s for later. This way we can’t actually kill each other.”

He copied me with his own sword, causing a loud pinging sound and a wave of light to wash out from between us and form a glowing ring, Jess quickly taking position outside of it. Nick jumped at the noise, then settled into a ready position while I resheathed my sword. A clock appeared between us, counting down from 30 seconds.

“Alright Finn, I’m going to let you try to hit me for ten seconds before I start attacking, so make the most of it.”

He nodded, then charged me as soon as the timer ran out and the duel began. I stepped to the side, his blade almost brushing my arm as it swung down. He swung again, and then a third time, each slash barely missing me as I leaned barely out of the way of the assisted blow. He was obviously getting used to the system assist, because his attacks were infinitely better than earlier that day. I felt the slight uncomfortableness on my arm on his fourth strike and knew I’d been hit. Jumping back out of the way of his follow-up, I grinned at him.

“Nice! I didn’t think you’d actually be able to hit me!” My smile widened. “But now it’s my turn.”

His attacks were good, but his stance was still pretty bad. I leapt forwards while drawing my blade, dodging under his attack and cutting across his middle, then twisting to stab him through the back right into where his heart would be. His body went limp and I kicked him off my blade, spinning it in two tight circles before sheathing it.

A light effect played over my head for a few seconds as the glow of the duel circle faded. Jess stared at me, horrified and shocked until Nick began to get up a few seconds later, then relaxed and sighed in relief, approaching the pair of us from where she was standing out of the way.

“Damn dude, you gotta teach me how to do that!”

I smiled.

The last edge of the sun dipped below the horizon.

DONG

The sound was like a massive gong was struck somewhere in the center of Ilos, loud enough that I could feel the vibrations in my chest and in the ground. The duel forgotten, we all turned to look at the city.

The Call to Arms? Why would they be ringing that now?

DONG

The second toll had an actual shockwave, rustling the grass and our clothes as it passed.

“What is that Brother?”

“David?”

“That’s the Ilosian Call to Arms, the giant bell they ring when the city needs help, but it sounds different…” I replied absently, trailing off.

What is going on?

DONG

This shockwave was even stronger, but it seemed to go through me, as if my body was made of mist, about to be blown away by the slightest breeze. My friends staggered from the force.

“Woah!”

“Hey!”

“What the…?”

Even our voices sounded fainter to my ears, and they both looked at me with fear in their eyes. Fear I knew was reflected in my own expression.

DONG

Jess and Nick were thrown to the ground by the force of the shockwave this time, and reality itself trembled. I felt like I was about to come unraveled, all of my nerves sparking into pain at once. It was as if I was being unmade, ripped apart. Nick was shouting something at me, Jess looked like she was screaming, but the sound was distorted and barely there. I reached out for them, my face twisting in pain and terror as I realized I could see my friends through my arm. I tried to yell, to beg for them to save me, but only the faintest of sounds came out.

DONG

I screamed as my world was torn asunder.

I actually didn't have this chapter in the story when I posted the last part, but due to some of the comments I figured this would be a good idea. I ran through it a few times, so I hope I didn't make any errors, but no guarantees. Anyway, this is a little shorter than most of the other parts are going to be, so sorry about that :)

-Tas

Part 3

Chapter 2: Ilos, Day 1

Nick stood slowly, trying to ignore the uncomfortable numbness that was the indicator of damage in this game. Shaking his head to clear it, he helped Jess – Lassea. He reminded himself – regain her feet, and then looked around for David.

As he had feared, Cariss was nowhere to be seen. Everything was as it had been, and the players within sight were slowly recovering from where they had been thrown by that massive shockwave. Lassea was shaking as he supported her, her eyes wide with fear and seemed to hold the question he himself was asking. Did I really see what I thought I did?

The memory came unbidden, causing a chill to run though him.

DONG

David’s form seemed to shudder, as if being pushed by the shockwave from the sound, and he looked as if he was starting to lose substance. All three of them cried out, shocked and fearful at this sudden violent change.

DONG

He had been tossed as if someone had shoved him with full force, toppling to the ground along with Jess. David hadn’t been moved in the slightest, but his face was the picture of terror and pain, a sight Nick found especially terrifying. David was always calm, he never showed his fear or pain or anger to anyone, and the fact that he was doing so now elicited a cry from Nick’s mouth. He shouted at his friend, trying to keep him there with the power of his voice, and Jess was screaming. David reached out, his mouth open and yelling, but only the faintest of sounds reached Nick’s ears, as if he was a great distance away. His body was transparent now, as if made from a fine mist.

DONG

With this most powerful shockwave, Nick saw his friend’s body was blown away like the mist it looked like just before he himself was thrown, tumbling end over end, away from Ilos.

Jess clutched his arm, holding on as if he too would vanish if she did not. “Nick,
I want to leave. How do we get out? I need to get out. Please we need to get out of this place. I want to go home. Please.” Her voice shook as she begged him.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves and remember what David had told him about logging out of Ilos.

“If you can’t do the mental shift to log in or out, all you have to do is cross your arms across your chest like a mummy, make the number three with both hands, and say ‘log in’ or ‘log out’.”

“Okay, Jess. Jess, listen.” Nick waited until he got her attention, then continued. “Cross your arms across your chest and make the number three with your fingers, then say ‘log out’”

She nodded, and followed his instructions, vanishing in a twinkling of red and blue lights. Many of the players he could see were following her example, and he expected that it was the same all over Ilos.

Instead of logging out himself, Nick started towards the North Gate. There was something in his gut that told him that there was something wrong with this whole situation. There was no possible reason for the makers of this game, whoever they were, to do something like this. Everything he had read about Ilos, and he had researched this a lot, told him that there was something happening that was beyond his understanding. Now that Jess wasn’t there with him, he could use all that knowledge without making her feel out of sorts, and he sprinted towards the Palace using the fastest route possible, his bastard sword clinking in its sheathe on his back.

During the months David was playing the game, Nick was reading everything he could about Ilos. He had the layout of the city memorized, including all of the alleyways and out of the way shops, and he also knew every word of power posted online. Now that he wasn’t in a panic, he recognized the massive sound that had torn David away: the Bell of Recall. By the description he had read, it was a massive bell formed of some unknown material, and was made and enchanted to be heard throughout all of Ilos, including the highest floating islands. It had only been used once during the beta: to recall all the players to defend the city against a goblin attack.

However, there was no attack here. Everything was as peaceful as could be, though there were still people he passed that looked shaken from the Call to Arms. So what had happened? Why did David vanish like he did? He didn’t know the answers, but he knew of someone who might.

His footsteps echoed as he weaved through the alleyways and then out into the plaza, still moving as fast as he could. The pair of Capital Guards straightened when he approached the entrance to the Palace, but made no move to block him as he thundered past into the long hallway that was the only way into the great stronghold.

The Palace was the heart of the city of Ilos, and the last line of defense against any incursion. Its walls were fortified by the strongest Earth magic, and it had its own supply of water and even deep caverns underneath that grew food, or so one man had claimed. If necessary, the Palace could withstand a siege almost indefinitely, and seemed designed as a place players could log off even when the city itself was taken.

More importantly right now, it housed the most knowledgeable of NPCs, including most of the mages, the elite craftsman and enchanters, and the Regent. According to everything he had gathered, the Regent was the effective ruler of the city, and directed most of the NPCs within it. He was in charge of pretty much everything, including the Bell of Recall.

Nick slowed his breakneck pace as he approached the Council Chamber, or at least what he hoped was the Council Chamber. He didn’t think he got lost, but the Palace was designed to be confusing in the case any enemy ever got in. As he got closer to the door, the sound of footsteps echoing up the hall reached his ears, and he turned to see who it was.

A woman wearing the armor of the Capital Guard approached him, a sword and shield resting on her back. She wore no helmet, revealing her bark brown hair pulled into a short ponytail and her forest-green eyes. Stopping in front of him, she looked him up and down, almost tall enough to look him in the eyes. “Are you here to speak to the Regent as well champion?”

“Ah- yeah.” Nick replied, surprised. “I need to know why the Bell of Recall was rung.”

“I am here for the same reason. Lorilee Avenia, Commander of the Capital Guard, at your service.” She said, inclining her head towards him in greeting.

“Finn.” He offered, returning the head incline. “I guess if you’re here you don’t know anything about this whole situation either?”

Lorilee shook her head. “We were told by Xynus to prepare for the champions to arrive in the city and given some advice and guidelines on how to interact with you, but there was nothing about the Call to Arms. That is something that is only supposed to be rung when the city itself is under attack, but there is nothing to defend against. The Regent is the only one that can give the command, so he must know what is going on, even if I am supposed to be informed of these things.”

“I figured he would know, but it’s nice to have it confirmed. Let’s go.” Nick said, turning and pushing open the door.

The audience room was pretty large, probably 100ft across, and the Regent himself sat in a miniature throne at a large table. Behind and above it sat the true throne of Ilos, a graceful piece of art carved from a single piece of wood that seemed to have grown out of where it stood. The table was covered in papers and there were NPCs everywhere, conferring with the Regent, with each other, and sending runners in and out.

Nick hesitated at the entrance, and Lorilee walked past him, striding with purpose towards the table. He followed the imposing woman, noting that she had signs of rank on her shoulder plates that the other guards did not.

“Regent! What is going on here?!”

The man at the head of the table looked up from some papers he was studying. “Lorilee! I’m glad you’re here! I need your help with this.”

“Help? With what?”

“This whole thing!” He said, gesturing broadly with a frustrated look on his face. “Someone rung the Bell of Recall, and I have no idea who!”

“You don’t?” Nick blurted out.

“No! As far as I can find out no one gave the order! It’s driving me insane! Lorilee, you didn’t send the order I assume. Can you find out if any of your men did?”

She nodded sharply, “Yes. I’ll check with them.” Turning, she ran off.

“Champion, as much as I would welcome your help, there is nothing you can do. Leave this to us for now.”

“I-“ Nick stopped, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, alright.” I need to get back to Jess anyway, she’s probably freaking out right now about not being able to contact me.

With that thought, he crossed his arms across his chest, and in the middle of all the activity, logged out.

Earth, Day 1

The swirling light vanished, leaving behind darkness. Nick opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up. His room was pretty simple, if a bit messy, but he was a college guy, so that was kind of expected. The full sized bed he was sitting on was pushed into a corner, a couple of pillows against the two walls, with a tv across from it. His desk was to the right of the tv, covered in random crap with a clear space in the middle for his overly powerful laptop and mouse. The floor was mostly clear, though he did have a few changes of clothes strewn about that he thought he could wear a few more times before he had to wash them.

His phone buzzed loudly on the desk, and he pulled himself out of bed, grumbling, to snatch up the phone. “Allo?”

“Nick! Thank God you finally picked up! I’ve been calling and calling and I couldn’t reach you and David hasn’t answered either! What took you so long?”

A warm hand clutched his heart at her worried tone, and he frowned at her use of David’s name. She must be on the verge of panic to use that instead of Brother like she always did. “It’s okay Jess, I’m fine, I just went to see if I could find some information about what happened. I’m sure David’s just doing the same thing and he’ll call you back when he logs out. Whatever happened it’s over now, so just relax okay?”

He heard her take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before speaking again in a more moderated voice, though there was still an edge of fear to it. “I don’t think it’s over Nick. I can’t remove my headband, that Key thing.”

His hands darted to his head of their own accord, pulling at the black band that adorned his head. A chill swept through him. It wouldn’t budge! He felt along the edges of the thing, but it was as if it was a part of his head!

Now is not the time for panic, I have to keep control so Jess doesn’t freak out as well. Damn it David how do you make this calm thing look so easy?!

Keeping his tone as steady as possible, he tried to reassure one of his closest friends. “I’m having the same issue. For now all we can do is wait I think, we don’t have the resources to deal with something like this. I’m sure the government will be in a right tizzy once this goes public. Hell, the whole world will want to know what these are and what they’re doing, so all we have to do is wait a little bit.”

She sighed, but his attempt to calm her seemed to work. “I know, but I’m really worried about Brother. There’s something that tells me something bad has happened to him, and I really want to prove it wrong this one time.”

Shit. Shit shit shit! Nick cursed to himself. Jess had a special knack for these kinds of things, and whenever she said the words ‘something tells me’, it was essentially guaranteed to be correct.

“Jess, I'm going to video chat you on my computer, then I’m going to see if I can get through to David.”

“Okay, let me turn my computer on.”

He booted up his own computer, and as soon as it indicated Jess was online he started the video chat, hanging up his phone when her worried face appeared.

The thing that grabbed his attention first was the black band across her forehead, a match for the one he wore, and one of 990,000 identical black Keys. Her odd brown-into-blue eyes were fearful, though that faded into just concern when she saw him alive and well. Reaching up, he tugged at the band on his head, grimacing. “I can’t get mine off either. Let me see if I can get ahold of David.”

She nodded, her blonde hair swaying with the movement, and Nick picked up his phone, dialing his best friend’s number. The phone rang, and he prayed that David would pick up.

“You’ve reached David Appleton, but I’m not available at the moment. If you leave a message at the tone I should get back to you sometime today. Thanks!”

Beep!

“David, you need to call me or Jess as soon as you get back from Ilos. We are both worried sick about you.” Nick looked at his computer, noting Jess’ increasingly worried expression. “Jess says that something tells her something bad happened to you, so we’re going to call the police in the case that you are injured and can’t pick up the phone. Hopefully we’ll talk to you in a bit. Bye.”

“Call the police? But…”

Nick took another deep breath, trying to keep his fear from showing. “Look Jess, these feelings you get have never been wrong, and as much as I want it to be this time, we need to do what we can to help. Both of us live too far away to just drive over to his place, and we need to get someone to check on him.”

She nodded, then closed her eyes and seemed to refocus herself, clearing the worried expression from her face. “Thanks for keeping calm, but you can relax now, I’m fine. I’ll call the cops, I have Brother’s address right here.”

Nick breathed a sigh of relief, finally letting the strong sense of unease he felt with the whole situation show on his face and in his voice. “Do you really think he’s okay.”

“I hope he’s okay.” She answered, dialing the three digits everyone in America knew. “We’ll find out in a few minutes.”

The cold hand clutching his heart just wouldn’t go away. David’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure they’ll just find him on his bed with that silver Key of his around his head, and we’ll have to apologize to the police. I don’t know how Jess is going to get them over there on a feeling though.

The operator must have picked up, because Jess started talking. Nick’s head came up sharply at her panicked tone, but her face was clear and she nodded slightly to him to let him know she was just faking it, though he wasn’t sure how much was really an act. “Please, you have to help me! I just got a call from my brother and he sounded like he was having a heart attack or something!”

The operator said something, and Jess read off David’s address. “No, he didn’t say anything besides ‘help’ in a this really weak voice, and then I couldn’t get him to say anything else, like he might have passed out or something! You’re sending an ambulance? Oh good, thank you so much!”

She nodded at him, giving him a thumbs up. “Yes, I’ll stay on the line, please let me know if you need anything else.”

The minutes seemed like hours as they crawled past, and Jess’ calm façade began to dissipate until her expression mirrored his own. Nick couldn’t keep his hands off of the Key that seemed attached to his head, tracing it with his fingertips, trying to find any sort of gap or blemish or button that would get the thing off. There was nothing there, it was smooth segmented black metal all the way around, but he couldn’t seem to convince his hands to stop looking.

“Holy shit! Nick! Turn on the news!” Jess’ voice rattled him from his thoughts. Fear filling his heart, he leaned over and hit the power button to the tv, knowing it was still on the news channel from the previous night when he was watching the weather.

The image resolved to two women sitting in chairs facing each other in the news room the station always used. The brown haired one was talking. “-here with our head investigator into the mysterious game Ilos, Cindy Weir. Cindy, what can you tell us about Ilos? I understand there was something you needed to get on the air that has to do with that thing on your head?”

The camera switched to show the red-headed one – Cindy – and Nick gasped. A familiar black band of segmented metal adorned her head, a Key. “Yes. This is the equipment that allows entry to Ilos, commonly referred to as a Key.” She was trying to sound calm and professional, but there was a note of fear that hovered in her voice. “990,000 people own one of these, and I want to warn them to not use the Key until more can be found out about them. As you can see, I’m still wearing mine, but it is because I can’t get it off.” She raised a hand and pulled at the offending object to prove her point, and her voice started to lose that professional edge to a panicked tone. “No matter how hard I pull, it won’t come off! Please, I don’t want to report on that place anymore! I just want this off!”

With Cindy moments away from tears, the camera cut to another portion of the news room, though you could still hear a dim commotion in the background that made it through the anchor’s mic, clipped to his shirt. “We are getting reports that these Keys are somehow attached to the heads of the people who have used them, and nothing seems to be able to remove them. We will continue to update you as this story progresses here at CVUE News, but for now let’s talk to Martin Forcus, a self-proclaimed expert on Ilos. Martin, why do you think the Keys are not able to be removed?”

Of course, ‘Martin’ immediately began spouting crap about the stars and the pyramids and all this random stuff. Nick sighed and turned off the tv. Another guy looking for his fifteen minutes of fame.

“Ma’am? Are you still there Ma’am?” A woman’s voice came from his computer. He turned to look, discovering Jess had put the operator on speakerphone.

Jess turned off her tv and unmuted the phone. “Yes, I’m still here. Have you found anything?”

The operator paused for a second, as if listening or looking at something, and her voice got real soft. “Hun…”

A coldness swept through him, the icy feeling of dread. Nick knew what she was going to say, and it looked like Jess did too. He saw tears fill her eyes before his own vision grew watery. Unable to bear the sight of his friend crumpling where she sat, he squeezed his eyes shut, salty water running down his cheeks.

“Say it.” Jess’ anguished voice came from in front of him. “J-just, say it.”

“I’m so sorry hun.” The woman’s gentle voice came from the phone. “Your brother was just pronounced dead on the scene.”

To preempt things, yes the beginning of this chapter is very reminiscent of SAO. I couldn’t find a better way to do it and also get across the information I wanted to, so I just rolled with it.

As always, comments are appreciated!

-Tas

Part 4

Chapter 3: Ilos, Day 1

I was back in the plaza in front of the Palace, the agony I had felt just a moment ago gone without a trace. I didn’t die, that’s not what death feels like here, but I’m back in the plaza. What is going on? Confused and still shaking, I looked around. The Call to Arms was rung, but the city doesn’t look like it’s under attack.

The ground was made of pitch black stone with a large white Centerstone in the middle, located just in front of me, engraved with something I couldn’t read from where I stood. There were players standing around looking confused and some still appearing in glimmers of light, many with different armors than the starting equipment I still wore. Except for that, everything was exactly as it had bee-

I frowned, cutting myself off. The floor hadn’t been black before, it had been white, and there had been no engraving on the Centerstone. I took a step to go look at the inscription, just a few feet in front of me, but stopped abruptly. Something was wrong, everything felt… weird. I looked down, praying I wouldn't be able to see the black stones through myself like a minute ago outside Ilos.

I was still dressed in the normal beginning 'armor', though it was a light reddish hue now, there was the dull short sword belted at my left hip, and I could feel the throwing daggers I had bought still in their places. The thing that got my attention was the rather prominent protrusions under my shirt. I hesitantly moved still-trembling my hands up to touch them, flinching when I felt the pressure from both sources. My hands were… different. The fingers longer, more delicate; my palms soft and lacking the calluses I had had for all my life.

The hell…?

Now that I had noticed, I could feel the pressure against my chest, the softness and smoothness of my skin against the rough cloth of my tunic and pants, the faint tickling on the back of my neck that I was sure was hair, the lack of anything between my legs. It was overwhelming. My hands shook more violently, and my breath caught in my throat for a moment.

I shut my eyes and forced myself to take a deep gulp of air. “Okay.” I whispered to myself and let my breath out slowly, pushing out the sudden onset of emotions and dispelling the shaking from my sudden transport here and subsequent shocks.

Let’s worry about this later, I can always just log out and create a new character. First I need to find out what’s going on and find my friends.

I opened my eyes and looked down again, ignoring the, ah, obstructions, in my field of vision, and crouched down to read the odd inscription on the Centerstone at my feet. Of course, the hair I had felt dropped down in front of me, obscuring my view with its silky midnight black strands. Annoyed more than anything, I tucked it behind my ears so I could read the engraving.

I blinked. Those looked like words of power like one would use to cast a spell, but they were longer than any I had ever seen and I didn’t recognize any of them. Another new thing to puzzle over. What was going on here?

I rose slowly back to a standing position, looking around at the other people, and got yet another shock. I was short. Very short. I was a pretty tall guy, both in the real world and in Ilos, and I was used to only ever seeing a few people taller than I was, and then not my much. Now however, it seemed everyone practically towered over me, those I could see anyway.

A few players seemed to be moving, but most were just looking around in confusion as the number of people appearing dwindled, then ceased. Too few. There were not nearly enough people to number a million. The plaza would have to be full to hold that many, and there was plenty of space around me. What happened to the rest?

A deep rumble shook the plaza, cutting off any other thought as I struggled to keep my balance with this new body, running into several other people before one caught me just short of falling. I looked up, having to crane my neck because I only came up to his chest, peering into a face around my own age, about twenty or so. He had black hair and dark blue-purple eyes that blinked at me, as if surprised. I clutched a double handful of his jacket as the courtyard shook harder, making both of us dance to keep our feet. When I looked up again most of the players were on the ground, and my companion and I were of the few still standing.

“Welcome to Ilos. I am Xynus, the one who has summoned you here.” A deep voice boomed, filling the plaza, seeming to emanate from everywhere at once. “You are the ten thousand of the Silver Key, offered the priceless gift of extra time. Do not waste this time attempting to return to your previous world, you cannot get back of your own power until the remaining champions join you. The clock is your enemy, and the final trial will begin regardless of your wishes when the time you have here expires. This is no longer the illusionary world that you were previously shown, and as it continues its journey it will need to be protected. Even now the wild inhabitants have begun to emerge from their lairs, and will seek to hold Ilos when the final challenge begins. Be wary, for while this city is a great stronghold, the Great Sleep is failing, and your enemies will grow more powerful and may overwhelm you given time.”

At the end of the beta, there had been an attack by goblins on the Capitol. Weak little things, but there were many thousands, and more than that, while the city was being attacked respawns had been disabled. They had been repelled of course, pretty easily, but I had a sudden vision of the city being taken permanently, and then dying, never to return. A chill swept through me, and I looked up at the boy whose jacket I was still gripping, his eyes wide as well.

“Shit.” We both cursed at the same time.

“Death is not the end here while my power still lasts. However, beware; should you remain dead for a significant time, there will not be enough left of what is you to be reconstructed. Let this be very clear: you are all stuck here until the end, be that your own end or the end of the final trial. You cannot log out. I have done all I can for you, so go! Grow strong, for the fate of two worlds rests in your hands.”

The rumbling voice faded out, and silence reigned. Nearly everyone I could see simply stood or lay where they had fallen. Then some began shouting, others pleading with this unknown entity to let them go home, but the reaction was much more subdued than I would have guessed, many unable to get over their shock.

I was paralyzed, holding fast to the boy’s tunic as my mind refused to process this new information. There was no retreat, no logging off, and most importantly, no changing characters. Which meant I was stuck as a chick! I had read plenty of fiction dealing with being trapped in a virtual reality, hell, I even had harbored a small hope for this kind of event to happen, but I couldn’t spend the next who-knows-how-long as a girl! Was this world worth that price? The tunic moved, and I gripped it harder reflexively, my feet following of their own accord. Its owner was moving somewhere and was yelling something at me, but the words just didn’t make sense to my brain. What about Nick and Jess? Where were they? This was only the people who had silver Keys, so what happened to those with the regular black Keys? Were they returned to Earth? Or-

A rough shake snapped me out of it and I let out a small noise in surprise. It was definitely not a squeak!

"Let go of me little girl! I can't run with you hanging off of me!"

My eyebrows dropped and I glared up at the guy, confusion erupting suddenly into anger. "I'm not a little girl!"

"Whatever. I don't care. Let go of my shirt I have places to be."

I loosened my grip, but a moment later grabbed his shirt again as an idea struck me, the sudden anger vanishing like morning mist. This guy was in the beta and was probably pretty smart to have drawn the same conclusion I had about the goblin raid on the city, and was now rushing off to get ahead of the rest of the players. I wasn't a fool; I knew that PKing was common outside of the city, and if I didn't get ahead I would probably be robbed or killed at some point, especially with what I suspected I looked like now. However, I was having trouble just moving around, and the time I would have to take to get used to fighting again would set me behind. Therefore, I needed a partner or someone I could follow around until it was safe for me to solo again, preferably someone who wanted to get ahead as much as I did and also knew how to fight.

"How-" I hesitated, startled for a moment at how high pitched my voice was now that I was thinking more clearly. "How far up did you get during the beta?"

He rolled his eyes and started dragging me down the street towards the north gate. "Will you let go if I tell you?"

"...Probably."

"I had just reached the Dread Castle Hamelin when the call went out to defend Ilos from the goblins. Now let go of my shirt."

Good, Hamelin was just two islands below where I had gotten to; this guy obviously knew what he was doing. Granted, I didn't get very high compared to the number of islands above Ilos, but I had certainly gotten higher than anyone else. There were hundreds of floating islands above mainland Ilos, and the higher you went the harder the monsters and the better the loot became.

"Well then I'm going with you."

He stopped and looked down at me again. "What?"

"I'm going with you. You're going out to Riskmarl to the north right? I need someone to go with, so I'm going with you."

"No you're not; I can't have a little girl slowing me down. Let go of my shirt." He said, trying to pry my hands off of him.

I smiled, maintaining my death grip on the fabric. "If I can beat you to the North Gate, will you let me come with you?"

"Yeah, fine, just let go of me."

"Alright! See ya there!" I shouted over my shoulder as I dropped his shirt dashed off towards the North Gate.

Getting out of sight was easy, getting up to the rooftops like I had planned? Not so much. I knew my body well because of my freerunning, but in this case that was a bad thing. Trying to run up an alley wall to the roof was a disaster; I took two steps up and pushed off of the wall, but instead of clearing the roof I slammed into the house on the other side.

“Owwww. Why'd that...?” I had a moment of clarity. “Oh.”

I picked myself up off the ground, then crouching, jumped straight up. My head cleared the roof, and I felt a smile grow on my face as I landed softly. "Ohhh, this is going to be fun!"

I took a few steps back and restarted. Three steps up, jump and twist, land on the rooftop, keep running. Everything was stiff and awkward for the first minute or two until I managed to force myself relax and just go with the flow.

Running was so much different in this body, things I should have been able to reach easily I now had to lunge for, and gaps that would have been a short skip before were now half-jumps because of my significantly reduced stature. On the other hand, gender and body type didn't translate to strength in Ilos, it was based solely on the amount of experience you had. Therefore I was just as strong as the 6'1" 200 lb rather muscled adventurer Cariss I had been before, but now only about half the weight.

The movement of my body itself was also much different. The way my hips moved from side to side much more than I was used to, the way my long black hair tugged at my scalp as it streamed behind me, the way my skin felt the wind more than ever, the way everything seemed so much bigger now that I was smaller.

The way your chest shifts and bounces under your shirt as you run.

I tripped, almost missing the next jump between rooftops. Shut up brain! You're supposed to be running!

I spotted the boy from the plaza below and a little behind me and did a flip over the street, a seemingly impossible jump, giggling as I saw him below me following the fastest ground route to the North Gate, a zig-zagging affair. He probably thought he’d beat me by a lot.

How could I do jumps and flips already even though I was in a completely new body different in practically every way when I was having trouble just walking earlier? The System Assist present in Ilos. All you had to do is decide what you wanted to do, and the assist would guide you through it if you didn't know how yourself. Well, if you trusted it and followed the small pressures it used to guide you anyway, like I did almost automatically now. It was the greatest tool ever; it’s just that most people didn't think of using it for anything but attacks.

Ten or so minutes later I leapt off the edge of the last rooftop, landing lightly before strolling over to lean against the wall of the nearby gatehouse. A smile tugged at my lips and there was a glow of pleasure flushing my face the way exertion in this world could not.

"Damn! I knew you champions were crazy, but that takes the prize!"

I looked over to the left, seeing a large guard staring at me and shaking his head in disbelief.

"What? It wasn't that hard."

"Xynus! 'Not hard' she says! What is your name little thing? I am Gudrun. He reached out his hand.

"I'm Car-" I frowned, "No, I can't use that name anymore can I? I'm... Aria. Nice to meet you." I replied as I shook his hand, going with the first name that popped into my head. "But if you ever call me 'little' again I'm going to hurt you."

"Oh? And how do you plan on doing that little cutie?"

I scowled at him, planning exactly what I would do here. I flourished my right hand, making a dagger appear in it and lunged. With the reaction speed I expected of a guardsman, his hand swept across and pushed my arm off course, but it distracted him from the blade I was using with my left hand. I twisted with his push against my arm, using his own strength to drive my left hand dagger faster, cutting right through the straps that held his leg armor up. While that side sagged, I reversed the direction of my right hand, cutting the straps on his left side as well. With the support gone, the weight of the armor pulled it to the ground, revealing his underclothes.

Finishing my step, I spun the daggers in my hands before making them vanish again with a flourish. "I never said what I'd hurt, in this case, your pride seems appropriate." I smiled brightly up at him as he tried to pull his pants back up to the laughter of his friends standing in the door of the gatehouse.

To my surprise, he started laughing, a great booming sound. "I deserved that! Well played Aria! Come by again, when you get back!" And then he waddled back into the gatehouse, still trying to get his pants back up.

"That is what flirting with champions gets you Gudrun!"

"Stick to the barmaids big guy!"

"Hey just cause none a' you have the guts-" Gudrun's voice cut off as the door slammed closed.

I blinked a few times. People, not NPCs. Right, gotta remember that.

My face flamed suddenly. Wait, he was flirting with me?

Just then the guy from the plaza ran up, sparing me an annoyed glance as I fell into step with him when he went past me, and saving me from my embarrassment. I matched his speed, though I could probably run faster with my lighter body. As we ran down the road leading north of Ilos, I looked him over fully for the first time, considering he obviously didn’t want a conversation with me.

Athletically built and handsome like practically all of the male players in Ilos, he looked just ‘normal’ enough that you wouldn’t be able to really tell if he was a player or NPC. His footsteps were light and only slightly louder than my almost silent ones, and that probably only due to the difference in weight. His short black hair was just long enough to rustle in the wind, and he had a slightly tanned skin tone, probably a shade or two darker than my own. Comparing him against the other players in the Plaza I’d seen, I guessed he was a few inches above the average height of 6 ft.

Damn, and I only come up to his chest? Am I even five feet tall?

The thing that set him apart from the players I had seen was his grace and ease of movement. Most players were a little stiff when moving with weapons attached to their waist, back, hands, etc., but this guy seemed completely at ease with the pair of swords strapped to his hips. That alone was incredibly impressive, dual wielding was very difficult to do effectively with anything bigger than long knives, I had yet to see anyone do it right. However, the familiarity with the burdens as he ran at his top speed meant he was at the very least practiced with them. I kept watching him, pleased at my decision to follow this guy from what I saw so far, until we entered the forest just outside of Ilos.

-----

A bit after we entered the forest, I noticed we were heading towards a small wolf cave directly in line with our path. The wolves, unlike most enemies in the area, would attack once you entered their small territory and were significantly stronger as well. They wouldn’t be a big problem unless we allowed ourselves to be surrounded, but it would slow us down a bit if the goal was to reach Riskmarl quickly.

“Um, you know there’s a hostile wolf den that we’re headed straight towards, right? It’d be much faster if we went around it.” I said, looking up at my so far silent companion.

He glanced down at me before turning his purple-blue eyes forwards again, but continued to run straight towards the den. “Hmm, I wonder…” My ears caught.

Before I could voice my doubts again, two grey wolves leapt from the foliage. Without thought, I drew my short sword and slashed, catching the wolf in midair across the throat. However, because of my lack of ‘experience’, my blade only left a shallow cut instead of beheading the thing.

I shook my black hair out of my face.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my companion engaging the other enemy with both of his swords, but couldn’t really watch considering there was a snarling slobbering wolf trying to bring me down.

Being a starting area, the wolves didn’t have complicated attack patterns, so I concentrated on learning how to fight in this body. Dodge the bites, parry the claw strikes, slash at the throat whenever possible.

Avoid getting hair in face.

I did manage to watch my partner fight a little bit after I settled into a pattern, and felt a small bit of pleasure knowing I had totally been right about him. He not only knew to dodge the bites that could lock up a weapon if parried and leave you open to the claws, but also wielded both of his blades to great effect, doing much more damage and killing his wolf well before mine. Then he looked over at me, turned, and walked off into the trees.

I scowled, the previous pleasure evaporating, and laid into the wolf in front of me. I beat him fair and square to the North Gate! Is he trying to ditch me? I mean I guess I did kind of force him into it, but he could have just told me to go away instead of aggroing wolves as a distraction so he could leave me!

It took me another minute to finally do enough damage to the wolf to kill it, and by that time the boy was long gone. “You jerk.” I muttered as I skirted around the wolf den and picked up the pace. “I bet you think I’ll just be dead weight. As soon as I get my quarterstaff I’ll kill things just as fast as you can.”

I’m quickly reaching the end of what I have written so far (much faster than I thought I would really) and while I will attempt to continue posting every week, I’m not sure I will be able to with all the work I need to do for classes. Anyway, I already have part 6 done, so not to worry about that, but from there on? We’ll see haha.

Edit: I've added a picture to give you a rough idea of what Aria looks like, hopefully it helps.

As usual, comments are highly appreciated!

-Tas

Part 5

Ilos, Day 1

I caught up to the boy just as he was entering Riskmarl and stomped up to him, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him around to face me. “You’re deliberately trying ditch me aren’t you! I beat you to the North Gate; you’re supposed to take me along with you!” I glared up at him, brushing my black hair out of my face again and poking him with a finger for emphasis.

He stared down at me as if he was looking at an annoying little bug. "I have hardly the patience to drag along some inexperienced little girl. If you wish to follow you will have to keep up on your own. Sad that looks and youth aren’t always enough to keep yourself alive, isn't it?"

“I- You- I know exactly what I’m doing you jerk! And- and looks and youth?! I took on that wolf just as well as you did!” I poked him again for emphasis, hard. “And I’m NOT A LITTLE GIRL!”

My shouting had drawn the attention of a couple of villagers that were near the outskirts of Riskmarl, and I felt my face flush red when I saw them staring. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep calming breath. “Look, I’m Aria. You help me do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ and get my quarterstaff, and I’ll be able to kill things just as fast as or faster than you can. Then I’ll be able to help you do all of the quests here a lot faster than if you did them on your-“

“I’m not interested in a partner.” He cut in, then turned and walked off.

“Rrggg.” I stomped the ground, glaring at his back hard enough to put holes in it. There was no way I could do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ on my own just yet without a quarterstaff, and I didn’t have the money to purchase one. “Stupid jerk.”

I stomped the ground again for good measure, then stalked off after him, “Can you at least tell me your name?”

"Names are a valued commodity in this world where everyone has tossed aside their former selves. I would tell you mine as soon as I'd part with all the coin my coffers could ever stash, and if that is unacceptable to you feel free name me as you wish. My name, my true name, is nothing you shall ever know."

I frowned; surprised that he would refuse to even give his name as well as from his oddly formal speech patterns. "Well I can't just keep calling you 'boy' and it'd be rude to name you 'jerkface'..." I trailed off. “Why am I questing with this guy again?” I muttered under my breath.

We headed to the inn, and I purchased the cheapest food and drink they had using most of the rest of my money: some bread and water. You still got hungry and thirsty in Ilos just like you did in the real world, though you didn’t have to go to the bathroom and you couldn’t ever die from dehydration or hunger. Despite it being unnecessary, trying to fight while you felt like you were starving was immensely difficult, so everyone ate and drank at regular intervals.

We ate in silence, him also just having bread and water, and then I followed him out to do some of the quests around town.

‘Quests’ are usually just things that NPCs need done that they either can’t, won’t, or don’t feel like doing themselves, so they hire out players, or ‘champions’ as they’re known in Ilos, to do these tasks for them. Each village has plenty of NPCs that need things done for them, and in return for completing these tasks, champions are rewarded with some combination of items, equipment, and coin, as well as the most important thing right now: experience.

As expected, all the quests we did were easy for a pair of experienced players, though I felt a bit useless without my quarterstaff. I simply didn’t have the skill needed to use the sword I had effectively, and it grated that it took so much longer for me to kill things. The feeling of uselessness was mitigated slightly by how much faster I could do ‘gathering’ quests with my increased agility, but still...

I still didn’t get why we couldn’t just do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ first so I could contribute in quests where we weren’t just gathering items, and since there was no answer forthcoming from the silent guy I was following, I ended up just muttering implications under my breath.

Of course I ran out of things to say to myself after about an hour, so I settled into a dignified silence (I was not pouting), broken by occasionally asking my partner for his name. He seemed to be tolerating my presence, but only because he couldn't find a way to be immediately rid of me.

Finally we came to the NPC that gave out 'The Lazy Shepherd', the owner of a clearing in which he kept livestock. The quest involved protecting said livestock from waves of monsters because the shepherd boy who the owner had hired had fallen asleep and didn't put out the special scent bags that kept the predators away.

My companion turned to look at me as before we approached. "Did you know that the musical aria is performed by a soloist? Your name suits you as much as those monsters suit the sheep. You'll have your quarterstaff, girl, but Masso¹ is a more fitting name for someone so stubborn."

I scowled. "Hey! I can take care of myself perfectly fine! Just... Not yet..." I felt my face flush, and I lowered my head, unable to meet his eyes. I'm probably slowing him down, but I can't do this on my own in this body! At least not yet. "I can't believe he called me a rock..." I muttered. Hurray for Italian classes so I can understand when someone insults me.

Suddenly I was angry rather than embarrassed. I had gotten higher in the beta than he had! I had more knowledge, more practice, and more experience than he did! I didn't have to take this! I looked back up, glaring into his purple eyes. "I'll take that stubborn crack as a complement. I poked him in the chest with my finger, and not lightly. "And if you're so knowledgeable about names, how about you pick one for yourself so I don't have to start calling you something like... Stulte²."

Not even deigning to respond, he simply turned and began walking towards the owner of the clearing to talk to him about taking on the monsters. I growled to myself, but followed, putting on a good face for the NPC and trying to be polite.

The quest wasn't really that hard, it just required the player to protect both the shepherd boy who was trying to place the scent bags to keep the monsters away and also keep the livestock from getting killed, a task not easily done solo. Waves of monsters came to attack, but this early on the Ilos mainland, they only had one, sometimes two kinds of attacks, and were easy to deal with. I still felt like I was slowing my companion down and not contributing my share because I simply didn't have the skill with a sword necessary to quickly kill our enemies the way he could.

After we successfully protected the shepherd boy, we went to talk to the owner of the clearing again, and he gave us each a few coins and a well-used quarterstaff. It was of decent quality but old, polished smooth by hands and long use. It had a faint shine, was the same moderately dark wood of the trees surrounding the village, slightly taller than I was, and thin enough that even my small hands could use it.

A feeling of relief came over me and I hugged the thing to my chest. Having a quarterstaff just made me feel so much safer and more confident with the knowledge that I could easily protect myself with it. Of course, that feeling only lasted a moment until I realized that my companion was walking away and I hurried to follow.

Now that I had my weapon of choice I didn't need to rely on the boy, but questing was faster and more efficient with two and I wanted to repay him for allowing me to tag along. I knew I had been slowing him down, essentially stealing money and experience from him in order to advance myself more quickly.

After thinking about it for a few more quests, I finally took my starter sword out of my inventory and stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Hey, do you… want this?" I asked, my face heating and turning down in embarrassment as he turned to look at me. "I mean, there's no sword upgrades worth it in this area, and this one is better than your second sword..."

"I have no need for your sword Masso. Our relationship is nothing but temporary and I will see it end soon." He replied, shaking his head slightly.

My head snapped up and my eyes widened a bit. "You... Don't want it?" I asked as I lowered the proffered weapon. He doesn't want a free equipment upgrade? "You have to be the weirdest gamer I've ever met."

He turned and started walking away before I recovered. "And my name is Aria, not Masso!"

-----

As the sun began to set the first few other players began to trickle into the village. Most had a confident look about them, as if they were repeating actions they had done before, but none had the presence of the companion I was already traveling with. I could simply tell that they were much less skilled by the way they walked and handled their weapons and movements.

He still wouldn't tell me his name, which was somewhat annoying, but he had stopped excluding that overly patient air like he was dealing with a complete annoyance and was more or less just ignoring me at this point. Though to be honest, I actually preferred the silence to the reactions I knew I would, and was starting to, get from the other players. I mean, I looked like a kid! And a cute female one to boot! I knew if they saw me they would probably think I was a burden, an object of pity, or worse, attractive to them.

Unfortunately, I had caught more than a few looks at myself in the reflections in the glass around the village, and could easily see the image in my mind’s eye. I now had the appearance of a cutely pretty girl with long black hair and golden eyes with a rather slight build. If I stood higher than 4’10” or weighed more than 105 lb I’d be surprised. Even though I was actually 21, I looked in my older teens, possibly even as young as 16 if you looked at my face from the right angle (which, unfortunately, was from above). My long midnight-black hair reached down to my lower back, and kept getting in my face until I got the trick of tucking it behind my ears just right. The darkness of that hair set off the yellow-gold eyes I had now, making them seem even brighter and more striking.

To avoid the other players, I needed to stay with the guy I was currently following despite the fact that we didn’t exactly get along. Despite calling me ‘girl’ all the time, he didn’t actually treat me all that much like the diminutive girl I looked like. He ignored me for the most part, but he also didn’t look at me in that weird way the other male players and even the villagers did. I got the feeling that he probably wouldn’t have treated me much different had I been Cariss instead of Aria.

I reached out and put a hand on his arm, giving it enough pressure to get his attention and then quickly removing it. “We should do the night quests together; these guys aren’t exactly up for it I don’t think.” He didn’t reply though he seemed to be thinking, so I tried to come up with something that would make him agree. “I have some potions I haven’t used and I can do some basic healing magic to deal with the area of effect attacks of some of the monsters around here.”

He finally nodded, "We will do what quests we can tonight but I plan to be in the next village by morning. If the lack of sleep is a problem you are free to stay behind."

I shook my head, my black hair flowing disconcertingly with my movements. "Not a chance, you're stuck with me for a while yet. Just by looking at the others I can tell you're the most skilled player here, and a little tiredness isn't going to stop me from staying with someone so good. Besides, you helped me get my quarterstaff; I at least owe it to you to get an equipment upgrade of your own."

There was a little bit of time before the sun fully set, so we stopped by the inn again to get some more bread and water. Unfortunately there were more than a few players here now, and it seemed like all of them turned to look at me as I walked in the door. Of course, looking at a newcomer was natural and I was used to it, having dealt with it for all my life in school classrooms. What I wasn’t used to was the way their gazes lingered as I went to go purchase my food, and seemed continuously drawn back to me as I ate with my companion at a table. I hated the attention, even if I knew exactly why I was receiving it.

Female players were relatively rare in Ilos because most people kept true to their real world gender and there were simply more guys that played video games than girls. In most games there would be a significant number of female avatars, regardless of the player’s true gender, but very few could handle the massive changes of a gender switch in Ilos and stuck to their own. All the attention I got was because I looked like a girl, and a young and pretty one to boot.

I wondered briefly if there was anyone else who had got their appearance switched around. It would be nice to know I wasn’t alone in all of this mess, but I really wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Everything was wrong with this. I shouldn’t be being stared at, I shouldn’t be short, and I certainly shouldn’t be looked down on like everyone was doing.

Twice it happened that a player started to approach me, concern written on his face, and I had to glare with those yellow-gold eyes of mine until he backed down. I didn’t want their concern, I didn’t want their help, and I didn’t want their pity.

Suffice it to say it was an… uncomfortable… meal, and I was glad to leave.

As we went to go accept the night quests from the various NPCs, I forced my face to form a pleasant smile and was as polite as possible, just like I had been doing all day when dealing with people that weren’t players. It paid to be polite, and I wasn’t going to take it out on the Ilosians just because I didn’t like my lot.

I finally felt like I was a significant benefit when we started with the quests involving gathering materials as I seemed to have much better night vision than my companion did. It was easy to spot the small stacks of wood the forester had left out that day, and the herbs the village Wisdom needed to cure a fever weren’t difficult to see either. I was also able to pull my weight a lot better now that I had my quarterstaff and lagged only slightly behind when killing monsters, unable to deal the damage my partner’s edged weapons could.

We completed the quests we had picked up in very good time and headed back to the village to find more. After going to the forest and back three or four times, the village Elder, introducing himself as Catre, approached us and asked for our help with a matter the village as a whole was having trouble with.

It seemed a large bear - the Grizzled Grizzly - had been killing livestock, destroying equipment and property, and generally causing a major drain on the people. He explained that the hunters had been attempting to find and kill the beast, but because it only came out at night they had been unable to as they couldn't venture far from the village for fear of being attacked by the dangerous monsters that inhabited the forest. As we accepted the quest, he also told us that there was another way to kill the Grizzly without having to fight it directly. If we could find and kill a Sickly Boar we could use its blood to poison the bear's den and Catre would count the quest as complete.

We turned in the other quests we completed and then headed back into the forest. My companion had not spoken another word since we started the night quests and while he seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about the quests around here, I wanted to make sure he knew everything with this one.

"I'm not sure how much you know about this quest, but you get different rewards depending on how you kill the Grizzly. If you use the poison the elder gives you a Tiny Quick Gem, otherwise we will get a pair of Comfortable Traveling Boots each. The poison would be easier, but having the Boots would significantly reduce our travel time. Besides, while Quick Gems are always useful to have, I could really go for some boots that fit better than these things do.” I kicked the heel of one shoe with the toe of the other.

Being able to access a small item from a gem without going through the inventory screen would be handy, but if we end up doing the amount of traveling I think we are going to, the run speed boost the Comfortable Traveling Boots give us is going to be a huge boon.

He considered for a moment longer, then replied. “We clear the mobs around the Grizzly quick as we can before aggroing the beast. Keeping ahead of the crowd is more important for now.”

We avoided the aggressive monsters in the areas much as we could, searching the forest for the Grizzled Grizzly, but we couldn’t get hide from all of them. After a few fights, I reflected that this was probably a good thing. I was significantly out of practice with my quarterstaff, and with the new body I had I needed to adjust some of the forms to make them usable again. Most of which involved creating extra room so I wouldn’t brush the protrusions on my chest or my comparatively larger hips. It took a bit, but with each adjustment I relaxed a little bit more, and my strikes began to flow again rather than jerk.

It really was nice to fight with a quarterstaff again. I slipped into the Stillness each encounter now, dancing as much as fighting, the feeling of unease with my new form unfelt just like every other emotion. I would have said I even felt happy, but even that emotion was muted to the point where it was unnoticeable while in the Stillness.

The only trouble with this forest at night was that there were slimes³ that would explode when killed, damaging everything nearby. The pair of us were quick enough that we could get away from most of the effect, but not all of it. I began to use Kasi to keep the damage down, periodically healing us, but we had to use a few potions while we searched as well.

After around an hour of looking, we finally found our quarry. It was a huge thing, as tall as I was when it was down on four paws, and had numerous scars and places where the fur no longer grew in evenly. Avoiding it for now, we quickly began clearing the area around it of any monsters we could find. Unfortunately, there were a lot of them, and as we started killing the last, the first ones we killed began respawning. We simply didn’t have enough damage, due to lack of exp, to kill all of the monsters in the area off quickly enough to only have to fight the bear.

I glanced at my partner, meeting his eyes, and in silent agreement we finished off the enemies we were currently fighting and moved to attack the Grizzly. I slipped into the Stillness, my mind able to process what information I had without the stress of battle playing in. The bear had four different attacks, double that of any other monster in the area. When it was on four paws, it would bite, which needed to be dodged, or slash with one of its paws, which could be either dodged or deflected. After taking some damage it would stand on its hind legs and roar, aggroing all nearby monsters and giving off an imposing presence that most players would react to with fear, but it would also expose the most vulnerable areas of its body: the belly and neck. After roaring, it would slash down with both paws, which due to the power would cause significant damage even if parried and therefore must be dodged.

As expected, the Grizzly slashed at us as soon as we entered its range, its paw only a blur as it drew a path where our midsections should have been. I was already above the attack, and my partner had slid under it, cutting with his blades as I brought down my quarterstaff with the weight of my fall on its head.

Our counter-strikes together were enough to create a Stun⁴ effect, and we began attacking as fast as we could. I was slightly to the right of the monster’s head, and began striking at its eyes and ears, both sensitive points, while my black haired companion attacked its left side.

As the Stun effect expired, the beast lunged at me, attempting to close its jaws on me, but I had already moved, and it caught only air. My role was to attract the Grizzly’s attention, keeping its focus on me while my partner dealt the real damage to its flank. By striking at the eyes and ears, the monster identified me as the most damaging target and continued to attack me. Because of my smaller stature and greater agility, I could easily avoid any damage it tried to do to me.

After a short time, the Grizzly reared up on its back paws and drew in a breath to roar. In unison, both of us attacked at its exposed weak points, him at the belly and I at the neck as the windpipe was more vulnerable to blunt damage than the guts were. Despite the attacks to its throat, the bear still let out a loud roar and began to slash down on us, making us roll out of the way.

The ground seemed to shake with the force, and the bear’s paws made deep imprints in the ground where they hit. Rustles sounded all around us as the monsters of the forest responded to the Grizzly’s roar, rushing towards us. There were two, six, nine of them that appeared, and I swore under my breath. There must have been more respawns.

We broke from our engagement with the bear and attacked the adds⁵, performing the same roles as before.

“Ci!” I shouted, closing my eyes and throwing up a hand with my palm open, creating a bright ball of light. My eyelids turned red to my vision, almost as if I were facing the sun itself. The orb only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to draw the attention of all the monsters in the area as well as severely damaging the night vision of any who looked at it directly.

As the person with the lesser damage output, it was my job to keep the attention of the enemies so my companion could focus on taking them down one by one without worrying about being attacked from behind. As fast and agile as I was now, I was still inhabiting a body I hadn’t even had for a full day yet, and the small mistakes in movement I was making started to add up with the number of attacks coming my way.

Despite the Stillness, I could still feel the fear of a heated and dangerous battle. With the large disadvantage in exp I was working with, it was sure that if I took a single solid hit I would be thrown off balance enough that I would be almost instantly killed. So I danced around the clearing like a madman (or madwoman I suppose), dodging what I could, parrying the heavy attacks I knew I couldn’t, and taking what damage I had to from the glancing attacks. I used everything I could to keep out of reach: I kicked off of trees, jumped over heavy foliage, slid through leaves to kick them up in the air, and used the monster’s bodies to block their allies. I felt like I was in the air more than I was on the ground.

Even glancing attacks caused a significant amount of damage over enough time, and by the time there were only two monsters other than the Grizzly left, my vision was starting to grow hazy, a sure sign that if I took many more hits I would start to lose consciousness. I was bleeding from numerous cuts and hadn’t had time to grab a potion from my belt, my health deteriorating without having to be directly hit now.

However, all of that was distant in the Stillness, just knowledge, what mattered was that I continue to hold the monsters attention until my partner could take them out. If it were any of the other players I had seen back at the village that were with me I would have been killed already, but the skill and sheer damage output of my partner was keeping us alive.

He killed off the last two adds, and we could finally turned our attention back to the Grizzly. I hid behind a tree to gain enough time to drink one of the health potions I had in my belt, then began attacking again. If I was hit, even slightly, the potion’s healing effects would cancel, but I knew the bear’s attack patterns well enough that I wasn’t worried. A crawling sensation moved across my skin as the cuts I had accumulated began to knit together and disappear. I still struck at the monster’s face as often as possible, continuing to hold its attention.

I had little attention to spare, but what I did have I used to watch my partner. He was a dervish, his two blades blurring with speed as he cut deeper and deeper into the Grizzly’s flank. The bear did one last hind leg stand, drawing in breath to roar again, but between my quarterstaff hitting its neck and my partner’s blades cutting into its belly, the monster only gave out a small groaning sound before falling to the ground with a massive thud.

Strength coursed through my body as the experience we gained from the fight was applied to us. That feeling was the only way to judge what kind of experience was gained, and by the rush I was feeling, it was quite a bit.

I twirled my quarterstaff before holstering it on my back, then stretched with my arms over my head. “Good job! That was a tough fight.” I smiled at my partner as he was wiping his blades off on the Grizzly’s corpse.

As I was starting to realize was normal for my mysterious companion, he said nothing, only glancing at me without expression before turning back to looting the Grizzly and the other monsters we killed.

We headed directly back to the village using the compass to guide us. The compass was a holographic-type screen just like the inventory, appearing when a player put their index fingers and thumbs of both hands together to form a rough circle. A normal compass would then appear in the empty space and could be modified by simple mental focus to show the direction of any place you had already been to.

I cast Kasi again as soon as I had enough mana, and drank another health potion to heal the rest of my injuries from the battle. Traveling back to the village was uneventful as we were successful in moving quietly by any monsters we encountered along the way. We could have just run through the forest, but unlike most games, enemies didn’t stop following you unless you killed them or they lost sight of you for a significant time. Most monsters were also faster than players were, and would also destroy buildings and kill NPCs if led to them, breaking quests and possibly permanently removing an entire village from Ilos.

When we arrived back at the village of Riskmarl, we were greeted by Catre, the village Elder who had given us the quest.

I bowed my head in greeting and smiled at him, still buoyant from the recent victory. “We’ve killed the beast Elder Catre, your village will no longer be bothered by it.”

He smiled, “Thank you champions. Please, take these for your troubles. I know they’re not much, but we have little else to offer.”

In each hand he held out a pair of Comfortable Traveling Boots, which I gratefully accepted, swapping out my rather badly fitting starting shoes immediately and placing them in my inventory to sell later. I sighed happily, wiggling my toes in the soft interior of the boots that reached up almost to my knees, fitting snugly, then bowed to Catre. “Thank you very much Elder, these will help us greatly.”

I glanced up at my companion, who had already swapped his boots as well, meeting his eyes, and in silent agreement we turned to go.

“Aria, a moment more of your time.”

I stopped in my tracks, turning back to Catre. He called me by name?

He walked the few steps separating us, then bowing, he spoke. “Aria, you’ve been so kind to us. Please, take this with you as well; we have no use for it here.”

I looked to see what he was giving me and couldn’t stop a gasp. Proffered in his outstretched hand was a small sky-blue gem, something I recognized immediately, but had never expected to see on the Ilos mainland. The Tiny Spell Gem glinted softly in the torchlight illuminating us, a rare treasure indeed.

Like a Quick Gem but for magic, a Spell Gem could be used to store a certain amount of mana in the form of a spell. In a world where magic was by and large the strongest force to be reckoned with, a Spell Gem was among the most sought after treasures.

I reached out and gently took it from his open palm, clutching it in my hand as I bowed deeply in the most respectful Ilosian way: one leg crossed in front of the other, bent at the waist with both arms held out straight to the sides. “Thank you for this amazing gift Elder Catre, I’m honored you would give me such a thing.”

He shook his head, smiling down at me. “The honor is all mine, thank you for helping us and being so kind, too many champions simply ignore us, or treat us as if we are merely objects. Now it is late, and weariness weighs heavily on these old bones. A good night to you Aria, and your companion as well.”

I watched as he walked off, a smile on my face, then turned to join my partner as we walked out into the forest, the few villagers still awake waving at us as we went. I held off casting Kasi on the Spell Gem, wanting to use the maximum mana I could hold for the spell charge, and placed it in my inventory for the time being.

We broke into a run when the lights from the village were no longer visible, and as expected, the boots we had just received significantly boosted our traveling speed. At this rate of speed I could probably win the Olympic games in any running event over a mile long. The wind was exhilarating as it blew through my hair.

I thought about the villagers in Riskmarl for a good while after we left and how they had been so grateful for what we had done for them. That was one of the two main draws for me in Ilos. More than the fighting, more than the feeling of accomplishing something difficult, more than acquiring new equipment; I loved knowing I had made a difference, that I personally had greatly affected the lives of a group of people for the better. That was something that was almost impossible to do on Earth.

Just thinking about the good we had done kept a smile on my face and a bounce in my step for the first hour or two of travel. I wish I could stay in Ilos forever, to live here rather than Earth for the rest of my days.

I caught sight of my hands as they swung with my steps, my small, soft, smooth hands. I brought them up in front of me and looked at them, turning them back and forth. They were so much smaller, the fingers longer when compared to the palm, the nails more rounded, and the skin hairless and smooth. The palms were missing the calluses I’d had for all my life and were almost uniform in color rather than splotchy. Not my hands, yet I had already begun to grow used to them like I had with the rest of me.

My good mood faded as I stared at them and thought over the day. I would never have cursed like I did at nameless guy had I been Cariss, but I just felt so angry. It’s like I’m feeling more than I used to. I’m already changing, adapting to conform to this new body. Am I even me any longer? Would Jess and Nick believe me if I told them who I was looking and acting like this?

If this was the price I had to pay in order to forsake Earth and live in Ilos, would I accept it?

I didn’t know. I certainly didn’t want to be a girl, but the inability to log out and the possibility that I would be a permanent resident of Ilos filled me with hope. I wanted to stay here, I wanted it more than anything I had ever desired, but would this price be worth it?

There was a part of me that screamed no, a part that couldn’t deal with changing genders and appearance and having that strip away all that I had ever held dear, including my friends and family. Yet I felt like I belonged here in Ilos in a way I never had on Earth, like there was this gaping hole in me that was filled by being here.

Why me though? I wondered. Was I turned into a girl because I was so close to Jess when it all happened? Did this Xynus guy just decide he wanted to screw with a couple people in addition to trapping them here? Or is it some other reason or just a fluke?

I sighed, feeling my eyes begin to grow heavy now that I wasn’t in combat or even real happy. I’m too tired to think about all this right now. How long have I been awake? Time started over from morning when the silver Key players were singled out, and I spent most of the day with Jess and Nick beforehand, so… 38 hours? 42? Whatever, none of this matters right now, I just need to keep going, keep gaining experience and strength until the rest of the players reappear.

I looked over at the as yet nameless boy I was traveling with. I’m just glad I’m not alone right now, even if he is cold and kind of a jerk, he doesn’t look down on me for looking like I do like everyone else seems to.

Ilos, Day 2

As the beginnings of dawn began to light the sky we entered the outskirts of the village of Neatar, slowing to a stop as we stood at the edge. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, then blinked blearily and looked up at my companion. “So what now?”

He looked down at me. “We'll rest for a time but I won’t let my lead be wasted. If you are not awake when I depart you have only yourself to blame. We are in separate rooms.”

I nodded tiredly. “I don’t want anyone catching us either. I think I’ll be good after three or four hours, just don’t leave me okay? I really don’t want to be alone.”

He sighed. “I will not wake you as I prefer to play alone, but I will accept that you have yet to slow me down. I will wake in four hours, Masso, and begin with ‘An Errand for the Cobbler’. I will complete some of the more valuable quests in this village before moving on. As persistent as you are, even if you oversleep I have no doubt you will find me before I depart.”

Relief washed over me, much more than I expected, and I smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

Without further comment, he turned walked off towards the inn, quickly and silently vanishing from sight. I took out the long squareish light blue Spell Gem from a pouch and fingered it absently, wondering if he would actually do what he said and not try to ditch me. Well, he needed to sleep sometime, and I had a few things to do before I could do so as well.

I stopped one of the villagers, a young man, and asked where the shops were, attempting to ignore how much I had to look up and the way his eyes flickered between my golden eyes and my chest. My attempt failed, and my voice snapped much more than I wanted it to when I thanked him, sending him scurrying away with wide eyes when I stalked off.

Thankfully the shopkeeper was a woman, and I was able to be much more polite while haggling with her. At least she only stared at my eyes. After selling all my extra equipment, I came away with a simple silver necklace and an attachment I could mount my Spell Gem to as well as twenty copper marks and six copper pars. I honestly thought I’d never work her up to that much, but from her smile as I walked off, she never expected to pay so little for what she got.

That was the best way to do things, with both sides thinking they’d got the better deal. I took it to the jeweler in the village, or at least the guy who did all the small fine work for everyone. He was much less experienced in bartering, and I managed to get him down to accepting four copper pars to attach my Spell Gem to the necklace. Normally I wouldn’t drive someone so hard when dickering, but he was staring at my chest the entire time. I don’t even think he noticed I had a weird eye color. It was quick work, and about twenty minutes after entering the village of Neatar, I was heading towards the inn with an emptied inventory and an easy way to carry my Spell Gem.

I bought some bread and water for a copper mark and rented one of the four rooms for another two, paying the innkeeper five copper pars to send someone to wake me after three and a half hours. Taking the food up to my room, I set my quarterstaff within reach of the bed then sat down in the single creaky wooden chair to eat my food. With a bed within a few feet of me, I barely managed to finish my meal before I fell onto the thin mattress, still fully clothed, and was out as soon as my head hit what passed for a pillow.

[1] Italian for Boulder.

[2] Latin for Fool, or Stupid.

[3] Rounded gelatinous creatures, mostly transparent but tinted different colors, the size of a large dog.

[4] A short period in which the affected monster cannot react.

[5] Weaker monsters that appear in a Boss fight, generally making the battle much harder until killed.

This is the last of what I have written so far. Hopefully I’ll still be able to post next week, but I’m not going to put up anything I’m not satisfied with, so it’s kind of up in the air. Anyway, thank all of you who commented, it really helps me out :)

-Tas

Part 6

Ilos, Day 2

*Thump*

I woke up on the floor next to the bed, scared completely out of my wits and my eyes blurry with tears. There was no feeling of threat, which would have made me reach for my quarterstaff, just a sense of fear, as if I had been trapped somehow and was unable to escape. I gathered myself and stood up, brushing back my hair and wiping my face and eyes to clear them. The panicky feeling slowly faded away as I took a few deep breaths and tried to convince my subconscious that there was nothing to be afraid of. Whatever that dream had been, or nightmare really, it must have been a doozy for me to fall out of bed.

I glanced at the bed, considering going back to sleep, but the sleep I did get must have done some good because there was only a small wisp of the exhaustion I had felt earlier remaining. And I really did not want to wake up that way again.

My quarterstaff, leaning against the wall by the bed, caught my eye. I should really work through some of the forms if I have the time right now.

I grabbed the weapon, my only possession in the room I wasn’t wearing, and walked towards the door. I caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of my eye as I neared the door, and spun to confront them. How the hell did someone get into my room? The system is supposed to prevent that!

I snapped my quarterstaff up into a ready position and started to demand the identity of the intruder. Then I realized that I was glaring through the mirror over the washstand… at myself.

Letting my quarterstaff drop, I felt my cheeks heat, and I was suddenly glad I was the only one who was there to see me ready to fight a reflection in a mirror. I absently brushed back the fan of hair that liked to drop over my left eye when I moved so suddenly, and smiled slightly. I was so glad Ilos didn’t include hair tangles after the tossing and turning I suspected I did while I was asleep. Thankfully my long midnight black hair fell as straight and soft as ever down to my lower back. At least that’s one thing I don’t have to deal with.

Recalling my introspection the previous night, the smile faded from the girl’s face. I concentrated, dropping into the Stillness so I could consider things without my annoyingly stronger emotions getting the way. The sense of oddness in this body faded as I relaxed, the unease, the loneliness, the fear and frustration and anger fading until they were unnoticeable, leaving me in a bubble of calm, of Stillness. The question is ‘can I do anything about this being a girl thing?’ Would it help to tell someone, that guy I’m traveling with maybe, what happened to me? Is there anything more practical I could be doing than what I’m doing right now?

I had certainly overreacted to many of the minor things that had happened to me yesterday. Most of the small insults from my traveling companion, the way the Ilosians looked at me, the flirtatious guard at the North Gate, all of those things would have just slid off me when I was Cariss. However, aside from that, I had done very well in gaining an advantage over most of the player populace in Ilos. By reaching one of the four main starting areas around the City and running through the quests there first, I not only got to complete the best quests in terms of efficiency and rewards, but also made sure any other players would be long in following.

Most quests could be completed again and again for a reducing reward by one player or for the same reward by many different players as long as the NPC in question needed something done, but not all quests followed this rule. Running errands, killing non-unique monsters, and many of the gathering quests were this way, the Ilosians seeming to leave things unfinished just so the players could have quests, though maybe they were just really lazy. ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ was an example of a quest that could only be completed once a day, as once the shepherd boy had placed the bags of scent, they would last the rest of the day and there would be no need for the owner of the livestock to hire another champion or group to protect his animals. Quests that involved killing a unique monster, like the Grizzled Grizzly, were very difficult and could only be completed once in a long period of time. The Grizzly would inevitably be succeeded by another bear or wolf or other animal, and then the quest would need to be completed again, but that could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Finally, some quests that involved unique events or circumstances would only be completed once, the bulk of these involving the bosses that guarded the path upwards into the islands above Ilos.

If there was a big enough group of players working together, it would be possible for them to catch us with their lower level of exp, but that kind of group seemed unlikely. I very much doubted that the other players were still frozen in fear in the city. Some might be, but I suspected that there were many who would consider this the best thing that ever happened to them, and considering all of them were in the beta, they knew most of Ilos’ rules and many of the quests in the starting areas. Some might gather together, but they would need to be very good in order to catch us now, especially with the boots we had just received.

So to answer my own question, this is the most practical thing I could be doing right now. I’ve done what I could with what I have and gained as much of a lead as possible.

Abandoning the Stillness and the cute young girl in the mirror, I headed down to the common room, stopping to ask the innkeeper if there was a clear space nearby I could practice with my quarterstaff.

He gestured towards the back of the inn, his hands busy polishing a bowl. “There’s a clear spot out back for hitching wagons, you’re welcome to use it unless there’s someone else there.”

I inclined my head for a moment. “Thank you.”

There was indeed a place behind the inn where a few spots of grass grew, but was mostly open dirt in front of a stable. I checked around, making sure there was indeed no one there, then unlimbered my quarterstaff and spun it between my hands and started working through the basic forms at a moderate speed. No problems, but that was expected after all the fighting I’d done yesterday. I sped up to full speed, the ends of the wood in my hands blurring out of sight and producing a low whirring sound.

It took a few minutes to run through all the basics, and when I stopped I saw a few of the village children peeking around a corner at me, probably come to investigate the noise. I smiled and waved them over. “Come on then. If you want to watch, I don’t mind as long as you stay clear.”

They ran over to a grassy spot and sat down, talking amongst themselves excitedly as they stared at me with wonder on their faces. They gasped and the soft babble increased as they noticed my oddly colored eyes. My smile widened slightly, and I spun up my quarterstaff again, flowing into the forms I hadn’t tried yet.

Unfortunately, most of those needed slight corrections to work with my new body, or rather to avoid hitting my chest or comparatively wider hips. It was slow and annoying progress, but getting things in order was necessary.

After a little while I gave up on fixing my technique and just moved. Each form was designed for transition into others, and you could chain them together with a little practice. I slipped into the flow and closed my eyes, a tension I didn’t know I’d had leaving my body as I spun the wood in my hands and danced to an unheard melody.

The sound of my quarterstaff cutting through the air grew louder until it was a constant rich thrumming, moving through every possible space a weapon or attacker could use. I slipped into the Stillness again, relaxing in the peace that was so absent in the past day. As always when I was in that state, the… presences, for lack of a better word… around me became clearer. I wasn’t sure if it was a product of the rules in Ilos, or something specific to the Stillness, but I could tell the general direction and number of any living thing near me, even with my eyes closed and my ears filled with the thrum of my weapon. The children were still there, and a strong presence approached, then after watching for a moment, left.

That must have been my companion. I really need to come up with a name for him, or get him to tell me his. I thought, but for some reason I knew I would wait until he gave me his name to call him anything.

Letting my quarterstaff gradually slow, I let go of the Stillness, sighing as I felt the full force of all the emotions in this foreign body hit me. That was one of the only drawbacks about the peace I could find with my weapon and the Stillness, everything else just seemed so much more when that calm vanished.

Rather than dwell on what would inevitably turn into me getting angry or depressed, I walked off towards where ‘An Errand for the Cobbler’ started to join my mysterious traveling partner.

We made good progress, moving through quests quickly, though I did end up taking some of my anger and other emotions out on nameless guy. It was like I couldn’t bring myself to be polite to him, though I did manage to hold any cutting remarks from the villagers that treated me like a little girl. Those always seemed to think that the guy traveling with me had some authority over me, or that he spoke for both of us, and would only talk to him, sometimes even ignoring me completely. It was annoying, and I took it out on him rather than be rude to the NPCs.

Regardless, we still got a good hour to nap after we finished the quests available in the daytime before the night quests unlocked.

-----

Night quests certainly weren’t easy, but between the pair of us we had little enough trouble with them. The real trouble came about an hour later.

The pair of us were talking to the mayor, one Briar Brisbane, who was a guardsman in his youth. He was born and raised in Neatar, and after seeing us help out his people he decided we might be able take on something that was plaguing the whole village.

As he was about to explain what he needed from us, there was a noise from beyond the door. Torchlight shone from outside, and I moved to look out the window. Seven men stood just outside the village border holding torches and a mixed assortment of ill-maintained swords.

“Damn, they are here already. Please, get rid of these men. I will give you my old sword as a reward, but please just drive them off.” At my questioning look he continues to explain, gesturing towards the window with a long face. “They used to be people who lived in this very village, but when times got hard they decided that robbery was the best way to go about things. We do not have the men to repel them anymore because of all the monster attacks, and we no longer have the money to pay them off. I do not know what they will do then. I just wish they would come back to us.”

My companion took my place at the window, examining the men who were beginning to approach the house.

I scowled. Bandits were the one thing in Ilos I hated most. They were cowardly, mean, and a blight on everything and everyone around them. Ilos was my home now, and bandits defaced the beauty that it had and was. “I hate bandits.” I muttered, “Can we kill them?”

Turning from the window, my partner addressed Mayor Briar. “Mayor I can promise only one thing, as I am a loner and have no more charisma than a wolf, if I am to take this task all those men out there will die. I will make it as clean and quiet as can be in return for that sword but if you wish them a different fate I am not the one to ask.”

The mayor bowed his head, sighing heavily as if giving up, but nodded. “Very well. If they do not leave we will all die.”

A small smile began to grow on my face, but vanished as the unnamed man turned and looked down to speak to me. “Masso you will let me handle this and you will let me handle it alone. I will not tolerate an argument otherwise lest you believe yourself a match for my swords. You may watch and kill what ones slip me by but I will be doing this my way and you are not suited for such methods.”

What? Does he still think I can’t fight?! “But I-“ I started to argue, indignant, but caught the look on his face. He was entirely serious about doing this alone, and I was suddenly sure that if I tried to interfere or help he would turn on me. The anger faded from my face, and I nodded sharply. The bandits would still die, and being able to travel with someone so skilled was worth the price of not killing them with my own hands. “Show no mercy.”

Without further word, he walked out the rear door of house with me following, and both of us vanished into the shadows. I stayed back in the darkness of the house, holding one eye shut against the torchlight, and watched my companion as he moved forwards, silent as mist.

Abruptly, the three torches the bandits had between them went dark. Rather than go out suddenly, this was something different. Three small orbs of darkness had replaced the ends of the torches, an effect I recognized as the Shadow elemental magic spell Tu. I opened my closed eye, and the world brightened from the pitch blackness that had suffused it for a moment. My companion was among them, his swords slicing necks and piercing chests. Four of them died before any of them realized something was wrong, the fifth before any of them see him, and the sixth as he flinched back in fear. The last bandit dropped his crude sword in his panic and stumbled backwards. He opened his mouth to scream, but a sword appeared in his throat before he could make the slightest noise.

“Seven seconds. Damn.” I muttered, walking towards my companion, who was busy snuffing out the torches before dismissing the Shadow spell. Without a word, we searched the bodies for any valuables, finding a small amount of money and a few of the weapons worth selling.

Standing, he looked at the corpses and blood, and they began to quickly waste away, dissolving into motes in a couple minutes rather than the hours they would take otherwise.

“A trick such as that won’t work on those who expect it or those who a better trained than mere bandits.”

I nodded, agreeing. “That was Tu right? I should start working on my Shadow magic.” I motioned towards what little was left of the bandits with a hand. “Is that a Death magic spell? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one.”

“Hope that you don’t see many more. Death magic is a dangerous spell type as is anything that so readily strikes against the living, and its users are seldom the kind you want to accompany.”

We waited until the last vestiges of the dead men dissolved away, then headed back inside the mayor’s house.

He greeted my partner, bowing low. "Thank you. I wish they could have come back to us, but this was the next best way. Most of the village is asleep, and this way I can say the bandits left and never came back. You've saved my people a lot of grief tonight sir."

He turned and walked back into the house, coming back with the sword. "Here is the sword as promised, and this is something I was given to pass on to someone whom I deemed fit." Along with the sword, he also handed him a White Carnation. It was beautiful, pure as newfallen snow, and drew my eyes like a moth to flame.

He checked the item description, a window appearing over the object low enough that I could read it. It read: ‘A Flower whose meaning lies in remembrance. It has an unknown effect, but may hold a special meaning to a certain someone.’

The mayor cleared his throat. “Sir, what name may I call you? I must have something I can tell the elders at the meeting I must call tomorrow morning. You and Aria have helped us greatly this day."

Do I finally get to find out this guy’s name?

"I have no name good sir, and I would ask it as a favor if you would make no mention of me. Tell your elders it was the doing of this young girl, and if your tongue cannot lie lest it be cut, only mention me as a man in her company. I would appreciate it so."

I sighed slightly. Of course not.

"I see. Well please, my son runs the inn, I'm sure he would let you stay free tonight and give you quite the feast. We all owe you a debt for your actions tonight and it is the least we can do to show our gratitude.”

A free bed would be nice, but… I shook my head. "Thank you for the offer, but I believe that we are traveling to Gladen tonight.

I glanced up at my partner, who gave a tiny nod. “It is so.”

Bidding the mayor a good night, we headed out of the village.

As the dim light faded to shadow along the path under the canopy of the forest, I looked up at the black haired guy I was traveling with. "That was really impressive with the bandits, but you should let me help next time. As much as I don't advertise it, I'm good with more than just a quarterstaff." I slipped out the throwing daggers hidden in my sleeves and twirled them, then made them vanish back to their places with a flourish. "Maybe you can teach me some that Shadow magic of yours and I can help out, I only know a few spells of that element."

He held my eyes for a moment longer, expressionless as usual, then turned to look back forwards.

I frowned, then shrugged “I… guess not.”

Putting it out of my mind, I opened my senses and made sure my footsteps were silent as we ran. I occasionally glanced at the nameless man I was matching my pace to, noticing he was also keeping alert despite traveling down a safe path as well as keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible.

A comfortable silence settled as we traveled, neither of us feeling the need to speak. Despite his annoying tendency to get on my nerves, I was glad that I had found someone so skilled and had the same views on socializing that I did, namely that it wasn’t always needed.

After a two or three hours of traveling, I heard movement up ahead of us as well as the sound of leaves rustling against each other. There was no wind and therefore the source of the noise must be some nearby Plantea. As could be assumed from their name, Plantea were essentially semi-sentient vegetation, along the same intelligence of most wild animals. They were territorial, and used ambushes as a means of attacking their enemies when in forested areas.

Up ahead, the path suddenly narrowed with large bushes lining each side, or rather Foliage Plantea, the weakest of all Plantea. Around three feet tall, I knew they attacked with whipping vines and roots that tried to entangle the legs of their prey. Unfortunately, Plantea were pretty resistant to blunt attacks, like those of a quarterstaff, so I drew a pair of throwing daggers as we approached the ambush site.

Rather than try to avoid the monsters, we simply attacked them. My partner’s swords cut them down easily, and while I wasn’t used to fighting with just daggers, I was still able to do much more damage that I would have with a quarterstaff. Parrying the vines with a sharp weapon generally severed them, eliciting a cry of pain from the Plantea, and I was too light on my feet to be entangled with the roots. The nameless man didn’t even bother dodging the roots, but was perceptive enough to simply cut them apart just as they started to creep towards his feet.

After the failed ambush, we simply continued on our way.

Ilos, Day 3-7

For the next few days we just continued the pattern that we had started with the previous villages. We’d arrive at dawn, Nameless would tell me how long he would sleep, then we would eat bread and water, rent rooms, and rest. The mild panic that would wake me from my slumber faded after a day or two, allowing me to rest for almost the full time I had available, though I still took half to a quarter of an hour to train with my quarterstaff after I awoke.

After a short while my traveling companion would come out of the inn, ending my practice, and we would do quests and kill things until we’d completed all of the valuable quests in the area. Generally by then it was dusk, or close to it, and we would take a break to eat and visit the shops, selling what items we didn’t need and restocking on potions if we had used any.

That comfortable silence reigned whenever we weren’t talking to the NPCs, or the Ilosians as I had begun calling them, or in battle. We gradually began to work together rather than simply fighting solo with someone else there, and the experience we gained began to increase as a result.

As soon as night truly set, we started the night quests, which always culminated in some big event or quest with appropriate rewards, and then continued on to the next village to repeat the cycle.

Between the quest rewards and the extra gifts the Ilosians gave us, we ended up with a good amount of decent equipment.

I still had the same quarterstaff, but I picked up a pair of long knives I kept sheathed at the small of my back to help deal with any Plantea we came across. I also replaced the light red (it was not pink) starting armor with a green and brown colored Hunter’s Garb and now had a small hair clip in the shape of a wolf that not only kept my hair out of my face, but also slightly increased my senses.

I still had mixed feelings about that clip, mainly because it was the only overtly feminine thing I owned, but in all practicality I couldn’t dismiss the benefits of not only keeping my hair out of the way, but also that enchantment on the clip. I also liked the wolf design on it. The necklace that had my Spell Gem attached to it didn’t count as feminine, as that’s the way I would have worn it anyway.

Nameless guy had managed to replace both of his starting swords with much better versions, and was wearing a matching Hunter’s Garb, albeit in darker colors. He was also wearing a ring in the shape of a boar’s head that slightly increased the strength of his blows.

It was startling how reliant I had grown on his company. Along with when I was training with my quarterstaff or in the Stillness, questing alone with the guy was the only time I could truly relax. Unlike the Ilosians, he treated me just the same as he would anyone else with my skill level, completely disregarding my appearance. The NPCs, on the other hand, seemed to think we were related as brother and sister or even father and daughter, or failing that, lovers. They also seemed to think I was completely helpless and needed to be protected. I suspected that if I hadn’t been traveling with my much older looking partner I wouldn’t even have been able to do some of the quests. With all of this, dealing with the Ilosians in a polite manner was… grating.

Regardless, I persevered, and generally by the time dusk fell the villagers understood I wasn’t anything like they had assumed me to be. The children, unlike their elders, didn’t seem to notice how young or small I looked, and followed us whenever we were in the village borders. To them we weren’t people that could cause trouble, or lovers, or related, or too young, or whatever, we were Champions. We went and did awesome things and used real weapons and killed real monsters, and that was just the coolest thing to them.

I loved them for it, and would often entertain them with flourishes and juggling with my throwing daggers, or when I practiced with my quarterstaff.

After we finished the last village's quests, we were faced with a dilemma. This was the village at the northernmost edge of the forest and it would take two days of travel to get to the next town.

I followed my companion to the inn, where he rented a room and told me to be ready at dawn rather than in a few hours like normal. We ate together, bread and water again, and then went to our rooms to sleep.

-----

The man with no name closed the door to his rented room at the inn, but made no move to make ready for sleep. Sitting down on the bed, he opened his inventory and took stock of all that he had, adjusted his equipment, reviewed the words of power he knew, and thought through his plan to make sure there were no holes.

He needed to rent a room at the inn, being sure to have a separate room from Aria, which had already been accomplished. After a brief wait, just long enough for Aria to have fallen asleep, he would sneak away from the inn and set out for the next village, spending the night traveling. At first light he would leave the road and sleep for several hours in the tall grass that covered most of the land just outside the forest, fending off what weaker daytime monsters came.

At that point he would continue traveling at a leisurely speed to the next village, predicting that Aria would have certainly passed him while he was sleeping, but before reaching the town he would take a loop around the settlement’s borders and continue straight on to the next rather than stop there like he normally would. After observing her for the past week, he was confident that if Aria didn’t find him in the next town she would give up on searching for him.

When the nameless man sensed that about a half hour had passed, he rose and silently opened the window, slipping out onto the roof and closing the hinged glass behind him. It was child’s play for him to avoid the small number of villagers still awake at this time of night, and before a minute had elapsed he was out of the village and traveling towards the next town.

When dawn broke, he continued traveling for another hour or so before leaving the dirt road. The area around was hilly but had the type of terrain used in plains, and was largely covered in long emerald green grass. After a small stint of searching, he found a small flattened patch of grass that was invisible for the road, and settled down to sleep there.

The girl will surely be fine on her own. Best sever ties with her before I become attached. I am a loner, and she'll be better off not following the path I've set for myself. If we ever meet again I hope it won’t be at the end of my blade.

I didn't think I'd finish this by the weekend, but I did! Unfortunately I don't think that will be the case next week (I've got lots of school to do), but if I get enough done during study breaks... Well we'll see. Anyway, thank you again to those who comment, it always leaves a smile on my face to see your thoughts :)

-Tas

Part 7

Chapter 3: Ilos, Day 4

Nick- Finn, it’s Finn here- Finn blinked his eyes and looked around, taking in the Council Chamber and the large number of NPCs looking at him. The Regent was sitting in his miniature throne just like he was the last time Finn had been in Ilos, but the table had been cleared away and it seemed he was holding some sort of audience with a lot of well-dressed people.

“Ah- sorry, I’m obviously interrupting something here. When you have a few minutes Regent, I would like to speak with you. I’ll be outside.”

He hurriedly walked towards the doors of the chamber under the eyes of the NPCs, but he still heard the whispers of those who watched him as he passed.

“Did you see that?”

“How did he do that? I have never heard of a teleport spell that looks like that.”

“Invisibility maybe?”

“No, they have wards up for that.”

“I will bet he is one of those champions.”

“A champion! I have never seen one so close before!”

“He does not look that differ-“

From the first person to utter it, the word ‘champion’ spread through the assembled people like wildfire, igniting murmurs that rapidly grew in intensity until he closed the Council Chamber’s door behind him. “What have I gotten myself into?”

It had only taken a day before Jess went back to Ilos with him standing guard over her body, but this was the first time she had felt safe enough to let him come too.

Intent on contacting Jess, he uttered the basic word of power for the Spirit element, one of its uses being telepathy with someone you had already met. “Su.”

*Je- Ahh, Lassea, can you hear me?* He thought, focused on sending the words to his friend. *Imagine yourself ‘thinking’ the words to me.*

*Like this?*

*You got it. I’m outside the Council Chamber inside the Palace. Do you know where that is?*

*I know where the Palace is, but I haven’t been inside yet.*

*Okay, I’ll meet you at the Palace gates, and we can book it back here. The Regent is the one to ask about the Bell of Recall, and he’s holding some kind of audience in the Chamber. Something I interrupted when I logged in.*

*Ha, I’ll bet they all stared at you like you were some sort of alien until you left and made comments on how you managed to randomly appear.*

*How did you-?*

*How did I know? Because that’s what I would have done in their place.*

Finn shook his head, marveling at his friend’s ability to understand the NPCs, and started running for the Palace entrance. And why not? He didn’t feel any fatigue, and there was no muscle soreness to worry about. He even sort of understood why David loved that freerunning of his so much, it was kind of freeing to move that fast under your own power.

He met Jes- Lassea at the gates and led her back into the palace. She had a small flame, no bigger than that of a small lighter, burning softly near her head. Said she liked seeing it, sort of like a reminder, though she didn’t elaborate on what it reminded her of, he had a pretty good guess.

After the eighth or ninth turn she shook her head. “How do you keep this straight? I got lost two or three turns ago.”

“Do you remember how obsessed I was with this game? I memorized the layout of every place the beta testers mapped out, including the Palace. You should have let me come earlier; I know everything there is to know about this city.”

“I know, I know, but I just felt so much safer knowing that you were there with me.”

When they reached the Council Chamber, they were met by a tall guardswoman with bark brown hair in a ponytail, forest-green eyes, and a sword and shield on her back. It took Nic- Finn a second to remember her, that commander of the Capital Guard he had met the last time he was here.

“Greetings champions.” She said, inclining her head. “Finn, were you going to ask the Regent about the Bell of Recall?”

“Who is this?” Jess – argh – Lassea asked, peering at the woman’s decorated armor.

“This is… ah…” Finn trailed off realizing he didn’t remember her name.

The woman in question grinned. “I am Lorilee Avenia, a Commander of the Capital Guard. And you are…?”

“Lassea.” She bowed. “Avendavida. An honor to meet a member of the Capital Guard, much less a Commander. You must be an incredible woman to have achieved so much.”

Lorilee smiled, bowing back. “Avendavida. It is a pleasure to meet a champion who observes basic social graces, though your friend here was not so bad as most.”

Lassea smirked. “I like to think I raised him right.”

The other woman laughed, and Finn rolled his eyes. “To answer your earlier question, yes, I was going wait till his audience or meeting or whatever was done and then ask him about it.”

“Well, you’d be in for the long haul then, they’ve been in there for two days with no signs of coming out, and the only people they let in are the servants bearing food and drink. All the nobles that have holdings in the city are gathered in that room, and are trying to decide what to do with all you champions wandering about everywhere. Has them in quite the tizzy, they have no idea how to deal with you.”

“So that’s why they were all so fancily dressed…”

“You went in there?!”

“No, that’s just where I was when I logged back in.”

She blinked. “Where you what?”

Lassea stepped in. “I’d be happy to explain it to you later Commander-“

The guardswoman held up a hand. “Just Lorilee please, I get called Commander enough around here without you doing it too.”

Lassea smiled. “I’d be happy to answer any questions you have Lorilee, but we were looking for information on the Bell of Recall, and it is somewhat urgent.”

“Ah. Well we did not actually find anything. From all reports the Call to Arms was rung on its own. One of my men was guarding the area, and he swears on his family that there was no one operating the Bell when it started moving.”

“Oh.”

“I am sorry I could not be the bearer of better news.”

“It’s alright Lorilee; at least it’s a subject we know to not spend more time investigating. Thank you for your help.”

“You are most welcome Lassea.” She turned to look at Finn. “Now what was that phase you used? ‘Logged in’? I have a lot of questions if you can spare the time.”

Finn glanced at his friend, who shrugged, a little dejected. They didn’t know what else to look into to find more information on David’s disappearance – Please God don’t let him be actually dead –, so chatting with the guardswoman could be a good a choice as any to learn more. “Well, why not? We don’t have anything else to go on for now and maybe you can answer some of our questions as well. Do you have someplace we can go? This isn’t exactly the best place to have a chat.”

“We can go to the Wheel and Locket, the innkeeper is a friend of mine and she has a private room she often lets me use. Is that agreeable?”

The two friends glanced at each other, and Lassea nodded. “Lead on.”

They followed Lorilee out of the Palace using a slightly different combination of hallways than before, and at a much slower pace. It seemed that while players did not suffer from fatigue, the natives still did. Or else she’s just being polite. Finn speculated.

Lorilee looked over her shoulder at them. “So do the two of you know each other well? It certainly seems so.”

“Yes, we’ve been together a long time.” Lassea answered.

“You are lovers then?”

Finn tripped over his own heel, stumbling forwards a few steps before he caught his balance again, and Lassea stopped dead before laughing. “No no, we certainly aren’t lovers.” She said, starting forwards again.

Lorilee flushed, turning her head to look forwards again. “I apologize. With the way you seemed to communicate by glances and how you replied, I simply assumed…”

“No, it’s alright; I should have chosen my words better. We’re just really close friends, almost family.”

Finn glanced at Lassea, harboring a slight regret that their relationship wasn’t anything more. He had had a crush on his friend for years, though he was much better at hiding it that David was. Honestly he thought it would be odd for a guy not to have a crush on her. She was kind, honest, friendly, considerate, and beautiful, the kind of girlfriend any guy should want. However, she never gave any indication of interest towards him, and so he never made any sort of move on the subject.

They arrived at the Wheel and Locket, a three story inn close to the Palace, but out of view of the plaza. The sign hanging over the entrance showed a wagon wheel with the necklace of a locket strewn through the spokes. Lorilee lead them through the door without hesitation, raising a hand in greeting. “Hey Vivika!”

A young redheaded woman behind the bar turned to look, and a smile blossomed on her face as she moved around the wood and towards them. Nick estimated her to be about 5’8” and in her late teens, much too young to be running her own inn. However, the patrons in the common room only glanced at the newcomers before returning to their business, so it seemed she had some place here.

“Lorilee! I have not seen you in a few days, how have you been?” The girl stopped, seeming to notice the two champions for the first time. “Oh sorry, where are my manners? I am Vivika Ponri, the owner of the Wheel and Locket.”

“I’m Lassea, and this is Finn. Avendavida.” Lassea said, bowing.

Nick hurriedly followed her example, making a mental note to ask his friend about how she knew all of this stuff when they logged off. “Avendavida.”

“Avendavida.” Vivika replied, returning the bow. “Please, come in and have a seat. What would you like?”

“Actually Vivika, if we could use the Key Room I have some things to discuss with them in private.” At her friend’s surprised expression, Lorilee continued. “They are champions, and have agreed to answer some questions.”

“Champions?! But they are so polite! Surely you must be mistaken?”

“Wow, we really have a bad rep around here don’t we?” Finn commented.

“A ‘rep’? I… am not familiar with that word.” Lorilee said, Vivika’s expression showing that she was in the same boat.

Lassea smiled, “Vivika, if we could impose on you, having a private room would be a much better venue for this conversation than the doorway of your inn.”

Vivika turned, and noticing they were the subject of attention of all of her patrons with the exception of what looked like some merchants bickering in a corner, flushed a pretty rose color. “Ah. Yes. Umm. Right this way.”

She led them up the stairs at the back of the common room and down a hallway before stopping at a room on the right. “I expect to be told everything before you leave Lorilee.” She said smiling, “You know I get worried when you do not come see me for a few days. Now I must get back to my inn.” She handed over a rather large key to Lorilee, and then turned and left.

The guardswoman shook her head, but had a big smile. “Oh Vivika.” She turned and opened the door with the key, gesturing towards the room. “Shall we?”

The Key Room was pretty small, holding a rectangular table, six chairs, an unlit fireplace, and little else. They each took a chair, Lorilee at one side of the table with Finn and Lassea sitting next to each other across from her.

Before anyone could say anything, there was a knock on the door, and a serving girl came in with cups and a flagon of wine, which she placed on the table before making a curtsey and leaving. Lorilee poured for everyone, and once they had all had a sip or two she started.

“There are a lot of things I do not understand about champions. Xynus sent down a message telling of your coming and that you were going to be the saviors of Ilos, but he did not mention much about you besides instructions on how to help you. He told us to send you on errands, ask you to kill things, and generally hire you to do as many things as we could. We expected you would be like us, simply more powerful, but instead you use strange words and phrases, do not observe even the simplest of manners, and are sometimes completely dismissive of us. Lassea, as the only champion I’ve heard of that is actually polite, and Finn, as her close friend, may I ask you some questions?”

Lassea opened her mouth, her agreement written on her face, but Finn beat her to the punch. “Yes, we would be willing to answer your questions, but in return we ask you answer some of ours. As much as you know of us, we know as little or less about you.”

Lorilee nodded. “Agreed. Shall we simply trade questions?”

Finn started to agree, but it was Lassea that spoke over him this time. “Please Lorilee, let’s not be so formal. Simply ask your questions and we will answer, and if we think of one to ask you then we will.”

The guardswoman smiled, relaxing a little bit. “Very well. Let me start simply, what was that word you used earlier? ‘Rep’ I think it was?”

“’Rep’ is simply a shortened version of ‘reputation’. I was observing that you have a low opinion of champions as a whole.” Finn replied.

“Ah, alright then. How about that other phrase you used earlier? ‘Logged in’ I think it was?”

“That… is a little more complicated. Well, I suppose we had better just explain where we come from and how we got to Ilos in the first place. That’s bound to answer a large portion of your questions. It started for us when our friend David got this metal headband…”

Between the two of them, Finn and Lassea explained as much as they could about the circumstances regarding their arrival in Ilos and the subsequent events, occasionally slowing when Lorilee didn’t understand a phrase or word they used. The guardswoman listened attentively, though it was obvious she was struggling with disbelief at the story. It took longer than any of them expected, and they ended up going through the entire pitcher of wine.

“… and that’s when you bumped into us, I mean, met us outside the doors to the Council Room, and of course you know the rest.” Lassea finished.

Lorilee sat back in her chair and breathed out heavily, staring at the pair of friends with wide eyes. “This is much more than I ever expected or even imagined. You are truly from another world?” They nodded. “Incredible. I would never have guessed, not in a hundred years. Let me see if I have everything right. You come from a different world, a place called Earth, and these metal headbands of yours, referred to as Keys, allow you to come here, to Ilos, a place you think is a game?”

“Essentially yes, though there is something more going on here than any of us know. I can’t think of you as an NPC anymore, and I strongly suspect that the rest of the inhabitants of Ilos are the same as you.” Finn answered. “Therefore, despite the similarities, this cannot be a game. The question is where is this? How do the Keys get us here? Why were we led to believe this place was not real in the first place?”

“I do not have the answers to any of those questions, though your story has answered many of mine. The group of champions you mentioned vanishing when the Bell of Recall was rung did not die as you may believe, they appeared in the plaza the next morning. I do not know what happened there, but a good portion of them banded together and headed towards the West Gate. By the last report from the guardsmen at that gate, they are currently training for something, killing the monsters in and near the forest as fast as they can reappear. I've met their leaders, Corvid and Tasalin, but they have never mentioned logging out as you do.”

Lassea stood at her words, leaning over the table excitedly. “Do you know if they have someone named Cariss with them?”

Lorilee shook her head. “I do not, though I can find out. Is that the name of the friend you said had vanished from your world?”

Taking her seat again, Lassea nodded. “Yes, that’s the name he uses here.”

“Do not worry; I will do what I can to find him. You have helped me greatly today, though I now have much to think about, and I will do what I can do return the favor. Besides,” The guardswoman smiled, “I like you.”

“Say Lorilee, why is that that you don’t use contractions?” Finn asked. “I’ve noticed that none of you do actually.”

Lorilee tilted her head, frowning. “I… I am not sure. I certainly understand them well enough, but I have never used them like you do. It is just custom I suppose.” She shrugged, dismissing the issue. “We have spent longer than I expected here, and I unfortunately must get back to my men and draft up a report for the Regent. I apologize that there was not time to answer some of your own questions, so we may meet again tomorrow if that is acceptable. I will very likely be able to find if your friend has joined with Corvid by then and will be able to answer some of your other questions then as well. Thank you again for your help.” Lorilee stood, then bowed.

“Oh, that’s not a problem Lorilee. I would love to meet with you again.” Lassea smiled, standing as well. “You should invite Vivika as well, it’d be good to talk with her too.”

“I will.”

“Not that you’ll have much choice after you tell her about today.” Finn snickered, making a guess about the young innkeeper.

Lorilee’s blush said he had hit the mark. “Ah. Yes. Well, I had better be off now. I will see you here tomorrow at noontime?”

The friends glanced at each other, then nodded at her together. “We’ll be there.” Lassea answered for both of them.

“Say, before I go, would you let me see you ‘log off’?”

“Umm, sure.”

They glanced at each other again, then crossed their arms over their chests and logged off.

Earth, Day 4

Nick sat up on the mattress he had on the floor, attempting to stop the spinning in his head. That had happened last time he had logged off too, probably something to do with going from a standing position to a prone one instantly.

“Ugh, I'm never going to get used to that.” Jess moaned from her bed, clutching her head.

“Hey, at least we learned something this time.”

“Yeah! We might actually find Brother!” She said, a huge smile painting her face. “I like Lorilee too, she seems really nice.”

Nick scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe I ever thought of them as NPCs. How could I miss all those obvious signs? I never even thought to ask the kind of questions an NPC wouldn’t be able to respond to.”

Bang! Bang! Bang! An insistent knocking sounded.

Jess sighed. “Leave it to the media to ruin a perfectly good day. Well, I did tell them to come back today, so I’d better get changed, and as good as a friend you are…”

Nick grinned at her, then left the room, taking the couch and ignoring the continued knocking. The media could wait after what they did. With nothing else to do, he thought back to a few days ago and the big reason they went back to Ilos.

The night they learned David was dead, Jess cried herself to sleep with the video chat still on, and after wiping the tears from his own eyes, he had purchased a plane ticket for that night, packed his bag, and headed out. He had investments in several different companies, all of which, as he had predicted, were doing well, so he had the money to blow when things like this came up.

Within six hours he was at his friend’s door, and was met with a huge hug and more tears. He had been staying at her place ever since. They both had other friends, many of them close, but their trio was family and they had lost a brother. So they mourned. They had cleared their schedules for the week under David’s recommendation on this game, there was nothing for them to go do, and honestly they hadn’t wanted to do anything. Having each other as company was a comfort, one they sorely needed.

The police showed up the second day with questions. A lot of questions. Apparently David’s body was one of the few they had gotten to, and it had started to dissolve into colored lights within hours, vanishing entirely by that morning despite all attempts to stop it. Jess came clean about how she lied to the operator in order to get them to check the house, and while they were initially pissed about it, they - eventually - had to admit to themselves that the department near David’s apartment wouldn’t have gone with a reason like ‘he vanished in a video game and I want you to check on him’.

His friend had been reduced to tears within minutes, and it took him a half an hour to get the officers to talk to him about the game rather than grill Jess about things she didn’t know and make her feel guilty for lying. Normally he had the utmost respect for law enforcement, but it didn’t take long for him to see they were grasping at straws, wanting to believe she was lying to them. He finally yelled at them, which in hindsight was a terrible idea – he could have gotten arrested or something – but it got them to lay off Jess, so it worked out.

When the police left, the media showed up. Somehow they had gotten Jess’ address. The pair of them politely rebuffed them at the door three different times, refusing to answer any of their questions, so they camped on the front lawn and yelled for hours – hours – before Jess finally opened the door a fourth time and stood there in silence until they had everything trained on her. Hair a mess, with tears streaming down her face, in front of about a hundred men and women, all with cameras and microphones, and most reporting live now that it looked like they were going to get something, she screamed at them with a tone he never wanted to hear again. It was filled with this soul crushing grief and an anger he had never suspected she kept hidden. An anger that exposed a secret.

“My brother is DEAD.”

The crowd of media collectively started back in shock at the emotion in her voice, and for the first time in several hours, shut the hell up.

“You would come here, to MY HOME, and sit on my FRONT LAWN? It hasn’t even been a DAY! I’ve opened my door THREE TIMES to you people, and told you to come back in two days to ask your questions. But you still stand here, shouting at my house! Are you even HUMAN?! Because if you are, I can’t see it! All I see are a bunch of pathetic RATS willing to do anything it takes to get a little piece of MY BROTHER’S CORPSE. NOW YOU INSIPID, SANCTIMONIOUS, BLIGHTED, PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR HUMAN BEINGS BETTER GET THE FUCK OFF MY LAWN BEFORE I BURN YOU ALL TO HELL!!”

With that she turned, walked back into the house, and slammed the door with a resounding BANG. She stalked past where Nick was standing in mild shock, muttering darkly to herself about burning all of them alive. “I just… just… FAS!”

And before her, burning brightly in the dimness of the dusk, appeared a ball of flame the size of a human head.

“Holy shit!”

Finals are over! Hopefully I can resume posting once per week, but don’t hold your breath because it is Christmas time now haha.

Anyway, comments are very much appreciated, they make me smile every time I see them and I love getting y’all’s predictions and opinions :)

-Tas

Part 8

Ilos, Day 4

Lorilee groaned, resting her head in her hands, a quill dangling from two fingers. “I did not join the Capital Guard to do this.”

Her work table was covered in stacks and stacks of paperwork which seemed to be multiplying on its own whenever she left the room. She slowly lifted her head, staring at the empty ink pot in front of her, then tried to make her eyes focus on the tiny words the accountants had written, but the waning sunlight from the window drew her gaze.

Sunset already? But it was only a short time ago I left the Wheel and Locket… Oh! Corvid and Tasalin should be getting back from their training soon, I still need to go meet them and ask after Lassea’s friend.

She glanced at the empty ink pot again, then stood, stretching. The finished report to the Regent about all she had learned of the champions from Finn and Lassea in her neatest hand covered more than ten pages and lay complete on one corner of her table.

Not that he will even read it. Lazy bastard, lounging around with all those stuck up, fancily dressed, ‘nobles’ and leaving me with all this to do. Well he can do his own damn work this time, I am done for tonight.

Lorilee gathered all the unfinished paperwork as well as the report and carried it all down the hall to the Regent’s room, dropping it on the bench in front of his bed with a satisfying thump. As she left, she noticed Farv and Luthen, led by that new recruit Gudrun of course, dart into the chamber she had just left. She didn’t know what they were up to, and it couldn’t be good, but she really didn’t mind after what the Regent had thrown at her these past few days.

That Gudrun. How did he ever end up as a guard for the North Gate? He is much too talented to be wasted on such a position. She thought over what she had just seen. Actually, I know exactly how he ended up there… Still, from what little I have heard of his pranks, he never does anything that could be construed as damaging, and he is certainly a natural leader to get my men in on his schemes so quickly. Well, we will see if he makes the cut.

Her armored boots echoed in the hallway as she walked, her long strides carrying her quickly by the servants who bowed and curtseyed to her. She still wasn’t used to that, it was simply too odd to have people bowing and scraping to a woman who was once just a lowly village girl. There were champions about of course, the only ones who didn’t bow to her as she passed them, though they did stare. It said something about the number of champions about the city that she didn’t even take a second glance at someone could one day be a hero of legend.

People from another world… Incredible. That was one thing she still marveled at. She hadn’t believed it at first, it was just too fanciful, but there had been no misdirection in Lassea’s face as she spoke of their home, and though Lorilee had searched for it, there was no evidence of lies in her tone or her movements. Yet how, if they leave their true bodies in their own world, can some seem to always be here? I will have to ask Corvid and Tasalin.

She reached the palace stables and saddled Velox, her horse, waving away the stable hands that tried to approach. She had been saddling horses since she was six; she didn’t need and didn’t want their help with her own horse. As soon as the saddle was set, she led him outside and swung up onto his back. Velox stamped a hoof, obviously annoyed at being kept in his stall for so long. Lorilee smiled, steering him towards the West Gate and letting him set the pace at a quick canter.

Street vendors called their wares as she passed through the market ring, champions and Ilosians alike making way for her. She reached the gate quickly, dismounting and patting Velox on the neck as she tied the reins to a pole by the guard house and gave him a sweet stick. “I’ll be back soon Velox, this shouldn’t take too long.”

It was a short walk to the small camp outside the West Gate, a simple staging area for the training groups to meet, and from the reports of the guards at the gate, it was also where the two guild leaders had come the last few days after training. A quick look at the open air tent in the middle of the camp dashed the hope that they were already there. There were a few champions about, though most would be inside the city at this point eating supper at the inns with the money they earned from killing creatures. Their eyes followed her as she made her way around the camp, placing herself in between it and the forest and settling herself down to wait.

She didn’t have to wait long, a few minutes maybe, before she spotted Tasalin and Corvid moving towards her. Corvid was technically the leader of ‘Sweet Dreams’, but the two were so often together she assumed that they really ran it jointly.

Tasalin Viridis was an imposing man, standing at 6’3” with iron grey hair and a short beard that covered his whole face; he had a commanding presence and an air of confidence about him that only a skilled veteran achieved. Clearly a man who led from the front in battle. His forest-green eyes remained focused on her, but she would swear he saw and heard everything nearby. Despite the color of his hair, she guessed he was only in his mid-twenties. He wore heavy iron armor and carried a sword and shield on his back.

Corvid, the official guildmaster, complemented his companion well. He was 6’0” with well-defined facial features that fell just short of having the overly attractive look many champions had. He held himself easily and somehow managed to lookknowledgeable and inviting with a slight smile on his face despite being of an age with Tasalin. Two pairs of daggers hung from a belt at his waist, long enough to fight with and small enough to throw accurately.

It was easy to see why Sweet Dreams had several thousand followers, despite the odd name. Corvid’s way with words and men was backed by Tasalin’s combat prowess and battle leadership. She would have recruited them on the spot if they hadn’t been champions.

She bowed as they approached. “Guildmaster Corvid, Tasalin.”

They both bowed back, Tasalin speaking as they straightened. “Lorilee. What brings you here?”

“A favor actually. A couple of champions I met with earlier today did me a service, and in return asked if I would meet with you and ask if you had a man named Cariss in your group.”

Corvid’s expression tightened slightly, as if searching his memory, but Tasalin was already shaking his head. “No, Cariss is not in Sweet Dreams.”

Lorilee blinked in surprise. He didn’t even have to think about that.

Seeing her confusion, he continued. “I would know if The Calm was with us. He was well-known by those who made it up to the Islands as the player who got the furthest. There is no way I wouldn’t have found out if he were here.” He paused, seeming to consider something. “Actually, I haven’t seen or heard anything about Rager or The Marksman, the same goes for three or four others that were in the highest group. Anyway, no, he’s not here.”

“I see. It seems he was one of those who was transported by the Bell of Recall, separating him from his two friends, and they are trying to find him.” She paused. Should I ask them about why they always seem to be here? She looked again at the pair, noting how dirty and tired they looked. Now is not the time, perhaps I will be able to speak with them about it later. “Well, thank you for your time. I will let you go eat and wash.” She said, bowing again.

They both bowed back. “Anytime Lorilee. Let us know if the Capital Guard needs Sweet Dreams for anything, we’ll do our best to assist.” Corvid replied.

She nodded. “An offer I will keep in mind. A good evening to you both.”

Lorilee watched as they headed into the camp, then worked her way around again and back to the gate. I should go to the Wheel and Locket to eat myself, Vivika will tear me a new one if I don’t fill her in on the events of today anyway. She laughed quietly to herself as she untied and mounted Velox. I love that girl, it is incredible how much she has lost and yet she still has the kind of personality that can bring a smile to my face just thinking of her.

She lightly flicked the reins, telling Velox it was time to move. I hope Finn and Lassea find their friend, I guess I will have to tell them the bad news tomorrow.

Ilos, Day 5

Finn sat back in his chair and took a sip of his wine. He had no idea how it was made, but it had this pleasant sweet taste that he had taken to immediately. Vivika had recommended it, and he was glad he’d taken her advice. Lassea smiled at him from across the table, holding a mug of mulled cider rather than wine. They were waiting at the Wheel and Locket for Lorilee after making a day of training against some of the monsters in the area surrounding the city. He smiled back at his friend, noticing the tiny flame hovering by her head was joined by a small drop of water today.

Speaking of training… Finn focused for a moment, “Cir.”

A tiny whirlwind materialized in front of him, and he moved it over to Lassea’s mug, sending the steam coming from the hot liquid swirling. She giggled, the smile growing wider, and Finn grinned at her as she added her little flame to the wind, watching it swirl and spin.

He was right… Finn thought, his smile fading as he watched his friend laugh. This place is a different world, and I can see why he wanted to live here permanently. Even just being here a few days I feel like I belong, and I can see Jess does too. She hasn’t laughed like this in years, hell, we haven’t talked like this in years, and here we are, chatting over our drinks at an inn after working together in what feels like life and death battles. I haven’t ever felt this close to her.

It’s like… like I can just be myself. There are no social queues telling us we have to act a certain way. He glanced around the room. The merchants from the previous day were there again at the same table, there was another group of five players sitting and enjoying their hot drinks on this somewhat cold day, and a couple holding hands by the window. No one was paying any attention to Finn and his friend. They don’t care about if we’re a couple or not, nor do they care what we’re talking about or how we look. The chances of any player here meeting on Earth is practically non-existent, so they just kind of take you as you are. You can be anyone you want here, and that’s just so… freeing.

“More wine Finn?”

Finn blinked, then looked up. Vivika stood there, a smile on her face and a pitcher in her hand, doubtless filled with the wine he still had in his… He peered into the mug, noting there were only a few drops of the dark liquid remaining. “Ahh, sure. Any idea when Lorilee is going to be here?”

“She’s usually here by now, so she likely got caught up in some Capital Guard business, which does happen occasionally.” Vivika answered, carefully refilling the mug. “It should be pretty soon.”

“Speak of the devil…” Lassea commented, looking at the entrance.

“What devil?”

“It’s just a turn of phrase Vivika.” Finn said.

“You champions are confusing, how can you rotate a phrase? It is not even a physical thing.”

“What is not a physical thing?” Lorilee asked, draping an arm over the shorter redheaded woman.

Finn gave a wry smile. “A ‘turn of phrase’ is an expression for an expression. And poor choice of wording on my part.”

“Did you find Bro- ah, Cariss?” Lassea spoke, unable to contain herself.

The guardswoman shook her head. “Unfortunately not. Tasalin and Corvid hadn’t heard anything about him or several of the other people from the highest tier group.”

“Oh…” Lassea’s expression dropped.

“I have an idea about that actually. Vivika, can we use your private room again? I’d also like you to join us if you have the time.” Finn spoke before either of the other two could react to his friend’s mood.

“Sure! Come on up!” She answered, turning to head up the stairs and dragging Lorilee along with her.

Finn stood and walked around the table, putting a hand on Lassea’s shoulder. Her head was down, hair obscuring her expression, and her shoulders were slumped. He bent down to speak in her ear. “Jess, he’s not dead. I have a theory on what happened and I’m pretty sure I know where he went. Come on upstairs, I have a plan.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filling with hope, then nodded. He straightened, offering his hand, which she took and stood. They walked up the stairs, moving down the hallway to the Key room, its door already open. Lorilee and Vivika were already seated, and there were four mugs of fresh mulled wine on the table. Finn shut the door behind him and sat down, taking a sip of the wine before speaking.

“First off Vivika, everything Lorilee told you is true. All the champions are from an entirely different world, called Earth, where they are simply normal people. That’s part of the reason why they are so confusing to you and probably most other Ilosians. We use different wordings and expressions that you couldn’t possibly have heard before, and we do things much differently as well. A large part of the rudeness you’ve seen is because most of the people think Ilos is an imaginary world, a game, where they can go to have fun. They believe you are just an…” He searched for a word to describe NPCs. “…illusion or automation would be the best word to describe it.”

“What?! The champions don’t even think Ilos is real?!”

“That’s correct. I was the same way until I came here with Lorilee to be honest. However, I can’t think of Ilos as a fictional place any longer despite how different champions are here, and that leads me to what I think happened with the Bell of Recall. Unless I miss my guess completely, the players that disappeared when the Call to Arms was rung didn’t die; they were transported to Ilos permanently somehow.”

Lorilee nodded slowly. “I have noticed that there are a small group of champions, including Tasalin, Corvid, and the rest of their guild, that never seem to log out like most do, and that would explain a number of things. That group seems to take things much more seriously than the rest as well, and they are the only ones who are regularly training.”

“But if he’s here, why don’t we just contact him using that telepathy thing you used with me yesterday?” Lassea asked.

“Su? I’ve already tried, but it didn’t work. It should have, the conditions are that you’ve been within five feet of them, made eye contact, and you know their name, all of which we’ve done, but it didn’t work. Oh, that reminds me, Lorilee, can you use magic?”

She opened her mouth, but hesitated, looking uneasy. Vivika glanced at her friend and spoke in her place. “Only the court mages are supposed to be able to use magic.”

“But you can. You both can, but you’d be punished somehow if anyone found out?” Lassea said, reading their reactions, then smiled disarmingly. “Don’t worry; no one is going to find out from us”

Finn nodded, agreeing. He focused on all three of them, imagining clearly what he wanted to do. “Su.” *Can you all hear me?*

Lassea and Lorilee each nodded calmly, but Vivika jerked in her chair. “What- How did you do that? It was like your voice was speaking in my head!”

“That was the word of power Su, or ‘spirit’, the basic Spirit Elemental spell. It allows telepathic contact; though the further you are away the more mana it drains.”

“You mean ‘vis’? That is what the mages always refer to their magic energy as.” Lorilee said.

“It’s probably the same thing. Vivika, you know how words of power work?”

“They are the catalysts that make mental focus into reality, using vis as fuel.” Vivika replied as if quoting something.

“Good, then you can contact us and we you. Telepathy takes a little bit to get used to, but it’s very nice to have.”

“You said you had a plan Finn?” Lassea asked calmly, but her globs of fire and ice had begun circling her mug rapidly, betraying her mood.

“Do you remember the plan David – sorry, that’s the name he uses back on Earth – Cariss explained to us before we first came to Ilos?”

“Hmm, he said we were supposed to shop for weapons, then meet him at the North Gate.” She answered.

“And then?”

She frowned, concentrating. “… and then we were going to go to the second village…!”

Finn smiled as her expression brightened. “And what would he have done if he was suddenly pulled into Ilos with no way back?”

“He’d follow the plan!” His friend practically shouted, rising halfway up out of her chair. “So we know where he went and we can follow him!”

“Exactly! However, I don’t think we’ll catch him, he’s just too good, but we know Ilos is going to be attacked just like it was at the end of the beta, and he’ll be here then. What we do is follow what he did, because he knows the best way to get the most experience the fastest, and then when it looks like the city will be attacked, Lorilee can contact us and we can get back here as fast as we can. I have no doubt that he’ll make a big appearance then.”

Vivika sat back into her chair, letting out a breath. “If Lorilee had not already told me about the city being attacked – and being defended successfully – I would be scared out of my wits right now.”

“Remember, you cannot tell anyone about the attack, we do not need a mass panic while the Regent is meeting with his collection of windbags.” Lorilee reminded her friend.

“I know, I know. Believe me, I do not want that any more than you do.”

Finn put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I know you want to get started right now Lassea, but I think we should wait till the morning to head to the village. The monsters at night are much more powerful than those in the day, and the sun will be setting soon.”

She nodded, settling back down into her chair and taking a sip of her mulled wine. After a moment she spoke up. “Lorilee, Vivika, since we know a secret of yours, it’s only fair you know a secret of ours. This is something you cannot tell any other champion. Word will get out eventually, but we need to keep it quiet for as long as possible okay?”

The pair nodded. “We will not give you away.” “No one will be told.”

“We can use magic back on Earth. I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve been to Ilos or it’s something that has always existed, but right now we are the only ones I know of that have discovered it.”

Finn frowned. “That worries me. I think this would have been known if it was possible in the beta, so it must be something that is new. It feels like Ilos is bleeding over into Earth, and I’m not sure how far it will go. What if this is only the beginning?”

Hello again, it’s been awhile. Unfortunately I have had much less time to write than I did before, so things are going slowly, but I am still writing. Posts will likely be irregular and have a long wait in between, but that's just all the time I have right now. Anyway, this part features the final two ‘main’ characters, hope you enjoy!

-Tas

Part 9

Chapter 4: Ilos, Day 1

Tasalin flinched, startled by the sudden lack of pain in addition to finding himself back in the main plaza of Ilos. His mind blazed with questions, his limbs quivered with remembered pain, and his eyes darted, taking in their surroundings from atop his height of 6’3”. Just moments before, he’d been getting used to combat again, using his sword and shield to kill the wolves that populated the Western Forest, when shockwaves abruptly began to rip through his body. The pain was intense. It numbed his body and stole away his breath, and then it was gone, leaving him as he was now, in a place far from where he once stood.

He recognized this place as the main plaza of Ilos, but the tiles on the ground were black rather than white now, and there was some sort of inscription on the plaza’s Centerstone. He couldn’t see it clearly enough to read it due to a small girl with long midnight black hair crouching over it, but it wasn’t a pressing issue so he dismissed it. Surrounding him were a large number of players, most dazed like he was, but there were not nearly enough of them to number the million that supposedly bought the game. At most there was only one percent of that.

The ground shook, sending him into a stumble but not knocking him off his feet. Most of the other players were not so lucky, ending up on their rumps or even sprawled out on the ground in the few moments the tremor lasted. Whatever they had been thinking before, there was only one thing on the minds of the people now.

What the hell is going on?

“Welcome to Ilos. I am Xynus, the one who has summoned you here.” A deep voice boomed, filling the plaza, seeming to emanate from everywhere at once. “You are the ten thousand of the Silver Key, offered the priceless gift of extra time.

So these are the beta players… but what is this all about?

Do not waste this time attempting to return to your previous world, you cannot get back of your own power until the remaining champions join you. The clock is your enemy, and the final trial will begin regardless of your wishes when the time you have here expires. This is no longer the illusionary world that you were previously shown, and as it continues its journey it will need to be protected. Even now the wild inhabitants have begun to emerge from their lairs, and will seek to hold Ilos when the final challenge begins. Be wary, for while this city is a great stronghold, the Great Sleep is failing, and your enemies will grow more powerful and may overwhelm you given time.”

Tasalin remembered dumping buckets of scalding oil off of the walls of Ilos to burn the goblins that were sieging it, leading an attacking force against the main group to destroy their crude battering ram, watching his companions die and not return. Damn this is serious, if we can’t return to Earth, what happens if we die and the city is taken?

“Death is not the end here while my power still lasts. However, beware; should you remain dead for a significant time, there will not be enough left of what is you to be reconstructed. Let this be very clear: you are all stuck here until the end, be that your own end or the end of the final trial. You cannot log out. I have done all I can for you, so go! Grow strong, for the fate of two worlds rests in your hands.”

The rumbling voice faded out, and silence reigned. Nearly everyone simply stood or lay where they had fallen. Then some began shouting, others pleading with this unknown entity to let them go home, and a few even sent up cheers, but the reaction was generally pretty subdued, most people unable to get over their shock.

Tasalin’s eyes were wide, and he felt himself shaking, frozen in place. We’re… stuck here? No. There has to be a way out. He tried to log out; going through the same mental shift he had dozens of times. Nothing. He crossed his arms over his chest, holding his first three fingers up, and commanded, “Log out!” Nothing. I need to get out! How do I get out??

I’m panicking, unable to think straight, I need to calm down. He tensed, forcing all the stress on his mind into his body, every muscle flexing, then with a deep exhalation, relaxed everything at once. The fog of fear that was clouding his brain dissipated immediately, and he caught himself before he could fall to the ground, activating his muscles again. Okay, there has to be someone who isn’t paralyzed with fear right now, and I need to find them. If we truly can’t log out, then I need a friend, or at least an ally, to talk things out with. Dismissing those around him who were still frozen where they sat or stood, he gathered his wits and walked out of the plaza, hoping to find someone that had at least some control over their mental faculties.

Within seconds, he spotted a man talking to a girl, that same girl that was crouching over the Centerstone earlier. He took a few steps in that direction, but stopped when they both ran off towards the North Gate, the girl vanishing into an alleyway while the man took the normal street.

Players wandered by, dazed at this sudden turn of events, but there was no one who seemed lucid enough to talk to. Tasalin sighed, but within a few minutes spotted someone. He was standing by a wall, searching the wandering players for something or someone, but more importantly he seemed calm and aware. The man was right about the average height, probably right at six foot, and held himself easily. He seemed knowledgeable, but inviting, sporting well-defined features, though not to the extent that most champions had. There were a pair of daggers strapped to his waist, and several more about his person hidden under his light armor.

Stopping in front of the man, Tasalin took in his relaxed posture and the small questioning smile on his face, then nodded. Calm, and well-equipped, just what I’m looking for. “Well you look like the only one who has his wits about him around here.”

The man extended his hand. “Wits, and little else. Name’s Corvid, and you are?”

Tasalin grasped the offered hand, giving it a firm shake and smiling at the man’s honesty.“I’m Tasalin Viridis, nice to meet you Corvid.” He glanced at a player who wandered close, then grimaced. Is this guy the only one who isn’t shell-shocked? Moving from directly in front of Corvid, he leaned back against the wall. “Are you waiting for someone?”

“To be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the situation.” He paused, “although… I’ve been thinking…” he trailed off, lost in thought, then seeming to remember he was in the middle of a conversation, quickly recovers, “A friend would be nice since we are stuck here, do you have any plans for this ‘Final Trial’?”

“Well you’re in luck; I'm looking for a friend as well. As for whatever the ‘Final Trial’ is, well, I expect that to be a long ways off. From the way – Xynus? – was talking, I’m going to guess that we’ll have a lot of time before we have to face that.” Tasalin frowned, furrowing his brow. “What I’m more concerned about is that very last part: ‘The fate of two worlds rests in your hands’.”

“I guess with all the commotion I missed that part.” Corvid replied quizzically, and after a short pause continues, “Tasalin was it? I am a pretty rational man myself and see this type of game; a VRMMO as they call it, as a great way to learn more, and delve deeper into the human psyche. I myself conducted a study of sorts involving the effect of immersing oneself in a virtual world. I believe we are stuck here, as I have tried, and failed to log out, but this talk of saving the world,” he raised one eyebrow, “seems more like a carefully constructed plot hook. So I ask you, how much time did you spend in the beta?”

“The human psyche huh? Well, you’ll get that, and probably not the good side either. I spent quite a bit of time in the beta, got up to the sixth Island by working with those that came along before the Call to Arms to push back the goblins came.” Tasalin sighed, “But there had better be a point to trapping us here. As much as I like Ilos, it’s not somewhere I was looking to stay. How about you? What were you doing in the beta?”

“I ran a guild. We took lower leveled players and gave them the skills to enjoy the game to its full extent. I personally tried to help people who were having trouble adjusting to the differences between real life and virtual reality.” He smiled warmly, “You got a lot further than me in the beta, perhaps you would care to join me in helping some of the players find their place in this game?”

Tasalin laughed deeply. “Being invited to join a guild within the first half hour of the game?” He shook his head, then shrugged. “Ah hell, let’s do it. I’m no good solo anyways, and maybe I’ll be able to do some good like this. You have a plan then?”

Corvid nodded quickly, then responded “Most of the people in the plaza are still confused, and distressed about the fact that we’re stuck here. We simply need to lend them a helping hand, you seem to understand most of the gameplay in relation to questing and combat, and I have good people and organizational skills. We simply invite people to work together and build on that theme, as people decide what they want, we can split them into groups. i.e, combat groups, crafting groups, merchant groups, leaders, etc. For now, we need members, and there’s a plaza full just a short walk away.” He finished with a devilish grin, “Are you ready to create a guild?”

Tasalin smiled slightly and nodded. “It shouldn’t be hard to do; these are all people who have been here before, they should know a lot of things already. I’ll just follow your lead… Guildmaster.”

“Try to gather people around the center of the plaza, while I gather some… supplies.” Corvid requested.

“Hmmm, alright.” Tasalin nodded again, “How long are you planning on being?”

“This should only take a few minutes.” He paused then smiled again, “In fact I may finish before you do.” With a final handshake and pat on the back, Corvid left, striding off to go ‘gather some supplies’.

Tasalin scratched his head, not really liking being left in the dark, then shrugged and headed back to the plaza. The people there were milling about, talking amongst each other, and really just seemed lost, like they didn’t know what to do with this turn of events.

“Hmm… gather people…” His eyes were drawn to the Centerstone in the middle of the plaza, and he grinned. “Here we go.”

Maneuvering his way through the crowd, he made his way to the Centerstone then muttered. “Res.” Reacting to his will and the word of power, the earth under the Centerstone pushed upwards, raising him several feet in the air at the cost of about half of his annoyingly small mana pool.

The players around began gathering almost immediately, drawn to the disturbance… and probably for the distraction. The murmur and crowd grew around him as he stood there, waiting for Corvid. Well, that was easy. What preparations did he have to make?

A man pushing through the crowd drew his attention, resolving into the form of Corvid carrying a bar stool. Tasalin raised a hand, waving, and laughed at the stool. “You should have told me you just needed a platform!”

Corvid laughed, stopping by the pillar and setting down the stool. “I guess we should have talked over the plan a bit before I went lone wolf on you.”

Tasalin jumped down, his armor clanking as he hit the ground, and Corvid climbed up. “Thank you friend, I have been interested in finding an Earth mage, didn’t expect to be this lucky.” He smiled down at Tasalin, then looked up towards the crowd. “Now it’s my turn.” He waved a hand slightly, uttering a word of power. “Su’is.”

Corvid suddenly seemed much more important, a figure that demanded attention and the crowd quieted almost immediately. Tasalin blinked, his eyebrows furrowing for a moment before the realization hit him. This is Spirit elemental magic! Spirit affects the mind, and he’s using it to draw attention to himself.

The man standing on the platform smiled his easy disarming smile as he saw he had the attention of the crowd. “I know you are all scared, or confused. You are having trouble understanding what is going on. What Xynus said is true, we are trapped here, but that doesn’t mean this will be our grave. Just like the first settlers in America, this is a new world, our world. It is our right, and duty to shape it into a better place, a place of peace and wellbeing.” Some of the crowd nodded, others seeming to calm down, their shock fading.

“We all enjoyed this place while it was a game, when there were no stakes, and now that these trials have been thrust upon us, we must use the knowledge we gained from before to overcome them. I ask for your aid now, join me, join together, we will leave this place and gain experience, just as we did in the game, but we will work together, we will protect each other, and we will protect Ilos!!!”

Despite himself, Tasalin couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Others in the crowd nodded as well or even pumped their fists and shouted their agreement. Some shook their heads and began to leave, and some seemed undecided, but everyone who heard the man seemed to have gotten over their initial shock. Those who didn’t leave crowded closer, wanting to get a better look, or perhaps make sure they heard everything.

Corvid paused as those who wanted to leave did so, and allowed the other people to crowd closer. “I can’t offer you much that you don’t already know in the ways of gaining experience, but I can offer you leadership and organization so that we may work together. Instead of simply fighting as individuals, we will become an organized force, greater than any mere party; we will become the bastion upon which Ilos stands. Follow me, as we fight to regain the expertise we had in beta.” With those last words, Corvid jumped down into the crowd, the people parting before him, and started marching towards the Western Gate.

“Res.” The column holding the Centerstone up in the air sunk back into the ground, and Tasalin jogged after his new friend, gently shouldering aside those in his way. He glanced back, noting that what looked like other guild leaders from the beta were making their own platforms, gathering those they worked with before to join them once again. Finially breaking though the throng of people, he fell in beside Corvid, looking back to see how many had actually listened and followed.

“Well. That was… impressive.” Tasalin commented. “I didn’t expect nearly this many to come, a few hundred perhaps. It looks like we have several thousand behind us.” He paused, his eyebrows lowering as he thought, drawing on his dad’s military teachings and his own knowledge of the workings of Ilos. “We’ll have to divide them up into much smaller groups somehow, preferably into groups of four to gain the most xp. Hopefully they can do that themselves, but implementing a command structure for so many is going to be difficult.”

Corvid seemed to ponder those words as they took the hour walk to the Western Gate. Players began splitting off after the initial inspiration of Corvid’s speech faded, most rejoining the group after a short time.

As they reached the West Gate, Corvid turned to face the rather large crowd following him, raising his voice to be heard. “We need to split into parties of four, and I cannot watch over each and every one of you during this time. Use what you learned in beta and make good decisions. To make finding a party easy, tanks will be party leaders, find a tank and follow your roles. These enemies are relatively easy, so now it is crucial that you learn party balance and teamwork. I will wait here until everyone has a party, and once we all get some good experience, meet back here and we can take a break to get to know each other.”

A quiet murmur started when Corvid stopped speaking, then grew quickly in volume as the gathered players began trying to find their friends or someone to group with. As parties of four formed, they slowly filtered out of the West Gate to go kill the boar and other weak enemies that existed just outside the city.

Tasalin looked around, watching the organized chaos, and his ears caught a nearby conversation.

“Why groups of four?” A man wielding a curved sword and a buckler said, asking someone next to him.

The man asked shook his head, causing the arrow shafts in the quiver strapped to his back to rattle. “Didn’t you read the forums when we were in beta? There was a group of people that focused on figuring out how Ilos worked, and after testing different group sizes, they found that parties of four gained the most experience for the time taken to kill things and do quests.”

“But how? There isn’t an experience number anyone can see.”

“They trained until five of them could just break a certain kind of rock with an Iron Hammer in a single blow, then grouped in different size parties and trained until they could break a slightly harder kind of rock with the same hammer. The guy in the party of four did it the fastest, then the party of three, then two, then five, and the guy who trained solo was last.”

“Wow, that must have taken a lot of work.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason the Ilos Testing Crew had the most visited page on the forum.”

“Hey, want to group up? I can play tank.”

“Sure, I have a couple people who might join us if we can find them.”

As the men wandered off, Tasalin started meandering through the crowd, grabbing the people that were too shy to ask anyone if they wanted to group up and sticking them in parties. He turned down anyone who invited him, having already decided that he would be in a party with Corvid, who probably didn’t have all that much combat experience having spent all his time running a guild in the beta.

It took a good half an hour to get everyone out of the gate, leaving Tasalin and Corvid as the only two left. “Well it looks like it’s just the two of us.” Tasalin stated, watching the last party leave the gate.

Before they could head out themselves, a guard approached the pair of them from the gatehouse, seemingly concerned, and bowed his head in greeting. “Avendavida, Champions, is everything alright? We’ve been watching a large number of you head into the wilds, and frankly we’re worried with so many of you all in the same place. Do you have word that something is going to attack the city?”

Corvid turned to the guard, a puzzled look on his face, “Yes. And No.” He paused to figure out a way to explain, “Well, the goblins will be coming in a matter of months, and even that may have changed. There is no current threat that I am aware of, but if we are to protect this city, we need the strength to do so, and that can only be found outside its walls.”

The guard’s uptight posture relaxed and he nodded. “Alright, you had us all worried for a bit there. I will let you be about your business then Champions.” With that he turned and headed back towards the guard house, signaling for the men there to relax.

Tasalin and Corvid headed out the gate and into the Western Fields, populated mostly by boar. Many of the men (and a few women) that they had lead there were using these fields to fight and gain exp. Having all had varying amounts of experience in battle in the beta; they were making quick work of the weak animals. Being in a party allowed them relax a little, and most were setting to it with a will, as if they could fight off the knowledge that they were stuck here. It seemed that there would be no good hunting spots here, so the party of two continued towards the forest that was just beyond the fields.

“He didn’t really seem like an NPC did he? The guard I mean,” Tasalin mused as they walked. “I’ve never seen a computer act that way in response to player actions unless it was a scripted event.”

Perhaps it was. We don’t know what they’ve changed since beta.” Corvid replied, “Either way, it’s one more thing we need to consider when planning for the future.”

“Aye.” Tasalin nodded.

They continued into the forest, passing more of the people they led to the area killing wolves and the like. It took a little bit, but they finally got far enough away from the city to find a good hunting area.

The monsters were probably too much for most of the groups in the newly forming guild, not to mention the guild leader, but Tasalin still strode confidently ahead, secure in his battle prowess. A thought struck him, and he stopped, glancing at his new friend. “You’re a dagger user right? That’s the only kind of weapon I’ve noticed you have. I’m assuming you can throw them as well, considering you have eight of them on you”

“Yep, I like to stay out of close combat, and use my magic to stun enemies and keep them away.” Corvid drew his dagger, and began walking towards a small group of wolves, “Any particular strategies that you prefer using?”

Tasalin shrugged, “I’m a tank. I bash things with my shield and hit them with my sword. There’s a lot more to it than that of course, but that’s the general idea. Let me pull if you wouldn’t mind, makes keeping aggro easier.”

“Sounds good, I’ll use my daggers and stuns to try to keep them off your flank.” Corvid stopped to let his heavily armored companion lead the way, “Any earth magic tricks I should know about?”

Tasalin strode forwards, drawing his sword and shield and banging them together loudly, attracting the attention of a trio of nearby wolves. “Well I generally use earth magic to strengthen myself and my armor-” The wolves attacked, and Tasalin blocked their claws and teeth with his shield, getting used to battle again. “-but I think I’ll save the small amount of mana I have in case either of us gets hurt.” Seeing an opening, he slashed at one with his sword, hitting it and returning to his defensive posture before giving any opportunity for a counterattack. “I use Nature elemental spells as well as Earth, so I can do healing as well as buffs. My spells are rarely offensive.”

Corvid flanked to the side and began throwing his daggers, focusing on the nearest wolf.

The pair of daggers struck accurately, but the wolf hardly seemed hurt, the blades not even sinking in enough to stick. Tasalin sighed to himself, attacking with his sword at another opening and blocking the subsequent counterattack. The experience difference was simply too high to do much damage. That would change pretty quickly if they kept killing these wolves, but it was hardly the most efficient way to get experience.

A few more daggers hit the wolf, doing enough to make it notice Corvid, but before it could make any sort of move to attack the guild leader, Tasalin bashed it with his shield, pulling its attention back to him. He moved slowly backwards in a circle, keeping the wolves in front of him and allowing Corvid to collect his daggers to throw again without getting close to the monsters.

A good few minutes sufficed to bring down each wolf, getting slightly faster each time as the pair got used to live combat again.

A few hours passed as they trained by killing the wolves and other forest monsters, gaining a good amount of experience, enough to take down most of the enemies in less than a minute each. Tasalin still focused on keeping their attention on him until there was only one remaining each time, not trusting Corvid’s battle experience against multiple enemies. They had just finished off a group of monsters when Tasalin noticed a glint in the foliage and spun to face it.

A giant stag stepped carefully through the trees, stopping when it was fully in view of the two men. Its head stood at a height with Tasalin, and it had glistening silver antlers that seemed to shine in the dappled sunlight.

Tasalin heard Corvid slowly sheath his daggers, seemingly as stunned as he himself was. Following his friend’s example, Tasalin crouched down and placed his sword and shield on the ground, they would do little good against an enemy this strong anyway. He hesitated for a moment, then began taking slow steps towards the magnificent animal who stood motionless, watching.

Tasalin used Nature magic, and thus had the ability to tame monsters, turning them into allies. Of course it didn’t always work, and the more powerful the creature the less chance there was of success, but even if it was only a fraction of one percent, he had to try.

Removing his glove, Tasalin held out his hand, slowly moving it so the creature could smell it. Gently, carefully, he moved the hand to rest on the stag’s head, right between its antlers, and whispered, “Kerka.” A warm peaceful feeling encompassed him, like the one you’d get when relaxing by the fireplace at home, wrapped in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate, a side effect of the spell. He stared into the creature’s eyes, silently asking for its cooperation, and after a moment, the stag bowed its head.

Tasalin let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and smiled, a shot of excitement flashing through his system. He knew a few things immediately, the stag’s name was Oakheart, he was intelligent, and he had accepted the magic willingly. Stroking the animal’s head, Tasalin looked back at Corvid who seemed to be rooted in place. “I didn’t think I’d be able to pull that off.”

“What… is that?” Corvid whispers in an awed tone.

“This is Oakheart, he’s a…” Tasalin frowned, then asked the silver stag, “What are you?”

*I am a Lord of the Forest, champions.* A deep majestic voice filled their heads. *I would not accept the harness of magic normally, but otherwise I cannot communicate with your kind. A darkness lies over the land, and you are the ones chosen to force it back. Just I will allow you call upon me and my subjects to aid you, so must we be allowed to call upon your help as well.*

“I’m gathering there’s something you need help with right now, else you wouldn’t have shown yourself.”

*Your assumption is correct. A corruption has taken hold in the Western Forest that is my domain, yet any sent against it inevitably fall to its influence, twisting them into abominations!* Oakheart’s ‘voice’ boomed in anger, sending sharp pains through Tasalin’s head and making him flinch and put a hand to his temple. Oakheart bowed his head, seemingly in remorse. *My apologies champions, I am not normally so volatile, but the situation has me on edge. For the first time I am powerless against something that threatens my lands. It is my belief that champions such as yourselves would be immune to the corruption and can safely combat it. I would request your assistance in this matter with as many allies as you can gather, for a great many of my subjects have fallen to the curse.*

“As much as I would like to help, I’m not the leader here. Corvid, what do you want to do?”

Corvid looked at Oakheart, then back to Tasalin, “I don’t… know. We haven’t been here a day and this seems like a difficult quest. I am worried that it may be related to the trials mentioned earlier, but also for the wellbeing of the members we recruited. For now, we should train, and warn the more cowardly members of possibly dangerous and horrific monsters in Western Forest.”

Tasalin frowned. This did seem like a quest that would require a significant force and would be highly difficult for champions that had had to restart from nothing, but they were close enough to Ilos that it couldn’t be too hard. “Oakheart, compared to the wolves and other animals we’ve been fighting here, how much stronger are the monsters troubling your lands?”

*Only a small amount. The taint grants them power but also corrodes their bodies, leaving them slightly more powerful than the warriors I can use to defend against them.*

Damn, there’s no way we can do this, everyone is still getting used to combat again and they’re too weak to last against the wolves this far away, much less something stronger. Tasalin shook his head slightly, looking at the stag. “That would be too much for most of the men to handle right now. Corvid is right Oakheart; we cannot help you until we have trained more. How long can you last against the corruption?”

Oakheart hesitated for a moment before replying. *Ten days, twelve with great losses. After that there will be too little of this forest remaining, and I will perish.*

That would work, and the rewards must be amazing for a raid as big as this sounds like it will be. Tasalin looked at Corvid, doing some quick calculations and hoping to convince him. “If we train slightly more than we did today, we can be ready to face creatures stronger than the ones we were killing earlier in five days. If we add an extra two or three for the rest of the members and a day for preparation and travel, we can make that time limit.”

“That is a great plan; I also think we should scout out the area and see how these corrupted creatures act. Keep in mind that this world can also be very immersive, and some of the players may have panic attacks, or other psychological episodes if they are forced to fight monsters that are too scary.” Corvid turned to Oakheart, “Tas is right about the training, is there any way you could help us to become stronger in battle, perhaps lure out weaker corrupted enemies, or summon weak minions for us to fight?”

*Nature will take its course and the weak will feed the strong, but I will not summon the animals of the forest to a slaughter, even the mindless ones. I can instruct my subjects to draw the corrupted closer to your city, but I cannot control which of them come this far. Some of the corrupted are fearful, but many look almost as they did before the taint took hold. I have watched you for some time, and surely you would have no trouble striking down the corrupted just as you did the animals here.*

“We aren’t exactly representative of the champions as a whole Oakheart. Very few can match me in battle, and even less my mental fortitude like Corvid here can. If one of these corrupted creatures came after them and it was much different than a normal animal, they would flee in fear.” He turned to look at Corvid. “We’re going to have to warn everyone anyway then. What if someone comes across one of these and carries stories back to everyone else? It’ll be a lot harder to get people outside the walls if they think there are creatures from a horror movie lurking around.” Tasalin sighed, “I don’t know dude, I’m no people person. I know how I’d react, and that would be to go find out how strong they are, regardless of appearance, while preferably remaining as close to the city as possible.”

*The weaker corrupted will likely be drawn first, they are generally the front line of the enemy, trying to expose us to their taint with their deaths, but stronger ones will surely follow.*

Corvid nodded sharply as if confirming the decision. “Stay here and keep the corrupted contained Oakheart, me and Tas will gather companions to defeat this threat”

The stag bowed his head, *I am grateful for your assistance champions. I will instruct my followers to begin drawing the corrupted towards the city and to flee rather than fight any champions they come across. Farewell.*

The two men watched the majestic creature turn and walk further into the forest, vanishing from sight almost immediately from some machination of the trees. Tasalin let out a breath, “Well, that happened. Shall we head back? We’ve likely gotten a good amount more experience than most will be able to today.”

Corvid nodded. “I don’t think I’d be able to focus on combat now anyway.”

Tasalin returned the nod, then placed his index fingers and thumbs together, forming a rough circle and concentrating on Ilos. The compass faded into view in the empty space between his hands, a glowing arrow pointing the way back towards the city. The two traveled in silence, wrapped in their own thoughts. Tasalin could feel Oakheart behind them in the distance somehow, but there was no communication from that end. He wasn’t sure of the exact nature of the connection between him and the stag, but questioning magic only served to drive yourself crazy, you just had to accept that it was something you couldn’t understand.

When the pair reached the city, they found a large gathering of players, certainly more than a hundred, but only a fraction of those sent out. It had only been a few hours, and while looking them over Tasalin concluded that these must be the best fighters of the newly forming guild, probably with a few slackers mixed in. They simply had that confident air about them, that knowledge that they could handle themselves in a battle, and it showed in their bodies and their gait. Some are sitting in their groups of four, others walking around, or eating, or just generally mingling. There were a few duels going on with their colorful light displays and people watching, some groups playing cards they had picked up in the city somewhere, and even a few players napping in the afternoon sun. They could be from any country, any walk of life, any race, but there was a complete lack of animosity between anyone. These people had two major things in common, they were gamers and they were all trapped here, and that was a lot of ground for potential friendships. A party on the outskirts of the crowd saw the two approaching and rose to greet them, a few others in the area following their example.

Word spread quickly, and the low rumble of conversation softened, going almost entirely quiet when Corvid raised a hand and began speaking so all could hear. “It is good to see so many of you have already completed today’s training. We should celebrate the formation of the guild with a real party. Head to the Sunset Wall tavern and begin the festivities, me and Tas will direct the other members as they arrive.”

Tasalin wiggled a finger in his ear. Damn but the man can project.

Seeing that that was all the guild leader had to say, conversation bubbled up again almost instantly.

“A party?”

“I know where that is, it’s a pretty big place.”

“Can you get drunk here? I’ve never tried.”

“Yeah, you can. The tavern maids are pretty hot too.”

“Hell, why not? If we’re gonna be stuck here we may as well enjoy it.”

“I’ll let the guards know so they don’t flip out.”

“I’m pretty sure there are a bunch of other taverns and inns in that area as well, there might be enough room for everyone.”

“C’mon, what are you waiting for? Let’s go! Parties are crazy here!”

“And we can get rooms before everyone else shows up.”

Tasalin waited with his new friend as the hundred or so players began to drift towards the city gates. “A party huh? Not a bad way to get everyone familiar with each other, but the guards aren’t going to be happy with a few thousand drunken people in such a small area.” He commented as the initial group traveled out of earshot.

“It will be good for morale, and I need them busy while I begin work on getting a guild hall and some more information about Oakheart and the corruption.” Corvid paused as a group of adventurers appeared, and after a warm greeting, he directed them to the party. Returning to his conversation with Tasalin, he continued, “Besides, I’m curious about what exactly has changed since this was a game. I don’t remember hearing anything about Oakheart and the corruption.”

Tasalin frowned. “Neither do I, and I feel like that would have been mentioned at some point had it happened in the beta. The biggest change is that we can’t log out of course, but other than this corruption thing and the black floor stones in the plaza, I haven’t noticed anything different. My sword and shield still feel the same, though the system assist isn’t helping me as much with the attacks because I don’t have enough xp, the inventory system is still working as well as the compass, and we still don’t feel pain or anything. That Xynus guy said that we would respawn if we died, but I don’t particularly want to test that myself.”

“For now we need to make sure everyone knows where the party is at, and then we can stop in for a chat before beginning with some guild work.”

Tasalin nodded, then spotting another group approaching, waved to get their attention. There would be a lot to do, even with Corvid taking care of the guild and social aspects. He would have to find and meet with the best warriors, probably splitting them up to train some of the players who didn’t have the skill to deal with a quest like this. There would probably be a large guild meeting the next day where he would have to explain about the corruption with telepathic help from Oakheart, and then he’d have to see about forming parties of scouts to gather information about the area, organize those who were great in combat but didn’t incline towards teaching into groups, set up some sort of communication network with spirit magic telepathy, separate out those that didn’t want to fight and set them to support work, and probably a hundred other things he couldn’t think of at the moment.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He’d never felt so alive! Any place that could give him this feeling was worth protecting, and if there was something he was good at, it was defending his friends and allies. For the first time he looked up at the city, the towering walls, the glistening buildings inside, the Palace rising from the center, sparking with color and light as the sun reflected off of it. They were stuck here, and while Ilos wasn’t ‘home’ yet, it was already on its way.

Here is the fully edited version of Ilos. To make things a little easier, I'm posting it in six parts over the next few days.If you find any mistakes or anything that doesn't make sense, please please please comment or message me so I can fix it. Thanks!

-Tas

This is the beginning of the story of Ilos, a virtual land... or is it? Join David and his two friends as they embark on their adventure through this incredible place that is much more than it seems.

Themes apply to all chapters, not this one specifically.

Ilos, Book One

FOR THE UPDATED VERSION GO TO THE TITLE PAGE FOR THIS BOOK

Prologue: The Mage and the Demon

Ilos, Day -100

A figure stood on the edge of the island, looking out over the expanse of the land as the light of the sun flickered into existence. High in the air, above the clouds, a myriad of dissimilar islands floated, and at the top there stood a man. He was dressed in grey, his robes, his hat, his hair and beard, all grey and worn. Creases covered his face from long years of effort as he kept his vigil over the land and over the people who looked to him for guidance, but his strength was coming to an end. Long had the islands been lost, the Gates closed, and only the mainland far below still flourished.

Soon. Xynus thought to himself. The time draws close that I will not be able to maintain the Great Sleep. But bringing in the number of champions needed at once will shatter my power, and they will be overwhelmed. Stroking his long flowing beard, his long eyebrows drew down over his eyes in thought. Perhaps if I only use the silver first, let them establish themselves, they can survive when the Great Sleep breaks.

Time passed as the sun’s first light drew light hues of pink and orange across the clouds below the man, and he pondered like he had done every day for some long forgotten length of years. The changes had been slow at first, a villager vanishing here, some livestock there, but as time passed, it was no longer a single person vanishing, but entire towns sometimes. Then the Gates were taken and locked, guarded by powerful beasts. His immortal enemy was finally on the edge of victory, the prison where he wove his machinations almost undone, and the man no longer had the power to oppose him directly. Now what were once the strongest bastions of humanity were reduced to mere pittances of their former glory, the ruins overgrown and forgotten, simple myths to the people that lived there.

Monsters freely roamed the wilderness where one could once travel the length and width of the land without fear, and there were so few of the people left. Xynus gave a heavy sigh, part relief and part despair. This was to be his final move, his last gambit, and if it failed, two worlds would fall.

Slowly he moved to the center of the island, and raising his staff to the sky, he began to chant in a gravelly voice.

Far below, in the center of humanity’s greatest city, with walls tall and never breached, a great light bloomed, blotting out the sun.

Chapter 1: The World of Ilos

Earth, Day 0

Nervous excitement bubbled in my gut as I sprinted down my school’s halls, my backpack bouncing wildly behind me as I moved to beat the kids now streaming out of the rooms along the hallway. Their stares followed me as the whisper of my shoes on the tile floor took me beyond the increasing crowds and towards freedom. It was the last day of school for the week, a Thursday, and I had plans for the four day weekend that loomed ahead of me. Or maybe the rest of the year… I thought as I contemplated skipping school for the remainder of the semester.

Today was the day I had been looking forward to for close on a month, the day I once again would have the opportunity to live in Ilos. The thick segmented white-metal headband that hung around my neck was my Key to that wondrous virtual world, almost indistinguishable from the real one.

All I had to do was place it around my forehead and will myself to enter in order to escape from this annoying reality. Well, once the servers opened anyway. That time was a mere hour away, and I had things to prepare for my upcoming journey.

I was one of ten thousand to receive one of the silver headbands, allowing access to the ‘beta’ version of the game, if that is what it could be called. Ilos was whole and complete from the first second of the ‘beta’, and none of the other players I had talked to had found any sort of bug or odd occurrence that a beta was supposed to fix. Even more than that, the game was not advertised in any way. No commercials. No signs. No marketing whatsoever. And it didn’t matter one whit. News of the game spread through the internet and the world like a lightning bolt, and there wasn’t a person with internet access that didn’t know about it. Websites were established immediately, forums erupting with news as the beta players began to post what they had experienced. People bought and sold the Keys for unbelievable prices, hundreds of millions of currency crossing the internet in the first day as those with the funds bribed people without to let them use the mysterious devices.

Sure, I could have sold mine and spent the rest of my life in comfort, never having to work, never wanting for anything, but that would have deprived me of the thing I wanted even more: escape. I hated reality, the monotonous predictability of life in 2018. I knew exactly where I would have been going had I not gotten the headband. I would have completed school, then moved on to a graduate degree, then worked an almost meaningless job with idiots that I probably wouldn’t like for forty or so years, then I would retire, likely still unmarried, and indulge myself in whatever ways I could until I died. It was a stupid existence with no purpose, and the headband was my way out. No longer would I have to be a 6’ 1” mildly athletic twenty one year old guy with thick glasses and messy hair, but a warrior, able to beat the strongest foes with my strength, wits, or speed.

The ‘beta’ lasted for a solid two months, beginning right after the holiday break started, and I had spent every hour possible in Ilos, training, exploring, doing things that actually helped people, regardless of whether they were computer controlled NPCs or actual players. The real world became just a shadow that I irregularly visited to hurriedly shower and shove food down my throat before jumping back to Ilos. I had skipped school when it had started up again, continuing my schedule and spending even more time as the beta drew to a close.

My body wasted away in my bed, and when I was forced back to the real world I was in terrible condition. I had dropped a good twenty pounds off my already slender frame, and was as weak as a newborn kitten until I began to eat regularly again and move around. I got back into my classes reluctantly, working long hours to catch up to my peers and to assure my parents' continued support for college. The normal distractions I had had before paled when compared to Ilos, the videogames I had so loved boring and pointless, my books of great adventures dull and lifeless. All I knew was that I had to wait a full month before I could again adventure in Ilos, and that all I had accomplished there would vanish as they reset the servers. The thought that all I had done would be gone was crushing, as if I had lost a part of myself.

After a few days I couldn’t care less. I just wanted back in.

Without the time wasting activities I was accustomed to, I found it easy to concentrate on what I needed to do in order to be ready when the game officially released. All of my energies went into this one goal, and I planned and schemed to get as much time as possible in Ilos when I was finally able to. My grades went from zeroes to high Bs and then As as I aced every quiz and every test in every class. I asked my parents for more money, bolstering my bank account, and I began buying foodstuffs that would last a significant amount of time before I had to get more, probably several months depending on how much I ate. I was thoroughly obsessed, and I couldn’t care less. Everything was in readiness now; I just had some final preparations to make at my apartment.

Without any other work I would pass every class and end the semester with a 2.75 GPA, my apartment was paid for in advance until the beginning of the next school year, and I even had a service that would deliver the more perishable foodstuffs to my apartment. I had squared everything with my parents, lying about some unpaid internship I had made up that would require me to stay the whole summer.

My reverie was broken by three rather large men stepping out in front of me. I knew these idiots; these were Bill, Ted, and Joe, all of whom had discovered what my ‘silver necklace’ actually was and what kind of value it had. Each was a muscle bound cretin that could snap me in half without trying if he got a good hold on me, which was never going to happen. They had all tried to get it from me, first by threats and then attacks, but they had never succeeded. They were the ones responsible for five separate attempted break-ins to my apartment trying to get the thing, enough that I had to get upgrades to the locks and windows so they couldn’t get in without at least making a hell of a lot of noise. The only reason they hadn’t beaten me to a pulp yet is that I could out run them easily and I was quiet when I moved, almost silent, so they had little warning when I was approaching and couldn’t follow when they lost sight of me.

Unfortunately, they had me good this time. They always kept the doors in this part of the building locked, and I heard the doors I just came through click shut behind me. I skidded to a stop and looked for a way around, but even one of them standing in the entrance would be enough to stop me from getting past. Their smiles widened as they saw I couldn't run away, their eyes already lighting up with greed for the circlet around my neck.

“You aint gettin’ away this time Applesauce.” Bill smiled nastily, flexing his massive muscles and gesturing with a long smooth stick he was carrying, “Why don’t you just hand over that little trinket and you won’t have to spend the rest of the year in the hospital?”

Yep, that would be me he was talking to. David Joseph Appleton, the nerdy videogamer junior kid who did free running as a hobby, enjoyed brown eyes that didn’t work without thick glass in front of them, short but unkempt brown hair, and the complete inability to grow any sort of facial scruff whatsoever. Oh, and at a slender 6’1” and 155 pounds, was totally outweighed by each of the almost 300 pound bullies.

My eyes widened as Ted pulled out a long knife and Joe showed me a revolver inside his jacket. Damn they were serious this time! They knew it was their last chance to get me before the release today, and they were willing to risk jail to get something that would set them for life. I would have been screwed if Bill hadn’t brought that piece of wood, something I knew exactly how to use.

I set myself and gestured to Bill to come forwards, bringing my other hand to my ‘necklace’. “Alright, just don’t shoot me okay?”

He stepped forwards, believing the whiny scared tone that had taken me so much effort to produce. Surprise marred his stupid face as I grabbed the makeshift quarterstaff in his hand, twirling it as I torqued his wrist enough to make him let go. I spun, cracking Ted’s hand and sending the knife flying as I slipped into the trance like battle state that I had been so famous for in Ilos, known widely as the Stillness. Every movement was in perfect balance and I used the resistance to spin my weapon the other way, clipping Bill’s knee as he turned and sending him to the floor. Sharp cracks punctuated my swings as I broke Joe’s hand as he reached for his pistol, shattered Ted’s knee, fractured Bill’s skull as he fell, cracked one of Joe’s ribs, clipped Ted behind the ear as he stumbled to the ground, and then hit Joe’s temple as he keeled over clutching his rib.

I had flipped the quarterstaff to my back where I had a holder for it in Ilos and it hit my backpack before I caught myself and grounded one end on the tile floor instead. Bill, Ted, and Joe were sprawled around me, all unconscious, mere seconds after Bill had stepped forwards. I smiled and dropped the quarterstaff as I hopped over them, glad to see I still had the instincts my weapons training in Ilos had brought along with the silent way I moved. Maybe I should have felt sorry for them, but I really really wasn’t. They had had a right beating coming to them, and I was completely unopposed to having given it to them. I wasn’t worried about police either, the three were well known bullies and petty criminals, and the idea that some nerd gamer kid half their size and six inches shorter beat the hell out of all three of them was ridiculous.

Putting it from my mind, I ran back towards my apartment at a nice easy ground eating lope. I considered what I would do at the very start of the adventure I was about to embark upon. Exactly 990,000 regular metallic headbands had been sold across the world for the upcoming release, bringing the total players to exactly one million, and that was a little bit of a problem.

Having that many people all appearing in Ilos at close to the same time could clog everything up, and I really didn’t like crowds. I figured I could skip the beginning intro quests that forced players to run around the starting city and get familiar with it before sending them out to kill things and just get to the next town and do the quests there. It’d be harder, but absolutely faster and much more interesting.

I arrived at my apartment with just under a half hour to get everything ready. I made some sandwiches without mayo so they wouldn’t get soggy, made sure the fridge next to the bed was well stocked with water at the front, and even made sure the new shampoo and soap were in their places in the shower for fast scrubbing. Finally, I sat down in front of my computer and opened Skype, then called the two people that were my closest friends and the ones I would be spending most of my time with in-game.

Nick answered first, his reddish hair and bluish eyes shimmering with an excitement that matched the smile splitting his face. He too wore glasses, but they weren’t nearly as thick and were more for when he was about to do some serious gaming, otherwise preferring contacts. Nicholas Finn Charleston was my rather enthusiastic partner in crime, if slightly less of a geek, and was mostly responsible for any social life I had. He chose a different college than I did, much to my unvoiced disappointment, and was an absolute whiz at anything economics or business related. He was already wearing his black headband and was fidgeting excitedly, obviously feeling the same bubbling feeling in him that I was. “Dude! Are you ready?!”

“Am I ready? Am I ready?! I’m set for freaking months dude!No no, the question is are you ready?”

“Hell yeah I'm ready! Do you know how jealous I've been of you?! The only person I know to get a silver key? Forced to listen you talk about how amazing Ilos is for the past month? You’ve got me so jacked to try this game!” Nick waved his hands wildly, trying to get across just how ‘jacked’ he was.

“Hey now! Who was it who begged me for details about Ilos? Oh yes, you! And I know exactly how jealous you are, because you’ve told me practically every time you’ve talked to me!” I laughed.

“Well duh, how could I not! I mean, you got to-“

“Yes yes, he got to play in the beta, and had a wonderful time in Ilos, and you’re entirely envious, and he’s so lucky. We know already Nick.”

“Good to see you too Jess.” Nick laughed, “Are you ready?”

She sighed, but was still smiling. “Sure. I’m still not sure how the hell you managed to convince me to try this game bro, but it better be damn good to be worth the effort I've put in to clear my schedule for the entire week!”

My smile stretched wider, if that was possible, when Jess’ face popped up next to Nick’s. Jessica Abigail Baker, a beautiful girl with light blue-hazel eyes and soft blonde hair, was the second on my list of close friends, bringing the total to two. Her creamy and lightly tanned skin seemed to glow softly in the light of her computer, and I found myself once again staring into her dazzling and utterly unique eyes. The brilliant blue of her irises was broken by a splash of rich brown radiating out from her pupils, a configuration I had never seen anywhere else, and it for some reason mesmerized me whenever I saw them.

“-llo. Hello! Snap out of it Bro.” Jess was practically shouting into her mic.

I blinked, then shook my head, “Right, umm, what was I saying Sis?”

Nick, unable to hold himself anymore, bust out laughing while Jess sported a wry smile, fully aware she was the cause of my antics. All three of us knew I had a crush on Jess and that she didn’t return the sentiment, but for some reason it wasn’t awkward in the slightest. To be honest I was secretly a little hurt that she didn’t have the same feelings for me that I did for her, but at the same time she was the sister I never had in many ways, and I was loath to lose that. Both of us had a strong Christian upbringing, and ever since she found out that she was named after Abigail in the Bible, David’s sister, she had started calling me Bro, and after a year or so I started to do it too until we almost never used each other’s names. She was one person I really admired and was everything I was not. Where I had a hard time with strangers and social situations, she was a natural born leader and speaker, and I fully believed she could talk a boulder into following her up a hill.

“You called us to discuss where we were going to meet when the server opens if I remember correctly.” She hesitated for a moment, “Okay Nick, shut up now.”

I chuckled as Nick’s laughter renewed itself, then continued on to the business at hand. “Right. When you first get into Ilos you can customize the random appearance they give you. I'd suggest you stick to close to what they generate for you because it’s based off your real body and it should feel natural. If you do that we should all look enough the same that we will be able to recognize each other even with the little changes they will put in. All you need to do is head north to the gate because we will all appear in different places. The starting city is a huge circle, so if you just head generally north you will be able to follow the wall until you get to the gate. I should be there before you, but if I’m not for some reason just wait a few minutes.”

I waited for them to nod before continuing. “After we all get there we’ll head north along the road that leads out of the city past the first village and into the following town of Riskmarl. The quests there are surprisingly easy and we will be free to complete them quickly without having to compete with the other million people for hunting spots or items. We will have to be careful though, because other players can kill you and probably will if they see you heavily injured, and it’s a long walk from the plaza in the city that you’re revived at and where we’ll be questing. With the three of us it shouldn’t be hard to do because all of the quests at that level are made for people alone, though we will have to get three times the creature drops to complete them. Nick, if I’m busy doing something or other, try to explain things to Jess, you know how these games work." I ran through my mental checklist of important information. "I think that’s about it.”

They both nodded again, Nick having corralled his laughter by this point and was back to grinning excitedly. His eyes flicked to the corner of his screen, “We still got eight minutes till launch, any last minute advice David?”

I thought for a moment, “Oh, before you meet me at the gate pick up whatever weapons seem interesting to you from the stores by the gate, you should have enough money left over to pick up some health potions as well, so spend all the rest you don’t use on weapons on those. You will want as many as you can and you’ll go through them faster than you think you will. At the beginning it’s the only way to heal yourself quickly, and you will get hit a lot while you learn how to use your weapons. Keep in mind that there are no ‘skills’ like in other games, it’s all you, though you will have some assistance from the game while learning. Other than that we just need to level as fast as we can at the beginning and be ahead of as many people as possible to reduce the chances of getting robbed by other players.” I checked my computer’s clock, “Four minutes. See you guys at the North Gate.”

“See you there Bro.”

“AHHHHH I CAN’T WAIT!! Let’s DO this!”

I saluted my friends, then hit the ‘end call’ button and shut down my computer. I slipped my Key from around my neck for the first time since the ‘beta’ ended and placed it around my forehead, unable to contain my wide grin as I laid down on the bed. My eyes closed, and I waited for the feeling that would tell me I could again enter Ilos at will. Seconds seemed like hours as I readied myself to be the first person in, to watch as the multitudes began to emerge from areas of shimmering space, to breathe the sweet air and see the countless sparkling stars unclouded by pollution, to see the islands in the sky that stretched out of sight, to once again walk the lush grass and explore the blooming forests of Ilos.

I felt it, and within the second shifted just like countless times before, the familiar light of the transition taking me to the world of my dreams.

-----

I selected the appearance I had already made for myself during the beta, studying myself in the mirror provided in the empty white space that was character creation. Rather than just a plain, somewhat athletic, messy-haired college student with glasses, a stoic looking young warrior stared back at me. He still had short brown hair and eyes, was the same height, and looked a lot like me, but his posture was more composed, and his muscles were plainly visible through his skin. His eyes seemed more vibrant, a warm chocolate color instead of dark dirt or mud, and his ears had slight points. I grinned, then confirmed the appearance and typed in the name Cariss on the keyboard that appeared in front of me. My vision washed out for a moment, and then I appeared in the central plaza of Ilos with a glow of white light and a tinkling sound.

Looking around, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Buildings surrounded the open area, though they were around two tenths of a mile away from where I stood. The plaza was massive; with a diameter of 700 yards, it was made to hold all one million players at one time. Most of the buildings were made of different colors of marble this close to the center of the city and the Palace towered upwards in front of me in all its splendor. The blocks under my feet were made of some kind of white stone that had never been seen on Earth, each containing thousands of shards of crystal that reflected the light into a myriad of colors. Looking down, I saw that I was dressed in the normal beginning armor, if you could even call it armor, in different hues of blue. It was essentially clothes that were thicker than normal, offering little protection, and there was a dull short sword belted at my left hip.

Lights flickered like a weird kaleidoscope across the plaza as more players logged in. I watched for my friends for a moment, but with the number of people appearing there was no way I would be able to spot them. Shrugging, I started off towards the North Gate, weaving through the rapidly growing crowd. Unlike every other online game ever, you couldn’t just walk through other players here, you’d just run right into them. I did see a few people do just that, and a couple good-natured arguments started up before I left the plaza.

Staying away from the crowds was easy, though it was because I knew all the back streets and alleys that led where I wanted to go. I stopped briefly at a weapons dealer, spending most of my money on as many throwing knives as I could buy, the rest would be for the few healing potions I could afford with what I had left over.

In the beta I had picked up a quarterstaff, only to get a much better one for a quest reward almost immediately, so I was just going to survive with the knives until then. I could use a sword, better than most really, but I would probably end up taking a lot of hits without a shield, which I wasn’t going to buy. Storing them, I ran back into the alley and up the wall onto the rooftops.

Everywhere was fair game here, rooftops, alleys, walls, basements, rooms, everywhere. As a free runner, it was amazing, a playground where even if you fell it didn’t hurt. And if it also happened to be the fastest way to get from one place to another, well, that was a nice bonus.

Consequently, I beat both of my friends to the North Gate and had some time to shop and got to watch the first few players leave the gates. As with most online games that allowed character creation, everyone who I saw was idealistically beautiful, handsome, tough looking, scarred and experienced, or some combination thereof. There weren’t really any ‘ordinary’ looking players around, ‘cause what was the fun of playing an RPG if you just wanted to be normal?

There were a few I noticed that seemed to know what they were doing and walked with confidence and a destination in mind, and many many more that were just the opposite, wandering through the shops and taking in the sights… and buying some of the most worthless items. I mean really, what were you going to do with a broad spectrum antidote potion? Drink it for the taste? There wasn’t any poison to deal with yet, that came much later. Or that guy that bought the Bronze Knee Spikes and nothing else, how could he possibly use that effectively? Though I must admit it was really amusing to watch people make horrible purchases and try to strut like they knew what they were doing.

I probably did some dumb things when I first came here too, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t funny.

After a good ten minutes or so my friends finally arrived, Nick speaking up to get my attention off of the fool who had bought a Woolen Robe, a comfort item, and was wearing it like armor and heading out of the gates. “What are you laughing at dude?”

I turned to greet my friends… and doubled over laughing. They were both standing there in their basic armor, puzzled looks on their faces, and struggling not to drop at least four different weapons each. I held out a hand to forestall their indignant responses while I got control of myself.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t explain the inventory system did I?”

I got a flat look from Nick and a puzzled one from Jess through the jumble of weaponry they were carrying.

“No, you didn’t really mention that dude.”

“Inventory system? What’s that?”

“Here, set those down and I’ll show you.” I said chuckling as I motioned with both hands like pulling on the corners of a square with my thumbs and index fingers, bringing up a holographic display in front of me.

Jess dropped her weapons with a clatter in surprise, eliciting another smirk from me. Nick set his down on the ground and looked curiously at the mostly transparent swirling area hovering in front of me, a few tiny looking items floating around in it.

“This is the Inventory display; it allows you to store items and weaponry so you don’t have to carry them around. You can reach into it and pull out any items you have in there, “ I reached into the window and pulled out one of the health potions I had bought, having it materialize in a flicker of light, “and to put something in you just do the reverse.” I pushed the potion back in, it dematerializing into particles as it passed the screen, a tiny red potion appearing in the display. “There is a weight limit that a Storage Gem can store, but not a size limit. Everyone starts with a basic Storage Gem set into the front of their belt, though you can move it to a different piece of armor or jewelry if you visit a specialty shop.” Closing the window with a brush of my hand, I continued. “You have to use both hands to open the inventory, so it’s usually a good idea to keep things you might need to use in battle on your person and save the inventory space for spares and things that would hinder you to carry. You can close any window with a motion like brushing something off your shoulder with the back of your hand or by doing the same thing you used to open that window.” I hesitated, making sure I had gotten everything before shrugging. “And that’s all there is to it.”

After getting them to store their purchased weapons, Jess was looking at me funny. I cocked my head at her. “Yes?”

“Sorry Bro, you just look a little different from how you normally do. I’m not sure why, but you do.”

“Yeah, you do look kinda different dude, but at the same time not really.”

“Well that’s what the system does at character creation. I know my eyes are a slightly different color, I don’t have any sort of acne here, and my ears are a little more pointy.”

I took in my friends again, looking for the differences I knew were there. Nick’s hair was still red, but more of a blood red than the brown-tinged color he had had before. His eyes were also a brilliant sky-blue rather than a dull blue and his face was more classically handsome as well. Jess was more beautiful, if that were possible. Her features were perfect, her eyes and irises were slightly bigger and more tilted, though they still had that brown into blue coloration unique to her. I noted that her ears were pointed when she brushed back her shining blonde hair, enough to be noticeable when viewed plainly, but invisible when she had her hair down.

She noticed me staring and gave me a raised eyebrow and a little smirk. “Looking at something Bro?”

I flushed as Nick started snickering. “Let’s – ah – let’s just go.” I stuttered as I headed out the North Gate, my friends laughing as they followed.

We went out to the hilly fields just north of the city, which were filled with one of the stock starting RPG enemies: Boars. I tried to explain a few more things as we walked the short distance. Unlike any other online RPG, there was no grouping system; anyone who helped with an encounter got experience based on their participation and performance.

Nick nodded, but Jess just looked confused. “Wait, what does any of that mean?” She asked, “And what is ‘experience’?”

I shook my head, “I keep forgetting you don’t play video games at all. By killing enemies, completing tasks for people, or discovering new things, you gain ‘experience’. The more experience you have, the more powerful you are, the harder you are to hurt, and the more help you will get from the system as you fight. You get more experience for doing more difficult things, most of which are either combat or quests. The more damage you do to the enemy and the smarter you handle combat the more you’re given at the end. For example, you could still get experience for distracting or misleading enemies even if you don’t actually do any damage, though the more allies you fight with the less experience you will get individually.”

Jess blinked at me, absorbing that information, and Nick ‘hmmed’ thoughtfully before asking his own question.

“You said something about help from the system while you fight. What do you mean by that? Can I like, use the skills I learn here in the real world or something? Cause that would be awesome.”

“Oh, that’s one of the things I love about Ilos. There aren’t actually any ‘skills’ here like there are in other games, but when you try to do something you don’t know how to do, the system will help you out a little and sort of guide you along. You can use the skills you learn here in the real world, but that’s because you’re actually learning about weaponry, not because of some skill the game gave you. You’ll see when we fight some of the boars that are out here in these fields, but when you swing your weapon you’ll feel some small pressure as a guide for your motions and attack. If you follow the guiding you’ll have proper technique and will strike much more accurately than you probably would otherwise. Does that make sense?”

“Sort of…”

“Not really.”

I sighed, “Well I guess you need to experience it first hand, let’s go practice for a little bit.”

We stopped just off the road and I let them fight imaginary monsters for a bit to get used to feeling the guidance of the system. I would occasionally give advice or encouragement, though I don’t know how much I was really helping.

After about ten minutes or so, I took out my own blade and started working through the sword forms I knew, not that that was very many. Unfortunately I wasn’t high enough level for the system to assist me with most of them, so I was just doing what I could with the muscle memory I had developed. A few of the most basic slashes and thrusts felt like I remembered them, but the rest were just a little slower and less powerful, though they did have decent form.

I stopped, twisting my mouth. Probably good enough to deal with monsters, if slowly, but not for a real fight. I hope my quarterstaff reflexes haven’t decayed similarly…

Noticing the silence, I looked up, seeing my friends staring at me open-mouthed. I blinked at them a few times, “What?”

“Dude. Where did you learn to do that? That was awesome!”

“Yeah Bro, that was really cool.”

“Umm.” I responded eloquently. “I just followed the system assist. As you accumulate experience you gain access to more forms and it eventually just becomes muscle memory.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be able to defeat an actual swordsman with a sword, I’d need my quarterstaff, but I should be okay against monsters. If you’ve both gotten enough practice, let’s head out further and see if we can find some boars to kill.”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

Jess sighed, “Okay, but you guys better back me up.”

“Hah.” Nick scoffed, “Like anything is going to happen with this guy here.”

There were already a few players out and in combat with the boars, most by themselves, though there was a pair working together. One of the solo guys got hit with a boar’s charge, taking enough damage to kill him, collapsing and slowly beginning to dissolve into red motes that quickly faded from view. I spoke up in response to the concern on Jess’ face.

“Don’t worry, when you die you just respawn in the plaza in front of the palace, though you do drop whatever weapon you were using and random other things you had. When you respawn you will have a basic version of whatever you dropped, so if you were using a staff you will respawn with a staff to help you recover your items where you dropped them. Most people are nice enough that they won’t steal your stuff when you die, at least not at this level. Besides, I’ll be here to take down anything that you’re having trouble with.”

Jess and Nick pulled out their weapons as we approached the nearest boar, and I stood back to watch. “Remember to follow when you feel the system guide you!” I called out.

Surprisingly, Jess took the initiative to attack first, hitting the boar with a glancing blow with her sword and dealing a little damage. The boar tried to hit her with its tusks, its only close range attack, but it missed her. Nick ran in and swung his sword in a painfully slow arc, allowing the boar to just move out of the way. Jess attacked again, but now that the boar was moving she missed by just a little, dodging out of the way of its counter attack with a little scream. Nick screwed up his face in concentration and slashed at the boar again, almost hitting it this time, but not quite. Jess used her sword to stab at the thing and managed a glancing cut, but left herself open for the boar to ram her with its head, knocking her down.

I stepped in, slapping the boar across its flank with the flat of my blade to draw its attention and then holding it in place with its tusks. Unsurprisingly, both of my friends seemed a little shaken, flushed and breathing hard. “Remember, the monsters and things in this game can’t actually hurt you, though getting hit will make you feel a little uncomfortable. Just relax and focus on following the system assist, don’t be scared.”

Jess stood up, her wide eyes nervous but determined, and Nick reset himself and nodded at me to release the boar.

I let go of the thing and pushed it towards Nick, causing it to run towards him.

Jess managed to slash its flank as it ran past, opening it up to Nick’s attack, which was much better and caught the boar on its neck, dealing enough damage to kill it. The boar collapsed, the blood from the animal and the corpse slowly dissolving into white motes.

Grinning like a lunatic, Nick jumped up and down waving his sword. “Did you see that?? That was AWESOME!”

I looked apprehensively at Jess, but she had a smile on her face too as she sheathed her sword. “That was a lot of fun actually; I don’t have the whole system guidance thing down yet though.”

“That’s alright,” I replied, “you’ll get it soon enough and then you can try out the other weapons you bought and see what works best for you. It’s going to be scary at first while fighting, but just remember that you can’t actually feel pain here and try to relax. Here, let me heal you, you don’t regenerate health without potions or spells when you’re not resting.”

I walked over to Jess and put my hand over her stomach where she had gotten hit by the boar, focusing on what I wanted to do.

Kasi.I said in my head.

A dim light flowed out from my hand and into Jess, doing some minor mending and expending all of my mana, causing a slight dizzy sensation. “There ya go.”

“What was that?” Nick asked as he joined us.

“A basic Light elemental healing spell. It’s not very powerful, but it’s useful when you don’t want to use potions.”

“I thought you had to say it out loud to have magic work.”

“No, though it takes a lot more mental focus to do it in your head, and it’s a lot harder to do that in battle, so most people just say the spell out loud.”

“So how do you make magic work?” Jess asked, looking up from examining her stomach.

“Hmm… Well, that’s kind of a long explanation, but I’ll try to put it so it makes sense. To cast a spell, you have to use a word of power and have enough mana to cast it. If you don’t have enough mana, the spell will sap your life force to provide the remaining energy, and can possibly kill you. You’ll be able to tell if a spell will cost more mana than you have, so it’s more of a desperation move than anything you’d do accidentally. Like everything else in Ilos, the more you use magic the better and more powerful you become with it. Magic works a little differently than most things though. As you cast magic of a certain element, that element becomes more powerful like it normally would, but all magic also advances, if at a slower rate, except when using Light and Shadow. Spells are divided into nine elements: Fire, Water and Ice, Earth, Air, Nature, Spirit, Light, Shadow, and Death, each of which advances separately. Fire, Ice, and Death are offensive elements, Water and Nature are healing elements, and Earth and Air are supportive elements. Light and Shadow are weaker than any of the other elements, but are also the most versatile. For example, the basic Nature spell Ka, is a healing spell half again as powerful as the Light element healing spell I used, Kasi.” I paused, “Did all that make sense?”

“I… think so…” She answered, frowning. “So if I wanted to throw a fireball at someone, how would I do that?”

“Well, you wouldn’t be able to make one bigger than your fist and it would probably fizzle out after a few seconds, but you would just focus on what exactly you want to do, imagining as many details as possible in your head, then say the word Fas.”

She held out her hand, her eyebrows drawing down as if concentrating heavily as she stared at her fist. Nick and I glanced at each other, then returned to watching Jess with an expectant air. She suddenly opened her fist and commanded “Fas!”

A ball of flame appeared above her now open hand, one that was roughly twice the diameter of her fist. It flickered fitfully, changing color, size, and intensity constantly, but she managed to hold it in existence for a full five seconds until all her mana was depleted.

“Wow! That was really good Sis! I’ve never seen anyone get it to work on their first try, much less make one that big or hold it for that long after only defeating a single boar!”

“That was SO COOL! Lemme try, I want to do that!” Nick exclaimed before copying the same stance Jess had just a moment ago. “FAS!”

We waited expectantly, but nothing appeared over his now open hand.

“Oh come on! Fas! Fas. Fas! FAS!”

Jess and I were both laughing at his antics by this point as he tried different intonations of fas and being overly dramatic with his stances. It took a couple minutes to get ourselves back under control, especially because Nick would deliberately try to cast fas again in an exaggerated manner every time he saw one of us winding down. We finally had to beg for mercy though our tears before he would relent and allow us to stop laughing.

“You’ll get it eventually Nick, just get Sis here to teach you.” I grinned at him.

Nick just smiled at me, then seemed to remember something. “When you were naming off elements, you said Water and Ice, does that mean there are actually ten elements?”

“Oh, I guess I should explain that one. Water and Ice is a unique element, and the most versatile of the main six. When you use a Water or Ice spell, that part of the element becomes stronger for a short period of time, but they advance together regardless of which part you use.” Seeing their confused looks, I continued. “For example, if you are attacking an enemy with Ice, the more mana you use to attack the stronger Ice will become. However, if you suddenly needed to cast a Water spell, it would be much weaker and take more mana to cast. Think of Water and Ice as a big round boulder. Once you get it rolling one direction, it’s easier to make it keep rolling in that direction, but more difficult to push it in the opposite direction.

“Ah.” Nick nodded, “Got it. How about Death magic? You didn’t say anything about that. And what’s so special about Light and Shadow elements?”

“See this is why it’s hard to explain magic, there are so many rules to remember. Death magic I know about only by hearsay, I’ve never actually seen it used, mainly because Death elemental words of power are practically impossible to find. I just know that it’s dangerous and can start draining your health without the regular warnings all other magic gives you.” I shrugged apologetically, “Unfortunately that’s just about all I know about Death magic. For your second question, Light and Shadow elements are kind of special. When you cast a Light or Shadow spell, your power in any of the other elements goes down, though I don’t know if that applies to Death. However, in exchange, casting a Light elemental spell increases Light as normal and also increases Shadow by half the amount. The normal elements are half again as powerful as any spell cast from Light or Shadow, but between the two it’s possible to recreate the effect of any spell from any of the other elements. Of course, the words of power for them are almost as rare as Death words, so you aren’t going to see many people using them.”

Nick nodded slowly, processing that, while Jess seemed to have gone into informational overload. I took as step forwards and tapped her shoulder to snap her out of it.

She started. “Huh? What?”

I chuckled. “Let’s just worry about all that later. What did you guys call yourselves here? I’m Cariss when we’re in Ilos.

“I named myself Finn.”

“And I'm Lassea.”

“Finn and Lassea, Finn and Lassea.” I muttered to myself, then shrugged and laughed. “I’ll try to remember, but no guarantees. Let’s see if we can get both of you used to the assist in real combat, it will give you a huge edge over most of the players. It took me around a month to figure out exactly how it worked.”

-----

It took us most of the afternoon to get both of my friends mostly used to the system assist and then another few hours to let them get a feel for what weapons they liked best, but I felt it was worth it, despite the fact that we ended up with very little in the way of experience and loot. Monsters didn’t just drop coin unless they were humanoid, but the tusks we had gathered should sell pretty well in any town.

The sun was setting and we were walking back to the city to sell the extra stuff we had picked up fighting boars before logging off for the night. Jess had a small smile on her face; a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver at her waist, and was walking with a distinct spring in her step. She was also balancing a tiny flame, no bigger than a lighter, above her open palm, which might have something to do with her attitude. I honestly hadn’t expected her to enjoy the game so much, but I was happy she was.

Nick was possibly enjoying his time in Ilos a little too much. He was caressing his chosen weapon, a bastard sword, as we walked along and had a grin that seemed to want to split his face open. He’d taken to the system assist really well and was by far better than the normal player here.

As we approached the gates of Ilos, I remembered something I had forgotten to tell my friends, something that still puzzled me. “Oh, one last thing before we get into town. The NPCs in this world are… different… than any other game I've ever played. I've noticed that if you treat them like you would a human; they will often give you extra things when you do a quest for them, and even remember your name. They seem to be happier if you’re polite to them rather than treat them like computer generated objects. Just keep that in mind while we’re in town.”

“Wait, the people here aren’t real?” Jess asked.

“Of course not. Do you think whoever is hosting this got millions of people to just be shopkeepers and guards while everyone else is off going on adventures?” Nick answered.

“I guess not…”

“Hey David-

“Cariss.”

-Cariss, we should totally duel! I bet I could take you after fighting all afternoon while you sat back and chilled!”

I gave him a smirk, “You think so do you?”

“Yeah! C’mon, don’t tell me you’re scared!”

“There’s no possible way you’d win.”

“Then there’s no reason for you to say no then is there!”

I sighed dramatically. “Alas, your words of logic have slain my will to resist your request!”

“Alright! Let’s do this!”

I drew my pathetic excuse for a short sword and leveled it at him, the gesture for beginning a duel. “To accept or challenge someone to a duel, you just point your weapon at them with the idea in mind that you want to spar. You can also bet this way by thinking about that and having both parties agree to the terms, but that’s for later. This way we can’t actually kill each other.”

He copied me with his own sword, causing a loud pinging sound and a wave of light to wash out from between us and form a glowing ring, Jess quickly taking position outside of it. Nick jumped at the noise, then settled into a ready position while I resheathed my sword. A clock appeared between us, counting down from 30 seconds.

“Alright Finn, I’m going to let you try to hit me for ten seconds before I start attacking, so make the most of it.”

He nodded, then charged me as soon as the timer ran out and the duel began. I stepped to the side, his blade almost brushing my arm as it swung down. He swung again, and then a third time, each slash barely missing me as I leaned barely out of the way of the assisted blow. He was obviously getting used to the system assist, because his attacks were infinitely better than earlier that day. I felt the slight uncomfortableness on my arm on his fourth strike and knew I’d been hit. Jumping back out of the way of his follow-up, I grinned at him.

“Nice! I didn’t think you’d actually be able to hit me!” My smile widened. “But now it’s my turn.”

His attacks were good, but his stance was still pretty bad. I leapt forwards while drawing my blade, dodging under his attack and cutting across his middle, then twisting to stab him through the back right into where his heart would be. His body went limp and I kicked him off my blade, spinning it in two tight circles before sheathing it.

A light effect played over my head for a few seconds as the glow of the duel circle faded. Jess stared at me, horrified and shocked until Nick began to get up a few seconds later, then relaxed and sighed in relief, approaching the pair of us from where she was standing out of the way.

“Damn dude, you gotta teach me how to do that!”

I smiled.

The last edge of the sun dipped below the horizon.

DONG

The sound like a massive gong was struck somewhere in the center of Ilos, loud enough that I could feel the vibrations in my chest and in the ground. The duel forgotten, we all turned to look at the city.

The Call to Arms? Why would they be ringing that now?

DONG

The second toll had an actual shockwave, rustling the grass and our clothes as it passed.

“What is that Bro?”

“David?”

“That’s the Ilosian Call to Arms, the giant bell they ring when the city needs help, but it sounds different…” I replied absently, trailing off.

What is going on?

DONG

This shockwave was even stronger, but it seemed to go through me, as if my body was made of mist, about to be blown away by the slightest breeze. My friends staggered from the force.

“Woah!”

“Hey!”

“What the…?”

Even our voices sounded fainter to my ears, and they both looked at me with fear in their eyes. Fear I knew was reflected in my own expression.

DONG

Jess and Nick were thrown to the ground by the force of the shockwave this time, and reality itself trembled. I felt like I was about to come unraveled, all of my nerves sparking into pain at once. It was as if I was being unmade, ripped apart. Nick was shouting something at me, Jess looked like she was screaming, but the sound was distorted and barely there. I reached out for them, my face twisting in pain and terror as I realized I could see my friends through my arm. I tried to yell, to beg for them to save me, but only the faintest of sounds came out.

DONG

I screamed as my world was torn asunder.

The Bell tolls, taking with it some of the players, but leaving behind Nick and Jess. Nick tries to find out more by talking to the NPCs and David has vanished from Ilos, but what has happened on Earth?

Themes apply to all chapters, not this one specifically.

Chapter 2: Aftershocks

Ilos, Day 1

Nick stood slowly, trying to ignore the uncomfortable numbness that was the indicator of damage in this game. Shaking his head to clear it, he helped Jess – Lassea, he reminded himself – regain her feet, and then looked around for David.

As he had feared, Cariss was nowhere to be seen. Everything was as it had been, and the players within sight were slowly recovering from where they had been thrown by that massive shockwave. Lassea was shaking as he supported her, her eyes wide with fear and seemed to hold the question he himself was asking. Did I really see what I thought I did?

The memory replayed itself in his mind unbidden, causing a chill to run though him.

DONG

David’s form seemed to shudder, as if being pushed by the shockwave from the sound, and he looked as if he was starting to lose substance. All three of them cried out, shocked and fearful at this sudden violent change.

DONG

He had been tossed as if someone had shoved him with full force, toppling to the ground along with Jess. David hadn’t been moved in the slightest, but his face was the picture of terror and pain, a sight Nick found especially terrifying. David was always calm, he never showed his fear or pain or anger to anyone, and the fact that he was doing so now elicited a cry from Nick’s mouth. He shouted at his friend, trying to keep him there with the power of his voice, and Jess was screaming. David reached out, his mouth open and yelling, but only the faintest of sounds reached Nick’s ears, as if he was a great distance away. His body was transparent now, as if made from a fine mist.

DONG

With this most powerful shockwave, Nick saw his friend’s body was blown away like the mist it looked like just before he himself was thrown, tumbling end over end, away from Ilos.

Jess clutched his arm, holding on as if he too would vanish if she did not. “Nick,
I want to leave. How do we get out? I need to get out. Please we need to get out of this place. I want to go home. Please!” Her voice shook as she begged him.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves and remember what David had told him about logging out of Ilos.

“If you can’t do the mental shift to log in or out, all you have to do is cross your arms across your chest like a mummy, make the number three with both hands, and say ‘log in’ or ‘log out’.”

“Okay, Jess. Jess, listen.” Nick waited until he got her attention, then continued. “Cross your arms across your chest and make the number three with your fingers, then say ‘log out’”

She nodded and followed his instructions, vanishing in a twinkling of red and blue lights. Many of the players he could see were following her example, and he expected that it was the same all over Ilos.

Instead of logging out himself, Nick started towards the North Gate. A feeling in his gut told him there was something wrong with this whole situation. There was no reason for the makers of this game, whoever they were, to do something like this. Everything he’d read about Ilos, and he’d researched the subject a lot, told him that there was something happening beyond his understanding. Now that Jess wasn’t there with him, he could use all the knowledge he’d accumulated without making her feel out of sorts. His bastard sword clinked in its sheath against his back as he turned and began running towards the palace.

During the months David was playing the game, Nick was reading everything he could about Ilos. He had the layout of the city memorized, including all of the alleyways and out of the way shops, and he also knew every word of power posted online. Now that he wasn’t in a panic, he realized what the massive sound that had torn David away had to be: the Bell of Recall. By the description he had read, it was a massive bell formed of some unknown material, and was made and enchanted to be heard throughout all of Ilos, reaching even the highest floating islands. It had only been used once during the beta: to recall all the players to defend the city against a goblin attack.

However, there was no attack here. Everything was as peaceful as could be, though there were still people he passed that looked shaken from the Call to Arms. So what had happened? Why did David vanish like he did? He didn’t know the answers, but he knew of someone who might.

His footsteps echoed as he weaved through the alleyways and then out into the plaza, still moving as fast as he could. The pair of Capital Guards straightened when he approached the entrance to the Palace, but made no move to block him as he thundered past into the long hallway that was the only way into the great stronghold.

The Palace was the heart of the city of Ilos, and the last line of defense against any incursion. Its walls were fortified by the strongest Earth magic, it had its own supply of water and even deep caverns underneath it that grew food, or so one man had claimed. If necessary, the Palace could withstand a siege almost indefinitely, and seemed designed as a place players could log off even when the city itself was taken.

More importantly right now, it housed the most knowledgeable of NPCs, including most of the mages, the elite craftsman and enchanters, and the Regent. According to everything he had gathered, the Regent was the effective ruler of the city, and directed most of the NPCs within it. He was in charge of pretty much everything, including the Bell of Recall.

Nick slowed his breakneck pace as he approached the Council Chamber, or at least what he hoped was the Council Chamber. He didn’t think he'd gotten lost, but the Palace was designed to be confusing in the case any enemy ever got in. As he got closer to the door, the sound of footsteps echoing up the hall reached his ears, and he turned to see who it was.

A woman wearing the armor of the Capital Guard approached him, a sword and shield resting on her back. She wore no helmet, revealing her bark brown hair pulled into a short ponytail and her forest-green eyes. Stopping in front of him, she looked him up and down, almost tall enough to look him in the eyes. “Are you here to speak to the Regent as well champion?”

“Ah- yeah.” Nick replied, surprised. “I need to know why the Bell of Recall was rung.”

“I am here for the same reason. Lorilee Avenia, Commander of the Capital Guard, at your service.” She said, inclining her head towards him in greeting.

“Finn.” He offered, returning the head incline. “I guess if you’re here you don’t know anything about this whole situation either?”

Lorilee shook her head. “We were told by Xynus to prepare for the champions to arrive in the city and given some advice and guidelines on how to interact with you, but there was nothing about the Call to Arms. The Bell is only supposed to be rung when the city itself is under attack, but there is nothing to defend against. The Regent is the only one who can give that command, so he must know what is going on, even if I am supposed to be informed of these things.”

“I figured he would know, but it’s nice to have it confirmed. Let’s go.” Nick said, turning and pushing open the door.

The audience room was fairly large, probably a good fifty yards across, and the Regent himself sat in a miniature throne at a large table. Behind and above it sat the true throne of Ilos, a graceful piece of art carved from a single piece of wood that seemed to have grown out of where it stood. The table was covered in papers and there were NPCs everywhere, conferring with the Regent, with each other, and sending runners out.

Nick hesitated at the entrance, and Lorilee walked past him, striding with purpose toward the table. He followed the imposing woman, noting that she had signs of rank on her shoulder plates that the other guards did not.

“Regent! What is going on here?”

The man at the head of the table looked up from some papers he was studying. “Lorilee! I’m glad you’re here! I need your help with this.”

“Help? With what?”

“This entire situation!” He said, gesturing broadly with a frustrated look on his face. “Someone rang the Bell of Recall, and we do not know who!”

“You don't?” Nick blurted out.

“No! As far as I can find out no one gave the order! It’s driving me insane! Lorilee, you didn’t send the order I assume. Can you find out if any of your men did?”

She nodded sharply. “Yes. I will check with them.” Turning, she ran off.

“Champion, as much as I would welcome your help, there is nothing you can do. Leave this to us for now.”

“I-“ Nick stopped, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, alright.” I need to get back to Jess anyway, she’s probably freaking out right now about not being able to contact me.

With that thought, he crossed his arms across his chest, and in the middle of all the activity, logged out.

Earth, Day 1

The swirling light vanished, leaving behind darkness. Nick opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up. His room was pretty simple, if a bit messy, but he was a college guy, so that was kind of expected. The full sized bed he was sitting on was pushed into a corner, a couple of pillows against the two walls, with a tv across from it. His desk was to the right of the tv, covered in random crap with a clear space in the middle for his overly powerful laptop and mouse. The floor was mostly clear, though he did have a few changes of clothes strewn about that he thought he could wear a few more times before he had to wash them.

His phone buzzed loudly on the desk, and he pulled himself out of bed, groaning, to snatch up the phone. “Allo?”

“Nick! Thank God you finally picked up! I’ve been calling and calling and I couldn’t reach you and David hasn’t answered either! What took you so long?”

A warm hand clutched his heart at her worried tone, though he frowned at her use of David’s name. She must be on the verge of panic to use that instead of ‘Bro’ like she always did. “It’s okay Jess, I’m fine, I just went to see if I could find some information about what happened. I’m sure David’s just doing the same thing and he’ll call you back when he logs out. Whatever happened it’s over now, so just relax okay?”

He heard her take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before speaking again in a more moderated voice, though there was still an edge of fear to it. “I don’t think it’s over Nick. I can’t remove my headband, that Key thing.”

His hands darted to his head of their own accord, pulling at the black band that adorned his head. A chill swept through him. It wouldn’t budge! He felt along the edges of the thing, but it was as if it was a part of his head!

Now is not the time for panic, I have to keep control so Jess doesn’t freak out as well. Damn it David how do you make this calm thing look so easy?!

Keeping his tone as steady as possible, he brought the phone back to his ear and tried to reassure one of his closest friends. “I’m having the same issue. For now all we can do is wait I think, we don’t have the resources to deal with something like this. I’m sure the government will be going crazy once this goes public. Hell, the whole world will want to know what these are and what they’re doing, so all we have to do is wait a little bit.”

She sighed, but his attempt to calm her seemed to work. “I know, but I’m really worried about Bro. There’s something that tells me something bad has happened to him, and I really want to prove it wrong this one time.”

Shit. Shit shit shit! Nick cursed to himself. Jess had a special knack for these kinds of things, and whenever she said the words ‘something tells me’, it was essentially guaranteed to be correct.

“Jess, I'm going to video chat you on my computer, then I’m going to see if I can get through to David.”

“Okay, let me turn my computer on.”

He booted up his own computer, and as soon as it indicated Jess was online he started the video chat, hanging up his phone when her worried face appeared.

The thing that grabbed his attention first was the black band across her forehead, a match for the one he wore, and one of 990,000 identical black Keys. Her odd brown-into-blue eyes were fearful, though that faded into just concern when she saw him alive and well. Reaching up, he tugged at the band on his head, grimacing. “I can’t get mine off either. Let me see if I can get ahold of David.”

She nodded, her blonde hair swaying with the movement, and Nick picked up his phone, dialing his best friend’s number. The phone rang, and he prayed that David would pick up.

“You’ve reached David Appleton, but I’m not available at the moment. If you leave a message at the tone I should get back to you sometime today. Thanks!”

Beep!

“David, you need to call me or Jess as soon as you get back from Ilos. We are both worried sick about you.” Nick looked at his computer, noting Jess’ increasingly worried expression. “Jess says that something tells her something bad happened to you, so we’re going to call the police in the case that you are injured and can’t pick up the phone. Hopefully we’ll talk to you in a bit. Bye.”

“Call the police? But…”

Nick took another deep breath, trying to keep his fear from showing. “Look Jess, these feelings you get have never been wrong, and as much as I want it to be this time, we need to do what we can to help. Both of us live too far away to just drive over to his place, and we need to get someone to check on him.”

She nodded, then closed her eyes and seemed to refocus herself, clearing the worried expression from her face. “Thanks for keeping calm, but you can relax now, I’m fine. I’ll call the cops, I have Bro’s address right here.”

Nick breathed a sigh of relief, finally letting the strong sense of unease he felt with the whole situation show on his face and in his voice. “Do you really think he’s okay?”

“I hope he’s okay.” She answered, dialing the three digits everyone in America knew. “We’ll find out in a few minutes.”

The cold hand clutching his heart just wouldn’t go away. David’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure they’ll just find him on his bed with that silver Key of his around his head, and we’ll have to apologize to the police. I don’t know how Jess is going to get them over there on a feeling though.

The operator must have picked up, because Jess started talking. Nick’s head came up sharply at her panicked tone, but her face was clear and she nodded slightly to him to let him know she was just faking it, though he wasn’t sure how much was really an act. “Please, you have to help me! I just got a call from my brother and he sounded like he was having a heart attack or something!”

The operator said something, and Jess read off David’s address. “No, he didn’t say anything besides ‘help’ in this really weak voice, and then I couldn’t get him to say anything else, like he might have passed out or something! You’re sending an ambulance? Oh good, thank you so much!”

She nodded at him, giving him a thumbs up. “Yes, I’ll stay on the line, please let me know if you need anything else.”

The minutes seemed like hours as they crawled past, and Jess’ calm façade began to dissipate until her expression mirrored his own. Nick couldn’t keep his hands off of the Key that seemed attached to his head, tracing it with his fingertips, trying to find any sort of gap or blemish or button that would get the thing off. There was nothing there, it was smooth segmented black metal all the way around, but he couldn’t seem to convince his hands to stop looking.

“Holy shit! Nick! Turn on the news!” Jess’ voice rattled him from his thoughts. Fear filling his heart, he leaned over and hit the power button to the tv, knowing it was still on the news channel from the previous night when he was watching the weather.

The image resolved to two women sitting in chairs facing each other in the news room the station always used. The brown haired one was talking. “-here with our head investigator into the mysterious game Ilos, Cindy Weir. Cindy, what can you tell us about Ilos? I understand there was something you needed to get on the air that has to do with that thing on your head?”

The camera switched to show the blonde haired one – Cindy – and Nick gasped. A familiar black band of segmented metal adorned her head, a Key. “Yes. This is the equipment that allows entry to Ilos, commonly referred to as a Key.” She was trying to sound calm and professional, but there was a note of fear that hovered in her voice. “990,000 people own one of these, and I want to warn them to not use the Key until more can be found out about them. As you can see, I’m still wearing mine, but it is because I can’t get it off.” She raised a hand and pulled at the offending object to prove her point, and her voice started to lose that professional edge to a panicked tone. “No matter how hard I pull, it won’t come off! Please, I don’t want to report on that place anymore! I just want this off!”

With Cindy moments away from tears, the camera cut to another portion of the news room, though you could still hear a dim commotion in the background that made it through the anchor’s mic, clipped to his shirt. “We are getting reports that these Keys are somehow attached to the heads of the people who have used them, and nothing seems to be able to remove them. We will continue to update you as this story progresses here at CVUE News, but for now let’s talk to Martin Forcus, a self-proclaimed expert on Ilos. Martin, why do you think the Keys are not able to be removed?”

Of course, ‘Martin’ immediately began spouting crap about the stars and the pyramids and all this random stuff. Nick sighed and turned off the tv. Damn it, another loser looking for his fifteen minutes of fame.

“Ma’am? Are you still there Ma’am?” A woman’s voice came from his computer. He turned to look, discovering Jess had put the operator on speakerphone.

Jess turned off her tv and unmuted the phone. “Yes, I’m still here. Have you found anything?”

The operator paused for a second, as if listening or looking at something, and her voice got real soft. “Hun…”

A coldness swept through him, the icy feeling of dread. Nick knew what she was going to say, and it looked like Jess did too. He saw tears fill her eyes before his own vision grew watery. Unable to bear the sight of his friend crumpling where she sat, he squeezed his eyes shut, salty water running down his cheeks.

“Say it.” Jess’ anguished voice came from in front of him. “J-just, say it.”

“I’m so sorry hun.” The woman’s gentle voice came from the phone. “Your brother was just pronounced dead on the scene.”

David has died on Earth, his body pronounced dead when the police arrived at his apartment, but what about Ilos? A lot of things are the same about the position David finds himself in, with a few very glaring differences.

Themes apply to all chapters, not this one specifically.

Chapter 3: The Start of a Journey

Ilos, Day 1

I was back in the plaza in front of the Palace, the agony I had felt just a moment ago gone without a trace. I didn’t die, that’s not what death feels like here, but I’m back in the plaza. What is going on? Confused and still shaking, I looked around. The Call to Arms was rung, but the city doesn’t look like it’s under attack.

The ground was made of pitch black stone with a large white Centerstone in the middle, located just in front of me, engraved with something I couldn’t read from where I stood. There were players standing around looking confused and some still appearing in glimmers of light, many with different armors than the starting equipment I still wore. Except for that, everything was exactly as it had bee-

I frowned, cutting myself off. The floor hadn’t been black before, it had been white, and there had been no engraving on the Centerstone. I took a step to go look at the inscription, just a few feet in front of me, but stopped abruptly. Something was wrong, everything felt… weird. I looked down, praying I wouldn't be able to see the black stones through myself like a minute ago outside Ilos.

I was still dressed in the normal beginning 'armor', though it was a light reddish hue now, there was the dull short sword belted at my left hip, and I could feel the throwing daggers I had bought still in their places. The thing that got my attention was the rather prominent bulges under my shirt. I hesitantly moved my still-trembling hands up to touch them, flinching when I felt the pressure from both sources. My hands were… different. The fingers longer, more delicate; my palms soft and lacking the calluses I had had for all my life.

The hell…?

Now that I had noticed, I could feel the pressure against my chest, the softness and smoothness of my skin against the rough cloth of my tunic and pants, the faint tickling on the back of my neck that I was sure was hair, the lack of anything between my legs. It was overwhelming. My hands shook more violently, and my breath caught in my throat for a moment.

I shut my eyes and forced myself to take a deep gulp of air. “Okay.” I whispered to myself and let my breath out slowly, pushing out the sudden onset of emotions and dispelling the shaking from my sudden transport here and subsequent shocks.

Let’s worry about this later, I can always just log out and create a new character. First I need to find out what’s going on and find my friends.

I opened my eyes and looked down again, ignoring the, ah, bulges, in my field of vision, and crouched down to read the odd inscription on the Centerstone at my feet. Of course, the hair I had felt dropped down in front of me, obscuring my view with its silky midnight black strands. Annoyed more than anything, I tucked it behind my ears so I could read the engraving.

I blinked. Those looked like words of power like one would use to cast a spell, but they were longer than any I had ever seen and I didn’t recognize most of them. Ilos was mentioned a number of times, and both light, ci, and shadow, tu, were there as well, but the rest… Another new thing to puzzle over. What was going on here?

I rose slowly back to a standing position, looking around at the other people, and got yet another shock. I was short. Very short. I was a pretty tall guy, both in the real world and in Ilos, and I was used to only ever seeing a few people taller than I was, and then not by much. Now however, it seemed everyone practically towered over me, those I could see anyway.

A few players seemed to be moving, but most were just looking around in confusion as the number of people appearing dwindled, then ceased. Too few. There were not nearly enough people to number a million. The plaza would have to be packed to hold that many, and there was plenty of space around me. What happened to the rest?

A deep rumble shook the plaza, cutting off any other thought as I struggled to keep my balance with this new body, running into several other people before one caught me just short of falling. I looked up, having to crane my neck because I only came up to his chest, peering into a face around my own age, about twenty or so. He had black hair and dark blue-purple eyes that blinked at me, as if surprised. I clutched a double handful of his jacket as the courtyard shook harder, making both of us dance to keep our feet. When I looked up again most of the players were on the ground, and my companion and I were of the few still standing.

“Welcome to Ilos. I am Xynus, the one who has summoned you here.” A deep voice boomed, filling the plaza, seeming to emanate from everywhere at once. “You are the ten thousand of the Silver Key, offered the priceless gift of extra time. Do not waste this time attempting to return to your previous world, you cannot get back of your own power until the remaining champions join you. The clock is your enemy, and the final trial will begin regardless of your wishes when the time you have here expires. This is no longer the illusionary world that you were previously shown, and as it continues its journey it will need to be protected. Even now the wild inhabitants have begun to emerge from their lairs, and will seek to hold Ilos when the final challenge begins. Be wary, for while this city is a great stronghold, the Great Sleep is failing, and your enemies will grow more powerful and may overwhelm you given time.”

At the end of the beta, there had been an attack by goblins on the Capitol. Weak little things, but there were many thousands, and more than that, while the city was being attacked respawns had been disabled. They had been repelled of course, pretty easily, but I had a sudden vision of the city being taken permanently, and then dying, never to return. A chill swept through me, and I looked up at the boy whose jacket I was still gripping, his eyes wide as well.

“Shit.” We both cursed at the same time.

“Death is not the end here while my power still lasts. However, beware; should you remain dead for a significant time, there will not be enough left of what is you to be reconstructed. Let this be very clear: you will all remain here until the end, be that your own end or the end of the final trial. You cannot log out. I have done all I can for you, so go! Grow strong, for the fate of two worlds rests in your hands.”

The rumbling voice faded out, and silence reigned. Nearly everyone I could see simply stood or lay where they had fallen. Then some began shouting, others pleading with this unknown entity to let them go home, but the reaction was much more subdued than I would have guessed, many unable to get over their shock.

I was paralyzed, holding fast to the boy’s tunic as my mind refused to process this new information. There was no retreat, no logging off, and most importantly, no changing characters. Which meant I was stuck as a chick! I had read plenty of fiction dealing with being trapped in a virtual reality, hell, I even had harbored a small hope for this kind of event to happen, but I couldn’t spend the next who-knows-how-long as a girl! Was this world worth that price? The tunic moved, and I gripped it harder reflexively, my feet following of their own accord. Its owner was moving somewhere and was yelling something at me, but the words just didn’t make sense to my brain. What about Nick and Jess? Where were they? This was only the people who had silver Keys, so what happened to those with the regular black Keys? Were they returned to Earth? Or-

A rough shake snapped me out of it and I let out a small noise in surprise. It was definitely not a squeak!

"Let go of me little girl! I can't run with you hanging off of me!"

My eyebrows dropped and I glared up at the guy, confusion erupting suddenly into anger. "I'm not a little girl!"

"Whatever. I don't care. Let go of my shirt I have places to be."

I loosened my grip, but a moment later grabbed his shirt again as an idea struck me, the sudden anger vanishing like morning mist. This guy was in the beta and was probably pretty smart to have drawn the same conclusion I had about the goblin raid on the city, and was now rushing off to get ahead of the rest of the players. I wasn't a fool; I knew that Player Killing, or PKing, was common outside of the city, and if I didn't get ahead I would probably be robbed or killed at some point, especially with what I suspected I looked like now. However, I was having trouble just moving around, and the time I would have to take to get used to fighting again would set me behind. Therefore, I needed a partner or someone I could follow around until it was safe for me to solo again, preferably someone who wanted to get ahead as much as I did and also knew how to fight.

"How-" I hesitated, startled for a moment at how high pitched my voice was now that I was thinking more clearly. "How far up did you get during the beta?"

He rolled his eyes and started dragging me down the street towards the North Gate. "Will you let go if I tell you?"

"...Probably."

"I had just reached the Dread Castle Hamelin when the call went out to defend Ilos from the goblins. Now let go of my shirt."

Good, Hamelin was just two islands below where I had gotten to; this guy obviously knew what he was doing. Granted, I didn't get very high compared to the number of islands above Ilos, but I had certainly gotten higher than anyone else. There were hundreds of floating islands above mainland Ilos, and the higher you went the harder the monsters and the better the loot became.

"Well then I'm going with you."

He stopped and looked down at me again. "What?"

"I'm going with you. You're going out to Riskmarl to the north right? I need someone to go with, so I'm going with you."

"No you're not; I can't have a little girl slowing me down. Let go of my shirt." He said, trying to pry my hands off of him.

I smiled, maintaining my death grip on the fabric. "If I can beat you to the North Gate, will you let me come with you?"

"Yeah, fine, just let go of me."

"Alright! See ya there!" I shouted over my shoulder as I dropped his shirt dashed off towards the North Gate.

Getting out of sight was easy, getting up to the rooftops like I had planned? Not so much. I knew my body well because of my freerunning, but in this case that was a bad thing. Trying to run up an alley wall to the roof was a disaster; I took two steps up and pushed off of the wall, but instead of clearing the roof I slammed into the house on the other side.

“Owwww. Why'd that...?” I had a moment of clarity. “Oh.”

I picked myself up off the ground, then crouching, jumped straight up. My head cleared the roof, and I felt a smile grow on my face as I landed softly. "Ohhh, this is going to be fun!"

I took a few steps back and restarted. Three steps up, jump and twist, land on the rooftop, keep running. Everything was stiff and awkward for the first minute or two until I managed to force myself relax and just go with the flow.

Running was so much different in this body, things I should have been able to reach easily I now had to lunge for, and gaps that would have been a long step before were now half-jumps because of my significantly reduced stature. On the other hand, gender and body type didn't translate to strength in Ilos, it was based solely on the amount of experience you had. Therefore I was just as strong as the 6'1" 200 lb rather muscled adventurer Cariss I had been before, but now only about half the weight.

The movement of my body itself was also much different. The way my hips moved from side to side much more than I was used to, the way my long black hair tugged at my scalp as it streamed behind me, the way my skin felt the wind more than ever, the way everything seemed so much bigger now that I was smaller.

The way your chest shifts and bounces under your shirt as you run.

I tripped, almost missing the next jump between rooftops. Shut up brain! You're supposed to be running!

I spotted the boy from the plaza below and a little behind me and did a flip over the street, a seemingly impossible jump, giggling as I saw him below me following the fastest ground route to the North Gate, a zig-zagging affair. He probably thought he’d beat me by a lot.

How could I do jumps and flips already even though I was in a completely new body different in practically every way when I was having trouble just walking earlier? The system assist present in Ilos. All you had to do is decide what you wanted to do, and the assist would guide you through the action if you didn't know how yourself. Well, provided you trusted the system and followed the small pressures it used to guide you anyway, like I did almost automatically now. The assist was the greatest tool ever; it’s just that most people didn't think of using it for anything but attacks.

Ten or so minutes later I leapt off the edge of the last rooftop, landing lightly before strolling over to lean against the wall of the nearby gatehouse. A smile tugged at my lips and there was a glow of pleasure flushing my face the way exertion in this world could not.

"Damn! I knew you champions were crazy, but that takes the prize!"

I looked over to the left, seeing a large guard staring at me and shaking his head in disbelief.

"What? It wasn't that hard."

"Xynus! 'Not hard' she says! What is your name little thing? I am Gudrun. He reached out his hand.

"I'm Car-" I frowned, "No, I can't use that name anymore can I? I'm... Aria. Nice to meet you." I replied as I shook his hand, going with the first name that popped into my head. "But if you ever call me 'little' again I'm going to hurt you."

"Oh? And how do you plan on doing that little cutie?"

I scowled at him, planning exactly what I would do here. I flourished my right hand, making a dagger appear in it and lunged. With the reaction speed I expected of a guardsman, his hand swept across and pushed my arm off course, but it distracted him from the blade I was using with my left hand. I twisted with his push against my arm, using his own strength to drive my left hand dagger faster, cutting right through the straps that held his leg armor up. While that side sagged, I reversed the direction of my right hand, cutting the straps on his left side as well. With the support gone, the weight of the armor pulled it to the ground, revealing his underclothes.

Finishing my step, I spun the daggers in my hands before making them vanish again with a flourish. "I never said what I'd hurt, in this case, your pride seems appropriate." I smiled brightly up at him as he tried to pull his pants back up to the laughter of his friends standing in the door of the gatehouse.

To my surprise, he started laughing, a great booming sound. "I deserved that! Well played Aria! Come by again, when you get back!" And then he waddled back into the gatehouse, still trying to get his pants back up.

"That is what flirting with champions gets you Gudrun!"

"Stick to the barmaids big guy!"

"Hey just cause none a' you have the guts-" Gudrun's voice cut off as the door slammed closed.

I blinked a few times. People, not NPCs. Right, gotta remember that.

My face flamed suddenly. Wait, he was flirting with me?

Just then the guy from the plaza ran up, sparing me an annoyed glance as I fell into step with him when he went past me, and saving me from my embarrassment. I matched his speed, though I could probably run faster with my lighter body. As we ran down the road leading north of Ilos, I looked him over fully for the first time, considering he obviously didn’t want a conversation with me.

Athletically built and handsome like practically all of the male players in Ilos, he looked just ‘normal’ enough that you wouldn’t be able to really tell if he was a player or NPC. His footsteps were light and only slightly louder than my almost silent ones, and that probably only due to the difference in weight. His short black hair was just long enough to rustle in the wind, and he had a slightly tanned skin tone, probably a shade or two darker than my own. Comparing him against the other players in the Plaza I’d seen, I guessed he was a few inches above the average height of 6 ft.

Damn, and I only come up to his chest? Am I even five feet tall?

The thing that set him apart from the players I had seen was his grace and ease of movement. Most players were a little stiff when moving with weapons attached to their waist, back, hands, etc., but this guy seemed completely at ease with the pair of swords strapped to his hips. That alone was incredibly impressive, dual wielding was very difficult to do effectively with anything bigger than long knives, I had yet to see anyone do it right. However, the familiarity with the burdens as he ran at his top speed meant he was at the very least practiced with them. I kept watching him, pleased at my decision to follow this guy from what I saw so far, until we entered the forest just outside of Ilos.

-----

A bit after we entered the forest, I noticed we were heading towards a small wolf cave directly in line with our path. The wolves, unlike most enemies in the area, would attack once you entered their small territory and were significantly stronger as well. They wouldn’t be a big problem unless we allowed ourselves to be surrounded, but it would slow us down a bit if the goal was to reach Riskmarl quickly.

“Um, you know there’s a hostile wolf den that we’re headed straight towards, right? It’d be much faster if we went around it.” I said, looking up at my so far silent companion.

He glanced down at me before turning his purple-blue eyes forwards again, but continued to run straight towards the den. “Hmm, I wonder…” My ears caught.

Before I could voice my doubts again, two grey wolves leapt from the foliage. Without thought, I drew my short sword and slashed, catching the wolf in midair across the throat. However, because of my lack of ‘experience’, my blade only left a shallow cut instead of beheading the thing.

I shook my black hair out of my face.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my companion engaging the other enemy with both of his swords, but couldn’t really watch considering there was a snarling slobbering wolf trying to bring me down.

Being a starting area, the wolves didn’t have complicated attack patterns, so I concentrated on learning how to fight in this body. Dodge the bites, parry the claw strikes, slash at the throat whenever possible.

Avoid getting hair in face.

I did manage to watch my partner fight a little bit after I settled into a pattern, and felt a small bit of pleasure knowing I had totally been right about him. He not only knew to dodge the bites that could lock up a weapon if parried and leave you open to the claws, but also wielded both of his blades to great effect, doing much more damage and killing his wolf well before mine. Then he looked over at me, turned, and walked off into the trees.

I scowled, the previous pleasure evaporating, and laid into the wolf in front of me. I beat him fair and square to the North Gate! Is he trying to ditch me? I mean I guess I did kind of force him into it, but he could have just told me to go away instead of aggroing wolves as a distraction so he could leave me!

It took me another minute to finally do enough damage to the wolf to kill it, and by that time the boy was long gone. “You jerk.” I muttered as I skirted around the wolf den and picked up the pace. “I bet you think I’ll just be dead weight. As soon as I get my quarterstaff I’ll kill things just as fast as you can.”

-----

I caught up to the boy just as he was entering Riskmarl and stomped up to him, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him around to face me. “You’re deliberately trying ditch me aren’t you! I beat you to the North Gate; you’re supposed to take me along with you!” I glared up at him, brushing my black hair out of my face again and poking him with a finger for emphasis.

He stared down at me as if he was looking at an annoying little bug. "I have hardly the patience to drag along some inexperienced little girl. If you wish to follow you will have to keep up on your own. Sad that looks and youth aren’t always enough to keep yourself alive, isn't it?"

“I- You- I know exactly what I’m doing you jerk! And- and looks and youth?! I took on that wolf just as well as you did!” I poked him again for emphasis, hard. “And I’m NOT A LITTLE GIRL!”

My shouting had drawn the attention of a couple of villagers that were near the outskirts of Riskmarl, and I felt my face flush red when I saw them staring. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep calming breath. “Look, I’m Aria. You help me do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ and get my quarterstaff, and I’ll be able to kill things just as fast as or faster than you can. Then I’ll be able to help you do all of the quests here a lot faster than if you did them on your-“

“I’m not interested in a partner.” He cut in, then turned and walked off.

“Rrggg.” I stomped the ground, glaring at his back hard enough to put holes in it. There was no way I could do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ on my own just yet without a quarterstaff, and I didn’t have the money to purchase one. “Stupid jerk.”

I stomped the ground again for good measure, then stalked off after him, “Can you at least tell me your name?”

"Names are a valued commodity in this world where everyone has tossed aside their former selves. I would tell you mine as soon as I'd part with all the coin my coffers could ever stash, and if that is unacceptable to you feel free to name me as you wish. My name, my true name, is nothing you shall ever know."

I frowned; surprised that he would refuse to even give his name as well as from his oddly formal speech patterns. "Well I can't just keep calling you 'boy' and it'd be rude to name you 'jerkface'..." I trailed off. “Why am I questing with this guy again?” I muttered under my breath.

We headed to the inn, and I purchased the cheapest food and drink they had using most of the rest of my money: some bread and water. You still got hungry and thirsty in Ilos just like you did in the real world, though you didn’t have to go to the bathroom and you couldn’t ever die from dehydration or hunger. Despite it being unnecessary, trying to fight while you felt like you were starving was immensely difficult, so everyone ate and drank at regular intervals.

We ate in silence, him also just having bread and water, and then I followed him out to do some of the quests around town.

‘Quests’ are usually just things that NPCs need done that they either can’t, won’t, or don’t feel like doing themselves, so they hire out players, or ‘champions’ as they’re known in Ilos, to do these tasks for them. Each village has plenty of NPCs that need things done for them, and in return for completing these tasks, champions are rewarded with some combination of items, equipment, and coin, as well as the most important thing right now: experience.

As expected, all the quests we did were easy for a pair of experienced players, though I felt a bit useless without my quarterstaff. I simply didn’t have the skill needed to use the sword I had effectively, and it grated that it took so much longer for me to kill things. The feeling of uselessness was mitigated slightly by how much faster I could do ‘gathering’ quests with my increased agility, but still...

I still didn’t get why we couldn’t just do ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ first so I could contribute in quests where we weren’t just gathering items, and since there was no answer forthcoming from the silent guy I was following, I ended up just muttering implications under my breath.

Of course I ran out of things to say to myself after about an hour, so I settled into a dignified silence (I was not pouting), broken by occasionally asking my partner for his name. He seemed to be tolerating my presence, but only because he couldn't find a way to be immediately rid of me.

Finally we came to the NPC that gave out 'The Lazy Shepherd', the owner of a clearing in which he kept livestock. The quest involved protecting said livestock from waves of monsters because the shepherd boy who the owner had hired had fallen asleep and didn't put out the special scent bags that kept the predators away.

My companion turned to look at me before we approached. "Did you know that the musical aria is performed by a soloist? Your name suits you as much as those monsters suit the sheep. You'll have your quarterstaff, girl, but Masso is a more fitting name for someone so stubborn."

I scowled. "Hey! I can take care of myself perfectly fine! Just... Not yet..." I felt my face flush, and I lowered my head, unable to meet his eyes. I'm probably slowing him down, but I can't do this on my own in this body! At least not yet. "I can't believe he called me a rock..." I muttered. Hurray for Italian classes so I can understand when someone insults me.

Suddenly I was angry rather than embarrassed. I had gotten higher in the beta than he had! I had more knowledge, more practice, and more experience than he did! I didn't have to take this! I looked back up, glaring into his purple eyes. "I'll take that stubborn crack as a compliment. I poked him in the chest with my finger, and not lightly. "And if you're so knowledgeable about names, how about you pick one for yourself so I don't have to start calling you something like... Stulte."

Not even deigning to respond, he simply turned and began walking towards the owner of the clearing to talk to him about taking on the monsters. I growled to myself, but followed, putting on a good face for the NPC and trying to be polite.

The quest wasn't really that hard, it just required the player to protect both the shepherd boy who was trying to place the scent bags to keep the monsters away and also keep the livestock from getting killed, a task not easily done solo. Waves of monsters came to attack, but this early on the Ilos mainland, they only had one, sometimes two kinds of attacks, and were easy to deal with. I still felt like I was slowing my companion down and not contributing my share, but that would change right after we finished this.

After we successfully protected the shepherd boy, we went to talk to the owner of the clearing again, and he gave us each a few coins and a well-used quarterstaff. It was of decent quality but old, polished smooth by hands and long use. It had a faint shine, was the same moderately dark wood of the trees surrounding the village, slightly taller than I was, and thin enough that even my small hands could use it.

A feeling of relief came over me and I hugged the thing to my chest. Having a quarterstaff just made me feel so much safer and more confident with the knowledge that I could easily protect myself with it. Of course, that feeling only lasted a moment until I realized that my companion was walking away and I hurried to follow.

Now that I had my weapon of choice I didn't need to rely on the boy, but questing was faster and more efficient with two and I wanted to repay him for allowing me to tag along. I knew I had been slowing him down, essentially stealing money and experience from him in order to advance myself more quickly.

After thinking about it for a few more quests, I finally took my starter sword out of my inventory and stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Hey, do you… want this?" I asked, my face heating and turning down in embarrassment as he turned to look at me. "I mean, there's no sword upgrades worth it in this area, and this one is better than your second sword..."

"I have no need for your sword Masso. Our relationship is nothing but temporary and I will see it end soon." He replied, shaking his head slightly.

My head snapped up and my eyes widened a bit. "You... Don't want it?" I asked as I lowered the proffered weapon. He doesn't want a free equipment upgrade? "You have to be the weirdest gamer I've ever met."

He turned and started walking away before I recovered. "And my name is Aria, not Masso!"

-----

As the sun began to set the first few other players began to trickle into the village. Most had a confident look about them, as if they were repeating actions they had done before, but none had the presence of the companion I was already traveling with. I could tell that they were much less skilled by the way they walked and handled their weapons and movements.

He still wouldn't tell me his name, which was somewhat annoying, but he had stopped exuding that overly patient air like he was dealing with a complete annoyance and was more or less just ignoring me at this point. Though to be honest, I actually preferred the silence to the reactions I knew I would, and was starting to, get from the other players. I mean, I looked like a kid! And a cute female one to boot! I knew if they saw me they would probably think I was a burden, an object of pity, or worse, attractive to them.

Unfortunately, I had caught more than a few looks at myself in the reflections in the glass around the village, and could easily see the image in my mind’s eye. I now had the appearance of a cutely pretty girl with long black hair and golden eyes with a rather slight build. If I stood higher than 4’10” or weighed more than 105 lb I’d be surprised. Even though I was actually 21, I looked in my older teens, possibly even as young as 16 if you looked at my face from the right angle. My long midnight-black hair reached down to my lower back, and kept getting in my face until I got the trick of tucking it behind my ears just right. The darkness of that hair set off the yellow-gold eyes I had now, making them seem even brighter and more striking.

To avoid the other players, I needed to stay with the guy I was currently following even if we didn’t exactly get along. Despite calling me ‘girl’ all the time, he didn’t actually treat me all that much like the diminutive girl I looked like. He ignored me for the most part, but he also didn’t look at me in that weird way the other male players and even the villagers did. I got the feeling that he probably wouldn’t have treated me much different had I been Cariss instead of Aria.

I reached out and put a hand on his arm, giving it enough pressure to get his attention and then quickly removing it. “We should do the night quests together; these guys aren’t exactly up for it I don’t think.” He didn’t reply though he seemed to be thinking, so I tried to come up with something that would make him agree. “I have some potions I haven’t used and I can do some basic healing magic to deal with the area of effect attacks of some of the monsters around here.”

He finally nodded, "We will do what quests we can tonight but I plan to be in the next village by morning. If the lack of sleep is a problem you are free to stay behind."

I shook my head, my black hair flowing disconcertingly with my movements. "Not a chance, you're stuck with me for a while yet. Just by looking at the others I can tell you're the most skilled player here, and a little tiredness isn't going to stop me from staying with someone so good. Besides, you helped me get my quarterstaff; I at least owe it to you to get an equipment upgrade of your own."

There was a little bit of time before the sun fully set, so we stopped by the inn again to get some more bread and water. Unfortunately there were more than a few players here now, and it seemed like all of them turned to look at me as I walked in the door. Of course, looking at a newcomer was natural and I was used to it, having dealt with it for all my life in school classrooms. What I wasn’t used to was the way their gazes lingered as I went to go purchase my food, and seemed continuously drawn back to me as I ate with my companion at a table. I hated the attention, even if I knew exactly why I was receiving it.

Female players were relatively rare in Ilos because most people kept true to their real world gender and there were simply more guys that played video games than girls. However, among those who had silver Keys, that ratio was much more severely skewed. With the prices the Keys went for on the open market, anyone who didn’t really love this place just up and sold their Key, and while I was sure there were still female players in Ilos, most likely had their heads on straight and went for the money over the game. In most games there would be a significant number of female avatars, regardless of the player’s true gender, but very few could handle the massive changes of a gender switch in Ilos and stuck to their own. All the attention I got was because I looked like a girl, and a young and pretty one to boot.

I wondered briefly if there was anyone else who had got their appearance switched around. It would be nice to know I wasn’t alone in all of this mess, but I really wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Everything was wrong with this. I shouldn’t be being stared at, I shouldn’t be short, and I certainly shouldn’t be looked down on like everyone was doing.

Twice it happened that a player started to approach me, concern written on his face, and I had to glare with those yellow-gold eyes of mine until he backed down. I didn’t want their concern, I didn’t want their help, and I didn’t want their pity.

Suffice it to say it was an… uncomfortable… meal, and I was glad to leave.

As we went to go accept the night quests from the various NPCs, I forced my face to form a pleasant smile and was as polite as possible, just like I had been doing all day when dealing with people that weren’t players. It paid to be polite, and I wasn’t going to take it out on the Ilosians just because I didn’t like my lot.

I finally felt like I was a significant benefit when we started with the quests involving gathering materials as I seemed to have much better night vision than my companion did. It was easy to spot the small stacks of wood the forester had left out that day, and the herbs the village Wisdom needed to cure a fever weren’t difficult to see either. I was also able to pull my weight a lot better now that I had my quarterstaff and lagged only slightly behind when killing monsters, unable to deal the damage my partner’s edged weapons could despite my skill with the weapon.

We completed the quests we had picked up in very good time and headed back to the village to find more. After going to the forest and back three or four times, the village Elder, introducing himself as Catre, approached us and asked for our help with a matter the village as a whole was having trouble with.

It seemed a large bear - the Grizzled Grizzly - had been killing livestock, destroying equipment and property, and generally causing a major drain on the people. I struggled to keep a straight face when he mentioned the miniboss despite the seriousness. I mean, who names these things? He explained that the hunters had been attempting to find and kill the beast, but because it only came out at night they had been unable to as they couldn't venture far from the village for fear of being attacked by the dangerous monsters that inhabited the forest. As we accepted the quest, he also told us that there was another way to kill the Grizzly without having to fight it directly. If we could find and kill a Sickly Boar we could use its blood to poison the bear's den and Catre would count the quest as complete.

From my experience in the beta, I knew the Grizzly itself wasn’t all that difficult to defeat, but when attacked it could roar, drawing in any surrounding enemies to attack the player as well, which is the only reason it was considered miniboss status and usually taken on in groups of four or more.

We turned in the other quests we completed and then headed back into the forest. My companion had not spoken another word since we started the night quests and while he seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about the quests around here, I wanted to make sure he had all the specifics with this one.

"I'm not sure how much you know about this quest, but you get different rewards depending on how you kill the Grizzly. If you use the poison the Elder gives you a Tiny Quick Gem, otherwise we will get a pair of Comfortable Traveling Boots each. The poison would be easier, but having the Boots would significantly reduce our travel time. Besides, while Quick Gems are always useful to have, I could really go for some boots that fit better than these things do.” I kicked the heel of one shoe with the toe of the other.

Being able to access a small item from a gem without going through the inventory screen would be handy, but if we end up doing the amount of traveling I think we are going to, the run speed boost the Comfortable Traveling Boots give us is going to be a huge boon.

He considered for a moment longer, then replied. “We clear the mobs around the Grizzly quick as we can before aggroing the beast. Keeping ahead of the crowd is more important for now.”

We avoided the aggressive monsters in the areas much as we could, searching the forest for the Grizzled Grizzly, but we couldn’t hide from all of them. After a few fights, I reflected that this was probably a good thing. I was significantly out of practice with my quarterstaff, and with the new body I had I needed to adjust some of the forms to make them usable again. Most of those changes involved creating extra room so I wouldn’t brush the protrusions on my chest or my comparatively larger hips. It took a bit, but with each adjustment I relaxed a little bit more, and my strikes began to flow again rather than jerk.

It really was nice to fight with a quarterstaff again. I slipped into the Stillness each encounter now, dancing as much as fighting, the feeling of unease with my new form unfelt just like every other emotion. I would have said I felt happy, but even that emotion was muted to the point where it was unnoticeable while in the Stillness.

The only trouble with this forest at night was that there were slimes that would explode when killed, damaging everything nearby. The pair of us were quick enough that we could get away from most of the effect, but not all of it. I began to use kasi to keep the damage down, periodically healing us, but we had to use a few potions while we searched as well.

After around an hour of looking, we finally found our quarry. It was a huge thing, taller than I was when it was down on four paws, and had numerous scars and places where the fur no longer grew in evenly. Avoiding it for now, we quickly began clearing the area around it of any monsters we could find. Unfortunately, there were a lot of them, and as we started attacking the last, the first ones we killed began respawning. We simply didn’t have enough damage, due to lack of exp, to kill all of the creatures in the area off quickly enough to only have to fight the bear.

I glanced at my partner, meeting his eyes, and in silent agreement we finished off the enemies we were currently fighting and moved to attack the Grizzly. I slipped into the Stillness, my mind able to process what information I had without the stress of battle playing in. The bear had four different attacks, double that of any other monster in the area. When it was on four paws, it would bite, which needed to be dodged, or slash with one of its paws, which could be either dodged or deflected. After taking some damage it would stand on its hind legs and roar, aggroing all nearby monsters and giving off an imposing presence that most players would react to with fear, but it would also expose the most vulnerable areas of its body: the belly and neck. After roaring, it would slash down with both paws, which due to the power would cause significant damage even if parried and therefore must be dodged.

As expected, the Grizzly slashed at us as soon as we entered its range, its paw only a blur as it drew a path where our midsections should have been. I was already above the attack, and my partner had slid under it, cutting with his blades as I brought down my quarterstaff with the weight of my fall on its head.

Our counter-strikes together were enough to create a Stun effect, and we began attacking as fast as we could. I was slightly to the right of the monster’s head, and began striking at its eyes and ears, both sensitive points, while my black haired companion attacked its left side.

As the Stun effect expired, the beast lunged at me, attempting to close its jaws on me, but I had already moved, and it caught only air. My role was to attract the Grizzly’s attention, keeping its focus on me while my partner dealt the real damage to its flank. By striking at the eyes and ears, the monster identified me as the most damaging target and continued to attack me. Because of my smaller stature and greater agility, I could easily avoid any damage it tried to do to me.

After a short time, the Grizzly reared up on its back paws and drew in a breath to roar. In unison, both of us attacked at its exposed weak points, him at the belly and I at the neck as the windpipe was more vulnerable to blunt damage than the guts were. Despite the attacks to its throat, the bear still let out a loud roar and began to slash down on us, making us roll out of the way.

The ground seemed to shake with the force, and the bear’s paws made deep imprints in the ground where they hit. Rustles sounded all around us as the monsters of the forest responded to the Grizzly’s roar, rushing towards us. There were two, six, nine of them that appeared, and I swore under my breath. There must have been more respawns.

We broke from our engagement with the bear and attacked the adds, performing the same roles as before.

“Ci!” I shouted to give my partner some warning, closing my eyes and throwing up a hand with my palm open, creating a bright ball of light. My eyelids turned red to my vision, almost as if I were facing the sun itself. The orb only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to draw the attention of all the monsters in the area as well as severely damaging the night vision of any who looked at it directly.

As the person with the lesser damage output, it was my job to keep the attention of the enemies so my companion could focus on taking them down one by one without worrying about being attacked from behind. However fast and agile I was now, I was still inhabiting a body I hadn’t even had for a full day yet, and the small mistakes in movement I was making started to add up with the number of attacks coming my way.

Despite the Stillness, I could still feel the fear of a heated and dangerous battle. With the large disadvantage in exp I was working with, it was sure that if I took a single solid hit I would be thrown off balance enough that I would be almost instantly killed. So I danced around the clearing like a madman, dodging what I could, parrying the heavy attacks I knew I couldn’t, and taking what damage I had to from the glancing attacks. I used everything I could to keep out of reach; I kicked off of trees, jumped over heavy foliage, slid through leaves to kick them up in the air, and used the monster’s bodies to block their allies. I felt like I was in the air more than I was on the ground.

Even glancing attacks caused a significant amount of damage over enough time, and by the time there were only two monsters other than the Grizzly left, my vision was starting to grow hazy, a sure sign that if I took many more hits I would start to lose consciousness. I was bleeding from numerous cuts and hadn’t had time to grab a potion from my belt, my health deteriorating without having to be directly hit now.

However, all of that was distant in the Stillness, just knowledge, what mattered was that I continue to hold the monsters attention until my partner could take them out. If it were any of the other players I had seen back at the village that were with me I would have been killed already, but the skill and sheer damage output of my partner was keeping us alive.

He killed off the last two adds, and we could finally turn our attention back to the Grizzly. I hid behind a tree to gain enough time to drink one of the health potions I had in my belt, then began attacking again. If I was hit, even slightly, the potion’s healing effects would cancel, but I knew the bear’s attack patterns well enough that I wasn’t worried. A crawling sensation moved across my skin as the cuts I had accumulated began to knit together and disappear. I still struck at the monster’s face as often as possible, continuing to hold its attention.

I had little attention to spare, but what I did have I used to watch my partner. He was a dervish, his two blades blurring with speed as he cut deeper and deeper into the Grizzly’s flank. The bear did one last hind leg stand, drawing in breath to roar again, but between my quarterstaff hitting its neck and my partner’s blades cutting into its belly, the monster only gave out a small groaning sound before falling to the ground with a massive thud.

Strength coursed through my body as the experience we gained from the fight was applied to us. That feeling was the only way to judge what kind of experience was gained, and by the rush I was feeling, it was quite a bit.

I twirled my quarterstaff before holstering it on my back, then stretched with my arms over my head. “Good job! That was a tough fight.” I smiled at my partner as he was wiping his blades off on the Grizzly’s corpse.

As I was starting to realize was normal for my mysterious companion, he said nothing, only glancing at me without expression before turning back to looting the Grizzly and the other monsters we killed.

We headed directly back to the village using the compass to guide us. The compass was a holographic-type screen just like the inventory, appearing when a player put their index fingers and thumbs of both hands together to form a rough circle. A normal compass would then appear in the empty space and could be modified by simple mental focus to show the direction of any place you had already been to.

I cast kasi again as soon as I had enough mana, and drank another health potion to heal the rest of my injuries from the battle. Traveling back to the village was uneventful as we were successful in moving quietly by any monsters we encountered along the way. We could have just run through the forest, but unlike most games, enemies didn’t stop following you unless you killed them or they lost sight of you for a significant time. Most monsters were also faster than players were, and would destroy buildings and kill NPCs if led to them, breaking quests and possibly permanently removing an entire village from Ilos.

When we arrived back at the village of Riskmarl, we were greeted by Catre, the village Elder who had given us the quest.

I bowed my head in greeting and smiled at him, still buoyant from the recent victory. “We’ve killed the beast Elder Catre, your village will no longer be bothered by it.”

He smiled, “Thank you champions. Please, take these for your troubles. I know they’re not much, but we have little else to offer.”

In each hand he held out a pair of Comfortable Traveling Boots, which I gratefully accepted, swapping out my rather badly fitting starting shoes immediately and placing them in my inventory to sell later. I sighed happily, wiggling my toes in the soft interior of the boots that reached up almost to my knees, fitting snugly, then bowed to Catre. “Thank you very much Elder, these will help us greatly.”

I glanced up at my companion, who had already swapped his boots as well, meeting his eyes, and in silent agreement we turned to go.

“Aria, a moment more of your time.”

I stopped in my tracks, turning back to Catre. He called me by name?

He walked the few steps separating us, then bowing, he spoke. “Aria, you’ve been so kind to us. Please, take this with you as well; we have no use for it here.”

I looked to see what he was giving me and couldn’t stop a gasp. Proffered in his outstretched hand was a small sky-blue gem, something I recognized immediately, but had never expected to see on the Ilos mainland. The Tiny Spell Gem glinted softly in the torchlight illuminating us, a rare treasure indeed.

Like a Quick Gem but for magic, a Spell Gem could be used to store a certain amount of mana in the form of a spell. In a world where magic was by and large the strongest force to be reckoned with, a Spell Gem was among the most sought after treasures.

I reached out and gently took it from his open palm, clutching it in my hand as I bowed deeply in the most respectful Ilosian way: one leg crossed in front of the other, bent at the waist with both arms held out straight to the sides. “Thank you for this amazing gift Elder Catre, I’m honored you would give me such a thing.”

He shook his head, smiling down at me. “The honor is all mine, thank you for helping us and being so kind, too many champions simply ignore us, or treat us as if we are merely objects. Now it is late, and weariness weighs heavily on these old bones. A good night to you Aria, and your companion as well.”

I watched as he walked off, a smile on my face, then turned to join my partner as we walked out into the forest, the few villagers still awake waving at us as we went. I held off casting kasi on the Spell Gem, wanting to use the maximum mana I could hold for the spell charge, and placed it in my inventory for the time being.

We broke into a run when the lights from the village were no longer visible, and as expected, the boots we had just received significantly boosted our traveling speed. At this rate of speed I could probably win the Olympic games in any running event over a mile long. The wind was exhilarating as it blew through my hair.

I thought about the villagers in Riskmarl for a good while after we left and how they had been so grateful for what we had done for them. That was one of the two main draws for me in Ilos. More than the fighting, more than the feeling of accomplishing something difficult, more than acquiring new equipment; I loved knowing I had made a difference, that I personally had greatly affected the lives of a group of people for the better. That was something that was almost impossible to do on Earth.

Just thinking about the good we had done kept a smile on my face and a bounce in my step for the first hour or two of travel. I wish I could stay in Ilos forever, to live here rather than Earth for the rest of my days.

I caught sight of my hands as they swung with my steps, my small, soft, smooth hands. I brought them up in front of me and looked at them, turning them back and forth. They were so much smaller, the fingers longer when compared to the palm, the nails more rounded, and the skin hairless and smooth. The palms were missing the calluses I’d had for all my life and were almost uniform in color rather than splotchy. Not my hands, yet I had already begun to grow used to them like I had with the rest of me.

My good mood faded as I stared at them and thought over the day. I would never have cursed like I did at nameless guy had I been Cariss, but I just felt so angry. It’s like I’m feeling more than I used to. I’m already changing, adapting to conform to this new body. Am I even me any longer? Would Jess and Nick believe me if I told them who I was looking and acting like this?

If this was the price I had to pay in order to forsake Earth and live in Ilos, would I accept it?

I didn’t know. I certainly didn’t want to be a girl, but the inability to log out and the possibility that I would be a permanent resident of Ilos filled me with hope. I wanted to stay here, I wanted it more than anything I had ever desired, but would this price be worth it?

There was a part of me that screamed no, a part that couldn’t deal with changing genders and appearance and having that strip away all that I had ever held dear, possibly including my friends and family. Yet I felt like I belonged here in Ilos in a way I never had on Earth, like there was this gaping hole in me that was filled by being here.

Why me though? I wondered. Was I turned into a girl because I was so close to Jess when it all happened? Did this Xynus guy just decide he wanted to screw with a couple people in addition to trapping them here? Or is it some other reason or just a fluke?

I sighed, feeling my eyes begin to grow heavy now that I wasn’t in combat or even real happy. I’m too tired to think about all this right now. How long have I been awake? Time started over from morning when the silver Key players were singled out, and I spent most of the day with Jess and Nick beforehand, so… 38 hours? 42? Whatever, none of this matters right now, I just need to keep going, keep gaining experience and strength until the rest of the players reappear.

I looked over at the as yet nameless boy I was traveling with. I’m just glad I’m not alone right now, even if he is cold and kind of a jerk, he doesn’t look down on me for looking like I do like everyone else seems to.

Ilos, Day 2

As the beginnings of dawn began to light the sky we entered the outskirts of the village of Neatar, slowing to a stop as we stood at the edge. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, then blinked blearily and looked up at my companion. “So what now?”

He looked down at me. “We'll rest for a time but I won’t let my lead be wasted. If you are not awake when I depart you have only yourself to blame. We are in separate rooms.”

I nodded tiredly. “I don’t want anyone catching us either. I think I’ll be good after three or four hours, just don’t leave me okay? I really don’t want to be alone.”

He sighed. “I will not wake you as I prefer to play alone, but I will accept that you have yet to slow me down. I will wake in four hours, Masso, and begin with ‘An Errand for the Cobbler’. I will complete some of the more valuable quests in this village before moving on. As persistent as you are, even if you oversleep I have no doubt you will find me before I depart.”

Relief washed over me, much more than I expected, and I smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

Without further comment, he turned and walked off towards the inn, quickly and silently vanishing from sight. I took out the long squarish light blue Spell Gem from a pouch and fingered it absently, wondering if he would actually do what he said and not try to ditch me. Well, he needed to sleep sometime, and I had a few things to do before I could do so as well.

I stopped one of the villagers, a young man, and asked where the shops were, attempting to ignore how much I had to look up and the way his eyes flickered between my golden eyes and my chest. My attempt failed, and my voice snapped much more than I wanted it to when I thanked him, sending him scurrying away with wide eyes when I stalked off.

Thankfully the shopkeeper was a woman, and I was able to be much more polite while haggling with her. At least she only stared at my eyes. After selling all my extra equipment, I came away with a simple silver necklace and an attachment I could mount my Spell Gem to as well as twenty copper marks and six copper pars. I honestly thought I’d never work her up to that much, but from her smile as I walked off, she never expected to pay so little for what she got.

That was the best way to do things, with both sides thinking they’d got the better deal. I took it to the jeweler in the village, or at least the guy who did all the small fine work for everyone. He was much less experienced in bartering, and I managed to get him down to accepting four copper pars to attach my Spell Gem to the necklace. Normally I wouldn’t drive someone so hard when dickering, but he was staring at my chest the entire time. I don’t even think he noticed I had a weird eye color. It was quick work, and about twenty minutes after entering the village of Neatar, I was heading towards the inn with an emptied inventory and an easy way to carry my Spell Gem.

I bought some bread and water for a copper mark and rented one of the four rooms for another two, paying the innkeeper five copper pars to send someone to wake me after three and a half hours. Taking the food up to my room, I set my quarterstaff within reach of the bed then sat down in the single creaky wooden chair to eat my food. With a bed within a few feet of me, I barely managed to finish my meal before I fell onto the thin mattress, still fully clothed, and was out as soon as my head hit what passed for a pillow.

-----

Thump.

I woke up on the floor next to the bed, scared completely out of my wits and my eyes blurry with tears. There was no feeling of threat, which would have made me reach for my quarterstaff, just a sense of fear, as if I had been trapped somehow and was unable to escape. I gathered myself and stood up, brushing back my hair and wiping my face and eyes to clear them. The panicky feeling slowly faded away as I took a few deep breaths and tried to convince my subconscious that there was nothing to be afraid of. Whatever that dream had been, or nightmare really, it must have been a doozy for me to fall out of bed.

I glanced at the bed, considering going back to sleep, but the sleep I did get must have done some good because there was only a small wisp of the exhaustion I had felt earlier remaining. And I really did not want to wake up that way again.

My quarterstaff, leaning against the wall by the bed, caught my eye. I should really work through some of the forms if I have the time right now.

I grabbed the weapon, my only possession in the room I wasn’t wearing, and walked towards the door. I caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of my eye as I neared the door, and spun to confront them. How the hell did someone get into my room? The system is supposed to prevent that!

I snapped my quarterstaff up into a ready position and started to demand the identity of the intruder. Then I realized that I was glaring through the mirror over the washstand… at myself.

Letting my quarterstaff drop, I felt my cheeks heat, and I was suddenly glad I was the only one who was there to see me ready to fight a reflection in a mirror. I absently brushed back the fan of hair that liked to drop over my left eye when I moved so suddenly, and smiled slightly. I was so glad Ilos didn’t include hair tangles after the tossing and turning I suspected I did while I was asleep. Thankfully my long midnight black hair fell as straight and soft as ever down to my lower back, the tresses containing a slight wave even when I stood still. At least that’s one thing I don’t have to deal with.

Recalling my introspection the previous night, the smile faded from the girl’s face. I concentrated, dropping into the Stillness so I could consider things without my annoyingly stronger emotions getting in the way. The sense of oddness in this body faded as I relaxed, the unease, the loneliness, the fear and frustration and anger fading until they were unnoticeable, leaving me in a bubble of calm, of Stillness. The question is ‘can I do anything about this being a girl thing?’ Would it help to tell someone, that guy I’m traveling with maybe, what happened to me? Is there anything more practical I could be doing than what I’m doing right now?

I had certainly overreacted to many of the minor things that had happened to me yesterday. Most of the small insults from my traveling companion, the way the Ilosians looked at me, the flirtatious guard at the North Gate, all of those things would have just slid off me when I was Cariss. However, aside from that, I had done very well in gaining an advantage over most of the player populace in Ilos. By reaching one of the four main starting areas around the City and running through the quests there first, I not only got to complete the best quests in terms of efficiency and rewards, but also made sure any other players would be long in following.

Most quests could be completed again and again for a reducing reward by one player or for the same reward by many different players as long as the NPC in question needed something done, but not all quests followed this rule. Running errands, killing non-unique monsters, and many of the gathering quests were this way, the Ilosians seeming to leave things unfinished just so the players could have quests, though maybe they were just really lazy. ‘The Lazy Shepherd’ was an example of a quest that could only be completed once a day, as once the shepherd boy had placed the bags of scent, they would last the rest of the day and there would be no need for the owner of the livestock to hire another champion or group to protect his animals. Quests that involved killing a unique monster, like the Grizzled Grizzly, were very difficult and could only be completed once in a long period of time. The Grizzly would inevitably be succeeded by another bear or wolf or other animal, and then the quest would need to be completed again, but that could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Finally, some quests that involved unique events or circumstances would only be completed once, the bulk of these involving the bosses that guarded the path upwards into the islands above Ilos.

If there was a big enough group of players working together, it would be possible for them to catch us with their lower level of exp, but that kind of group seemed unlikely. I very much doubted that the other players were still frozen in fear in the city. Some might be, but I suspected that there were many who would consider this the best thing that ever happened to them, and because all of them were in the beta, they knew most of Ilos’ rules and many of the quests in the starting areas. Some might gather together, but they would need to be very good in order to catch us now, especially with the boots we had just received.

So to answer my own question, this is the most practical thing I could be doing right now. I’ve done what I could with what I have and gained as much of a lead as possible.

Abandoning the Stillness and the cute young girl in the mirror, I headed down to the common room, stopping to ask the innkeeper if there was a clear space nearby I could practice with my quarterstaff.

He gestured towards the back of the inn with his head, his hands busy polishing a bowl. “There’s a clear spot out back for hitching wagons, you’re welcome to use it unless there’s someone else there.”

I inclined my head for a moment. “Thank you.”

There was indeed a place behind the inn where a few spots of grass grew, but was mostly open dirt in front of a stable. I checked around, making sure there was indeed no one there, then unlimbered my quarterstaff and spun it between my hands and started working through the basic forms at a moderate speed. No problems, but that was expected after all the fighting I’d done yesterday. I sped up to full speed, the ends of the wood in my hands blurring out of sight and producing a low whirring sound.

It took a few minutes to run through all the basics, and when I stopped I saw a few of the village children peeking around a corner at me, probably come to investigate the noise. I smiled and waved them over. “Come on then. If you want to watch, I don’t mind as long as you stay clear.”

They ran over to a grassy spot and sat down, talking amongst themselves excitedly as they stared at me with wonder on their faces. They gasped and the soft babble increased as they noticed my oddly colored eyes. My smile widened slightly, and I spun up my quarterstaff again, flowing into the forms I hadn’t tried yet.

Unfortunately, most of those needed slight corrections to work with my new body, or rather to avoid hitting my chest or comparatively wider hips. It was slow and annoying progress, but getting things in order was necessary.

After a little while I gave up on fixing my technique and just moved. Each form was designed for transition into others, and you could chain them together with a little practice. I slipped into the flow and closed my eyes, a tension I didn’t know I’d had leaving my body as I spun the wood in my hands and danced to an unheard melody.

The sound of my quarterstaff cutting through the air grew louder until it was a constant rich thrumming, moving through every possible space a weapon or attacker could use. I slipped into the Stillness again, relaxing in the peace that was so absent in the past day. As always when I was in that state, the… presences, for lack of a better word… around me became clearer. I wasn’t sure if it was a product of the rules in Ilos, or something specific to the Stillness, but I could tell the general direction and strength of anything near me, even with my eyes closed and my ears filled with the thrum of my weapon. The children were still there, and a strong presence approached, then after watching for a moment, left.

That must have been my companion. I really need to come up with a name for him, or get him to tell me his. I thought, but for some reason I knew I would wait until he gave me his name to call him anything.

Letting my quarterstaff gradually slow, I let go of the Stillness, sighing as I felt the full force of all the emotions in this foreign body hit me. That was one of the only drawbacks about the peace I could find with my weapon and the Stillness, everything else just seemed so much more when that calm vanished.

Rather than dwell on what would inevitably end with me getting angry or depressed, I walked off towards where ‘An Errand for the Cobbler’ started to join my mysterious traveling partner.

We made good progress, moving through quests quickly, though I did end up taking some of my anger and other emotions out on nameless guy. It was like I couldn’t bring myself to be polite to him, though I did manage to hold any cutting remarks from the villagers that treated me like a little girl. Those always seemed to think that the guy traveling with me had some authority over me, or that he spoke for both of us, and would only talk to him, sometimes even ignoring me completely. It was annoying, and I took it out on him rather than be rude to the NPCs.

Regardless, we still got a good hour to nap after we finished the quests available in the daytime before the night quests unlocked.

-----

Night quests certainly weren’t easy, but between the pair of us we had little enough trouble with them. The real trouble came about an hour later.

The pair of us were talking to the mayor, one Briar Brisbane, who was a guardsman in his youth. He was born and raised in Neatar, and after seeing us help out his people he decided we might be able take on something that was plaguing the whole village.

As he was about to explain what he needed from us, there was a noise from beyond the door. Torchlight shone from outside, and I moved to look out the window. Seven men stood just outside the village border holding torches and a mixed assortment of ill-maintained swords.

“Damn, they are here already. Please, get rid of these men. I will give you my old sword as a reward, but please just drive them off.” At my questioning look he continued to explain, gesturing towards the window with a long face. “They used to be people who lived in this very village, but when times got hard they decided that robbery was the best way to go about things. We do not have the men to repel them anymore because of all the monster attacks, and we no longer have the money to pay them off. I do not know what they will do. I just wish they would come back to us.”

My companion took my place at the window, examining the men who were beginning to approach the house.

I scowled. Bandits were the one thing in Ilos I hated most. They were cowardly, mean, and a blight on everything and everyone around them. Ilos was my home now, and bandits defaced the beauty that it had and was. “I hate bandits.” I muttered, “Can we kill them?”

Turning from the window, my partner addressed Mayor Briar. “Mayor I can promise only one thing, as I am a loner and have no more charisma than a wolf, if I am to take this task all those men out there will die. I will make it as clean and quiet as can be in return for that sword but if you wish them a different fate I am not the one to ask.”

The mayor bowed his head, sighing heavily as if giving up, but nodded. “Very well. If they do not leave we will all die.”

A small smile began to grow on my face, but vanished as the unnamed man turned and looked down to speak to me. “Masso you will let me handle this and you will let me handle it alone. I will not tolerate an argument otherwise lest you believe yourself a match for my swords. You may watch and kill what ones slip me by but I will be doing this my way and you are not suited for such methods.”

What? Does he still think I can’t fight?! “But I-“ I started to argue, indignant, but caught the look in his purple eyes. He was entirely serious about doing this alone, and I was suddenly sure that if I tried to interfere or help he would turn on me. The anger faded from my face, and I nodded sharply. The bandits would still die, and being able to travel with someone so skilled was worth the price of not killing them with my own hands. “Show no mercy.”

Without further word, he walked out the rear door of house with me following, and both of us vanished into the shadows. I stayed back in the darkness of the house, holding one eye shut against the torchlight, and watched my companion as he moved forwards, silent as mist.

Abruptly, the three torches the bandits had between them went dark. Rather than go out suddenly, this was something different. Three small orbs of darkness had replaced the ends of the torches, an effect I recognized as the Shadow elemental magic spell tu. I opened my closed eye, and the world brightened from the pitch blackness that had suffused it for a moment. My companion was among them, his swords slicing necks and piercing chests. Four of them died before any of them realized something was wrong, the fifth before any of them saw him, and the sixth as he flinched back in fear. The last bandit dropped his crude sword in his panic and stumbled backwards. He opened his mouth to scream, but a sword appeared in his throat before he could make the slightest noise.

“Damn that was quick.” I muttered, walking towards my companion, who was busy snuffing out the torches before dismissing the Shadow spell. Without a word, we searched the bodies for any valuables, finding a small amount of money and a few of their weapons that were worth selling.

Standing, he looked at the corpses and blood, and they began to quickly waste away, dissolving into motes in a couple minutes rather than the hours they would take otherwise.

“A trick such as that won’t work on those who expect it or those who are better trained than mere bandits.”

I nodded, agreeing. “That was tu right? I should start working on my Shadow magic.” I motioned towards what little was left of the bandits with a hand. “Is that a Death magic spell? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one.”

“Hope that you don’t see many more. Death magic is a dangerous spell type as is anything that so readily strikes against the living, and its users are seldom the kind you want to accompany.”

We waited until the last vestiges of the dead men dissolved away, then headed back inside the mayor’s house.

He greeted my partner, bowing low. "Thank you. I wish they could have come back to us, but this was the next best way. Most of the village is asleep, and this way I can say the bandits left and never came back. You've saved my people a lot of grief tonight sir."

He turned and walked back into the house, coming back with the sword. "Here is the sword as promised, and this is something I was given to pass on to someone whom I deemed fit." Along with the sword, he also handed him a White Carnation. It was beautiful, pure as newfallen snow, and drew my eyes like a moth to flame.

He checked the item description, a window appearing over the object low enough that I could read it. It read: ‘A Flower whose meaning lies in remembrance. It has an unknown effect, but may hold a special meaning to a certain someone.’

The mayor cleared his throat. “Sir, what name may I call you? I must have something I can tell the Elders at the meeting I must call tomorrow morning. You and Aria have helped us greatly this day."

Do I finally get to find out this guy’s name?

"I have no name good sir, and I would ask it as a favor if you would make no mention of me. Tell your Elders it was the doing of this young girl, and if your tongue cannot lie lest it be cut, only mention me as a man in her company. I would appreciate it so."

I sighed slightly. Of course not.

"I see. Well please, my son runs the inn, I'm sure he would let you stay free tonight and give you quite the feast. We all owe you a debt for your actions tonight and it is the least we can do to show our gratitude.”

A free bed would be nice, but… I shook my head. "Thank you for the offer, but I believe that we are traveling to Gladen tonight.

I glanced up at my partner, who gave a tiny nod. “It is so.”

Bidding the mayor a good night, we headed out of the village.

-----

As the dim light faded to shadow along the path under the canopy of the forest, I looked up at the black haired guy I was traveling with. "That was really impressive with the bandits, but you should let me help next time. As much as I don't advertise it, I'm good with more than just a quarterstaff." I slipped out the throwing daggers hidden in my sleeves and twirled them, then made them vanish back to their places with a flourish. "Maybe you can teach me some of that Shadow magic of yours and I can help out, I only know a few spells of that element."

He held my eyes for a moment longer, expressionless as usual, then turned to look back forwards.

I frowned, then shrugged “I… guess not.”

Putting it out of my mind, I opened my senses and made sure my footsteps were silent as we ran. I occasionally glanced at the nameless man I was matching my pace to, noticing he was also keeping alert despite traveling down a safe path as well as keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible.

A comfortable silence settled as we traveled, neither of us feeling the need to speak. Despite his annoying tendency to get on my nerves, I was glad that I had found someone so skilled and had the same views on socializing that I did, namely that it wasn’t always needed.

After a two or three hours of traveling, I heard movement up ahead of us as well as the sound of leaves rustling against each other. There was no wind and therefore the source of the noise must be some nearby Plantea. As could be assumed from their name, Plantea were essentially semi-sentient vegetation, along the same intelligence of most wild animals. They were territorial, and used ambushes as a means of attacking their enemies when in forested areas.

Up ahead, the path suddenly narrowed with large bushes lining each side, or rather Foliage Plantea, the weakest of all Plantea. Around three feet tall, I knew they attacked with whipping vines and roots that tried to entangle the legs of their prey. Unfortunately, Plantea were pretty resistant to blunt attacks, like those of a quarterstaff, so I drew a pair of throwing daggers as we approached the ambush site.

Rather than try to avoid the monsters, we simply attacked them. My partner’s swords cut them down easily, and while I wasn’t used to fighting with just daggers, I was still able to do much more damage that I would have with a quarterstaff. Parrying the vines with a sharp weapon generally severed them, eliciting a cry of pain from the Plantea, and I was too light on my feet to be entangled with the roots. The nameless man didn’t even bother dodging, but was perceptive enough to simply cut the roots apart just as they started to creep towards his feet.

After the failed ambush, we simply continued on our way.

Ilos, Day 3-7

For the next few days we just continued the pattern that we had started with the previous villages. We’d arrive at dawn, Nameless would tell me how long he would sleep, then we would eat bread and water, rent rooms, and rest. The mild panic that would wake me from my slumber faded after a day or two, allowing me to rest for almost the full time I had available, though I still took at least fifteen minutes to train with my quarterstaff after I awoke.

After a short while my traveling companion would come out of the inn, ending my practice, and we would do quests and kill things until we’d completed all of the valuable activities in the area. Generally by then it was dusk, or close to it, and we would take a break to eat and visit the shops, selling what items we didn’t need and restocking on potions if we had used any.

That comfortable silence reigned whenever we weren’t talking to the NPCs, or the Ilosians as I had begun calling them, or in battle. We gradually started to work together rather than simply fighting solo with someone else there, and the experience we gained began to increase as a result.

As soon as night truly set, we started the night quests, which always culminated in some big event or quest with appropriate rewards, and then continued on to the next village to repeat the cycle.

Between the quest rewards and the extra gifts the Ilosians gave us, we ended up with a good amount of decent equipment.

I still had the same quarterstaff, but I picked up a pair of long knives I kept sheathed at the small of my back to help deal with any Plantea we came across. I also replaced the light red (it was not pink) starting armor with a green and brown colored Hunter’s Garb and now had a small hair clip in the shape of a wolf's head that not only kept my hair out of my face, but also slightly increased my senses.

I still had mixed feelings about that clip, mainly because it was the only overtly feminine thing I owned, but in all practicality I couldn’t dismiss the benefits of not only keeping my hair out of the way, but also that enchantment on the clip. I also liked the wolf design on it. The necklace that had my Spell Gem attached to it didn’t count as feminine, as that’s the way I would have worn it anyway.

Nameless guy had managed to replace both of his starting swords with much better versions, and was wearing a matching Hunter’s Garb, albeit in darker colors. He was also wearing a ring in the shape of a boar’s head that slightly increased the strength of his blows.

It was startling how reliant I had grown on his company. Along with when I was training with my quarterstaff or in the Stillness, questing alone with the guy was the only time I could truly relax. Unlike the Ilosians, he treated me just the same as he would anyone else with my skill level, completely disregarding my appearance. The NPCs, on the other hand, seemed to think we were related as brother and sister or even father and daughter, or failing that, lovers. They also seemed to think I was completely helpless and needed to be protected. I suspected that if I hadn’t been traveling with my much older looking partner I wouldn’t even have been able to do some of the quests. With all of this, dealing with the Ilosians in a polite manner was… grating.

Regardless, I persevered, and generally by the time dusk fell the villagers understood I wasn’t anything like they had assumed me to be. The children, unlike their elders, didn’t seem to notice how young or small I looked, and followed us whenever we were in the village borders. To them we weren’t people that could cause trouble, or lovers, or related, or too young, or whatever, we were champions. We went and did awesome things and used real weapons and killed real monsters, and that was just the coolest thing to them.

I loved them for it, and would often entertain them with flourishes and juggling with my throwing daggers, or when I practiced with my quarterstaff.

After we finished the last village's quests, we were faced with a dilemma. This was the village at the northernmost edge of the forest and it would take two days of travel to get to the next town.

I followed my companion to the inn, where he rented a room and told me to be ready at dawn rather than in a few hours like normal. We ate together, bread and water again, and then went to our rooms to sleep.

-----

The man with no name closed the door to his rented room at the inn, but made no move to make ready for sleep. Sitting down on the bed, he opened his inventory and took stock of all that he had, adjusted his equipment, reviewed the words of power he knew, and thought through his plan to make sure there were no holes.

He needed to rent a room at the inn, being sure to have a separate room from Aria, which had already been accomplished. After a brief wait, just long enough for Aria to have fallen asleep, he would sneak away from the inn and set out for the next village, spending the night traveling. At first light he would leave the road and sleep for several hours in the tall grass that covered most of the land just outside the forest, fending off what weaker daytime monsters came.

At that point he would continue traveling at a leisurely speed to the next village, predicting that Aria would have certainly passed him while he was sleeping, but before reaching the town he would take a loop around the settlement’s borders and continue straight on to the next rather than stop there like he normally would. After observing her for the past week, he was confident that if Aria didn’t find him in the next town she would give up on searching for him.

When the nameless man sensed that about half of an hour had passed, he rose and silently opened the window, slipping out onto the roof and closing the hinged glass behind him. It was child’s play for him to avoid the small number of villagers still awake at this time of night, and before a minute had elapsed he was out of the village and traveling towards the next town.

When dawn broke, he continued traveling for another hour or so before leaving the dirt road. The area around was hilly but had the type of terrain used in plains, and was largely covered in long emerald green grass. After a small stint of searching, he found a small flattened patch of grass that was invisible from the road, and settled down to sleep there.

The girl will surely be fine on her own. Best sever ties with her before I become attached. I am a loner, and she'll be better off not following the path I've set for myself. If we ever meet again I hope it won’t be at the end of my blade.

Nick and Jess are back in Ilos, trying to find out what happened to their friend, and meet someone new. Things are going a bit crazy on Earth, but there is much that has yet to be realized. A few new characters take the stage as well, revealing that there is much more going on than originally thought.

Themes apply to all chapters, not this one specifically.

Chapter 4: Sweet Dreams

Ilos, Day 4

Nick- Finn, it’s Finn here- Finn blinked his eyes and looked around, taking in the Council Chamber and the large number of NPCs looking at him. The Regent was sitting in his miniature throne just like he was the last time Finn had been in Ilos, but the table had been cleared away and it seemed he was holding some sort of audience with a lot of well-dressed people.

“Ah- sorry, I’m obviously interrupting something here. When you have a few minutes Regent, I would like to speak with you. I’ll be outside.”

He hurriedly walked towards the doors of the chamber under the eyes of the NPCs, but he still heard the whispers of those who watched him as he passed.

“Did you see that?”

“How did he do that? I have never heard of a teleport spell.”

“Invisibility maybe?”

“No, they have wards up for that.”

“I will bet he is one of those champions.”

“A champion! I have never seen one so close before!”

“He does not look that differ-“

From the first person to utter it, the word ‘champion’ spread through the assembled people like wildfire, igniting murmurs that rapidly grew in intensity until he closed the Council Chamber’s door behind him. “What have I gotten myself into?”

It had only taken a day before Jess went back to Ilos with him standing guard over her body, but this was the first time she had felt safe enough to let him come too.

Intent on contacting Jess, he uttered the basic word of power for the Spirit element, one of its uses being telepathy with someone you had already met. “Su.”

*Je- Ahh, Lassea, can you hear me?* He thought, focused on sending the words to his friend. *Imagine yourself ‘thinking’ the words to me.*

*Like this?*

*You got it. I’m outside the Council Chamber inside the Palace. Do you know where that is?*

*I know where the Palace is, but I haven’t been inside yet.*

*Okay, I’ll meet you at the Palace gates, and we can book it back here. The Regent is the one to ask about the Bell of Recall, and he’s holding some kind of audience in the Chamber. Something I interrupted when I logged in.*

*Ha, I’ll bet they all stared at you like you were some sort of alien until you left and made comments on how you managed to randomly appear.*

*How did you-?*

*How did I know? Because that’s what I would have done in their place.*

Finn shook his head, marveling at his friend’s ability to understand the NPCs, and started running for the Palace entrance. And why not? He didn’t feel any fatigue, and there was no muscle soreness to worry about. He even sort of understood why David loved that freerunning of his so much, it was kind of freeing to move that fast under your own power.

He met Jes- Lassea at the gates and led her back into the palace. She had a small flame, no bigger than that of a candle, burning softly near her head. She said she liked seeing it, sort of like a reminder, and though she didn’t elaborate on what it reminded her of, he had a pretty good guess.

After the eighth or ninth turn she shook her head. “How do you keep this straight? I got lost two or three turns ago.”

“Do you remember how obsessed I was with this game? I memorized the layout of every place the beta testers mapped out, including the Palace. You should have let me come earlier; I know everything there is to know about this city.”

“I know, I know, but I just felt so much safer knowing that you were there with me.”

When they reached the Council Chamber, they were met by a tall guardswoman with dark brown hair in a ponytail, forest-green eyes, and a sword and crescent shaped shield on her back. It took Nic- Finn a second to remember her, that Commander of the Capital Guard he had met the last time he was here.

“Greetings champions.” She said, inclining her head. “Finn, were you going to ask the Regent about the Bell of Recall?”

“Who is this?” Jess – argh – Lassea asked, peering at the woman’s decorated armor.

“This is… ah…” Finn trailed off realizing he didn’t remember her name.

The woman in question grinned. “I am Lorilee Avenia, a Commander of the Capital Guard. And you are…?”

“Lassea.” She bowed. “Avendavida. An honor to meet a member of the Capital Guard, much less a Commander. You must be an incredible woman to have achieved so much.”

Lorilee smiled, bowing back. “Avendavida. It is a pleasure to meet a champion who observes basic social graces, though your friend here was not so bad as most.”

Lassea smirked. “I like to think I raised him right.”

The other woman laughed, and Finn rolled his eyes. “To answer your earlier question, yes, I was going to wait till his audience or meeting or whatever was done and then ask him about it.”

“Well, you’d be in for the long haul then, they’ve been doing meetings in there for two days with no signs of stopping, and the only people they let in are the servants bearing food and drink. All the nobles that have holdings in and around the city are gathered in that room, and are trying to decide what to do with all you champions wandering about everywhere. Has them in quite the tizzy, they have no idea how to deal with you.”

“So that’s why they were all so fancily dressed…”

“You went in there?!”

“No, that’s just where I was when I logged back in.”

She blinked. “Where you what?”

Lassea stepped in. “I’d be happy to explain it to you later Commander-“

The guardswoman held up a hand. “Just Lorilee please, I get called Commander enough around here without you doing it too.”

Lassea smiled. “I’d be happy to answer any questions you have Lorilee, but we were looking for information on the Bell of Recall, and it is somewhat urgent.”

“Ah. Well we did not actually find anything. From all reports the Call to Arms was rung on its own. One of my men was guarding the area, and he swears on his family that there was no one operating the Bell when it started moving.”

“Oh.”

“I am sorry I could not be the bearer of better news.”

“It’s alright Lorilee; at least it’s a subject we know to not spend more time investigating. Thank you for your help.”

“You are most welcome Lassea.” She turned to look at Finn. “Now what was that phrase you used? ‘Logged in’? I have a lot of questions if you can spare the time.”

Finn glanced at his friend, who shrugged, a little dejected. They didn’t know what else to look into to find more information on David’s disappearance – Please God don’t let him be actually dead – so chatting with the guardswoman could be as good a choice as any to learn more. “Well, why not? We don’t have anything else to go on for now and maybe you can answer some of our questions as well. Do you have someplace we can go? This isn’t exactly the best place to have a chat.”

“We can go to the Wheel and Locket, the innkeeper is a close friend of mine and she has a private room she often lets me use. Is that agreeable?”

The two friends glanced at each other, and Lassea nodded. “Lead on.”

They followed Lorilee out of the Palace using a slightly different combination of hallways than before, and at a much slower pace. It seemed that while players did not suffer from fatigue, the natives still did. Or else she’s just being polite. Finn speculated.

Lorilee looked over her shoulder at them. “So do the two of you know each other well? It certainly seems so.”

“Yes, we’ve been together a long time.” Lassea answered.

“You are lovers then?”

Finn tripped over his own heel, stumbling forwards a few steps before he caught his balance again, and Lassea stopped dead before laughing. “No no, we certainly aren’t lovers.” She said, starting forwards again.

Lorilee flushed, turning her head to look forwards again. “I apologize. With the way you seemed to communicate by glances and how you replied, I simply assumed…”

“No, it’s alright; I should have chosen my words better. We’re just really close friends, practically family.”

Finn glanced at Lassea, harboring a slight regret that their relationship wasn’t anything more. He had had a crush on his friend for years, though he was much better at hiding it than David was. Honestly he thought it would be odd for a guy not to have a crush on her. She was kind, honest, friendly, considerate, and beautiful, the kind of girlfriend any guy should want. However, she never gave any indication of interest towards him, and so he never made any sort of move on the subject.

They arrived at the Wheel and Locket, a three story inn close to the Palace, but out of view of the plaza. The sign hanging over the entrance showed a wagon wheel with the necklace of a locket strewn through the spokes. Lorilee lead them through the door without hesitation, raising a hand in greeting. “Hey Vivika!”

A young redheaded woman behind the bar turned to look, and a smile blossomed on her face as she moved around the wood and towards them. Nick estimated her to be about 5’8” and in her late teens, much too young to be running her own inn. However, the patrons in the common room only glanced at the newcomers before returning to their business, so it seemed she had some place here.

“Lorilee! I have not seen you in a few days, how have you been?” The girl stopped, seeming to notice the two champions for the first time. “Oh sorry, where are my manners? I am Vivika Ponri, the owner of the Wheel and Locket.”

“I’m Lassea, and this is Finn. Avendavida.” Lassea said, bowing.

Nick hurriedly followed her example, making a mental note to ask his friend about how she knew all of this stuff when they logged off. “Avendavida.”

“Avendavida.” Vivika replied, returning the bow. “Please, come in and have a seat. What would you like?”

“Actually Viv, if we could use the Key Room I have some things to discuss with them in private.” At her friend’s surprised expression, Lorilee continued. “They are champions, and have agreed to answer some questions.”

“Champions?! But they are so polite! Surely you must be mistaken?”

“Wow, we really have a bad rep around here don’t we?” Finn commented.

“A ‘rep’? I… am not familiar with that word.” Lorilee said, Vivika’s expression showing that she was in the same boat.

Lassea smiled, “Vivika, if we could impose on you, having a private room would be a much better venue for this conversation than the doorway of your inn.”

Vivika turned, and noticing they were the subject of attention of all of her patrons with the exception of what looked like some merchants bickering in a corner, flushed a pretty rose color. “Ah. Yes. Umm. Right this way.”

She led them up the stairs at the back of the common room and down a hallway before stopping at a room on the right. “I expect to be told everything before you leave Lorilee.” She said smiling, “You know I get worried when you do not come see me for a few days. Now I must get back to my inn.” She handed over a rather large key to Lorilee, and then turned and left.

The guardswoman shook her head, but had a big smile. “Oh Viv.” She turned and opened the door with the key, gesturing towards the room. “Shall we?”

The Key Room was pretty small, holding a rectangular table, six chairs, an unlit fireplace, and little else. They each took a chair, Lorilee at one side of the table with Finn and Lassea sitting next to each other across from her.

Before anyone could say anything, there was a knock on the door, and a serving girl came in with cups and a flagon of wine, which she placed on the table before making a curtsey and leaving. Lorilee poured for everyone, and once they had all had a sip or two she started.

“There are a lot of things I do not understand about champions. Xynus sent down a message telling of your coming and that you were going to be the saviors of Ilos, but he did not mention much about you besides instructions on how to help you. He told us to send you on errands, ask you to kill things, and generally hire you to do as many things as we could. We expected you would be like us, simply more powerful, but instead you use strange words and phrases, do not observe even the simplest of manners, and are sometimes completely dismissive of us. Lassea, as the only champion I’ve heard of that is actually polite, and Finn, as her close friend, may I ask you some questions?”

Lassea opened her mouth, her agreement written on her face, but Finn beat her to the punch. “Yes, we would be willing to answer your questions, but in return we ask you answer some of ours. As much as you know of us, we know as little or less about you.”

Lorilee nodded. “Agreed. Shall we simply trade questions?”

Finn started to agree, but it was Lassea that spoke over him this time. “Please Lorilee, let’s not be so formal. Simply ask your questions and we will answer, and if we think of one to ask you then we will.”

The guardswoman smiled, relaxing a little bit. “Very well. Let me start simply, what was that word you used earlier? ‘Rep’ I think it was?”

“’Rep’ is simply a shortened version of ‘reputation’. I was observing that you have a low opinion of champions as a whole.” Finn replied.

“Ah, alright then. How about that other phrase you used earlier? ‘Logged in’ I think it was?”

“That… is a little more complicated. Well, I suppose we had better just explain where we come from and how we got to Ilos in the first place. That’s bound to answer a large portion of your questions. It started for us when our friend David got this metal headband…”

Between the two of them, Finn and Lassea explained as much as they could about the circumstances regarding their arrival in Ilos and the subsequent events, occasionally slowing when Lorilee didn’t understand a phrase or word they used. The guardswoman listened attentively, though it was obvious she was struggling with disbelief at the story. It took longer than any of them expected, and they ended up going through the entire pitcher of wine.

“… and that’s when you bumped into us, I mean, met us outside the doors to the Council Room, and of course you know the rest.” Lassea finished.

Lorilee sat back in her chair and breathed out heavily, staring at the pair of friends with wide eyes. “This is much more than I ever expected or even imagined. You are truly from another world?” They nodded. “Incredible. I would never have guessed, not in a hundred years. Let me see if I have everything right. You come from a different world, a place called Earth, and these metal headbands of yours, referred to as Keys, allow you to come here, to Ilos, a place you think is a game?”

“Essentially yes, though there is something more going on here than any of us know. I can’t think of you as an NPC anymore, and I strongly suspect that the rest of the inhabitants of Ilos are the same as you.” Finn answered. “Therefore, despite the similarities, this cannot be a game. The question is where is this? How do the Keys get us here? Why were we led to believe this place was not real in the first place?”

“I do not have the answers to any of those questions, though your story has answered many of mine. The group of champions you mentioned vanishing when the Bell of Recall was rung did not die as you may believe, they appeared in the plaza the next morning. I do not know what happened there, but a good portion of them banded together and headed towards the West Gate. By the last report from the guardsmen at that gate, they are currently training for something, killing the creatures in and near the forest as fast as they can reappear. I've met their leaders, Corvid and Tasalin, but they have never mentioned logging out as you do.”

Lassea stood at her words, leaning over the table excitedly. “Do you know if they have someone named Cariss with them?”

Lorilee shook her head. “I do not, though I can find out. Is that the name of the friend you said had vanished from your world?”

Taking her seat again, Lassea nodded. “Yes, that’s the name he uses here.”

“Do not worry; I will do what I can to find him. You have helped me greatly today, though I now have much to think about, and I will do what I can to return the favor. Besides,” The guardswoman smiled, “I like you.”

“Say Lorilee, why is that that you don’t use contractions?” Finn asked. “I’ve noticed that none of you do actually.”

Lorilee tilted her head, frowning. “I… I am not sure. I certainly understand them well enough, but I have never used them like you do. It is just custom I suppose.” She shrugged, dismissing the issue. “We have spent longer than I expected here, and I unfortunately must get back to my men and draft up a report for the Regent. I apologize for the abrupt exit, but I may meet with you again tomorrow if that is acceptable. I will very likely be able to discover if your friend has joined with Corvid by then and will be able to answer some of your other questions then as well. Thank you again for your help.” Lorilee stood, then bowed.

“Oh, that’s not a problem Lorilee. I would love to meet with you again.” Lassea smiled, standing as well. “You should invite Vivika as well, it’d be good to talk with her too.”

“I will.”

“Not that you’ll have much choice after you tell her about today.” Finn snickered, making a guess about the young innkeeper.

Lorilee’s blush said he had hit the mark. “Ah. Yes. Well, I had better be off now. I will see you here tomorrow at noontime?”

The friends glanced at each other, then nodded at her together. “We’ll be there.” Lassea answered for both of them.

“Say, before I go, would you let me see you ‘log off’?”

“Umm, sure.”

They glanced at each other again, then crossed their arms over their chests and logged off.

Earth, Day 4

Nick sat up on the mattress he had on the floor, attempting to stop the spinning in his head. That had happened last time he had logged off too, probably something to do with going from a standing position to a prone one instantly.

“Ugh, I'm never going to get used to that.” Jess moaned from her bed, clutching her head.

“Hey, at least we learned something this time.”

“Yeah! We might actually find Bro!” She said, a huge smile painting her face. “I like Lorilee too, she seems really nice.”

Nick scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe I ever thought of them as NPCs. How could I miss all those obvious signs? I never even thought to ask the kind of questions an NPC wouldn’t be able to respond to.”

Bang! Bang! Bang! An insistent knocking sounded.

Jess sighed. “Leave it to the media to ruin a perfectly good day. Well, I did tell them to come back today, so I’d better get changed, and as good a friend you are…”

Nick grinned at her, then left the room, taking the couch and ignoring the continued knocking. The media could wait after what they did. With nothing else to do, he thought back to a few days ago and the big reason they went back to Ilos.

The night they learned David was dead, Jess cried herself to sleep with the video chat still on, and after wiping the tears from his own eyes, he had purchased a plane ticket for that night, packed his bag, and headed out. He had investments in several different companies, all of which, as he had predicted, were doing well, so he had the money to blow when things like this came up.

Within six hours he was at his friend’s door, and was met with a huge hug and more tears. He had been staying at her place ever since. They both had other friends, many of them close, but their trio was family, and they had lost a brother. So they mourned. They had cleared their schedules for the week under David’s recommendation on this game, there was nothing for them to go do, and honestly they hadn’t wanted to do anything. Having each other as company was a comfort, one they sorely needed.

The police showed up the second day with questions. A lot of questions. Apparently David’s body was one of the few they had gotten to, and it had started to dissolve into colored lights within hours, vanishing entirely by that morning despite all attempts to stop it. Jess came clean about how she lied to the operator in order to get them to check the house, and while they were initially pissed about it, they - eventually - had to admit to themselves that the department near David’s apartment wouldn’t have gone with a reason like ‘he vanished in a video game and I want you to check on him’.

His friend had been reduced to tears within minutes, and it took him half an hour to get the officers to talk to him about the game rather than grill Jess about things she didn’t know and make her feel guilty for lying. Normally he had the utmost respect for law enforcement, but it didn’t take long for him to see they were grasping at straws, wanting to believe she was lying to them. He finally yelled at them, which in hindsight was a terrible idea – he could have gotten arrested or something – but it got them to lay off Jess, so it worked out.

When the police left, the media showed up. Somehow they had gotten Jess’ address. The pair of them politely rebuffed them at the door three different times, refusing to answer any of their questions, so they camped on the front lawn and yelled for hours – hours – before Jess finally opened the door a fourth time and stood there in silence until they had everything trained on her. Hair a mess, with tears streaming down her face, in front of about a hundred men and women, all with cameras and microphones, and most reporting live now that it looked like they were going to get something, she screamed at them with a tone Nick never wanted to hear again. It was filled with this soul crushing grief and an anger he had never suspected she kept hidden. An anger that exposed a secret.

“My brother is DEAD.”

The crowd of media collectively started back in shock at the emotion in her voice, and for the first time in several hours, shut the hell up.

“You would come here, to MY HOME, and sit on my FRONT LAWN? It hasn’t even been a DAY! I’ve opened my door THREE TIMES to you people, and told you to come back in two days to ask your questions. But you still stand here, shouting at my house! Are you even HUMAN?! Because if you are, I can’t see it! All I see are a bunch of pathetic RATS willing to do anything it takes to get a little piece of MY BROTHER’S CORPSE. NOW YOU INSIPID, SANCTIMONIOUS, BLIGHTED, PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR HUMAN BEINGS BETTER GET THE FUCK OFF MY LAWN BEFORE I BURN YOU ALL TO HELL!!”

With that she turned, walked back into the house, and slammed the door with a resounding BANG. She stalked past where Nick was standing in mild shock, muttering darkly to herself about burning all of them alive. “I just… just… FAS!”

And before her, burning brightly in the dimness of the dusk, appeared a ball of flame the size of a human head.

“Holy shit!”

Ilos, Day 4

Lorilee groaned, resting her head in her hands, a quill dangling from two fingers. “I did not join the Capital Guard to do this.”

Her work table was covered in stacks and stacks of paperwork which seemed to be multiplying on their own whenever she left the room. She slowly lifted her head, staring at the empty ink pot in front of her, then tried to make her eyes focus on the tiny words the accountants had written, but the waning sunlight from the window drew her gaze.

Sunset already? But it was only a short time ago I left the Wheel and Locket… Oh! Corvid and Tasalin should be getting back from their training soon, I still need to go meet them and ask after Lassea’s friend.

She glanced at the empty ink pot again, then stood, stretching. The report to the Regent about all she had learned of the champions from Finn and Lassea in her neatest script covered more than ten pages and lay complete on one corner of her table.

Not that he will even read it. Lazy bastard, lounging around with all those arrogant, fancily dressed, ‘nobles’ and leaving me with all this to do. Well he can do his own damn work this time, I am done for tonight.

Lorilee gathered the unfinished paperwork as well as the report and carried it all down the hall to the Regent’s room, dropping it on the bench in front of his bed with a satisfying thump. As she left, she noticed Farv and Luthen, led by that new recruit Gudrun of course, dart into the chamber she had just left. She didn’t know what they were up to, and it couldn’t be good, but she really didn’t mind after what the Regent had thrown at her these past few days.

That Gudrun. How did he ever end up as a guard for the North Gate? He is much too talented to be wasted on such a position. She thought over what she had just seen. Actually, I know exactly how he ended up there… Still, from what little I have heard of his pranks, he never does anything that could be construed as damaging, and he is certainly a natural leader to get my men in on his schemes so quickly. Well, we will see if he makes the cut.

Her armored boots echoed in the hallway as she walked, her long strides carrying her quickly by the servants who bowed and curtseyed to her. She still wasn’t used to that, it was simply too odd to have people bowing and scraping to a woman who was once just a lowly village girl. There were champions about of course, the only ones who didn’t bow to her as she passed them, though they did stare. It said something about the number of champions in the city that she didn’t even take a second glance at someone that could one day be a hero of legend.

People from another world… Incredible. That was one thing she still marveled at. She hadn’t believed it at first, it was just too fanciful, but there had been no misdirection in Lassea’s face as she spoke of their home, and though Lorilee had searched for it, there was no evidence of lies in her tone or her movements. Yet how, if they leave their true bodies in their own world, can some seem to always be here? I will have to ask Corvid and Tasalin.

She reached the palace stables and saddled Velox, her horse, waving away the stable hands that tried to approach. She had been saddling horses since she was six; she didn’t need and didn’t want their help with her own horse. As soon as the saddle was set, she led him outside and swung up onto his back. Velox stamped a hoof, obviously annoyed at being kept in his stall for so long. Lorilee smiled, steering him towards the West Gate and letting him set the pace at a quick canter.

Street vendors called their wares as she passed through the market ring, champions and Ilosians alike making way for her. She reached the gate quickly, dismounting and patting Velox on the neck as she tied the reins to a pole by the guard house and gave him a sweet stick. “I’ll be back soon Velox, this shouldn’t take too long.”

It was a short walk to the small camp outside the West Gate, a simple staging area for the training groups to meet, and from the reports of the guards at the gate, it was also where the two guild leaders had come the last few days after training. A quick look at the open air tent in the middle of the camp dashed the hope that they were already there. A few champions were milling about, though most would be inside the city at this point eating supper at the inns with the money they earned from killing creatures. Their eyes followed her as she made her way around the camp, placing herself in between it and the forest and settling herself down to wait.

She didn’t have to wait long, a few minutes maybe, before she spotted Tasalin and Corvid moving towards her. Corvid was technically the leader of ‘Sweet Dreams’, but the two were so often together she assumed that they really ran it jointly.

Tasalin Viridis was an imposing man, standing at 6’3” with iron grey hair and a short beard that covered his whole face; he had a commanding presence and an air of confidence about him that only a skilled veteran achieved. Clearly a man who led from the front in battle. His forest-green eyes remained focused on her, but she would swear he saw and heard everything nearby. Despite the color of his hair, she guessed he was only in his mid-twenties. He wore heavy iron armor and carried a sword and shield on his back.

Corvid, the official guildmaster, complemented his companion well. He was 6’0” with well-defined facial features that fell just short of the overly attractive look many champions had. He held himself easily and somehow managed to look knowledgeable and inviting with a slight smile on his face despite being of an age with Tasalin. Two pairs of daggers hung from a belt at his waist, long enough to fight with and small enough to throw accurately.

It was easy to see why Sweet Dreams had several thousand followers, despite the odd name. Corvid’s way with words and men was backed by Tasalin’s combat prowess and battle leadership. She would have recruited them on the spot if they hadn’t been champions.

She bowed as they approached. “Guildmaster Corvid, Tasalin.”

They both bowed back, Tasalin speaking as they straightened. “Lorilee. What brings you here?”

“A favor actually. A couple of champions I met with earlier today did me a service, and in return asked if I would meet with you and ask if you had a man named Cariss in your group.”

Corvid’s expression tightened slightly, as if searching his memory, but Tasalin was already shaking his head. “No, Cariss is not in Sweet Dreams.”

Lorilee blinked in surprise. He didn’t even have to think about that.

Seeing her confusion, he continued. “I would know if The Calm was with us. He was well-known by those who made it up to the Islands as the player who got the furthest. There is no way I wouldn’t have found out if he were here.” He paused, seeming to consider something. “Actually, I haven’t seen or heard anything about Rager or The Marksman either, the same goes for the four others that were in the highest group. Anyway, no, he’s not here.”

“I see. It seems he was one of those who was transported by the Bell of Recall, separating him from his two friends, and they are trying to find him.” She paused. Should I ask them about why they always seem to be here? She looked again at the pair, noting how dirty and tired they looked. Now is not the time, perhaps I will be able to speak with them about it later. “Well, thank you for your time. I will let you go eat and wash.” She said, bowing again.

They both bowed back. “Anytime Lorilee. Let us know if the Capital Guard needs Sweet Dreams for anything, we’ll do our best to assist.” Corvid replied.

She nodded. “An offer I will keep in mind. A good evening to you both.”

Lorilee watched as they headed into the camp, then worked her way around again and back to the gate. I should go to the Wheel and Locket to eat myself, Vivika will have my hide if I don’t fill her in on the events of today anyway. She laughed quietly to herself as she untied and mounted Velox. I love that girl, it is incredible how much she has lost and yet she still has the kind of personality that can bring a smile to my face just thinking of her.

She lightly flicked the reins, telling Velox it was time to move. I hope Finn and Lassea find their friend, I guess I will have to tell them the bad news tomorrow.

Ilos, Day 1

Tasalin flinched, startled by the sudden lack of pain in addition to finding himself back in the main plaza of Ilos. His mind blazed with questions, his limbs quivered with remembered pain, and his eyes darted, taking in their surroundings from atop his height of 6’3”. Just moments before, he’d been getting used to combat again, using his sword and shield to kill the wolves that populated the Western Forest, when shockwaves abruptly began to rip through him. The pain was intense. It numbed his body and stole away his breath, and then it was gone, leaving him as he was now, in a place far from where he once stood.

He recognized this place as the main plaza of Ilos, but the tiles on the ground were black rather than white now, and there was some sort of inscription on the plaza’s Centerstone. He couldn’t see it clearly enough to read it due to a small girl with long midnight black hair crouching over it, but it wasn’t a pressing issue so he dismissed it. Surrounding him were a large number of players, most dazed like he was, but there were not nearly enough of them to number the million that supposedly bought the game. At most there was only one percent of that.

The ground shook, sending him into a stumble but not knocking him off his feet. Most of the other players were not so lucky, ending up on their rumps or even sprawled out on the ground in the few moments the tremor lasted. Whatever they had been thinking before, there was only one thing on the minds of the people now.

What the hell is going on?

“Welcome to Ilos. I am Xynus, the one who has summoned you here.” A deep voice boomed, filling the plaza, seeming to emanate from everywhere at once. “You are the ten thousand of the Silver Key, offered the priceless gift of extra time.

So these are the beta players… but what is this all about?

Do not waste this time attempting to return to your previous world, you cannot get back of your own power until the remaining champions join you. The clock is your enemy, and the final trial will begin regardless of your wishes when the time you have here expires. This is no longer the illusionary world that you were previously shown, and as it continues its journey it will need to be protected. Even now the wild inhabitants have begun to emerge from their lairs, and will seek to hold Ilos when the final challenge begins. Be wary, for while this city is a great stronghold, the Great Sleep is failing, and your enemies will grow more powerful and may overwhelm you given time.”

Tasalin remembered dumping buckets of scalding oil off of the walls of Ilos to burn the goblins that were sieging it, leading an attacking force against the main group to destroy their crude battering ram, watching his companions die and not return. Damn this is serious, if we can’t return to Earth, what happens if we die and the city is taken?

“Death is not the end here while my power still lasts. However, beware; should you remain dead for a significant time, there will not be enough left of what is you to be reconstructed. Let this be very clear: you will all remain here until the end, be that your own end or the end of the final trial. You cannot log out. I have done all I can for you, so go! Grow strong, for the fate of two worlds rests in your hands.”

The rumbling voice faded out, and silence reigned. Nearly everyone simply stood or lay where they had fallen. Then some began shouting, others pleading with this unknown entity to let them go home, and a few even sent up cheers, but the reaction was generally pretty subdued, most people unable to get over their shock.

Tasalin’s eyes were wide, and he felt himself shaking, frozen in place. We’re… stuck here? No. There has to be a way out. He tried to log out; going through the same mental shift he had dozens of times. Nothing. He crossed his arms over his chest, holding his first three fingers up, and commanded, “Log out!” Nothing. I need to get out! How do I get out??

I’m panicking, unable to think straight, I need to calm down. He tensed, forcing all the stress on his mind into his body, every muscle flexing, then with a deep exhalation, relaxed everything at once. The fog of fear that was clouding his brain dissipated immediately, and he caught himself before he could fall to the ground, activating his muscles again. Okay, there has to be someone who isn’t paralyzed with fear right now, and I need to find them. If we truly can’t log out, then I need a friend, or at least an ally, to talk things out with. Dismissing those around him who were still frozen where they sat or stood, he gathered his wits and walked out of the plaza, hoping to find someone that had at least some control over their mental faculties.

Within seconds, he spotted a man talking to a girl, that same girl that was crouching over the Centerstone earlier. He took a few steps in that direction, but stopped when they both ran off towards the North Gate, the girl vanishing into an alleyway while the man took the normal street.

Players wandered by, dazed at this sudden turn of events, but there was no one who seemed lucid enough to talk to. Tasalin sighed, but within a few minutes spotted someone. He was standing by a wall, searching the wandering players for something or someone, but more importantly he seemed calm and aware. The man was right about the average height, probably right at six foot, and held himself easily. He seemed knowledgeable, but inviting, sporting well-defined features, though not to the extent that most champions had. There were a pair of daggers strapped to his waist, and several more about his person hidden under his light armor.

Stopping in front of the man, Tasalin took in his relaxed posture and the small questioning smile on his face, then nodded. Calm, and well-equipped, just what I’m looking for. “Well you look like the only one who has his wits about him around here.”

The man extended his hand. “Wits, and little else. Name’s Corvid, and you are?”

Tasalin grasped the offered hand, giving it a firm shake and smiling at the man’s honesty.“I’m Tasalin Viridis, nice to meet you Corvid.” He glanced at a player who wandered close, then grimaced. Is this guy the only one who isn’t shell-shocked? Moving from directly in front of Corvid, he leaned back against the wall. “Are you waiting for someone?”

“To be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the situation.” He paused, “although… I’ve been thinking…” he trailed off, lost in thought, then seeming to remember he was in the middle of a conversation, quickly recovered, “A friend would be nice since we are stuck here, do you have any plans for this ‘Final Trial’?”

“Well you’re in luck; I'm looking for a friend as well. As for whatever the ‘Final Trial’ is, well, I expect that to be a long ways off. From the way – Xynus? – was talking, I’m going to guess that we’ll have a lot of time before we have to face that.” Tasalin frowned, furrowing his brow. “What I’m more concerned about is that very last part: ‘The fate of two worlds rests in your hands’.”

“I guess with all the commotion I missed that part.” Corvid replied quizzically, and after a short pause continued, “Tasalin was it? I am a pretty rational man myself and see this type of game; a VRMMO as they call it, as a great way to learn more, and delve deeper into the human psyche. I myself conducted a study of sorts involving the effect of immersing oneself in a virtual world. I believe we are stuck here, as I have tried, and failed to log out, but this talk of saving the world,” he raised one eyebrow, “seems more like a carefully constructed plot hook. So I ask you, how much time did you spend in the beta?”

“The human psyche huh? Well, you’ll get that, and probably not the good side either. I spent quite a bit of time in the beta, got up to the sixth Island by working with those that came along until the Call to Arms was rung.” Tasalin sighed, “But there had better be a point to trapping us here. As much as I like Ilos, it’s not somewhere I was looking to stay. How about you? What were you doing in the beta?”

“I ran a guild. We took lower level players and gave them the skills to enjoy the game to its full extent. I personally tried to help people who were having trouble adjusting to the differences between real life and virtual reality.” He smiled warmly, “You got a lot further than me in the beta, perhaps you would care to join me in helping some of the players find their place in this game?”

Tasalin laughed deeply. “Being invited to join a guild within the first half hour of the game?” He shook his head, then shrugged. “Ah hell, let’s do it. I’m no good solo anyways, and maybe I’ll be able to do some good like this. You have a plan then?”

Corvid nodded quickly, then responded “Most of the people in the plaza are still confused, and distressed about the fact that we’re stuck here. We simply need to lend them a helping hand, you seem to understand most of the gameplay in relation to questing and combat, and I have good people and organizational skills. We simply invite people to work together and build on that theme, as people decide what they want, we can split them into groups. i.e, combat groups, crafting groups, merchant groups, leaders, etc. For now, we need members, and there’s a plaza full just a short walk away.” He finished with a devilish grin, “Are you ready to create a guild?”

Tasalin smiled slightly and nodded. “It shouldn’t be hard to do; these are all people who have been here before, they should know a lot of things already. I’ll just follow your lead… Guildmaster.”

“Try to gather people around the center of the plaza, while I gather some… supplies.” Corvid requested.

“Hmmm, alright.” Tasalin nodded again, “How long are you planning on being?”

“This should only take a few minutes.” He paused then smiled again, “In fact I may finish before you do.” With a final handshake and pat on the back, Corvid left, striding off to go ‘gather some supplies’.

Tasalin scratched his head, not really liking being left in the dark, then shrugged and headed back to the plaza. The people there were milling about, talking amongst each other, and really just seemed lost, like they didn’t know what to do with this turn of events.

“Hmm… gather people…” His eyes were drawn to the Centerstone in the middle of the plaza, and he grinned. “Here we go.”

Maneuvering his way through the crowd, he made his way to the Centerstone then muttered. “Res.” Reacting to his will and the word of power, the earth under the Centerstone pushed upwards, raising him several feet in the air at the cost of about half of his annoyingly small mana pool.

The players around began gathering almost immediately, drawn to the disturbance… and probably for the distraction. The murmur and crowd grew around him as he stood there, waiting for Corvid. Well, that was easy. What preparations did he have to make?

A man pushing through the crowd drew his attention, resolving into the form of Corvid carrying a bar stool. Tasalin raised a hand, waving, and chuckled at the stool. “You should have told me you just needed a platform!”

Corvid laughed, stopping by the pillar and setting down the stool. “I guess we should have talked over the plan a bit before I went lone wolf on you.”

Tasalin jumped down, his armor clanking as he hit the ground, and Corvid climbed up. “Thank you friend, I have been interested in finding an Earth mage, didn’t expect to be this lucky.” He smiled down at Tasalin, then looked up towards the crowd. “Now it’s my turn.” He waved a hand slightly, uttering a word of power. “Su’is.”

Corvid suddenly seemed much more important, a figure that demanded attention and the crowd quieted almost immediately. Tasalin blinked, his eyebrows furrowing for a moment before the realization hit him. This is Spirit elemental magic! Spirit affects the mind, and he’s using it to draw attention to himself.

The man standing on the platform smiled his easy disarming smile as he saw he had the attention of the crowd. “I know you are all scared, or confused. You are having trouble understanding what is going on. What Xynus said is true, we are trapped here, but that doesn’t mean this will be our grave. Just like the first settlers in America, this is a new world, our world. It is our right, and duty to shape it into a better place, a place of peace and wellbeing.” Some of the crowd nodded, others seeming to calm down, their shock fading.

“We all enjoyed this place while it was a game, when there were no stakes, and now that these trials have been thrust upon us, we must use the knowledge we gained from before to overcome them. I ask for your aid now, join me, join together, we will leave this place and gain experience, just as we did in the game, but we will work together, we will protect each other, and we will protect Ilos!!!”

Despite himself, Tasalin couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Others in the crowd nodded as well or even pumped their fists and shouted their agreement. Some shook their heads and began to leave, and some seemed undecided, but everyone who heard the man seemed to have gotten over their initial shock. Those who didn’t leave crowded closer, wanting to get a better look, or perhaps make sure they heard everything.

Corvid paused as those who wanted to leave did so, and allowed the other people to crowd closer. “I can’t offer you much that you don’t already know in the ways of gaining experience, but I can offer you leadership and organization so that we may work together. Instead of simply fighting as individuals, we will become an organized force, greater than any mere party; we will become the bastion upon which Ilos stands. Follow me, as we fight to regain the expertise we had in beta.” With those last words, Corvid jumped down into the crowd, the people parting before him, and started marching towards the Western Gate.

“Res.” The column holding the Centerstone up in the air sunk back into the ground, and Tasalin jogged after his new friend, gently shouldering aside those in his way. He glanced back, noting that what looked like other guild leaders from the beta were making their own platforms, gathering those they worked with before to join them once again. Finally breaking though the throng of people, he fell in beside Corvid, looking back to see how many had actually listened and followed.

“Well. That was… impressive.” Tasalin commented. “I didn’t expect nearly this many to come, a few hundred perhaps. It looks like we have several thousand behind us.” He paused, his eyebrows lowering as he thought, drawing on his dad’s military teachings and his own knowledge of the workings of Ilos. “We’ll have to divide them up into much smaller groups somehow, preferably into groups of four to gain the most xp. Hopefully they can do that themselves, but implementing a command structure for so many is going to be difficult.”

Corvid seemed to ponder those words as they took the hour walk to the Western Gate. Players began splitting off after the initial inspiration of Corvid’s speech faded, most rejoining the group after a short time.

As they reached the West Gate, Corvid turned to face the rather large crowd following him, raising his voice to be heard. “We need to split into parties of four, and I cannot watch over each and every one of you during this time. Use what you learned in beta and make good decisions. To make finding a party easy, tanks will be party leaders, find a tank and follow your roles. These enemies are relatively easy, so now it is crucial that you learn party balance and teamwork. I will wait here until everyone has a party, and once we all get some good experience, meet back here in a few hours and we can take a break to get to know each other.”

A quiet murmur started when Corvid stopped speaking, then grew quickly in volume as the gathered players began trying to find their friends or someone to group with. As parties of four formed, they slowly filtered out of the West Gate to go kill the boars and other weak enemies that existed just outside the city.

Tasalin looked around, watching the organized chaos, and his ears caught a nearby conversation.

“Why groups of four?” A man wielding a curved sword and a buckler said, asking someone next to him.

The man asked shook his head, causing the arrow shafts in the quiver strapped to his back to rattle. “Didn’t you read the forums when we were in beta? There was a group of people that focused on figuring out how Ilos worked, and after testing different group sizes, they found that parties of four gained the most experience for the time taken to kill things and do quests.”

“But how? There isn’t an experience number anyone can see.”

“They trained until five of them could just break a certain kind of rock with an Iron Hammer in a single blow, then grouped in different size parties and trained until they could break a slightly harder kind of rock with the same hammer. The guy in the party of four did it the fastest, then the party of three, then two, then five, and the guy who trained solo was last.”

“Wow, that must have taken a lot of work.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason the Ilos Testing Crew had the most visited page on the forum.”

“Hey, want to group up? I can play tank.”

“Sure, I have a couple people who might join us if we can find them.”

As the men wandered off, Tasalin started meandering through the crowd, grabbing the people that were too shy to ask anyone if they wanted to group up and sticking them in parties. He turned down anyone who invited him, having already decided that he would be in a party with Corvid, who probably didn’t have all that much combat experience having spent all his time running a guild in the beta.

It took a good half an hour to get everyone out of the gate, leaving Tasalin and Corvid as the only two left. “Well it looks like it’s just the two of us.” Tasalin stated, watching the last party leave the gate.

Before they could head out themselves, a guard approached the pair of them from the gatehouse, seemingly concerned, and bowed his head in greeting. “Avendavida, champions, is everything alright? We’ve been watching a large number of you head into the wilds, and we are worried with so many of you all in the same place. Do you have word that something is going to attack the city?”

Corvid turned to the guard, a puzzled look on his face, “Yes. And No.” He paused to figure out a way to explain, “Well, the goblins will be coming in a matter of months, and even that may have changed. There is no current threat that I am aware of, but if we are to protect this city, we need the strength to do so, and that can only be found outside its walls.”

The guard’s uptight posture relaxed and he nodded. “Alright, you had us all worried for a bit there. I will let you be about your business then champions.” With that he turned and headed back towards the guard house, signaling for the men there to relax.

Tasalin and Corvid headed out the gate and into the Western Fields, populated mostly by boar. Many of the men (and a few women) that they had lead there were using these fields to fight and gain exp. Having all had varying amounts of experience in battle in the beta; they were making quick work of the weak animals. Being in a party allowed them to relax a little, and most were setting to it with a will, as if they could fight off the knowledge that they were stuck here. It seemed that there would be no good hunting spots here, so the party of two continued towards the forest that was just beyond the fields.

“He didn’t really seem like an NPC did he? The guard I mean.” Tasalin mused as they walked. “I’ve never seen a computer act that way in response to player actions unless it was a scripted event.”

"Perhaps it was. We don’t know what they’ve changed since beta.” Corvid replied, “Either way, it’s one more thing we need to consider when planning for the future.”

“Aye.” Tasalin nodded.

They continued into the forest, passing more of the people they led to the area. It took a little bit, but they finally got far enough away from the city to find good hunting grounds that weren’t already in use.

The creatures were probably too much for most of the groups in the newly forming guild, not to mention the guild leader, but Tasalin still strode confidently ahead, secure in his battle prowess. A thought struck him, and he stopped, glancing at his new friend. “You’re a dagger user right? That’s the only kind of weapon I’ve noticed you have. I’m assuming you can throw them as well, considering you have eight of them on you”

“Yep, I like to stay out of close combat, and use my magic to stun enemies and keep them away.” Corvid drew his dagger, and began walking towards a small group of wolves, “Any particular strategies that you prefer using?”

Tasalin shrugged, “I’m a tank. I bash things with my shield and hit them with my sword. There’s a lot more to it than that of course, but that’s the general idea. Let me pull if you wouldn’t mind, makes keeping aggro easier.”

“Sounds good, I’ll use my daggers and stuns to try to keep them off your flank.” Corvid stopped to let his heavily armored companion lead the way, “Any Earth magic tricks I should know about?”

Tasalin strode forwards, drawing his sword and shield and banging them together loudly, attracting the attention of a trio of nearby wolves. “Well I generally use Earth magic to strengthen myself and my armor-” The wolves attacked, and Tasalin blocked their claws and teeth with his shield, getting used to battle again. “-but I think I’ll save the small amount of mana I have in case either of us gets hurt.” Seeing an opening, he slashed at one with his sword, hitting it and returning to his defensive posture before giving any opportunity for a counterattack. “I use Nature elemental spells as well as Earth, so I can do healing as well as buffs. My spells are rarely offensive.”

Corvid flanked to the side and began throwing his daggers, focusing on the nearest wolf.

The pair of daggers struck accurately, but the wolf hardly seemed hurt, the blades not even sinking in enough to stick. Tasalin sighed to himself, attacking with his sword at another opening and blocking the subsequent counterattack. The experience difference was simply too high to do much damage. That would change pretty quickly if they kept killing these wolves, but it was hardly the most efficient way to get experience.

A few more daggers hit the wolf, doing enough to make it notice Corvid, but before it could make any sort of move to attack the guild leader, Tasalin bashed it with his shield, pulling its attention back to him. He moved slowly backwards in a circle, keeping the wolves in front of him and allowing Corvid to collect his daggers to throw again without getting close to the creatures.

A good few minutes sufficed to bring down each wolf, getting slightly faster each time as the pair got used to live combat again.

A few hours passed as they trained by killing the wolves and other forest creatures, gaining a good amount of experience, enough to take down most of the enemies in less than a minute each. Tasalin still focused on keeping their attention on him until there was only one remaining each time, not trusting Corvid’s battle experience against multiple enemies. They had just finished off a group of creatures when Tasalin noticed a glint in the foliage and spun to face it.

A giant stag stepped carefully through the trees, stopping when it was fully in view of the two men. Its head stood at a height with Tasalin, and it had glistening silver antlers that seemed to shine in the dappled sunlight.

Tasalin heard Corvid slowly sheathe his daggers, seemingly as stunned as he himself was. Following his friend’s example, Tasalin crouched down and placed his sword and shield on the ground, they would do little good against an enemy this strong anyway. He hesitated for a moment, then began taking slow steps towards the magnificent animal who stood motionless, watching.

Tasalin used Nature magic, and thus had the ability to tame creatures, turning them into allies. Of course it didn’t always work, and the more powerful the creature the less chance there was of success, but even if it was only a fraction of one percent, he had to try.

Removing his glove, Tasalin held out his hand, slowly moving it so the creature could smell it. Gently, carefully, he moved the hand to rest on the stag’s head, right between its antlers, and whispered, “Kerka.” A warm peaceful feeling encompassed him, like the one you’d get when relaxing by the fireplace at home, wrapped in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate, a side effect of the spell. He stared into the creature’s eyes, silently asking for its cooperation, and after a moment, the stag bowed its head.

Tasalin let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and smiled, a shot of excitement flashing through his system. He knew a few things immediately, the stag’s name was Oakheart, he was intelligent, and he had accepted the magic willingly. Stroking the animal’s head, Tasalin looked back at Corvid who seemed to be rooted in place. “I didn’t think I’d be able to pull that off.”

“What… is that?” Corvid whispered in an awed tone.

“This is Oakheart, he’s a…” Tasalin frowned, then asked the silver stag, “What are you?”

*I am a Lord of the Forest, champions.* A deep majestic voice filled their heads. *I would not accept the harness of magic normally, but otherwise I cannot communicate with your kind. A darkness lies over the land, and you are the ones chosen to force it back. Just as I will allow you to call upon me and my subjects to aid you, so must we be allowed to call upon your help as well.*

“I’m gathering there’s something you need help with right now, else you wouldn’t have shown yourself.”

*Your assumption is correct. A corruption has taken hold in the Western Forest that is my domain, yet any sent against it inevitably fall to its influence, twisting them into abominations!* Oakheart’s ‘voice’ boomed in anger, sending sharp pains through Tasalin’s head and making him flinch and put a hand to his temple. Oakheart bowed his head, seemingly in remorse. *My apologies champions, I am not normally so volatile, but the circumstances continue to vex me. For the first time I am powerless against something that threatens my lands. It is my belief that champions such as yourselves would be immune to the corruption and can safely combat it. I would request your assistance in this matter with as many allies as you can gather, for a great many of my subjects have fallen to the curse.*

“As much as I would like to help, I’m not the leader here. Corvid, what do you want to do?”

Corvid looked at Oakheart, then back to Tasalin, “I don’t… know. We haven’t been here a day and this seems like a difficult quest. I am worried that it may be related to the trials mentioned earlier, but also for the wellbeing of the members we recruited. For now, we should train, and warn the more cowardly members of possibly dangerous and horrific monsters in Western Forest.”

Tasalin frowned. This did seem like a quest that would require a significant force and would be highly difficult for champions that had had to restart from nothing, but they were close enough to Ilos that it couldn’t be too hard. “Oakheart, compared to the wolves and other animals we’ve been fighting here, how much stronger are the monsters troubling your lands?”

*Only a small amount. The taint grants them strength but also corrodes their bodies, leaving them only slightly more powerful than the warriors I can use to defend against them.*

Damn, there’s no way we can do this, everyone is still getting used to combat again and they’re too weak to last against the wolves this far away, much less something stronger. Tasalin shook his head slightly, looking at the stag. “That would be too much for most of the men to handle right now. Corvid is right Oakheart; we cannot help you until we have trained more. How long can you last against the corruption?”

Oakheart hesitated for a moment before replying. *Ten days, twelve with great losses. After that there will be too little of this forest remaining, and I will perish.*

That would work, and the rewards must be amazing for a raid as big as this sounds like it will be. Tasalin looked at Corvid, doing some quick calculations and hoping to convince him. “If we train slightly more than we did today, we can be ready to face creatures stronger than the ones we were killing earlier in five days. If we add an extra two or three for the rest of the members and a day for preparation and travel, we can make that time limit.”

“That is a great plan; I also think we should scout out the area and see how these corrupted creatures act. Keep in mind that this world can also be very immersive, and some of the players may have panic attacks, or other psychological episodes if they are forced to fight monsters that are too scary.” Corvid turned to Oakheart, “Tas is right about the training, is there any way you could help us to become stronger in battle, perhaps lure out weaker corrupted enemies, or summon weak minions for us to fight?”

*Nature will take its course and the weak will feed the strong, but I will not summon the animals of the forest to a slaughter, even the mindless ones. I can instruct my subjects to draw the corrupted closer to your city, but I cannot control which of them come this far. Some of the corrupted are fearful, but many look almost as they did before the taint took hold. I have watched you for some time, and surely you would have no trouble striking down the corrupted just as you did the animals here.*

“We aren’t exactly representative of the champions as a whole Oakheart. Very few can match me in battle, and even less my mental fortitude like Corvid here can. If one of these corrupted creatures came after them and it was much different than a normal animal, they would flee in fear.” He turned to look at Corvid. “We’re going to have to warn everyone anyway then. What if someone comes across one of these and carries stories back to everyone else? It’ll be a lot harder to get people outside the walls if they think there are creatures from a horror movie lurking around.” Tasalin sighed, “I don’t know dude, I’m no people person. I know how I’d react, and that would be to go find out how strong they are, regardless of appearance, while preferably remaining as close to the city as possible.”

*The weaker corrupted will likely be drawn first, they are generally the front line of the enemy, trying to expose us to their taint with their deaths, but stronger ones will surely follow.*

Corvid nodded sharply as if confirming the decision. “Stay here and keep the corrupted contained Oakheart, me and Tas will gather companions to defeat this threat”

The stag bowed his head, *I am grateful for your assistance champions. I will instruct my followers to begin drawing the corrupted towards the city and to flee rather than fight any champions they come across. Farewell.*

The two men watched the majestic creature turn and walk further into the forest, vanishing from sight almost immediately from some machination of the trees. Tasalin let out a breath, “Well, that happened. Shall we head back? We’ve likely gotten a good amount more experience than most will be able to today.”

Corvid nodded. “I don’t think I’d be able to focus on combat now anyway.”

Tasalin returned the nod, then placed his index fingers and thumbs together, forming a rough circle and concentrating on Ilos. The compass faded into view in the empty space between his hands, a glowing arrow pointing the way back towards the city. The two traveled in silence, wrapped in their own thoughts. Tasalin could feel Oakheart behind them in the distance somehow, but there was no communication from that end. He wasn’t sure of the exact nature of the connection between himself and the stag, but questioning magic only served to drive yourself crazy, you just had to accept that it was something you couldn’t understand.

When the pair reached the city, they found a large gathering of players, certainly more than a hundred, but only a fraction of those sent out. It had only been a few hours, and while looking them over Tasalin concluded that these must be the best fighters of the newly forming guild, probably with a few slackers mixed in. They simply had that confident air about them, that knowledge that they could handle themselves in a battle, and it showed in their bodies and their gait. Some were sitting in their groups of four, others walking around, or eating, or just generally mingling. There were a few duels going on with their colorful light displays and people watching, some groups playing cards they had picked up in the city somewhere, and even a few players napping in the afternoon sun. They could be from any country, any walk of life, any race, but there was a complete lack of animosity between anyone. These people had two major things in common, they were gamers and they were all trapped here, and that was a lot of ground for potential friendships. A party on the outskirts of the crowd saw the two approaching and rose to greet them, a few others in the area following their example.

Word spread quickly, and the low rumble of conversation softened, going almost entirely quiet when Corvid raised a hand and began speaking so all could hear. “It is good to see so many of you have already completed today’s training. We should celebrate the formation of the guild with a real party. Head to the Sunset Wall tavern and begin the festivities, me and Tas will direct the other members as they arrive.”

Tasalin wiggled a finger in his ear. Damn but the man can project.

Seeing that that was all the guild leader had to say, conversation bubbled up again almost instantly.

“A party?”

“I know where that is, it’s a pretty big place.”

“Can you get drunk here? I’ve never tried.”

“Yeah, you can. The tavern maids are pretty hot too.”

“Hell, why not? If we’re gonna be stuck here we may as well enjoy it.”

“I’ll let the guards know so they don’t flip out.”

“I’m pretty sure there are a bunch of other taverns and inns in that area as well, there might be enough room for everyone.”

“C’mon, what are you waiting for? Let’s go! Parties are crazy here!”

“And we can get rooms before everyone else shows up.”

Tasalin waited with his new friend as the hundred or so players began to drift towards the city gates. “A party huh? Not a bad way to get everyone familiar with each other, but the guards aren’t going to be happy with a few thousand drunken people in such a small area.” He commented as the initial group traveled out of earshot.

“It will be good for morale, and I need them busy while I begin work on getting a guild hall and some more information about Oakheart and the corruption.” Corvid paused as a group of adventurers appeared, and after a warm greeting, he directed them to the party. Returning to his conversation with Tasalin, he continued, “Besides, I’m curious about what exactly has changed since this was a game. I don’t remember hearing anything about Oakheart and the corruption.”

Tasalin frowned. “Neither do I, and I feel like that would have been mentioned at some point had it happened in the beta. The biggest change is that we can’t log out of course, but other than this corruption thing and the black floor stones in the plaza, I haven’t noticed anything different. My sword and shield still feel the same, though the system assist isn’t helping me as much with the attacks because I don’t have enough xp, the inventory system is still working as well as the compass, and we still don’t feel pain or anything. That Xynus guy said that we would respawn if we died, but I don’t particularly want to test that myself.”

“For now we need to make sure everyone knows where the party is at, and then we can stop in for a chat before beginning with some guild work.”

Tasalin nodded, then spotting another group approaching, waved to get their attention. There would be a lot to do, even with Corvid taking care of the guild and social aspects. He would have to find and meet with the best warriors, probably splitting them up to train some of the players who didn’t have the skill to deal with a quest like this. There would probably be a large guild meeting the next day where he would have to explain about the corruption with telepathic help from Oakheart, and then he’d have to see about forming parties of scouts to gather information about the area, organize those who were great in combat but didn’t incline towards teaching into groups, set up some sort of communication network with Spirit magic telepathy, separate out those that didn’t want to fight and set them to support work, and probably a hundred other things he couldn’t think of at the moment.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He’d never felt so alive! Any place that could give him this feeling was worth protecting, and if there was something he was good at, it was defending his friends and allies. For the first time he looked up at the city, the towering walls, the glistening buildings inside, the Palace rising from the center, sparking with color and light as the sun reflected off of it. They were stuck here, and while Ilos wasn’t ‘home’ yet, it was already on its way.

Ilos, Day 5

Finn sat back in his chair and took a sip of his wine. He had no idea how it was made, but it had this pleasant sweet taste that he had taken to immediately. Vivika had recommended it, and he was glad he’d taken her advice. Lassea smiled at him from across the table, holding a mug of mulled cider rather than wine. They were waiting at the Wheel and Locket for Lorilee after making a day of training against some of the creatures in the area surrounding the city. He smiled back at his friend, noticing the tiny flame hovering by her head was joined by a small drop of water today.

Speaking of training… Finn focused for a moment, “Cir.”

A tiny whirlwind materialized in front of him, and he moved it over to Lassea’s mug, sending the steam coming from the hot liquid swirling. She giggled, the smile growing wider, and Finn grinned at her as she added her little flame to the wind, watching it swirl and spin.

He was right… Finn thought, his smile fading as he watched his friend laugh. This place is a different world, and I can see why he wanted to live here permanently. Even just being here a few days I feel like I belong, and I can see Jess does too. She hasn’t laughed like this in years, hell, we haven’t talked like this in years, and here we are, chatting over our drinks at an inn after working together in what feels like life and death battles. I haven’t ever felt this close to her.

It’s like… like I can just be myself. There are no social cues telling us we have to act a certain way. He glanced around the room. The merchants from the previous day were there again at the same table, there was another group of five players sitting and enjoying their hot drinks on this somewhat cold day, and a couple holding hands by the window. No one was paying any attention to Finn and his friend. They don’t care if we’re a couple or not, nor do they care what we’re talking about or how we look. The chances of any player here meeting on Earth is practically non-existent, so they just kind of take you as you are. You can be anyone you want here, and that’s just so… freeing.

“More wine Finn?”

Finn blinked, then looked up. Vivika stood there, a smile on her face and a pitcher in her hand, doubtless filled with the wine he still had in his… He peered into the mug, noting there were only a few drops of the dark liquid remaining. “Ahh, sure. Any idea when Lorilee is going to be here?”

“She’s usually here by now, so she likely got caught up in some Capital Guard business, which does happen occasionally.” Vivika answered, carefully refilling the mug. “It should be pretty soon.”

“Speak of the devil…” Lassea commented, looking at the entrance.

“What devil?”

“It’s just a turn of phrase Vivika.” Finn said.

“You champions are confusing, how can you rotate a phrase? It is not even a physical thing.”

“What is not a physical thing?” Lorilee asked, draping an arm over the shorter redheaded woman.

Finn gave a wry smile. “A ‘turn of phrase’ is an expression for an expression. And poor choice of wording on my part.”

“Did you find Bro- ah, Cariss?” Lassea spoke, unable to contain herself.

The guardswoman shook her head. “Unfortunately not. Tasalin and Corvid hadn’t heard anything about him or several of the other people from the highest tier group.”

“Oh…” Lassea’s expression dropped.

Finn spoke before either of the other two could react to his friend’s mood. “I have an idea about that actually. Vivika, can we use your private room again? I’d also like you to join us if you have the time.”

“Sure! Come on up!” The redhead answered, turning to head up the stairs and dragging Lorilee along with her.

Finn stood and walked around the table, putting a hand on Lassea’s shoulder. Her head was down, hair obscuring her expression, and her shoulders were slumped. He bent down to speak in her ear. “Jess, he’s not dead. I have a theory about what happened and I’m pretty sure I know where he went. Come on upstairs, I have a plan.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filling with hope, then nodded. He straightened, offering his hand, which she took and stood. They walked up the stairs, moving down the hallway to the Key room, its door already open. Lorilee and Vivika were already seated, and there were four mugs of fresh mulled wine on the table. Finn shut the door behind him and sat down, taking a sip of the wine before speaking.

“First off Vivika, everything Lorilee told you is true. All the champions are from an entirely different world, called Earth, where they are simply normal people. That’s part of the reason why they are so confusing to you and probably most other Ilosians. We use different wordings and expressions that you couldn’t possibly have heard before, and we do things much differently as well. A large part of the rudeness you’ve seen is because most of the people think Ilos is an imaginary world, a game, where they can go to have fun. They believe you are just an…” He searched for a word to describe NPCs. “…illusion or automation would be the best word to describe it.”

“What?! The champions don’t even think Ilos is real?!”

“That’s correct. I was the same way until I came here with Lorilee to be honest. However, I can’t think of Ilos as a fictional place any longer despite how different champions are here, and that leads me to what I think happened with the Bell of Recall. Unless I miss my guess completely, the players that disappeared when the Call to Arms was rung didn’t die; they were transported to Ilos permanently somehow.”

Lorilee nodded slowly. “I have noticed that there is a small group of champions, including Tasalin, Corvid, and the rest of their guild, that never seem to log out like most do, and your explanation would explain a number of things. That group seems to take things much more seriously than the rest as well, and they are the only ones who are regularly training.”

“But if he’s here, why don’t we just contact him using that telepathy thing you used with me yesterday?” Lassea asked.

“Su? I’ve already tried, but it didn’t work. It should have, the conditions are that you’ve been within five feet of them, made eye contact, and you know their name, all of which we’ve done, but it didn’t work. Oh, that reminds me, Lorilee, can you use magic?”

She opened her mouth, but hesitated, looking uneasy. Vivika glanced at her friend and spoke in her place. “Only the court mages are supposed to be able to use magic.”

“But you can. You both can, but you’d be punished somehow if anyone found out?” Lassea said, reading their reactions, then smiled disarmingly. “Don’t worry; no one is going to find out from us”

Finn nodded, agreeing. He focused on all three of them, imagining clearly what he wanted to do. “Su.” *Can you all hear me?*

Lassea and Lorilee each nodded calmly, but Vivika jerked in her chair. “What- How did you do that? It was like your voice was speaking in my head!”

“That was the word of power Su, or ‘spirit’, the basic Spirit elemental spell. It allows telepathic contact; though the further away you are the more mana it drains.”

“You mean ‘vis’? That is what the mages always refer to their magic energy as.” Lorilee said.

“It’s probably the same thing. Vivika, you know how words of power work?”

“They are the catalysts that make mental focus into reality, using vis as fuel.” Vivika replied as if quoting something.

“Good, then you can contact us and we you. Telepathy takes a little bit to get used to, but it’s very nice to have.”

“You said you had a plan Finn?” Lassea asked calmly, but her globs of fire and ice had begun circling her mug rapidly, betraying her mood.

“Do you remember the plan David – sorry, that’s the name he uses back on Earth – Cariss explained to us before we first came to Ilos?”

“Hmm, he said we were supposed to shop for weapons, then meet him at the North Gate.” She answered.

“And then?”

She frowned, concentrating. “… and then we were going to go to the second village…!”

Finn smiled as her expression brightened. “And what would he have done if he was suddenly pulled into Ilos with no way back?”

“He’d follow the plan!” His friend practically shouted, rising halfway up out of her chair. “So we'd know where he went and could follow him!”

“Exactly! However, I don’t think we’ll catch him, he’s just too good, but we know Ilos is going to be attacked just like it was at the end of the beta, and he’ll be here then. What we do is follow what he did, because he knows the best way to get the most experience the fastest, and then when it looks like the city will be attacked, Lorilee can contact us and we can get back here as fast as we can. I have no doubt that he’ll make a big appearance then.”

Vivika sat back into her chair, letting out a breath. “If Lorilee had not already told me about the city being attacked – and being defended successfully – I would be scared out of my wits right now.”

“Remember, you cannot tell anyone about the attack, we do not need a mass panic while the Regent is meeting with his collection of windbags.” Lorilee reminded her friend.

“I know, I know. Believe me, I do not want that any more than you do.”

Finn put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I know you want to get started right now Lassea, but I think we should wait till the morning to head to the village. The creatures at night are much more powerful than those in the day, and the sun will be setting soon.”

She nodded, settling back down into her chair and taking a sip of her mulled wine. After a moment she spoke up. “Lorilee, Vivika, since we know a secret of yours, it’s only fair you know a secret of ours. This is something you cannot tell any other champion. Word will get out eventually, but we need to keep it quiet for as long as possible okay?”

The pair nodded. “We will not give you away.” “No one will be told.”

“We can use magic back on Earth. I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve been to Ilos or it’s something that has always existed, but right now we are the only ones I know of that have discovered it.”

Finn frowned. “That worries me. I think this would have been known if it was possible in the beta, so it must be something that is new. It feels like Ilos is bleeding over into Earth, and I’m not sure how far it will go. What if this is only the beginning?”

Aria explores a bit about the Ilosians and magic, then discovers her traveling companion is gone. Trying to catch him, she travels the entire day to the city of Travant, where all is not as it seems.

Themes apply to all chapters, not this one specifically.