PftA (Revised): Chapters 10-13 + Interlude

Chapter 10 - Gains

“Bell just messaged me,” Deni said, interrupting the discussion I’d been having with Mesmer about the differences in our healing spells. “She has another in-game hour before she can log in. She’s in her VPS right now.”

“Should we eat while we wait? It’s been a while since our last meal, and I’d rather not get the hunger debuff,” Ger said as he rubbed his stomach.

After some discussion, we headed to the cafeteria and grabbed some food, chatting about the delve and experience gains as we ate the simple fare.

“So, how much did you gain toward your interface upgrade?” Deni asked after commenting about how she’d invested a few hundred experience points from what she’d earned after reaching the experience cap in the rift. Apparently, everyone but Blaze had decided to follow my advice since applying experience gained after reaching the cap didn’t cost them anything.

“Around a thousand points. It’s much more than I thought I would gain from a single delve, but I already had enough experience to level up when we entered,” I said by way of explanation. “It was still a really lucrative rift for experience.”

I’d already known wave rifts were good for leveling, but I’d only ever been able to delve the Tier One wave rift at the Training Tower when I worked there. Since I out-tiered the rift, I hadn’t gained all that much. Aside from Training Towers, wave rifts were usually claimed by a noble family or a sect, and access was limited. There were rules about how many rifts certain groups could own, but I’d never heard of wave rifts belonging to anyone else.

“Yeah. Same here. Not the same amount toward the upgrade, just the surprise at how much experience you gained. I didn’t get nearly as much,” Deni replied.

“I don’t think excess experience is split the same way as regular experience, even with the party distribution set to equal. Most of my points probably came from my combo spells after I hit the experience cap. I can’t use them often, but I have two that cause a lot of damage when used together. I was able to take out around ten mobs per combo,” I said as casually as possible. I didn’t want my new potential friends to get the wrong idea.

“That’s so unfair,” Blaze commented with folded arms.

“Life is unfair. Get over it,” Ger said gruffly while rolling his eyes. The flaming-haired Fire Mage shot him a hateful look, but nobody else said anything.

“So…do you guys have any plans for after we do the loot split? I’m probably going to start working on gaining some specialized skills now that I’ll finally have enough money to get started with crafting,” I said excitedly as I thought about all of the things I could learn now that we were in a simulation and there were no stupid guild restrictions locking information behind what was effectively a paywall.

“Oh? What kind of skills were you interested in?” Deni asked as she leaned closer, not bothering to answer my question.

“Enchanting mostly, though I also want to learn Alchemy, Woodworking, and Tailoring since they are all important for creating a finished product.”

“What is with girls and Tailoring?” Blaze groaned melodramatically before adopting an innocent expression when Deni looked his way with irritation.

Deni shook her head. “He’s just saying that because Bell and I got the Tailoring skill yesterday. We actually met during a clothing design class in college last year, even though neither of us is majoring in it. It was just one of those random electives we both decided to take, though I had initially planned to try to have my own clothing line one day. My parents and reality quickly convinced me that I couldn’t depend on hitting it big, so now I’m a business major minoring in graphic design. I still design my own clothes, but it’s just a hobby.”

“That’s awesome. I thought you and Bell were roommates, though?” I said, confused about their relationship.

“We are. We traded roommates after the first semester. We hit it off and were able to make the request early enough to have the transfer approved before winter break. We’ll be roommates again in the fall, but I guess technically, we aren’t roommates right now since we’re both back home for the summer.”

It made sense.

“Got it,” I said, nodding. “Well, my interest in Tailoringis mostly about earning money. Coupled with my Enchanting skill, I wanted to make and enchant clothing to sell to other players. I feel like there will be a pretty big market for enchanted items soon. I’m considering adding spatial storage into clothing items and seeing if there is any interest.”

“I have a feeling Bell would be really interested in helping you with that if you’re looking for a partner or two,” Deni offered. We discussed the possibilities briefly before I redirected the conversation to the rest of the party. There was no reason to leave them out.

“What about the rest of you? Any crafting or professional interests yet? Have you guys picked professions?” I asked.

Mesmer awkwardly chimed in, volunteering his own professional skill interests. “I sat through the Alchemy class but didn’t have the money to pay for the materials to try to make my own potions. Hopefully, I can do that today since the delve was successful,” he said. “I also got the Cooking skill,” he added quietly.

Ger grinned. “I want to pick ‘Artist,’ but I don’t have the right skills yet. From my research, the profession gives experience points for anything the player deems artistic. Since I like drawing and painting, it seems like a good fit.”

“I agree,” Deni said as she looped an arm around her much larger boyfriend. “Artist is a great fit for you. You are really talented.”

“I chose the ‘Trader’ profession since it gave the best bonuses from what I was offered,” Blaze said proudly, ignoring the lovie scene nearby. “That’s why I’ll be responsible for selling our loot. I get better prices for everything with my profession.”

“On that note,” Deni began, straightening up. “I figured we’d split everything equally. Most of it was coins, though there were also a lot of mana cores and a few weapons. Unless anyone wants them, we can sell the weapons and cores and split whatever we earn equally.”

It seemed fair enough, aside from the cores. I definitely wanted the cores instead of selling my share.

The others didn’t mind giving me my share of the cores instead of cashing them out. However, we didn’t finalize any decisions until Bell rejoined us. The loot split was handled quickly once she came off her death cooldown. Aside from several dozen cores I’d claimed, I also walked away with nearly ten silver in hard currency – almost doubling my liquid funds. If I counted cores in that, the increase would be even more dramatic.

After adding Bell and Deni to my friend list and promising to keep in touch, I left the party and headed up to the fifth floor to regain some crafting skills. By the end of the session, I’d regained Enchanting and Alchemy. However, I’d only taken the Alchemy class that focused on creating reagents for enchantments, not the general one that taught how to make health and mana potions. But I could do that later.

For now, I needed a break.

= = =

I finally set up my game guide site when I logged back into the game after spending some time with my parents and doing my daily workout, including going through quarterstaff drills with a broom handle. It was nothing like actually fighting with a staff. Still, I felt it was important for my body to get used to the motions anyway.

I’d decided to create a Flip channel since I knew channels on that site would eventually be able to transfer to Atlas servers. Plenty had done so in the other timeline.

Flip was an awesome site. It was like a lovechild between Discord and Patreon that mixed file sharing with forums. It allowed for donations and subscriptions, but I didn’t set up any options for the latter. After all, I wasn’t trying to lock valuable information behind a paywall.

Taking advantage of the added time dilation, I drafted a few articles regarding my experiences at the Training Tower thus far, pairing each with a short video created from my avatar feed. It took several hours, even with how short the articles were. If my interface had been upgraded already, Lisa would have been able to do most of the work for me after a bit of training.

I really missed Lisa.

Having a basic interface was really restricting, especially after spending years adapting to the more advanced features included in the upgrade. But ten thousand experience points was a lot at Tier One. Even with the wave rift, it would still take several days to earn enough for the upgrade if I kept up with leveling.

Since leveling was a relevant concern for the transition period after the apocalypse, I’d need to figure out a faster way to earn the experience I needed for the upgrade without completely neglecting my personal advancement. The interface upgrade was important, but so was leveling.

After a last round of editing, I submitted the server for authentication and approval.

= = =

The days slipped by as I threw myself into training, both virtually and in the physical world.

Aside from running and practicing with the staff I’d created out of the branch I’d found with the tools I’d dug out of the attic – a much better option than the broom handle – I’d started making small items that would serve as excellent enchantment bases once they were infused with mana.

While training in Atlas Online, I split my time between researching spellforms and spell modification, Enchanting, virtual weapon training, and delving the wave rift with Deni, Bell, and the rest of their party. While I was getting a little better at using my weapons, I didn’t feel like I was near close enough for any of the skills to reach the next stage. That would likely take a long time.

For general skills, the system referenced increases in stages by including a numeral at the end of the skill name once it evolved. For example, Meditation would become Mediation (II). Conversely, combat and specialized skills were identified as Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, Master, and Grandmaster. Some skills could merge and evolve – like Wands, Managuns, and Manarifles merging into Manatech Weapons – but they would still fall within a ranking stage.

Though I couldn’t gauge how long it would be until I crossed whatever undisclosed threshold was required to move to the next stage in a skill, I knew most of my skills were slowly improving. My newly recovered Enchanting skill would probably be the first to advance since my actual ability with the skill was so much higher than my interface indicated.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter how advanced my status claimed the skills were. As long as I could use them when the time came, I’d be satisfied.

Sadly, I was starting to reach a point of diminishing returns. None of the trainers at the tower were interested in pushing new trainees beyond the novice stage in any of their fields. While some information was available in the specialty areas – like Enchanting and Alchemy– it was severely limited. But I’d already known I’d need to seek more advanced training eventually.

I’d taken the time to ‘record’ most of the library's books and scrolls of interest, an endeavor that had taken tens of hours to do. There weren’t many more to go through before I would no longer need to go to the library.

I wasn’t trying to learn everything now; just memorialize it for later. When I got Lisa back, I’d have her review the recordings and categorize everything. It would be soon. I was only a single delve away from hitting the ten-thousand-point mark.

Not having Lisa was like missing a friend. She didn’t really have a personality, but I’d gotten used to the voice in my head. It felt kind of lonely not having her.

At least I’d gotten used to having much lower physical and mental stats. I hardly even noticed the slower thinking, weak muscles, and lack of stamina. Hardly at all…

While eating a meal together a bit less than two weeks later, the others mentioned the possibility of leaving Velantraeth soon in search of a higher-tier area since everyone except Mesmer had already reached Tier Two. Given how long they’d already spent at the tower, I was surprised they hadn’t mentioned it sooner.

When I asked about it, I learned the team had a series of party wipes early on due to their lack of training. It wasn’t enough to rest them, but it was close enough that none of them wanted to wait. That was why they had been at a lower level than me when we met.

They’d reset to take advantage of the training.

“So, this should be the last delve you need before you get that fancy upgrade, right?” Blaze asked as we stood outside the wave rift, waiting for our time slot.

“It should be,” I agreed. I didn’t really care for Blaze, so I tended to keep my responses shorter with him than with the others. He wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t complain about everything. All. The. Time. He was like a perpetual victim who made sure everyone knew all the ways they’d been done wrong. It was never his fault. Accountability only applied to others.

I despised people like that.

But I smiled and tried to get along with him as best I could. The rest of the party was pretty awesome – they more than made up for the Fire Mage’s lacking personality.

“That’s good. The rest of us decided we’re going to leave after this delve. You can come along with us if you want,” he said as if the offer was something I should be grateful for.

I glanced at Bell. She’d slapped a hand on her forehead and was now shaking it.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said with a straight face. Blaze looked pleased. I wondered if having conversations like that impacted his Trader profession. It wasn’t a trade, so it shouldn’t.

When the redhead walked away, Bell stepped closer. “I swear he means well. He’s just a bit off. I think he was homeschooled or something…”

I giggled. Though I knew a lot of people who were homeschooled and were perfectly normal, I also knew many who were awkward as hell. They seemed to have zero social skills. I wasn’t sure if it was because they were homeschooled or if they were homeschooled because they had such a hard time in traditional school.

Not that it mattered, but the seriousness with which she made the comment…

I choked back another giggle. “It’s fine. It’s a little strange that he and Mesmer are so close. They are so different.”

“Yeah. They were assigned as roommates in our dorm last year and hit it off pretty quick. I met them at one of the social functions during the first weeks of school. Mesmer probably wouldn’t have come if it hadn’t been for Blaze. Mesmer is shy, so it’s hard for him to open up to people. Maybe having someone as…” She eyed the flame-haired Mage. “…direct…as Blaze helped him to connect.”

We didn’t get to chat any longer because our party was called as soon as the rift cycled. Excited to finally regain Lisa – if only in the game for now – I headed to the swirling green rift portal and prepared to enter for what would likely be the last time.

Interlude 1 – The Old Elf

Hidden in the upper atmosphere of Earth, a ship hovered as it maintained pace with the rotation of the planet below, careful to keep itself positioned on the line demarking day and night. It wasn’t strictly necessary to maintain their stealth from the technology below. Still, it aided the many enchantments that concealed their presence from the unaware masses on the mundane planet below.

Behind one of the larger desks on the craft, which was still quite small by modern standards, sat an ancient elf. While Sir Eri’Non had not been part of the original researchers involved in the study regarding the colonists sent to the planet called Earth, he was by far the most senior.

At nearly five thousand years old, the elf was nearing the end of his natural lifespan. At this point, the only thing that would extend his already lengthy life would be some grand epiphany that pushed him beyond the final bottleneck and into ascension.

Sure, he could have risked his life on Sira to defeat some of the only creatures that still posed a challenge, earning enough experience to reach level 101, but there was entirely too much risk involved with that approach. No, if he was going to reach beyond the peak of Tier Ten, he’d do it through his primary profession as a Researcher.

The events happening over the next half-decade would grant him the best opportunity for inspiration he’d experienced yet. He couldn’t wait to see how everything played out. Maybe the weak humans would be incompatible with mana after all this time. That would prove to everyone that humanity was intrinsically inferior to elves – not that any elf needed to be told that.

He smirked at the thought before settling his expression and touching the crystal in front of him, bringing an image of his target to mind as he channeled mana into the small item. A few seconds later, a human woman was displayed on the tablet mounted on the desk. She was pretty enough by human standards but didn’t come close to the beauty that the least of the elves possessed.

Still, her pale blue eyes stood out, showing the intelligence and shrewdness expected of one embedded in the mundane world below. She needed both to perform her role during the reintegration. Any elf would have been far superior, but with the entire sapient population being humans, that would require illusion magic or body modification to pull off.

Given the lack of mana present on the planet, the first option was impossible for an extended period. The second option? No elf worth their name would deface their body in such a way.

“What is the status of the project?” he asked in lieu of exchanging meaningless pleasantries. The woman was his subordinate, after all.

The woman, who had long become accustomed to the old elf’s ingrained bias, smiled and answered, “Everything is going according to the projections.” Knowing he expected more detail, she continued without waiting for further direction. “In the weeks since the game officially launched, just over 115 million new players have logged in, not counting those who took part in beta testing. An additional 23 million DIVE units have been sold but unused, and media interest in the game has continued to grow.”

The woman paused to gauge the elf’s reaction. When he motioned for her to continue, she said, “The media has been almost universally positive toward the game and its parent company. I suspect this is largely due to the support of the governments we’ve been in contact with, given their involvement in the media industry. This is especially pronounced in countries with larger population bases. However, several territories have repeatedly refused to meet with our representatives or allow Atlas products to be sold. However, their populations are such that the loss will be minimal.”

“What is the projected release date for the second project?” Sir Eri’Non asked, already knowing the answer but enjoying the discomfort the report was causing his subordinate.

“World Junction is scheduled for release around the major holiday, Christmas. The local business analysts determined releasing the expansion around a holiday centered on gift-giving would boost sales significantly while driving interest. We already have several special-interest groups using a section of the platform for military and other specialized training, which should ensure ongoing support as those units report favorable effects on training.

“Our high-priority contacts will also be granted early access to ensure the expansion is integrated as deeply into the larger world society as possible,” the blue-eyed human said from thousands of miles away. “Based on preliminary testing, we are cautiously optimistic that we can get a majority of the population to interact with some aspect of the platform before reintegration commences.”

“Good. That, along with approximately ten percent of the population that has not been exposed to the nanites will provide plenty of subjects to study the difference in integration based on prior exposure. It should make for some fascinating data,” the elf said, showing the first sign of emotion since beginning the conversation.

“Yes, while unfortunate that the nanites were unable to reach everyone during the last decade of near-constant cycling, the data gained will be invaluable,” she agreed, causing the old elf to frown. He didn’t need the young human to tell him what he already knew. Besides, she was just repeating what he said back to him.

Really, he wasn’t sure why humans had to be involved in the study at all beyond being the test subjects. They rarely lived long enough to make meaningful contributions to the research, and those who did were more interested in ascending instead of expanding their knowledge.

It was bad enough that he had to work with the dwarves and gnomes. At least they had longer base lifespans. Thankfully, he’d kept all the hybrids off his ship. He shivered at the thought of the impure tainting his precious possession.

He could deal with the irritation that was the lesser races if it meant enlightenment, though. Aside from ascension, nothing was more important to him.

“And these… players. How are they progressing with the system?”

While he had access to many of the overall statistics, the actual game was run through a different group. Unfortunately, that meant he had to rely on his subordinates to provide the information he needed since the study precluded him from having access to all of the systems. It was almost like the Council was worried he couldn’t prevent contamination.

Ridiculous.

His subordinate smiled and answered his question about the mundane natives pretending to have magic. “It is going better than projected. The lore seeded during the last half-century worked far better than expected. The players are adapting to the system and gaining several skills we initially expected to be difficult to grasp,” she said excitedly.

The elf was not so impressed. “Who cares if they succeed in mundane professions. There is nothing special about that,” the elf scoffed.

The woman shook her head. “While I agree, I’m referencing those who are new to the game but have already learned and begun progressing professional skills such as Alchemy and Enchanting, and several have incorporated the game’s version of mana manipulation into skills such as Cooking and Smithing.”

The elf considered her response. It was possible some were naturally more advanced than the rest of the population, though using mana in a simulation was hardly the same as using it in real life. There was a reason the simulation was not designed to train magical skills. Still, it would be interesting to see how those who excelled with such skills in the simulation differed from the rest of those brought up on the mundane rock below once they gained access to the system.

“And the breakdown of affinities?” he asked, slightly annoyed that he continually had to prompt this subordinate to obtain further information. The data he needed at this stage should be obvious, even if it didn’t technically fall under his purview.

A frown crossed the human’s face before she quickly schooled her expression. It was good that she was quick to recognize her inadequacy. Maybe he wouldn’t have to keep telling her how to do her job.

“The distribution is largely similar to that found in other human populations throughout the Alliance. There is a moderately higher percentage of players with multiple affinities than represented among Alliance humans. However, players may not be representative of the larger population.”

Without bothering to reply, the old elf cut the connection, causing the crystal tablet in front of him to become inert again. He hoped to get his hands on some actual test subjects soon to see how they responded differently after being integrated into the system.

It wasn’t a reintegration, regardless of what the politicians who called themselves a Council wanted to say. These humans had never been a part of the Alliance. Hundreds of generations had passed since their most recent ancestor had so much as cast a spell. Just because they descended from citizens… it meant nothing.

The whole project was a huge opportunity to study how mana impacted a sapient race in a way never before studied. Even if the Council forbade specialized research… well, what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Not that they really could, after all. Not one of them was his equal.

Chapter 11 – Family

“I won’t be in the game tomorrow until late since it’s the Fourth of July. My family is having a cookout, and my brother is coming into town for the four-day weekend. I can catch up if you guys want to take off before then,” I said to Bell as we headed to the tower cafeteria after selling the extra loot from our last delve at the tower.

“Nah, we’ll wait until after the fireworks. I don’t think anyone will care if we put it off by a day,” Bell commented before glancing at the rest of the party nearby. Those who’d heard the conversation shook their head, letting me know they did not mind.

After eating, I retreated to my VPS to activate the upgrade and level up with my remaining saved experience. I’d already pushed my character to level five so I could get my first profession, so when I woke up from my nap, I’d be at level seven after spending all of my saved experience. I didn’t have to nap for long for the updates to go into effect, so I set the timer to wake me after a half-hour.

Though the game was little more than a practice run for what was to come, I found myself more excited than I expected when I awoke.

͠ ͠ ͠

Name: Duality

Level: 7 (0/2900)

Profession: Enchanter

Affinities: Time, Space

͠ ͠ ͠

Health: 120 (2.4/min)

Stamina: 230 (9.2/min)

Mana: 220 (9/min)

͠ ͠ ͠

Attributes

Strength – 11

Agility – 13

Vitality – 12

Intelligence – 22

Wisdom – 18

Perception – 15

Unallocated: 0

͠ ͠ ͠

Spells

[General]

Identify

Universal Translation (passive)

[Time]

Heal

Restore

[Space]

Compressed Space Bolt

Create Dimensional Space

Expand Space

Gravity Bomb

͠ ͠ ͠

Skills

[General]

Academics

Medical Knowledge

Meditation

Research

Spell Modification

[Combat]

Daggers (Novice)

Managuns (Novice)

Quarterstaff (Novice)

Spear (Novice)

Unarmed (Novice)

Wands (Novice)

[Specialized]

Alchemy (Novice)

Artificing (Novice)

Ceramics (Novice)

Cooking (Novice)

Enchanting (Novice)

Tailoring (Novice)

Woodworking (Novice)

͠ ͠ ͠

Though I hadn’t been able to get Direct Casting to work within the game – likely since it relied on skills like Mana Manipulation – I had obtained Spell Modification after successfully casting a spell I’d changed the spellform for. It didn’t award me a new spell, though.

Still, it showed that the potential was there, at least.

I’d spent several days focused on gaining new specialized skills, which had the secondary effect of providing more material to work with on my guide. Each specialization had its own area on the site, and other players were already contributing to the information shared. I hoped the resource would prove beneficial when Atlas Online shut down after the reintegration.

I wasn’t sure why it wasn’t maintained. I only knew that the only aspect that would remain after the apocalypse was the areas of the Junction that players controlled and a single Training Tower.

That was why I felt creating the guide and eventually moving it onto the Atlas server was a good idea. Atlas products would still work, as would a limited version of the internet. Hopefully, my site wouldn’t be suppressed and censored.

That was always a possibility, too.

The next several hours were spent getting reacquainted with Lisa – my interface assistant. The upgraded AIs weren’t sentient, but they did learn and could anticipate the user’s needs given some time and training. Even without a notable personality or true cognition, I’d come to think of Lisa as a friend.

She was more to me than just an empowered voice in my head.

Maybe that reflected poorly on my mental state, but oh well. It wasn’t like I could talk to anyone about it.

“Reminder: Your brother and niece are scheduled to arrive in six hours,” the feminine voice said in my mind. As part of my game interface, Lisa had limited access to my phone and the calendar I had synced to my account.

“Thanks, Lisa,” I replied aloud, though it was unnecessary.

I was excited to see Justin and Amie, even if they were going to be with that horrible, fake cheater pretending to be a mother for another few weeks… I took a deep breath. It might not be real, but it still helped.

I was NOT looking forward to seeing Melony again. Knowing she was actively cheating on my brother and planned to leave him soon pissed me off more than I could express. While I could bring it up, I could not explain how I knew she was cheating. Not only that, I didn’t think it would change anything. At best, it would speed up her departure. At worst, she could decide to take Amie with her this time. The videos and photos she posted online had certainly indicated she hadn’t been torn up about it as she traveled around Europe with her new Navy pilot boyfriend as soon as the divorce paperwork had been filed.

An infant would have probably gotten in the way of her fun. Still, just because she didn’t do it before didn’t mean she wouldn’t if confronted. It was better just to ignore her and let things happen like before.

I really didn’t like Melony.

Since it was almost time to log off anyway, I transferred to my VPS and directed the game to put me into forced sleep. I didn’t want to think about my fake sister-in-law until I had to.

= = =

I opened my eyes a few hours later to find my headgear attached more firmly than normal. After a bit of pulling and tearing, I realized my entire body had been mummified as my mind had been kept in a state of rest. Since the medium used was toilet paper, I had a strong suspicion about who was to blame.

Barely containing my excitement, I scraped as much of the thin paper off as I could with a couple of swipes before jumping out of bed and tossing it all on the ground. I’d pick it up later. I took the time to gently set my headset into the charging case before darting out of the room. I didn’t bother covering my haptic suit, though the thought crossed my mind as I descended the stairs two at a time.

My dash came to an abrupt stop when I turned the corner and nearly tripped over the explosion of toys spread throughout the living room. What seven-month-old needed that many toys? How were they already all over the place anyway? They weren’t supposed to be here for a few more hours.

It wasn’t like she could even use most of them! She could barely crawl!

My suspicions confirmed, I looked around the open area critically, not seeing the interlopers that all the evidence implied should be present. Had I not worried that the smaller of the culprits might be napping, I would have called out.

But I was NOT going to be the one to wake a sleeping baby. That was another solid Nope. Capital ‘N.’

“Hey, little sis,” Justin said with a smirk as he entered the room from the door leading to the back deck.

“Jay! You’re early!” I demanded before launching myself into his arms.

“Yeah, we left the hotel at the crack of dawn so we could get here earlier,” he said with a laugh as he held my smaller frame tightly. “Melony wanted to get breakfast with some of her old friends who still live in town. Sorry, I missed your birthday, but we did get you something,” he said with a cheeky grin.

I frowned when he mentioned Melony but forced the expression away before he saw it. Pulling back, I said, “You didn’t need to get me anything.”

He walked into the kitchen, where a neatly wrapped package sat on the counter. It was obvious he hadn’t been the one to wrap it. It might have been a long time for me, but I still remembered the mess he made of every present he tried to wrap.

“I know, but Mel was sure you’d like it.”

I fought the urge to make a negative comment as my mind flicked back to the last timeline.

There had been no note, no warning. Melony just went to work like everything was normal and came back at some point to empty the house while nobody was home. Justin had picked up Amie from the sitter after work and returned home to find half of the house empty. She hadn’t even bothered to take her daughter, deciding a clean break and a fresh start was better.

It was obvious my brother had no clue. He was such a loving, doting husband. It hadn't mattered to him that they’d been pressured into getting married right out of high school because of her surprise pregnancy. He'd been ecstatic at the thought of becoming a father. Justin had quickly given up his college plans to enlist in the military to support his new family.

I felt my stomach twist at the thought of what she was throwing away.

“So, Melony isn’t here?” I asked through clenched teeth, not bothering to open the gift. He’d obviously noticed my mood shift, but he smiled anyway.

“She’s with her friend Jessica. Mel has wanted to visit for a while. With Jessica and her new husband moving soon, it seemed like a good time to take a vacation. Mel’s parents PCS’ed last summer. Otherwise, we’d probably have crashed there since it’s closer to civilization than out here.”

At my glare, he threw up his hands. “What? You know Mel hates the country. She’d much rather be in a big city than surrounded by trees,” he said defensively before adding, “Not that there are any real cities nearby. Still, her parents lived a lot closer than ours do.”

I shook my head. They were so very different. Sometimes, I wondered how he’d fallen for her in the first place. One look at her usually reminded me, though. There was no question that she was a beautiful woman.

Ignoring the topic for now, I asked about my niece.

“She’s out back with Mom,” Justin said as he opened the door and motioned me through. Down in the yard below, our parents took turns pushing my adorable little niece in the infant swing they’d installed right after she was born.

“Oh my gosh, she’s so tiny!” I exclaimed quietly.

My brother laughed. “That’s the exact opposite of what Mom and Dad said. They think she’s growing too fast.”

I couldn’t explain that she’d been four years old the last time I’d seen her. To me, a seven-month-old Amie took a bit of getting used to. Of course, I’d seen pictures and videos online, but it wasn’t the same.

She was no longer the little munchkin who followed me around when they visited. We weren’t Emie and Amie, dynamic duo and trouble-makers extraordinaire. It took a bit of getting used to.

Maybe I could move to Florida to help out after Melony leaves. Going to high school was kind of pointless, given what was coming. If I thought I could convince my parents to let me go, I’d probably put some effort into trying.

It wasn’t too late to change my schedule for senior year. Maybe I could shift everything so I could graduate early. That was a thing, right? I recalled people doing that.

Shaking myself from the thoughts, I scooped my infant niece into my arms, snatching her right out from under my mother’s grasp. With a cackle, I took off running, laughing like a loon as I tickled the little baby pressed against me.

I might have cried a bit, but I played it off as nothing while Amie laughed in my arms. It had been so long… my chest felt so heavy it was hard to breathe.

This was what I came back to save, I thought as I looked at my family surrounding me. Sure, they looked like they were about to attack, but it was all in good fun.

The evil glint in my brother’s eyes now that I’d opened the field to tickling was all love. He loved tickling. We even had rules in place. Not that I was worried. I was, like, 95% sure I wasn’t ticklish anymore anyway…

Maybe more like 90, I reconsidered as I shifted my niece to serve as a shield while I continued to poke her chubby sides.

Of course, we were careful with the fragile bundle of cuteness. Mom was quick to pluck her from my hands as my brother pounced from the side, distracting me from the larger threat – my dad, who was maneuvering to pin me in place.

“No fair!” I whined as my arms were locked behind me, opening my sides for easy access. “It’s three against one!”

“You know the rules, Emie!” Justin cackled as he started poking and pinching.

“Ten percent!” I scream-laughed as I flailed uselessly. “I’m not ticklish!” I gasped between breaths.

My brother only smirked. “Sure you aren’t.”

Chapter 12 – Uncomfortable Interactions

I joined Justin when he volunteered to run to the grocery store to pick up a few last-minute things for the afternoon barbeque. Since Mom and Dad seemed fine staying with Amie, and Melony was still out with her friend, the situation provided a good opportunity for me to spend a little one-on-one time with my slightly older brother.

He was only two years older, but he’d never really acted like it. If anything, he’d always seemed less mature. At least, he had until he’d joined the military. It had taken a while to get used to him being gone, but I’d adapted. When Justin and Amie disappeared…I never quite got over it.

It felt surreal to be with him again.

After picking up the items my parents requested, we headed home and found a brand-new car sitting in the driveway. I could only assume it was Justin’s since no additional vehicles had been in the driveway when we’d left.

“When did you get that?” I asked, motioning toward the sleek blue Tesla. It looked like it cost way too much for him to afford, even if Melony was working.

“Ahhh,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s Mel’s car. She really wanted something new after Amie was born. This model has all sorts of safety features… kinda like yours except without all the teen controls.”

As much as I wanted to dig into the details and find out if it was something he was going to be stuck paying for when she left him, it wasn’t my place. Justin was an adult; he was married, and his marriage was really not my business. Knowing that she was planning to ditch both of them soon ate at me – a lot – but I forced myself to remain silent.

“We’re home!” I called out as I opened the door.

“Good. We were just about to start loading the car,” Mom said as we sat the two bags of groceries on the counter.

I studiously ignored the woman sitting beside the still-wrapped gift as I hugged my mom. Taking Mom’s comment as a request for assistance, I grabbed one of the covered dishes and started carrying the food to the car.

“Hey, Emie! Happy Belated Birthday!” Melony said in her stupid musical voice as I walked past her.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. Aside from being rude, it would have been weird to ignore her completely. We’d always gotten along well before – until she’d left my brother and niece. I’d never interacted with her directly again after that.

My soon-to-be ex-sister-in-law followed me out with a bag of paper plates and cutlery. “How has your summer been so far?”

“Fine.”

“You got that game system that Justin’s always playing for your birthday, didn’t you?” she asked curiously. Not that she actually cared or anything.

“Yep.”

I could tell she was getting a bit irritated with my single-word responses, and the petty part of me couldn’t help but be pleased. Just a little.

Melony sighed. “Are you mad at me or something?” she asked, blocking my path back into the house. “You’re acting really passive-aggressive. It’s not like you.”

I stared at the pretty blonde for a moment. “I’m fine,” I said before stepping around the other woman.

“You’re not acting fine,” she insisted as she followed behind me. Why was she following me anyway? You’d think she’d get the message and give me some space since she could obviously tell I didn’t want to interact with her.

I didn’t bother responding. I might not be acting like myself, but I didn’t care. I ignored the woman as I carried bags and trays of prepared items to my mom’s car. Thankfully, Melony eventually got the hint and backed off, losing interest in helping once it was clear I didn’t want to interact with her.

Or maybe she just got distracted by something shiny. It was probably just as likely.

Melony kept her distance and didn’t try to force any more interactions with me after I’d given her the cold shoulder, making the barbecue a lot more pleasant than it might have otherwise been. Most of my time was spent with Justin and Amie, though I made sure to wander off anytime Melony came around. It was a mildly amusing game of avoidance that entertained me while I waited for the fireworks to start.

It also allowed me to chat with my parents and some of my dad’s coworkers. I hadn’t realized it was an office thing before, but most of the people under our covered pavilion were people who worked with my dad. None of them were the same as the ones who would be stationed there when the apocalypse happened.

“Hey. Is something going on with you and Mel?” Justin asked as people started settling in to wait for the light show, and I found myself sitting off to the side.

“Nope,” I replied brightly as I patted the blanket next to me. “There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Melony.”

My brother looked at me critically, leaning in closer after settling in. “You’re sure? Because she seems to think you’re mad at her or something.”

“Why would I be mad at her? Has she done something?” I asked innocently.

“Yeah, something’s definitely going on with you. I just don’t know what,” Justin concluded. He examined me as if he knew something was wrong but couldn’t quite figure out what. It probably wasn’t very far from the truth.

I shrugged. It wasn’t like I could explain it. “I’m just feeling a bit off,” I said after a few moments of silence. “I can’t really…” I sighed, struggling to find the words. I couldn’t tell him. What would I say? What could I say?

“It’s fine, Emie. We all have those days. No worries,” he said with a nudge to my shoulder. “Don’t do the teenage angst thing so many girls do. It’s not nearly as cool as you think it is.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, you saw right through me. I’m so angsty,” I said deadpan.

“Yep,” he said, puffing out his chest. “Nailed it. Glad I nipped that in the butt before it got too out of control.”

I rolled my eyes. Justin was such a goofball.

“I’m gonna go sit with Mel for the fireworks. They should be starting any minute,” he said as he stood up. He held out a hand. “You’re welcome to join us, but you should try to be nicer to her. You know how sensitive Mel is.”

I waved his hand away, ignoring his comment about his soon-to-be ex. “Nah. Go enjoy the show with your wife.” Cause it’ll probably be the last time, my brain whispered. “I’m already settled. Do you want me to hold Amie for you?”

“No need. She’s already passed out in the playpen. Actually,” he thought for a moment, likely realizing that the noise would probably wake the sleeping infant. “I’ll make a bottle and bring her to you if you don’t mind.”

I grinned. I didn’t mind at all.

= = =

“Where are you going?” Mom asked as I headed down the stairs toward my room when we returned home a while later. “We were going to play a board game.”

“No thanks. I’m kinda tired, and I have some stuff to do on Atlas Online,” I claimed. It wasn’t really true. I’d just had enough of being around Melony, even at a distance.

“You will do no such thing! What are you thinking, Emie? Justin and Melony came all this way to spend time with you. The least you can do is give them the same courtesy,” she chastised me, her eyes filled with disappointment. It was almost like I hadn’t just spent the entire daywith them or something.

“Oh, I’m used to it,” Melony said with her stupid, musical voice from the top of the stairs. “Jay is always playing that game. I swear, joining the military was supposed to make him into a warrior, not more of a gamer!” she laughed.

I did not want to be a part of this conversation. I didn’t care about whatever excuse Melony had made for herself. So what if Justin played a game most of the day? It was his job. He got paid to do it.

Justin seemed surprised by the criticism. “I didn’t realize you disliked it so much, Mel. I only play after you go to sleep,” he said, looking incredibly uncomfortable and a bit hurt as he held their sleeping daughter. He hadn’t even made it in the house yet.

The fake blonde giggled and waved her hand. “Oh, no worries. At least Amie is sleeping through the night now.” She turned and walked away, disappearing around the corner.

The awkwardness lingered as Justin stepped inside. “Yeah…Imma go now,” I said, hurrying down the stairs before anyone could stop me.

I could hear my mom starting to comment, but Justin said something quietly enough that I couldn’t make it out, and she stopped. Thank goodness. I was about at my limit for social interaction. I loved my family – minus Melony.

She didn’t count.

Still, there was only so much time I could spend focusing on them at one time, even if the feeling did make me feel like a crappy person.

Chapter 13 – A New Wardrobe

Since we would be leaving the city soon, I figured it was time to pick up a few new outfits instead of relying on the one new set I’d bought and my original starter clothes. I messaged Deni to ask for her recommendation since she was the most interested in Tailoring, and she directed me to a nearby shop while the others made their last-minute purchases.

The shop was easy to find, being just a few buildings away from the guild where we needed to register before officially completing our tutorial quest. Like most shops in the area, the outside was well-maintained and clean, with a large sign identifying the type of service provided within. Not that he needed the sign, given the variety of clothing on display.

“Is there anything I can help you find?” a young voice called out from the counter as the door closed behind me. The worker looked too young to be the Tailor himself, likely not even old enough to have access to the system. He was probably an apprentice or the guy’s kid or something.

“I just need a couple of sets of sturdy clothing. No enchantments or anything expensive,” I said, not wanting to spend money on something I could do for cheaper.

“If you want unenchanted clothing, you’ll need to meet with the Tailor so he can get your measurements. Everything on display is enchanted with [Proper Fit] since it is all pre-made.”

[Proper Fit] enchantments could be hard to work around, depending on how they were incorporated. I moved to a nearby display and examined the items, checking to see if the clothing could take additional enchantments. About half of the ten shirts I checked were enchanted in a way that blocked further effects from being added.

Interestingly, those were the ones with a more modern look. They were probably the apprentice’s work, or maybe one of the players had cut a deal? If so, they had certainly moved fast.

“Are these done by different Tailors?” I asked, pointing toward the two racks I’d looked through.

The clerk nodded. “Good eye. Those were done by Tailor Gordon,” – he gestured toward the pile that could accept further enchantments before moving to the other pile – “Those were done by Tailor Sartor. Tailor Sartor is a new Tailor who has advanced quickly in the past several weeks. I think he is a traveler like you.”

After some discussion, I found that the prices were essentially the same, around five silver per shirt. Getting the same thing custom fitted without an enchantment was only three silver. The pants I chose were four silver and looked like loose leggings with several pockets built in. The material was sturdier and thicker than the stretchy cotton blend I was used to, but would be easier to add a bit of hidden storage to than the alternative.

After meeting with the Tailor for measurements and adding a matching cloak, I headed to a nearby Leatherworker’s shop while my order was prepared. I picked a new leather vest and skirt that I planned to modify and enchant to work as armor. I considered getting the one with leather strips – pteruges, the leatherworker called them – but I liked the feel of the short, solid skirt better. Besides, with enchantments, it would probably provide more protection than steel.

Though my boots were still in good condition, they did not match the rest of my new clothing, so I purchased a new, matching pair of knee-high boots that would protect my lower legs the same way the leather armor protected the rest of my body.

= = =

“Oh, that looks much better than the crappy training armor you were using before,” Bell commented when she saw me outside the Adventurer’s Guild. Having decided to leave the tower, we needed to register with the Guild to officially complete our initial tutorial quest.

It also gave us access to Adventurer’s Guild quests and resources.

“Thanks. Am I the last one?” I asked. I stepped through the door the rogue was holding open for me.

“No. Blaze is still off doing something. I’m not sure what.”

“Hey, Duality!” Deni called out from the table she was sharing with Ger and Mesmer. “I wanted to talk to you before we register our party. Do you want to officially join us? I know you have some scheduling issues, but once school starts back, none of us will be able to consistently play other than at night. We can always do our own thing in-game until everyone can get together. Besides, my mom wants me to help in the shop more while I’m home for the summer, so it’s not like you’ll be the only one working.”

“She’s not the only one working now either! I have a job!” Bell exclaimed before plopping down in one of the empty seats.

“No, you don’t. Babysitting is not a job.”

“Yes, it is! I get paid for it. It’s a job,” the silver-haired rogue insisted. I watched the interaction with amusement.

“Whatever,” the dark-haired fighter said, waving the other girl off. “I didn’t mean it like that anyway. I think Blaze works, too.”

“No,” Bell said, shaking her head. “He was going to get a job, but they wanted him to work in the mornings, and he turned them down. It’s too late for him to get a job now since school starts back in like six weeks. I think he’s just bouncing around visiting family for the summer or something,” she looked at Mesmer for clarification.

“He’s staying with his aunt,” Mesmer said quietly.

“Great. Mystery solved,” Deni said with a sigh. “So, do you want to join the party officially? You make a good addition, especially in wave rifts.” The last part was said with a smirk. I had taken out a lot of goblins with my spells and the talismans I’d created with my Enchanting skill.

I looked around the table at the other players. Nobody seemed opposed to the idea. I liked the group well enough, and I didn’t have to pretend to be someone I wasn’t, which was what would have happened if I partied with someone I’d known before my return. Though I didn’t mind training alone within the ‘game,’ I would not be delving or adventuring on my own in real life. It made sense to team up with people I liked.

I saw Blaze enter the tavern area of the Adventurer’s Guild and revised my previous thought. It made sense to team up with people I mostly liked. Still, Blaze wasn’t intolerable, just annoying.

“Sure, I don’t mind partying with you guys as long as you’re fine with my schedule.”

“Great. Well, now that we’re all here, let’s get registered and finish up the tutorial!” Deni said happily. She headed to the counter, the rest of us following behind.

“Hey, Duality?” Mesmer said from behind me. I turned to look at him. “Did you get your upgrade yet?”

“I did! Oh, that reminds me,” I said. “I need to do the article about it now that I’ve had a chance to mess around with it already.”

“Reminder set,” Lisa said, acknowledging my comment even though it wasn’t directed at her.

“What kind of article? Are you some kind of writer?” Blaze asked as he caught up with us.

I shifted uncomfortably. I really wished there was some way to promote my site without being personally connected to it. I’m not sure why, but I’ve always been really uncomfortable about stuff like that. It was a lot easier to work in anonymity.

“Not a writer, no.” I shook my head slowly. “I just started a Flip channel about Atlas Online. I hope to make it into a game guide or share game hacks or something. There aren’t a lot of articles or videos yet, but I’ve already got a couple of submissions from other people, so I’m hoping it will grow into something amazing.”

“Huh. What’s the site?”

I had Lisa send him the link. I was so glad to have her back.

Deni called us over, and we finished the registration process. As soon as it was completed, I received a notification informing me I’d completed the tutorial quest.

͠ ͠ ͠

Quest Complete!

You have completed the tutorial!

Reward: System Bank Access

Reward: 1 silver

͠ ͠ ͠

“Bank accounts. Great. Now I have to adult in the game too,” Blaze grumbled. Everyone ignored him.

“So, how do we add our money to the account?” Ger questioned. Since we were standing by the counter, the clerk answered his undirected question.

“I can handle that for you. Most reputable merchants will be able to assist you as well,” he said before poking at his tablet a few times and going through the process of transferring and exchanging funds. I held onto a couple of silvers in case I needed to pay for something and nobody had a fancy tablet to access our funds.

“As brand-new adventurers, will you all be staying local and challenging the nearby rifts, or will you be leaving for a greater challenge?” the clerk asked as he finished the last transaction.

“We’re heading to Brakenburg,” Deni replied.

The clerk nodded. “That is an excellent destination. There are many more public rifts there, though the adventurer population is about the same. As a Tier Two area, the guild office is also busier, so there should be plenty of quests to help you gain levels. Many new adventurers find it a good place to settle, at least until they reach Tier Three.”

Before we could walk away, several notifications appeared in front of me.

͠ ͠ ͠

New Quests Available!

Lend a Helping Hand

Assist five community members without accepting additional compensation.

No Rest for the Weary

Get a Job or start a business.

A Place to Call Home

Establish a home.

The Professional

Earn 10,000 EXP via your profession.

͠ ͠ ͠

“Did you guys get a bunch of quest notifications too?” Bell asked the group. Everyone in the party nodded.

“Let’s find somewhere to talk so we aren’t blocking the counter,” Deni recommended, motioning toward one of the empty tables nearby.

Curious, I looked more closely at the first quest, pulling up the details.

[Assist five community members without accepting additional compensation.
Provide significant assistance to civilians needing help over the next 24 hours.
Reward: The gratitude of the community and 250 EXP

(Additional rewards possible based on performance)]

That didn’t seem very difficult. I expanded the next quest to read the details.

[Get a job or start a business.
Obtain gainful employment for at least one week or go into business yourself!
Fulfilling a business contract three times will meet the requirements for this quest.
Reward: Financial compensation for your efforts and 300 EXP.]

That seemed a bit time-consuming, especially for a game. I dismissed the quest and looked at the next one.

[Establish a home.
Purchase, build, or take out a long-term (at least a year) lease on a residence.
Reward: A place to call home and 500 EXP.]

I was pretty sure Deni wanted to rent out a place when we got to Brakenburg, though I wasn’t really invested in the idea. Aside from providing us a place to meet and log into the game, I didn’t see the point. Having a place to set up a workshop would be nice, but I didn’t need an apartment for that.

A year was a long time, especially when they were all already part of the way through Tier Two.

[Earn 10,000 EXP through your profession.

Gaining a profession allows you to earn experience without bloodshed. Take advantage of it!
Reward: Variable]

That was nice. It was good to be rewarded for doing something I planned to do anyway. Though, I wasn’t sure about the variable reward.

Quests like this didn’t exist in the real world. The only time I’d seen a quest was when the city I was in was under attack. That time, it was more of a notification informing everyone about the attack and requesting assistance. It wasn’t nearly so game-like.

I looked at the others. “Well?”

“I already accepted them all, though the whole ‘get a job’ thing looks like it’s going to suck,” Blaze said. “We can probably start on some of them while we travel. It can’t be that hard to find someone to help.”

“I’m not too sure about spending money on a residence and staying in one place for a year,” Mesmer said with a frown. “I don’t mind hanging out for a while, but staying too long gets boring. It seems like a waste.”

I looked at the party leader, wondering what she’d say. Since Ger was her boyfriend and Bell was her roommate, Deni’s opinion carried more weight than anyone else’s – her position as the party leader notwithstanding. “I accepted them all. No failure penalty was mentioned, so even if we don’t complete one of the tasks, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

The rest of us nodded. With that thought in mind, I followed Deni’s lead and accepted the quests.

“So, I guess we should go find an old lady to help across the street?” Bell asked with a cheeky grin. “It’s not what I expected we’d be doing on our last day in town.”

“I wonder what prompted the quests,” I mused.

“Probably finishing the tutorial,” Deni guessed as she pushed open the door leading out of the guildhall. “Let’s go find some people to help and get on the road. I’d like to be in Brakenburg before we need to log out.”