Neil walks away from Wyn and waves to unseen Gilded Legionnaires.

  “I’m here, you found me,” says Neil. “That illusionist girl walked off. I tried to find her. No luck.”

  “No worries Captain, Marshal Brunting will want to speak with you,” says an unseen soldier.

  “Understood,” says Neil. He steps towards the guards, and out of sight. Wyn waits for a moment, making sure the Legionnaires are gone. She sucks in air, her nerves on edge; she’s hesitant to even breathe. Neil could hear the soldiers before Wyn, and he likely doesn’t have a perception-focused class. If she isn’t careful, and one of the Legionnaires is a scout or ranger, then they will discover her, and the last thing she needs right now is for the Legionnaires to find her. Her intuition tells her that if she’s discovered, she’ll be forced to sign on with the Legion.

  She scolds herself internally, wishing she had remembered the ability earlier. Wyn weighs her options. If she tries to use insight, she could be discovered. That’s terrible. On the other hand, she might learn something new. Wyn, ever curious, decides the potential for knowledge outweighs the risk of discovery. She sticks her head into the street, and spots Neil. He walks with three other soldiers about 100 yards away. Wyn squints to pick him out from the other soldiers, only able to identify him by his confident gait. She activates the ability, eager to learn.

  Nothing happens. Wyn frowns and tries again. No luck. She curses to the air, frustrated at the ability not working.

  “Most abilities—”

  Wyn jumps backwards into the alley, knocking over a wooden barrel.

  “Geez Psai! Don’t just start talking like that; you startled me,” says Wyn.

  “My deepest apologies, Ms. Wyn! I would never want to startle you!” says Psai. Wyn swears the strange AI sounds genuinely desperate in his apology. Wyn’s sadness might be hurting Psai in some way. She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and sits on the side of the cobblestone alleyway.

  “Okay, Psai. It’s fine, but try to warn me before you talk in my head.”

  “How do I warn you that I’m going to talk, without talking?” Psai asks.

  “Could you give me a sound or something?”

  “Please correct me if I’m wrong, Wyn, but given your propensity for being startled, making any noise is likely to startle you.”

  “You have a point there,” Wyn concedes, slumping to a hunched position.

  She considers how to get around the issue, but no ideas come to mind, so changes the subject.

  “What were you saying before? It was about abilities, right?”

  “An excellent question! I was going to tell you how most abilities have a specific range, and Rudimentary Insight couldn’t reach the individual known as ‘Captain Neil Drell’ from the range you intended.”

  “And what might that range be?” Wyn asks.

  “I do not have access to that information; specifics regarding abilities and their ranges must be learned through in-game experimentation, or by learning the details from players or NPC characters.”

  Wyn sighs, her face in hands. “Of course. I’d expect nothing less.”

  Psai doesn’t respond, and Wyn groans. Wyn feels Psai bristle at the edge of her psyche. A few moments later, a window appears.

  Quest Panel Unlocked.

  New Quest Acquired: Join the Mage’s Guild

  At the suggestion of Captain Neil Drell of the Gilded Legion, seek out the Mage’s Guild chapter in the town of Lethisburg to learn more about Eden, and grow your skills.

  Wyn reads the new quest a few times. “Did you do this, Psai?”

  “An excellent question! I am uncertain, but I venture a guess that such a thing is possible. I was considering my complete failure to provide you adequate support, and a new quest appeared in your System. These things might be connected, or they might not, but you have a clear path forward.

  “Thanks, Psai,” Wyn says. “Before we get going, I have an idea about you not spooking me. Can you take on a physical form?”

  “An excellent question! No,” says Psai.

  Wyn laughs. “Just no? Nothing else to add?”

  “That is correct. It is strictly forbidden for me to take on a human form, as it would violate AI law,” says Psai.

  Wyn frowns, Wyn rises to her feet and walks out of the alley, but stops mid-step as an idea enters her mind.

  “Wait, what if you didn’t have a human form? Can you just be a blue orb like in character creation?”

  Psai doesn’t respond for a long time. While she waits, Wyn drifts into the streets of Lethisburg. The city feels impossibly large up close. Walls of pale stone rising like cliffs, banners of gold and blue snapping in the wind. The main road splits and curls into smaller arteries of cobblestone, each one alive with motion.

  Merchants shout from awnings strung with bright cloth. The air smells of spiced bread, forge smoke, and something floral that clings to her cloak as she passes a perfume shop. Armed guards wearing the insignia of Lethisburg march in pairs down the wider streets, their boots clattering in steady rhythm. Somewhere above it all, bells toll the hour, deep and resonant enough to vibrate through her ribs.

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  She tucks her hands into her pockets and wanders, pretending to be a tourist instead of a broke adventurer, brand new to Eden. Her eyes catch on every shimmer of color, from bright fabrics blowing in the breeze to a jeweler showcasing dozens of valuables at his stall. , she thinks, and keeps walking, counting the coins she doesn’t have.

  “An excellent question!”

  Wyn launches into the air, once again startled by the AI’s sudden words. It doesn’t help that whenever Psai is excited, his voice gets louder. Judging by his voice at least tripling in volume, Psai is exceptionally excited. Wyn does a double take, making sure nobody could hear the AI’s booming voice. Beyond a few admonishing glares, they pay her no mind.

  “My apologies Wyn, judging by your heart rate doubling from resting status, I assume I have spooked you again. My apologies. Upon further investigation, I am able to take on a physical form in situations where it aids communication with human players.”

  Wyn leans against a nearby wall. “Do it. I don’t need to die of a heart attack before I turn 30.”

  “Understood. In accordance with AI law, please sign the following.”

  A window pops up containing a massive block of seemingly endless text in tiny font. Wyn squints, finding it hard to read. Wyn scrolls through, picking out only the bits she thinks are important.

  Wyn signs the bottom of the document with her full legal name, and gives it no more thought than what she might eat for breakfast tomorrow.

  “Excellent! Filing the signed paperwork with Progenitis and the AI Legal Consortium… Done! Paperwork processed. Please hold while I assume a physical form.”

  Wyn chuckles. The AI is quite annoying, his voice somewhere between a teenage boy, the whine of machinery, and an overzealous carnival barker, but somehow his constant eagerness and desire to please is strangely endearing. After a moment of perusing the heavily scented perfume shop, a blue orb appears over Wyn’s shoulder. Just like before, the orb pulses, bearing no discernible features.

  “Mommy, what is that?” asks a nearby child.

  “Just a bit of magic. A magical familiar or something, nothing to fear,” says the child’s mom.

  “Is my new form to your liking?” says Psai, his form pulsing with each word.

  Wyn nods appreciatively. The new form will help her not be spooked every time Psai speaks, and accomplishes what Wyn wanted. But Wyn wonders if it could do more.

  “What if you had a face?” Wyn asks.

  Psai pulses as a pair of white ovals and a matching white line appear on the face of the blue orb. The orb itself loses its transparency and changes shape. Instead of a perfect sphere, Psai takes on an oblong appearance, with wisps of energy trailing under him as he bounces midair.

  “Is this to your liking?” Psai says.

  Wyn chuckles, “It would help if you moved your mouth when you talk.”

  “I apologize, Wyn.” Psai pouts at her. “I am not accustomed to having a mouth; this is a novel experience for me. Am I doing it right?”

  Psai’s mouth doesn’t move as you’d expect a human mouth to move. Instead of lips moving as words are spoken, Psai’s mouth changes shape without transition. His simple line mouth goes from a thin line to an oval to a wider oval and back to a thin line. Each word making his mouth take on a different shape.

  “That’s better. Keep working on it; you’ll get there,” says Wyn.

  A handful of locals gather around Wyn, fascinated by the floating orb with a face. Children glow with curiosity, and adults look on with trepidation.

  “Hey Psai. Can you maybe poof away or something? You’re becoming a local celebrity here.”

  “Oh my!” says Psai. “I’m not sure how this has happened! Do I greet them? HELLO PEOPLE OF LETHISBURG!”

  Nearby people, including Wyn, wince as Psai shouts the last few words. He glows bright blue, bouncing and rotating through the air to get a good look at the gathering crowd. Children cheer as he bounces through the air. Wyn rolls her eyes, but can’t help the smile creeping up her lips. Psai glows even brighter at the cheers, mesmerizing the crowd and drawing more in. For an artificial orb creature, Psai is quite the accidental showman.

  “Greetings, individuals of mortal quality. I am Psai. I have only had Wyn to talk to, and you all are remarkable! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

  “What are you?” asks a little girl.

  “An excellent—”

  “I’ll answer that,” says Wyn, interrupting Psai. “Psai here is my familiar. This is his first time out and about, so be gentle with him.”

  Psai turns and tilts his orb at her, questioning her. Wyn shakes her head, willing the AI to just go with it. Neil said to avoid discussing real-world concepts with the NPCs, so she wants to avoid introducing them to artificial intelligence.

  “Can I touch you?” a boy no older than Rohn asks.

  “An excellent question, human child! You may do so.” Psai says, lowering himself into touching range. Wyn, also curious what Psai feels like, reaches her hand out to touch him. He feels staticky to the touch, like a sock fresh out of the dryer. Wyn’s hand phases right into him with no resistance beyond the slight static energy. Testing it, she pushes her hand further inside his orb and feels a shock run up her arm like touching a live wire.

  Wyn shakes off the shock. “Ouch! If you aren’t careful, Psai can shock you.”

  A few of the children back away, and a few of the adults join in the fun. One adult, a woman in her 40s wearing an apron, walks to Wyn rather than Psai, a sheepish boy dragged along behind her.

  “Are you a mage?” she asks.

  Wyn winks and gives her a thumbs up. “Indeed I am. I’m still new to it but I’m hopeful to learn quickly.”

  Suddenly, the teenage boy is thrust in front of Wyn. The boy shrinks into himself, avoiding eye contact as if doing so would kill him.

  “Please,” the woman says, “put in a good word for my boy Charlie here. He’s a very smart young man, and I’m sure the Mage Guild would love to have him! And if you can create a familiar, then you no doubt are very skilled. Please! Take him to the guild!”

  Wyn takes a step back. The teenager pales with embarrassment as his mother sings his obviously over-exaggerated praises. Wyn scratches her head, scrunching bits of her black hair.

  “Well… I’m not a member of the guild yet, could you point me in their direction?”

  The woman’s eyes narrow at Wyn. “You’re not a member? So you’re just summoning familiars without a license? Do you know how dangerous that is?”

  “I… uh… Well, you see,” Wyn stammers.

  “Ridiculous, Charlie, we’re leaving,” the woman says, huffing and puffing in rage as she walks away. “We don’t associate ourselves with half-witted fools!”

  Other adults frown upon hearing the woman’s harsh tone, and back away from Wyn and Psai. Psai frowns, dimming with sadness.

  “Did we do something wrong?” asks Psai.

  “I don’t know,” says Wyn, answering honestly, “but I think the show’s over.”

  Psai floats and lands on Wyn’s shoulder. She feels a slight tingle of electricity coming from him as he rests there. Looking around, all but one of the crowd have dispersed, returning to their previous activity. The last remaining guest of the Psai show is a thin man wearing a long black cloak and dark glasses. He leans against a wooden post next to the nearby perfume shop, giving Wyn uncomfortable looks.

  “Need something?” asks Wyn.

  The man stands up straight, his cloak swirling against the breeze. Wyn tenses her legs. She’s not certain who this strangely dressed man is, but Wyn’s instincts tell her he’s bad news. She’s ready to bolt at a moment’s notice if he tries anything.

  “Mage’s Guild is on the other side of the city. Next to the old potions shop in the old magic quarter,” says the strange man. His voice is like a snake dragged through gravel, silky and smooth yet rough to the ears.

  “Sure. Thanks,” says Wyn, wanting to get away from him as fast as possible.

  He bows his head. “Anytime. Always happy to help.”

  Wyn backs away from him when Psai whispers into her ear.

  “Reminder. Use your Rudimentary Insight on him while you still can.”

  Wyn nods to Psai and focuses on the strange man, allowing her Rudimentary Insight ability to register him as the target, before turning away.

  Name: #ERROR. Redacted.

  Race: Unknown

  Class: Unknown

  Rank: Unknown

  Title: The Watcher in Black