“So, what’s Nessa like?” Kitz asked as we walked south down the road.

  “I’ve never been,” I said. I looked at Ersabet, wondering if she knew anything about the city.

  “I’ve never been either,” she said. “Perhaps the twitchy one knows.”

  Instinctively, I turned to Delen, an offended expression growing on his face. Before he could wind himself up, I said, “Ignore her. Do you know anything about Nessa?”

  He glared at Ersabet but answered my question. “I’ve never been, but I’ve read all about it, and I’ve met my share of southern travelers. The climate is arid, and the city is large, with at least twice the population of Danver. There are massive sandstone buildings, which are said to make the grandest structures of Danver look like shacks by comparison. While I dislike travel, I am eager to view the architecture for myself.”

  “It’s quite a marvelous creation,” Val said, her projection walking next to Kitz. “But Nessa is too hot and sandy for my taste.”

  Thanks for the input, Val, I thought to her, trying to sound sincere. Usually, I would have just ignored one of her stray comments, but I had a strange compulsion to make Val feel included. Her near-constant visual presence lately was forcing me to see her as more than just a selfish, murderous, supremely powerful robotic parasite living in my brain. I would need to talk to her about it soon.

  “I’ve never even been this far from the mountains before,” Kitz said. “I wonder what kind of animals we’ll find?”

  “I’m sure there will be many interesting creatures,” Delen said. “But I’m more interested in seeing this portal John spoke of. I’ve never had the opportunity to witness magic of that kind and would love the opportunity to study it.”

  “Access to the portal is not guaranteed,” Ersabet said. “For all we know, it could be under the control of the Kurskins.”

  “Unlikely,” Val said. “Exploitation of the portal system is prohibited, and the only way to ensure that doesn’t happen is to prevent players from controlling it. NPC permission will likely be required to use it.”

  “I doubt it would be under the Kurskin's control,” I said quickly after Val finished. “That wouldn’t be fair.”

  Ersabet raised an eyebrow, and Delen laughed.

  “Since when do the Kurskins care about what’s fair?” he said.

  “You make a good point, Delen,” I said. “I guess we just have to hope I’m right.”

  “How hot will it be?” Kitz asked. “Because I’m already hot.”

  I chuckled. “Hotter than this, I’m sure. You're used to living at a high elevation where the air is thinner and cooler. Your body will adapt to the changes.”

  “I already miss the mountains,” Kitz said. “The weather’s always perfect there.”

  “Yeah, until winter comes and buries you under six feet of snow.”

  “That’s what hibernation is for,” Kitz said.

  I looked at him curiously.

  “Wait,” Delen held up a hand. “Are you telling me that wargs hibernate?”

  Kitz smiled at him. “Not telling.”

  Delen started walking faster. “If this is the churlish behavior I am to expect during our journey, let us make it with haste.”

  That got a laugh out of me, and even the corner of Ersabet’s mouth tilted in a small smirk.

  As evening waned and the night drew near, I asked Val to do her magic. With her leading the way, I pretended to search for a nice place to camp, and voilà, I found a perfect spot in a small clearing of soft, green grass, with thick oak trees on one side and a hillock on the other, blocking our camp from view of the road.

  Still, my travelling companions were only moderately impressed by my find, referring to it as ‘adequate,’ ‘good enough,’ and ‘okay.’

  We’re not getting rave reviews, Val, I thought to her. You’re making me look bad.

  “So I heard,” she said, standing tall with her hands on her hips. Today, her signature black dress was long, with a lengthy slit, allowing for easy movement. Not that she needed to move, as her avatar could just float through the air if she wanted. “I reviewed every inch of the map within three miles, and this is the best location in the area. At least you can appreciate my efforts.”

  If you let me tell the others about you, I could pass your words on to them, and you could get the attention you desperately need.

  Val went silent. A moment passed. And then another. She just stared at me.

  Val took a deep, unnecessary breath and said, “I assume you are attempting to tell some sort of joke, correct?”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  There was only one answer to that if I didn’t want to get an earful for the rest of the night. Of course it was a joke.

  “Good. Now go enjoy the lovely spot I have picked out for you.”

  Any chance you can work some more magic and lower the temperature? Just a few degrees to make it comfortable.

  “I don’t have enough power to manipulate the environment. You know that.”

  I actually didn’t know that. Not that she was low on power, but that if she wasn’t, she could manipulate the world around me.

  I thought all you could do was change the color of my HUD?

  “Ethan, I am the most advanced artificial intelligence in the universe. I can work miracles beyond your comprehension, but I’m running on fumes here. It would require too much from me. Additionally, as I told you when we first met, the Master Control would take notice if I started altering its code.”

  Well, we’re on a mission to get you fueled up. Try not to run out of gas before then.

  The group went to work, and we had a lovely camp set up in no time. Kitz dug a shallow fire pit while Delen assembled a spit roast from sticks he had snapped off a nearby tree. Petri screeched as he flew into camp, dropping a dead pheasant near the fire. I liked my lips, thankful for the resourceful hawk.

  We all had bedrolls, thanks to the magic of the quantum inventory system. Ersabet produced one for Delen, and I had mine plus a few to spare. I offered one to Kitz, but he declined, saying that he preferred to sleep on the grass.

  We talked, we joked, we ate, and for the first time since becoming a player, I felt like I had some friends in this world. It was good to be around people I liked and could trust. My thoughts drifted to Prajio, and the fast friendship that had developed between us before he discovered my ill-chosen name and decided he’d rather see me dead.

  Regardless of how things ended with Prajio, I was in good company now, and I was pretty sure none of them were going to try to kill me. It saddened me that I couldn’t be open with them. Kitz and Delen had only the barest hint of the truth about their reality. All they knew was that the Kurskin and the Dalari were the bad guys, and that there was a terrifying third race, known as the Voxals. The only NPC I had shared the whole truth with was Tara, and now she was dead. The Hunters only had half of it, and still, it cost them their lives. The knowledge was too dangerous to share, so I had to hold myself back, and I hated myself for it.

  The secrets I held from Ersabet were even harder to deal with. Unlike Kitz and Delen, Ersabet was well aware I was hiding information from her, and those unshared secrets undercut every moment, happy or otherwise. It was a cloud over us, and it wasn’t likely to go away until we both came clean. She was hiding the real reason she teamed up with me, just as I was hiding Val.

  Ersabet was smart, and she knew I was being influenced by someone else, fed information, and possessed abilities beyond those of normal players. When we first met, Tara had blown my cover entirely by speaking of the ‘robot’ in my brain, which I had foolishly said out loud to antagonize Sabbatha the Witch before she could bleed me out.

  Odds were that whatever Ersabet theorized about me was close to the truth. She’d have to be happy with that for now, but I knew she’d push for more eventually.

  A rock hit me in the shoulder. “Ouch,” I said. “What was that for?”

  “Delen asked you something,” Kitz said.

  I rubbed at my shoulder. “You didn’t have to throw a rock at me.”

  “It was a small rock.”

  “What was your question, Delen?”

  Delen cleared his throat. “I was wondering who told you about Kurskins. That they were here to conquer us, and all that.”

  “Oh,” I said slowly, searching for a lie. I could practically feel Ersabet’s gaze on me. “Prajio told me. That was part of the reason for our falling out.”

  “Ah,” said Delen. “I see. He must have trusted you greatly to tell you such a secret.”

  I tried not to let my feelings reflect on my face. “He did. We were friends until… until we weren’t.”

  “He was an interesting fellow,” Delen said. “Much different than the other Kurskins I’ve had the displeasure of dealing with.”

  “He could put on a good act. I’ll give him that.”

  Across from the fire, I noticed Val stand up and look north, where the small hill we were camping behind mostly blocked the view.

  What is it? I thought to her.

  “There’s an NPC on the road.”

  Regular or special?

  Her expression turned worried. “I’m sorry. I must have been mistaken. Please, forget I said anything.”

  I growled in frustration and then blushed furiously. Everyone was staring at me like I was a maniac.

  “Is something the matter?” Ersabet asked slowly.

  I frowned. “The pheasant is going to burn if we leave it on any longer.” I pointed to it. “Delen, will you take care of that? I have to go pee.”

  I got up and walked away, ignoring the eyes on my back. I walked parallel to the road, but my view was still blocked by the hill and surrounding trees.

  “My goodness, that was awkward,” Val said.

  “Shut up, Val,” I whispered. “I blame you.”

  “Me?” she said, gasping and touching her chest.

  “Who is out there?” I said, gesturing to the road.

  Val sighed. “Fine, if you must know, it is Tabby the Tinker.”

  “What? Why would she be out here this late? And why wouldn’t you tell me?”

  “Ugh, it is so annoying when you ask multiple questions at the same time. I don’t know why she’s out here, and I didn’t want to tell you because I cannot predict what sort of mess she’s got herself wrapped up in to be fleeing in the night. She’s a clever girl. I’m sure she’ll be fine on her own.”

  “She might need our help! I’m going to her.” I took off running before Val could protest.

  “Has she passed us yet?” I asked, hoping Val would play ball.

  “No,” Val said, sounding resigned, “not yet. She’s moving surprisingly fast, but you’ll be able to intercept her.”

  Our camp was about a hundred yards off the road, so it didn’t take me long to find her. Tabby was riding down the dark road atop her wagon, snapping the reins, urging her mules on like she was running away from the devil. Something was clearly wrong, and I was determined to find out before she passed me.

  I didn’t want to scare her by jumping in the middle of the road, and I was concerned she might just run me over if I did, but I had to get her attention somehow. I settled on calling out her name as the least distressing option.

  She heard me shout and pulled back on the reins hard, nearly skidding to a stop. She looked in my direction. “Whose out there?” she yelled, voice trembling.

  “A friend,” I said loudly but gently as I walked closer to the road. “It’s John. I was in your shop just this morning.”

  Her alert posture relaxed. “Oh, thank god.” The words were more of a whimper than anything else. She jumped from the wagon and stumbled before finding her feet. “I found you!”

  She ran toward me, then stopped short a few feet away from me. I met her eyes then, and even in the dark, I could see the madness storming within her. Her eyes were haunted and delirious.

  “What happened to you?” I asked the question as if I were speaking to an injured puppy.

  Her lips parted into a wide, manic smile. She grasped outward and found my arm. She held it tight, as if she were close to sinking, and I was the only thing keeping her afloat. I had never seen so many emotions cross one’s face in my life.

  ‘I remember you,’ she said, eyes full of wonder and fear, joy and despair. “I remember everything.”