Lunch consisted of sliced meats, cheeses, and bread on platters much like the ones at breakfast. Mike examined the runes and symbols carved into them and noticed they were slightly different. He laid his hand on one and cast Identify.

  Lesser Platter of Deli Meat

  Periodically conjures slices of meat. Meat removed from the platter disappears after three hours.

  “Hey, do you all know that the meant disappears once we eat it?” Mike asked. Everyone looked at him oddly.

  “It lasts long enough,” Haliard answered. “Magic food doesn’t give you a lot of options for long term storage.”

  “You should see the stuff they can conjure up at the main halls.” Aaron’s voice was wistful as he looked at the sandwich on his tray. “All kinds of delicious meals. There was this one time…”

  His story was interrupted by a collective groan from the rest. Even Sum’s unusual voice contributed to the sound. Aaron just smiled.

  “Hey, the new guy hadn’t heard this story!” He looked at them with fake offense, then turned to Mike. “So, a year or so back…”

  “Aaron was selected by a young lady of a family as a date to dinner,” Julian said, speaking over his brother. “He thought it was a ticket out of here, but she was just trying to piss off her parents.”

  “It was true love! Her mother just kept her away from me!” Aaron tried to sound upset, but his laughter boiled over at the end. “Can you imagine one of them falling for a slave? Still, the food was much better than we ever get here.”

  Mike was still staring at the platters. The idea of digesting magically conjured food that would disappear if he didn’t eat it was messing with his head. Did it disappear after he ate it? What about the nutrients, the proteins, all that health stuff he had a vague understanding of?

  Mike was ashamed to admit that the bathroom implications haunted him for the rest of the meal.

  Still, there was comradery and conversation around him. Mike got the sense that his appearance had changed the nature of their lives. The dread that had been described to him, the sense of loss, he was the catalyst for things improving. Haliard said he might have actual skill at this, so all the men were feeling more upbeat.

  It helped Mike maintain his calm. It had been less than a day since he was dragged and thrown into an arena to battle the undead. His hands started shaking every time he thought about that, about what it meant. The stories and tales around him were the distraction Mike needed to keep the slight grip on sanity he maintained.

  After the meal, they all took a few minutes to rinse off and clean up. The water was cool and refreshing, and Mike did feel better after rinsing clean. The sweat and soreness of a good workout helped as well. Still, when he was alone in the bathroom, staring in the mirror, he started to cry.

  Thoughts of his family rose up without anyone around him. He was supposed to have dinner with his parents and brother this weekend. They were celebrating the promotion John had gotten at work. Mike had been faintly dreading it, since both his parents would spend the time comparing him to his more successful brother and asking why he didn’t bring a date.

  That simple nervousness he had felt was nothing compared to this. The worry of parental disapproval pales in comparison to having zombies fall upon you and eat you. Of having a sentient crystal dig in your head out of curiosity.

  A roiling in his gut saw him dive for the sink. After several seconds, his stomach was empty, most the food he had eaten sliding down the sink. He rinsed his mouth out and stared deep into his eyes in the mirror. His skin was pale, with dark circles around his bloodshot eyes.

  “Mike, come on!” Haliard knocked on the door, causing Mike to jump.

  “Coming now!” Mike shouted back, forcing joviality into his voice. He drew a deep breath, leaning back. With a sigh, he rinsed his mouth and turned away.

  “Back to it,” he whispered to himself as he opened the door. The rest of the men were heading down the long hallway, but Haliard was waiting for him. Mike smiled sheepishly. “Did you hear that?”

  “Did you want me to?”

  Mike didn’t know the answer, so he started down the hallway as well. Haliard walked behind him in silence.

  “Have you ever met someone from outside Slide?” Mike eventually asked.

  “Oh yes. When you live as long as I have, you’re bound to meet them. People like you aren’t super common, despite something getting dumped here every second of every day. Slide is just so big, most don’t meet them.”

  “Any advice?”

  Haliard was silent until they got to the door to the training yards, where everyone was waiting at the bottom of the steps.

  “Find friends and find a purpose. We can give you the first, but you need to work on the second.”

  “Is working for the Bluringtons your purpose?”

  Haliard gave an inscrutable laugh and headed down the stairs without answering. He called everyone over. Mike descended slowly, considering.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Sum, you have a fight, so do what you need to do. The rest of you, weapons training until it is time for the battle. Mike, you’re with me again.”

  They headed over to the benches while Sum floated out to the center of the sand covered area. There were low chests stored under the first row that Mike had missed. Each of them went to their own and started pulling equipment from them.

  Mike remembered the pop-up window showed their classes. Karl was a simple Halberdier, which matched the weapon he pulled from his chest. He strapped a buckler on his left wrist and spun the pole arm with his other hand.

  Aaron and Julian were together, with the former stringing a longbow and the latter holding a large tower shield and a short, stabbing sword. There were no arrows in Aaron’s equipment, no quiver. Just a bow and a leather guard to protect his wrist. Julian was shrugging on a shirt of chain mail that fell to his knees.

  The one Mike was most interested in checking out was Bradiac. He was able to figure out from context clues what the Arcane Archer and Shield Sentinel classes meant, but the Prophet of Doors was not clear. He knew there was something religious in it, since he had developed a new skill from resisting his influence, but what was its martial component?

  His curiosity wasn’t satisfied right away as all Bradiac had in his storage was a set of knuckledusters. The iron bars slipped easily into his hands, with posts continuing up the forearm to protect it. Bradiac flexed his fingers a few times after strapping them in place.

  “What about you? What weapons are you using?” Haliard’s question called him back to what he was doing. The old man was standing beside a larger chest than the others, with more behind him. While the rest had personal chests for their equipment, Haliard opened one to reveal an array of weapons. “There are only training weapons down here, nothing enchanted or super fancy. But take your pick.”

  “I’m a mage, what weapons do they use?” Mike was looking for a staff based on the tropes he was familiar with, but didn’t see one in this trunk.

  “That is really up to you. I think we should keep one hand free so you can aim your dart, but otherwise, the sky’s the limit.” Haliard stepped over and grabbed another trunk and opened it, this time showing a variety of blunt weapons. There was a staff in there, and Mike lifted it clear.

  “I’m just wondering because Karl is a Halberdier, and he uses a halberd. Aaron’s an Arcane Archer and he uses a bow. Are there rules?” Mike gripped the staff and tried to get into a stance that felt natural. Haliard sighed.

  “They are those things because that’s what they use.” He moved Mike’s hands on the staff, changing his grip. “If they used something different, they would be something different.”

  “Aren’t there rules about their class?”

  Haliard stepped back and studied Mike’s stance. He shook his head and took the staff away from him, digging back into the chest.

  “What is a class? Is that what they do?” Haliard emerged with a spear. It was close in length to the staff, counting the head, but was narrower. He handed it to Mike. “Is that another of those things you can see?”

  “Yes,” Mike said with a sigh. He took the staff and dropped into one of the positions Haliard had worked with him this morning. “I thought I had figured out something about how this place works, but I guess not.”

  The staff was heavy, wrist thick and solid wood. The spear was lighter, narrower. Mike was easily able to grip it in one hand and hold it steady. It felt natural in the stance. Extending his left hand while his right gripped the shaft, he sent a Force Dart to impact on the ground.

  “That looks like it works for you,” Haliard said with a grin. “Your class doesn’t stop you from casting.”

  Mike ignored him, studying the pop-up window that appeared when he launched the spell.

  New Skill!

  Lesser Spear Familiarity

  Slight knowledge of your chosen weapon.

  Mike felt a faint tingle in his muscles. It was like his whole body had gone to sleep and now pins and needles were passing through him. His hand shifted on the spear shaft slightly, and he shuffled his feet. Instantly, he felt his balance improve. He thrust the spear forward, his arm lancing out with an unexpected speed.

  Haliard grunted.

  “I’m guessing your class is spear wizard, right?”

  There was a tone of approval in his voice as Mike moved through a series of strikes and swings. It was like his body knew what to do. The other skills he had somehow earned had increased Mike’s mental and spiritual resistances. This one had imparted physical knowledge and skill. He felt a fierce grin grow across his face as he flowed through a series of moves.

  “Let me check…” He wasn’t sure how to do that. He focused on the book in his corner, bringing it up to fill a part of his vision. His Identify and Force Dart spell were there, and he was reminded of the third one he had yet to cast. Mike had earlier thought the icon was a turtle with wings, but without the pressure of a zombie attack, he saw that it was a turtle with a bird superimposed over it. There we more animal outlines there, with the paws of a dog or similar there. Mike studied the window that popped up when he focused on it.

  Conjure Ally Level 1

  Spell, Major Mana Cast, Minor Mana Maintenance, 5 Minute duration.

  Summon a friendly animal to assist you. If the animal dies, another will be conjured when this is next cast.

  Mike cast it just as he did Identify and Force Dart. Over two-thirds of his mana bar vanished at once, and a portion of the top section became grayed out. By power of deduction, Mike was able to figure out that this was the constant, ongoing maintenance cost of what he summoned.

  There was a dull thud between his feet as his spell took effect. Between Mike’s feet was a rolling pile of dirty grayish fur with white stripes running through it. For a terrifying second, Mike thought the spell had gone wrong and had brought something twisted and broken until the rolling revealed a soft belly and four paws.

  Brown eyes met Mike’s and he had to smile. The creature was adorable, about the size of a medium dog. White stripes alternated with black on its face. A tiny nose twitched as it smelled the air around it. It was only when Mike leaned over to scratch the belly that he saw the wicked claws on the paws.

  “Did you just conjure a badger?” Haliard asked, stepping back. The paws wiggled and the thing made a small chirping sound as Mike scratched the belly. Its hair was stiffer than he anticipated. After he gave it a few scratches, he helped it roll over.

  “I think I did.” The badger scratched idly at the stone under it before sitting next to Mike’s feet.

  “Is it… friendly? Those things can be vicious.”

  Mike watched as the badger’s mouth fell open, revealing sharp fangs. With the massive claws and teeth, Mike knew why Haliard was hesitating. But he knew that this little guy was his friend. The spell guaranteed it.

  “He is.” Mike scratched the center of the creature’s forehead, right on a white stripe. “I’m going to name him… Bandit. Do you like that, boy?”

  Bandit looked up at Mike, almost smiling.

  “Sounds good to me. It is good to have a familiar. Is he trained?”

  “Bandit, follow me,” Mike said as he started walking. Bandit rose and followed along, his claws tacking on the stone. “All right Bandit, stay.”

  Bandit dropped back down, sitting almost like a dog. Mike walked back beside Haliard, with Bandit’s eyes tracking him as he moved.

  “Bandit, come!” At that, the badger went off like a rocket, moving with surprising speed towards him. Once it reached Mike’s feet, it sat again, looking up at him. “Good boy,” Mike said as he leaned down and scratched his ears.

  “Now,” he said as he rose. “Teach me what you can about using a spear.”

  “That’s the attitude.” Haliard stepped up beside him, glancing down at Bandit. “You want a purpose? Make it through today.”

  “What about tomorrow?”

  “Then you make it through that one.”