A quiet music played through the room, filling it with a chiming, melancholic sound. It slowly rose in intensity as it filled the room. Dim light filtered through half open drapes, illuminating the pile of laundry under the window.

“Alexa…” Damon grumbled more than spoke. “Alarm off!”

It kept playing. He rolled onto his side, staring at the smart speakers light, dancing as it mocked him.

“Alexa!” he spoke louder this time, watching the light shift to blue. “Alarm off.” He rubbed his eyes, wondering why the hell his alarm was going off on a Saturday. Saturday… Saturday… “Oh shit!” he exclaimed, sitting up in bed. He fumbled through his sheets for his phone, haphazardly unlocking the screen. 11 missed texts.

‘...Helloooo? Its been an hour!’

“Shit.” He picked up a pair of pants off the floor before tearing into his closet for a shirt. “Alexa, weather today!” A crisp, feminine voice replied as he looked over his clothes.

“Right now in Seattle, it's 8 Degrees Celsius with cloudy skies. Today, you can look for rainy weather…” He searched for a jacket, pulling out an old, paint covered hoodie. Today could get messy. He threw it over his head, listening to the speaker go off. “... there is a .2% chance of a new gate appearing today in Seattle.” That was oddly low. One must have opened recently.

He removed a final piece of equipment from the closet- a tanto-like dagger in a rectangular scabbard. It was ornate, and a brilliant ivory white. Damon unsheathed it, slashing it once to feel its weight. He smiled proudly. ‘Worth every penny I spent on it.’ He slid it into his pocket.

He texted back with one hand as he bolted through his door and downstairs.

“Mom? Dad?” He called out to his parents as he ran down the stairs. His dad sat back in his leather recliner, staring vacantly at the TV screen in front of him. It didn’t take long for him to figure out why, reading the headline that scrolled across the bottom. 20th anniversary of the first gate. On the TV, a woman was talking. Her title hovered on the screen. Former Mayor.

“...a lot of people think that the city was torn apart instantly. I assure you that wasn’t the case. Those monsters moved through our-” Damon turned the TV off. His dad shook his head, looking up to me with a sad half smile.

“Goodmorning!” Damon said, leaning over. “Have you checked your blood sugar today?”

“Oh… I’ll do it soon, son. Don't worry.” His father replied melancholically.

“Good.” Damon made his way to the kitchen, following the smell of cooking. He walked in, finding his mom staring down at a pan. Grabbing the spatula from the counter, he slid the pancake from her pan onto a plate. She looked at him, aghast. He smiled, giving her a side hug and moving to the dining room table. He pulled out a fork, stabbing into it and taking a bite. “Thanks mom! Can you make another?” She gladly obliged, smiling and turning around to make more without replying. Damon folded the pancake to its side, grimacing at the blackened bottom, before liberally applying syrup to it, scarfing it down even as he made his way to the door. Dumping the paper plate unceremoniously into the trash, he rushed out of the door, throwing his hood over his head.

“Um, are you sure you want to keep waiting like this? I can lease the gate out to someone else...” Bella, the gate attendant, spoke.

Lee looked up from his phone. “Yeah, we’re being paid by the hour. It’s fine.”

“But… the contract for renting this gate is two hundred dollars an hour!” She contested. Matt smiled confidently, shrugging.

“Our client is paying well.” Lee turned away. “Look at this guy, Oz! I can’t believe he really is fighting with no skills or class.” He laughed, handing the phone over. Oz took the phone from him, playing the video.

“Jesus. Does he have a death wish? He looks like he is about to die to a goblin. Who recorded this anyway? Was his party just watching? That’s fucked up.” He replayed the video again, the sound of shrieking from the phones speakers filling the lobby of the fast food restaurant they were sitting in. “I can’t believe this guy is still raiding. He should just get a regular job. At least if he had a warrior class, he would know how to swing that. What a waste of money!”

Bella stepped over, looking curiously at the phone. Oz passed Lee’s phone to her. She covered her mouth when she saw the replay. “He should absolutely not go near a gate!” She covered her mouth before replaying the video.

Damon jogged through the crowds, standing in the shadow of the towering edifices that dominated the city’s skyline. Rain was pouring from the sky, filling the street with an unending hail of noise, and people dashed to and fro, covering their heads and rushing to their destinations. He checked his phone again.

‘Only a little over an hour late…’

Damon approached the gate's location, scanning through the line outside for-

“Yo! You Damon?” Someone called out from a park bench. He flinched for a moment before recovering. “Yeah. You Lee?” The man laughed.

“Naw, I’m Matt. We’ve been waiting.” The man jumped down from where he was sitting. “Follow me!”

“We’re not going into the Ares gate?” Damon asked, shocked.

“Well, yeah. A new gate opened to Ares today. Middle of a MobRonalds, if you believe it.” Damon hesitated.

“What level is it?”

“10 to 15. You’re not chickening out are you? Don’t worry, all you have to do is last hit and avoid aggro. We will do everything else.” Damon bit his lip. “You know you already paid right? We’re keeping the payment either way. The gate is expensive to lease.”

‘Shit. I can’t afford to do this again.’

“I’m coming. Lead the way.” The restaurant was only a few blocks away, a few minute walk through the rainy streets. Damon looked nervously down every alleyway, occasionally meeting glances directed back towards the busy streets. Homeless camps sprung up in the alleys between buildings and the land that used to be reserved for parks. They passed several despite the short distance.

Damon noted the cordon outside. USAG official business. Closed to the public!

They stepped inside, seeing the USAG Handler look up from a cell phone. Her eyes widened when she looked at Damon. Lee quickly grabbed his phone back, walking towards Damon.

“Damon, right? We’re already down an hour and a half. Let’s not waste anymore time.” Lee spoke, reaching to shake Damon’s hand quickly. Lee exuded confidence, a cocky half smile decorating his face, but not hiding the boredness in his eyes. He lifted a huge shield from the floor, the huge, flat bottom enough to let it stand on its own.

“Indeed.” Damon replied curtly before shifting his gaze to the Handler. He retrieved his license from his wallet, handing it over to her. She marked down his name in the notebook, before looking up at him tentatively. He cocked his head.

“Are you really going into this gate with your level?”

“Of course. This isn’t my first time…”

“But you have no class or skills!” Damon flushed. ‘How did she even know that?’

“It will be fine!” Lee spoke, putting his hand on Damon’s shoulder. “We will protect him. Just let us take care of everything. Damon half smiled, scratching the back of his head. Lee was the first to step through the gate, a flat, red, rent in space. It shrunk and expanded as he stepped through, tendrils of mana attempting to flail around it. At either side of it, tesla-coil like pillars- a USAG containment field- attracted the flailing mana, providing a mesmerizing view as the mana danced around it. “Well? Let’s go.” Lee snapped Damon out of his reverie.

‘It never gets old. But…’ “The mana seems strange. It almost tastes like sulfur…” Damon’s face contorted.

“You have an analysis skill?” Lee asked confusedly, looking at Bella.

“Well… not one that’s recognized by my system.”

“The situation is all normal according to our analysis.” Bella spoke.

“Just leave the rest to us, Damon.” Lee spoke, lugging his man sized shield through the gate. It fluctuated more this time. Damon swallowed hard before following them through the gate.