The commentator couldn’t believe her eyes, virtual or not. There had been a huge spike in viewership right after Enoch’s discussion with Art Delvers in Haven Square. Now, after that fight, with that entrance, the flood gates were open.

New players constantly asking the same questions. Veterans spamming “Choo Choo Ogre Train” to confuse them.

She talked over it all, trying to balance her own feelings with the actual job she had been hired to do, “Welcome to all the newcomers. This stream follows Enoch, the new solo sensation. He doesn’t talk much but his parkour skills are impressive.”

All the while her mind was racing. She had a hard time understanding why Art Delvers had decided to work with Enoch. Blind luck? Being at the right place at the right time and, she had to admit, having the perfect build for the mission, with the abilities and natural talent to use it. Yeah, blind luck.

She continued, her voice overcompensating with fake enthusiasm, “Stay for a while, you’ll learn his unique approach as a solo player.”

The chat scrolled too fast to be read. The tips rained.

***

“This one is on me,” said Ally the rogue, a huge grin splitting her face. She stomped a copper glass in front of Enoch. Half the content spilled on him. The stains, neon orange, disappeared in smoke. Everyone is invulnerable in Haven Square.

“Ok, ok,” said Turner the warrior, taller than his peers by a whole head, barely as wide as his chair yet ridiculously cut, “this was good day. Our new friend, with his OP sword, definitely delivered.”

The four legendary players raised their mug for a violent toast, exclaiming in unison, “to the Drone Hive!”

Enoch raised his own glass with considerably less violence. Stayed silent.

Anton slapped him hard on the back. No damage but the Knockback still applied.

“OK, ok,” said Turner.

“Ok, ok,” replied his three friends.

Enoch raised an eyebrow.

“Enough with the boring talk,” continued Turner, “lets play a game.”

Ally turned to Enoch, looking mischievous, “ever played Werewolf?”

Enoch had. The prospect making him visibly uncomfortable. Tetsuo the mage, joined him, radiating disapproval.

Choo came out from under the table. “Oh, I like games. Can I play?”

Somehow, the fact that his core wanted to play eased Enoch into it.

Tetsuo said, “fine,” stood up to get another drink.

Ally shouted at him, “bring back some empty bowls, the largest ones. It’s the only way to blind the Artifacts.”

***

Three upturned bowls on the table. One for Choo. One for Anton’s pink golem core. One for Ally’s green blade.

Two upturned cups on the table. Yes, the smaller, non-animated Artifact also had their personality and they wanted to play, very much. Turner’s silver ring, disturbingly violent, and Tetsuo’s necklace, a simple braided rope with a big wheel of polished moonstone, the silent type.

“It’s the night, close your eyes,” said Ally.

“I’m already in the bowls,” said Choo.

“Then stay there,” said Anton. Alcohol helping, he found himself hilarious, slapped the table too hard, sent the green blade’s bowl flying. The whole table, alcohol also helping, erupted in laughter. Except the blade who went straight for Anton’s neck, plunging deep.

That made Anton laughed even louder. He removed the artifact effortlessly, placed it back under her bowl, pulled back carefully, feinting fear, supressing laughter.

“Alright, alright,” said Ally.

“OK, ok,” said Turner.

Half drunk, Enoch admitted to himself a profound truth. He was way too conscious for this. He rose. Went to the obsidian bar. Paid way too much for a drink. Not alcohol. A brew, only a smidgen weaker than a Major Potion of Scrying. He downed it in one gulp. Returned to the chaotic table.

“Ok, ok,” said Turner, tapping Enoch’s chair as he sat.

“It’s the night,” said Ally, mad this time, “close your eyes.”

“They are closed,” said Anton.

The green blade’s upturned bowl jerked. The moonstone necklace didn’t.

Ally allegedly touched two peoples, unseen to Enoch who had closed his eye as per instructions. She said, “those I touched open your eyes. You are the werewolves.”

Nothing happened for a few seconds. She continued, “crap guys, how will Sol move his bowl? He can’t animate it.”

Sol was Tetsuo’s Bonded Artifact, the moonstone one. Presumably.

“I’ll play for him,” said Tetsuo.

“Ok, ok,” said Turner.

“Let’s start again,” said Ally.

In short, they were way too drunk to play this game, or any other one. Worst, Enoch concoction hit him. Quite fast. Beside the Drunk icon, the High icon appear. Reality, the virtual one, wobbled. The sounds distorted, caught in a slow wave. In the background, Enoch’s soundtrack built up hypnotic bongos.

The whole werewolf game went on. Stumbled forward, one mishap to the next, barely registered by Enoch. He did, somehow, manage to say the right thing about the right time. Enough for the game to continue at least. Choo won twice.

Other things happened, probably, unremembered, and Enoch ended up dead as the werewolf. On the table. The group shouting over him. Unintelligible drivels. The artifacts swarming about. Anton, thinking himself supremely funny, emptied a drink on Enoch, pacing the pour to cover him head to toe.

A thought swirled in a corner of Enoch awareness, that cursed drink, wasted for fun, was worth enough to save the game of some struggling player, up here in Haven Square, terrorized about their upcoming day, out of supply, out of food, stuck somewhere between a dragon and an ogre. On their last leg. Yes, they would… and the fleeting thought flew away, replaced by waves of simulated 3D beamed directly into his brain.

He came back to his virtual body. Saw the huge wooden table from a weird angle. That is, under it. His face sprawled on the cold obsidian floor. The chat scrolling in his interface. Endless lines unread.

“He reminds me of his mom.” Tag | Dad

“Can I meet her?”

Choo flew under the table out of nowhere shouting something. He fused to the furniture. Lines of purple Mana diffused into the wood in a cool, and trippy, gradient. Then the table flipped.

Enoch’s gamer instinct kicked in under a rain of nachos’ crumbs. He checked the clock. Late. Almost out of time.

He got up. Zombie walked to the bar. Sat on a bench. Wasted another gross amount of money on a dark coffee cut with a potion of healing.

He sipped it holding his head. Ragnarök in full course behind him. He tried not to look, worried for his sanity, but he was pretty sure there was two flying chairs now. One glowing purple. One glowing pink.

He downed his coffee. A shiver went down his spine. Then another. The two debuffs, Drunk and High, disappeared. Wasted money.

The music straightened to disco. His peg leg hit the hard floor, back to its normal rhythm. His overall gait improved in a few strides as he moved to the black boards.

Quick. Barely enough time to do what needed to be done. There was still a continental final to be played. Even if Art Delvers had finally joined him in the hard-underground biome. Even if they were close to the Drone Hive, a trove of high-level loot and epic quests.

Twenty-eight players left. Most of the names known to him. Nothing special there. Expected for this stage of the game.

He started listing four large bags of loot while Art Delver continued their mayhem in the background. Organized in piles of similar material aimed at the crafter groups. Anyone of the two still alive.

He couldn’t shake a bit of disappointment at his four new, elite friends. They would have missed the list without him. He pivoted away from the board, finally done. Faced a serious, and completely sober, Tetsuo. Oh. That made sense. They only needed one to do the boring stuff.

The mage approved of Enoch’s work with one nod and left.

Enoch moved on to his usual spot by the giant window overlooking the world below. The lone girl cocked an eyebrow at him this time. Either curious or disapproving of his extravagant celebration. She shrugged and went back to her contemplation.

Weird that he had never placed her. Pretty obvious now with less players. The only other solo player. The Bird Spider. One of the game’s most famous killer.

He went for his scout helm hoping for a salute, a subtle acknowledgement of his prestigious neighbor. Found it gone, lost somewhere around the fighting animated chairs. Not worth retrieving. It would be back on his head in the gaming world, graciously restored by the game.

He fumbled his salute. Jumped to his Skill Moon to escape the cringe.

Enoch took a deep breath on arrival. Choo hovered behind him aimlessly, lost to the transition. An instant ago fencing a chair. An instant later floating over an empty obsidian moon with a skill tree carved on its surface. A tiny bit of it glowing neon yellow. Good thing he was an AI, these kinds of things didn’t affect him much. He started singing.

Enoch thought quickly. Out of time. He picked Veil, one of the hidden paths revealed by his Luck. It would synergize well with his pieces of Shadow Armor. Then back to the other hidden path. Blitz. His favorite skill. Blitz 2 was out of reach. He decided to dig for it. Picked Damage Resist 1 and Martial 3. Saw Blitz 2 waiting for him up the branch. Couldn’t wait.

A quick look around to spot the Golem Core. Almost out of sight. The horizon so close here on the small moon. Enoch didn’t bother to communicate. Simply teleported to the Artifact’s own moon.

Polished metal and purple light greeted him. Enoch went with Willpower 2 to grow the Golem Totem path. It worked. Tower Golem appeared as the next choice. He would definitely try it next time.

Veil 1 | Spell | Rarity 6

Casts Veil 3 | The world bends reality around the caster, granting Partial Cover

Cost channel 7 Mana/second

Dodge 1

Martial 3 | Attribute | Rarity 3

30% improved Damage

Damage 1 | Parry 3 | Stance 3

Willpower 2 | Attribute | Rarity 1

Mana +20 | Stamina +20 | Resist 2

Choo was on the way back to him. Probably curious about the unlocked skill. No time to waste. Pixel lasers brought both of them back to Haven Square for a quick materialization then again to the game’s world. Time to play.