“Let’s get on with it,” Psi says, peeling her baggy sweatshirt over her head without a word. She’s petite, but she’s a lot curvier under there than I would’ve thought. The look on Chris’ face is priceless as she strips down to a tank and cotton shorts and opens the lid to her pod.

The smaller woman looks up at him with a gaze that could melt the polar ice caps. “What?”

“N-nothing,” he stammers, quickly looking away as Whiskey and I start doing the same.

“Did you seriously forget you have to be half-naked to enter these things?” I scoff, carefully folding Lucas’ jacket. I don’t want to risk it getting stolen, so I place it in one of the lockers on the wall and clip the padlock shut.

“No,” he mutters. “It’s just been a while.”

“Remember,” Psi says, looking up over her raised pod lid. “This is about creating a balanced party. Just stick with your assigned race and class, and don’t screw around in the character creation screen.”

“Like I give a crap what kind of hair my avatar has,” Chris grumbles.

“That’s funny,” I say, climbing over the side of my pod. “I seem to recall you spending a month’s worth of your campus job pay just to get a transmo potion because you didn’t like the stock elf ears.”

“Oh, shut up,” Chris snaps, pulling the coffin lid shut.

I can’t help but smile as I sink back into my pod and pull the lid closed. Just like old times. Except nothing like old times.

The pod whirs to life and the LED lights in the surface of the lid keep me from plunging into total darkness. I put the chip Whiskey gave me into the blinking slot and wait.

“Welcome, player. Please state your name.”

“Dana,” I lie. We used fake IDs to get in here, just an added layer of precaution. I’m not sure I want to know where Whiskey got them. Not with Chris around, anyway.

“Welcome, Dana. I see that you haven’t visited an Etrekus Center in quite a long time.” The pod’s voice is different than I remember. This time, it’s a woman and she sounds a hell of a lot more posh. For a second, I panic thinking she knows who I am before I remember that the chip will have someone else’s player record on it. “Would you like a refresher?”

“No,” I answer. “Skip the tutorial stuff, I just want to get into the game.”

“Understood. Prepare for immersive gel encapsulation.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

As soon as I give confirmation, cool gel begins to fill the capsule at my feet. It feels kind of sticky at first, and more than a little cold, but it doesn’t take long for my body to adjust to the sudden drop in temperature. I take a deep breath, because no matter how many times I’ve done this, it’s always hard to adjust to the fact that I can breathe submerged in a viscous liquid. It’s been even longer for Chris, so I’m sure he’s hyperventilating over there.

“Breathe normally,” my pod coaches. “Relax your body and prepare for encapsulation.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Noted.”

The pod is filling up fast now and the gel has fully covered my body. I take one last breath and exhale into the gel as it seals me in. The first breath in hurts, but I inhale deeply so it’s over with all at once. By the time I breathe again, my head is swimming and it’s not just from the sensation of floating. I know the gel is infused with anesthetic gas, and I find myself thinking this would be a much better way to get dental work done. On the third breath, I open my eyes to find myself standing upright in a holographic room that’s nothing but spinning shapes made of varying shades of blue light.

The sudden shift in position gives me vertigo, but it lasts only for a second. I look down at my hands and everything feels so real and solid that the only clue that it’s not is the fact that I’m wearing more than the basic undergarments I went into the pod with. The human warrior is selected by default, but as per Whiskey’s request over message, I switch over to elf and mage. I’m still at Level 50, my purchased account having completed 50 dungeons already, and that experience gets transferred over, which means I’ll have advanced ranks in traits that aren’t racially locked. I scroll through the display in front of me to get an idea of what I’m working with.

One-Handed Weaponry [Close] Rank 7

The ability to wield one-handed weapons with strength and finesse proportionate to the player’s skill level.

Two-Handed Weaponry [Close] Rank 4

The ability to wield two-handed weapons with strength and accuracy proportionate to the player’s skill level.

Destruction [Range] Rank 2

Destructive magic that casts a percentage-based amount of damage per three seconds of sustained contact. Upon reaching Rank 5, player may specialize in magical subtype, such as Dark, Light, Elemental, Chaos and Nature.

Healing [Range] Rank 3

Healing magic that restores a percentage-based amount of health for the duration of contact.

That’s the first I’m hearing of the Nature subtype. There were only four the last time I played, and I haven’t chosen to play as an elf since I was first screwing around with options when I started the game years ago. Nature must be part of some new expansion. I make a mental note to look into it before I reach Rank 5 and wheel through my other attributes.

Intelligence [Practical] Rank 14

Influences the player’s ability to learn new skills and perform certain jobs.

Charisma [Practical] Rank 14

The ability to influence others. Necessary for persuasion and exerting influence in trade. Multiplies affinity with regions by 5% with each successive level.

Well, at least now I know what the person who sold this account was doing. Probably working as a vendor themselves, or just more interested in crafting than raiding. I’m not thrilled about playing the race or the class, since I usually select a human or halfling paladin, but Psi is right. This isn’t about playing, and if that’s what they think will get us through this faster, I’m in.

A reflection of my avatar appears before me in a tall frame that looks like a portal with swirling light around the edges. The female elf is a good foot taller than I am in real life, so it takes a little getting used to the long limbs, not to mention other body parts that seem a bit unnecessarily inflated. I wheel through the armor selections and choose something lighter than chain mail, since I’m already going to have a hard time adjusting to the new build. I have five ability appoints to assign, and I know where most of them have to go since the last person obviously wasn’t leveling up magic as a human.

It kills me to forego the chance to level up one-handed weaponry, since that’s my go-to, but I did agree to trust Whiskey and Psi’s process, even if I’m having second thoughts now. Besides, my Destruction and Healing are pitiful now that I’ve made the switch to elf, and attribute points in this game don’t come cheap. I choose to use two points to bump myself up to Destruction 4, one to get to Healing 4, and then one each for Intelligence 15 and Charisma 15.

Resourcefulness is a great skill to have, since it opens up a lot of options for crafting, survivalism and shelter building down the line, but since we’re just looking to blow through the dungeons as fast as possible before the event starts, I decide to focus on magic. My existing Charisma and Intelligence will help with vendors and lock picking, which will definitely come in handy when we get to some of the tougher dungeons. I’m starting to second guess my decision to take away points I could use for magic to boost them, but if Lucas has completely enmeshed himself with his character, I could use all the persuasive ability I can get my hands on and lock picking is only decent at Intelligence 15 and above.

As soon as I have my selections made, I step through the portal that no longer bears my reflection. My armor is light, so I’m going to have to find some hardier stuff in a raid or hope one of the others has some serious crafting skills. I’m also going to have to get my hands on a weapon as soon as possible, since the mage “starter pack” doesn’t come with one.

The starting area is a wide field that looks like it belongs to some kind of resort where rich people spend a lot of time fishing and staring at clouds. I started without any weapons, since I’m not a warrior or a paladin, but while I have a moment’s peace waiting for the others who don’t seem to have come out of character selection yet, I decide to test my magic.

It’s been so long since I played as an elf that I’m starting to forget how to call an enchantment up. According to my HUD, I only have one ability each unlocked for Destruction and Healing magic, despite being at Rank 4 with the latter. I call up the first attack and see what the damage is.

Wrath of the Morrigan [Range]

A black flame to call at will. Does 5% damage to target per three seconds of direct contact. (Becomes 7% at Destruction 5) Costs 10% of arcane per three seconds of use.

Yeesh. And that’s with Destruction 4. Now I’m definitely feeling justified in my choice to play with swords. And I’m starting to regret that Charisma point. I’ll just have to put all my focus on leveling up my Destruction as soon as possible and hope the others can cover me in the meantime. Just great. Maybe my healing attribute will be of more use.

Healing Light [Range]

A fire enchantment that heals rather than scorching. Will regenerate 10% of target health per three seconds of direct contact while sacrificing equivalent arcane.

Another steep penalty, but at least the benefit’s not too bad. Should come in handy when things really get going.

I look around and realize I’m still the only one in the starting area. So much for not screwing around in the character creation. I’m getting antsy just standing out here in the open, but nothing too bad should be lurking around here. I could probably use a few low-level enemies to grind for XP, but I’m paranoid about taking any chances, no matter how innocuous the threat seems, when I’m a glorified medic on my own and more than just an afternoon of fun depends on me not getting booted out of the game. The penalty for respawning is three hours’ wait time, unless you pay credits I already spent on getting Whiskey and Psi here, and that could make all the difference since we’re already cutting things close with the event.

It sickens me to think of how many other people there probably are out here looking to wipe Lucas from the game for good.

Well, not Lucas… The Beast Lord. I still can’t get used to calling him that. I wonder if there’s any part of him left that remembers who and what he really is. Judging from the few playthroughs I’ve been able to stomach watching online, he has no idea. I barely recognize my old friend behind those blood red eyes, or the snarling lupine face that’s always stained with blood at the muzzle. True to his name, the Beast Lord looks like a snarling bipedal monster, some otherworldly cross between Anubis and a werewolf. He’s the exact opposite of my strong yet gentle friend. 99 Dungeons aside, Lucas was always more of a scholar than a fighter, and I know that ghastly transformation was just another way the Endrys chose to add insult to injury.

Thinking about it is sending me into a depressive spiral, so I sit down on the hill and call up my character sheet while I wait.

Level: 50

Race: Elven

Class: Mage

Destruction: 4

Healing: 4

Intelligence: 15

Charisma: 15

One-Handed: 7

Two-Handed: 4

Special: Wrath of the Morrigan, Healing Light, Blitz

Well, it’s not much, considering the attributes all go up to Rank 25 until you’ve defeated all 99 dungeons, at which point they’re uncapped. It’s to keep players focused on the main point of the game, but that doesn’t stop the recreational hunters, vendors and wanderers. At least I’ve got Blitz, which will only do me any good if I can get my hands on a decent sword.

Just as I’m contemplating whether it’s too risky to venture into a cave I see up ahead that’s probably full of low-level loot and a few giant rats, if my experience with this game is any indication, another figure appears on the hillside. A half-orc, if my eyes don’t deceive me. I hesitate a moment before I realize the petite, black-haired human paladin at his side looks familiar.

I run up to them and sure enough, Psi has spent a little too much time customizing her avatar to look like her. To be fair, maybe she has a snap-in mod she can use in any account. She’s wearing a weird green amulet around her neck that kind of glows in the right light, and all I can do is hope that’s the artifact. “Whiskey?” I ask warily.

“Guess again,” the half-orc says, his thick tusks making him sound like he has rocks in his mouth.

“Chris?” I can’t help but laugh. He always played as an elf, so it’s hard to imagine him willingly selecting this. Then again, he didn’t have any more of a choice than I did.

“It’s Romeo,” Psi says with a disapproving frown. Like we don’t have bigger issues if Etrekus is already watching us closely enough to notice me slipping up and calling him by one of the most common male names on the planet.

“Right.” I shake my head. “Where’s Whiskey?”

“He should be here any minute,” says Psi. “We all got loaded in slightly different start zones.”

“Yeah,” I say, looking out over the vast plains. “Looks like they expanded the place.”

“Probably in preparation for the event,” Chris says solemnly. He’s wearing a piece of leather armor that barely covers his barrel chest, but at least his pants are more functional. And there’s a broadsword strapped to his back, so at least someone is going to be able to deal some two-handed damage.

Psi is wearing skintight gold-and-white armor with a matching mace that’s almost as big as she is. I recognize the swinging head of the mace, carved metal in the shape of a lion’s head, as an artifact from one of the hardest dungeons in the game. The weapon has a faint glow, so I can tell it’s pulsing with holy magic. Looks like I’m definitely the weakest link in the group so far.

“You got the thing, right?” I ask hopefully.

Psi grips the amulet around her neck. “If by ‘thing’ you mean the siphoning artifact, then yes. We should move ahead. No use getting stuck here in the training zone when another group could pop through any moment.”

“What about Whiskey?” asks Chris. “Shouldn’t we stick together?”

“Trust me, he can take care of himself. We’re sitting ducks out here, and there’s a dungeon not far off that we can definitely handle between the three of us.”

“You sure about that?” I ask, following her up the hill. “Chris hasn’t played in a long time.

He glares at me, but I’m not gonna let his desire to appear all-powerful in front of a pretty girl rob us of our chance to save Lucas.

“It’s Dungeon 36. Everyone who’s prepping for the event will be well past it by now.”

She has a point. Most players take the dungeons in order, and everyone who’s got the guts to go up against the Beast Lord will definitely be past it by now. There’s not much XP to be gained by attacking low-level players just trying to grind through the easy dungeons for loot and story progress. The ones who’ve already unlocked PvP will be our concern once we cap out at Level 100, but until then, we’re pretty much home free as long as none of us make any stupid mistakes.

I just hope we can trust Psi and Whiskey. Despite what I told Chris, there’s something about them both that just feels off.