“We won?” Chance said.

“Yes, we won!” Fi cheered with glee.

“And where exactly are we now?”

“Welcome to the Wishing Pond Casino!” A familiar voice called from the crowd.

They recognized his strut as he casually approached them wearing his fancy butler’s attire, twitching his cat like tail and bowing in his respectful manner.

“Mr. Midnight.” Fi called him by name.

“It is good to see you Ms. Player.” He said.

“You certainly get around for a master of ceremonies.” Chance commented.

“My duties are numerous, but nothing my facilities cannot handle.”

“Just how many duties do you have?” Cee asked.

“Currently...I am running one hundred and eleven tasks, running at thirty-seven percent efficiency.”

“You can perform three hundred tasks at once?” Fi said with glee.

“Correct Ms. Player.”

“How is that possible? The highest grade of NPC of FS can accomplish maybe 30 tasks at once. How can you run 10 times faster than a regular program?”

“Well, let’s just say I am a man of all trades.”

“I mean I’ve heard that they’re being tweaked with the latest in complex thought softwares, but...” She was quickly interrupted by a slight nudge on the shoulder from her friend Chance.

“...Must as we’d like to talk, we’ve got some other things to attend to if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, Mr. Player, but before you do, please enjoy these complimentary tokens on the house courtesy of our house management.” He replied, reaching behind his back.

He pulled out a small brown box that looked like a final polish jewelry case, and opened it to reveal what was inside. There on a velvet cushion was a silver tetradecahedron, a 14-sided object, glimmering like the jewel before the players eyes.

“I thought we already got our prizes.” Fi said examine the objects.

“Indubitably Ms. Player, but this is a complimentary offer in honor of this facility’s opening events.” He said with a big toothy grin. “This is merely an item that is equivalent to a daily luck roll, an uncommon commodity but hopeful one may be dense with before we proceed to a more private area.”

“Private area for what?” Cee asked.

“As per management request, I’m sure there is much you must discuss and it would be best to do that in less congested quarters.”

“He’s got a point.” Chance cautioned. “If what I think happened just happened, we better talk about this in a place where not everyone is listening.” His eyes shifted left and right to make sure they were not being watched.

Then together each grabbed a silver token and walked over to the nearby fountain of the cat. They each held their token in hand ready to toss it in, until Cee suddenly came up with a sudden inspiration in head.

“You know it’s just occurred to me that a lot of objects in this world work by tossing them in water, and the name of this place is the wishing pond casino.”

“I never thought much about it, but I just thought it was pretty visual.” Fi said. “Sometimes, they have fountains that play music and make water effects.”

“Well, my dad always says that when you toss a coin into a fountain or well, it makes a wish come true.”

“Very riveting information frogs legs, but how exactly does that move this game along?” Chance asked.

“I just thought you know maybe, we should.”

“Make a wish, count me in. I wish...”

“No, you don’t say it.” Cee said otherwise it won’t come true.”

SPLASH! They heard the sound of an object hitting the water as Chance tossed his token in the fountain. The cat’s eyes started rolling and spinning around with numbers until it landed on 2 specific sets. Chance was standing in front of gaze of the statue staring back at him with eyes that shot out like daggers with a aura of golden dust that read.

[ 1 ] [ 0 ]

The cat’s grin widened practically came to life just to snicker with delight, forcing Chance’s window to open for all to see.

[ Chance-Lrr:

Luck Points: +10

Karma Points: +100

G$: +G$1,000 ]

Chance paused for a moment as if reading something that only he could see, but then walked over to Midnight passing his friends by without barely a nod saying.

“When you girls are done playing around, I’ll be waiting over near the guy in a fancy suit.”

“...I’ll go first.” Fi said, holding her token tight and closing her eyes with a great big smile.

She tossed in the pool with a gentle splash that barely made ripple, but the statue game to light once more with a set of numbers and a window.

[ 0 ] [ 6 ]

[ Fi-Ownya:

Luck Points: +6

Karma Points: +36

G$: +G$216 ]

She stood staring at an invisible window until nodded and said. “Fair enough, your turn Cee.”

Cee didn’t know what was going on, but she whispered to the token before kissing it and tossing it in the pool. It made a moderate splash but rippled like a mighty stone had hit the water. When the numbers rolled out, water practically sprung to life as golden mist from the cat’s eyes flash like giant blinkers.

[ 1 ] [ 3 ]

[ Lucky Break! ]

[ C-Note:

Luck Points: +13

Karma Points: +169

G$: +G$2,197 ]

“Luckyyyyy!” She heard Fi’s voice call out once more. Yet, that wasn’t all as another set of windows quickly appeared right after the first one.

[ You are ineligible to receive G$ from this roll. ]

[ You have had +G$ 1,216 deducted from your debt. ]

[ You have receive +8 LP and + 68 KP from debtors. ]

“Come on frog legs, we got a lot to talk about in the V.I.P. Lounge.” Chance called before she could process all the information.

“Chance says there’s a complimentary drink policy.” Fi chimed in. “It won’t get you any extra stats but it gives it a real casino feel.”

“...r-right.” She figured matters like this were best discussed as a group and there was a lot left to discuss.

# # #

Some time later, at the VIP Lounge set up by Midnight, drinks had been served and the table was set with cushioned velvet seats. The room was like a study hall with no windows, for the magnificent view of the casino from their corned seats surrounded by wooded walls and cut off by velvet ropes. Fi was sitting at the center seat sipping her fizzy drink like an heiress enjoying a fine champagne. Cee was on the left side of the table getting all her windows in order, while chance was on the opposite seat tapping the invisible barrier to make sure it was safe and secure. A ripple of visible light made the casino ripple like a pool of water, while faint sounds from the floor around could be barely heard in their booth.

“This barrier should be secure enough, but I’ll put my cards on the table if you’ll show me yours.”

“My cards?” Cee asked.

“You were in inert time with a Benefactor, he must have told you something about why he gave us these skills.”

“According to him, we won them fair and square.”

“My mother always told me, nothing’s free if you read the fine print. So if there’s anything, even if it’s not worth mentioning, I want you to be candid since I’m now in your debt.”

“For luck's sake Chance, you make it sound like she’s gonna screw us over or something.”

“You’re too trusting Fi and I’m trying to be practical, considering what I saw when I checked my updated skill list.”

“What update?” Cee asked.

Immediately he opened his menu and showed her the skill he was referring to.

[ Indebted (Lv. 0)

A cursed skill.

You keep half you daily KP and LP,

To your debt holder, upon command.

Debt: All G$ ]

“I’ve read about cursed skills before and let me tell you, some stories are not pretty.” Chance said. “Some players are little more than slave labor following their masters around like walking cash machines. Others manipulate the system to keep people perpetually in-debt and the administrators do nothing about it.”

“The system is complicated, even the administrators don’t have full control.” Fi tried to argue.

“Don’t give me that old news.” Chance said this time without a friendly smile. “They say the system is autonomous, but with all that’s been in the news you wonder why it’s just as controversial. They say that people can just quit or get banned but need this system like they need food, water, and a roof over their heads.”

“Chance, what are you saying?” Cee asked, noticing his change of demeanor.

“You know the reason why I even enrolled in our University.”

“Well, Silicon Hills University has one of the best VR engineering programs in the state...” Fi chimed in.

“It’s because I couldn’t afford VR gear without my university loans.” He turned the room to silence. “I wanted to earn enough to pay off my college loans by the end of my course, but by the weight of my debt in game, it might as well be insurmountable.”

“Bunny boy...” she said, putting her drink down. “...I never knew.”

“Because I don’t like to mingle personal and virtual life like you bubble head.”

“...I wouldn’t get to worried about that for now.” Cee said with hands pressed together on the table. “From what I was told, they’ll be plenty of opportunities to earn in the near future.” They both listened close at her next words as her face turned serious with a cold and stoic stare. “Benefactors have more than just passive level eight skills, they can also advance active skills as well. One of Benjii’s skills was Palm Reading and while we were in the avoid her gave me system from 13 weeks from today at category eight occurrence will occur.”

“Thirteen weeks?” Chance asked.

“Category Eight?” Fi said nearly spilling her drink. “Shouldn’t that have been an announcement about it?”

“He said it’s priority information for only a handful of players.”

“And those who do would most likely keep this information to themselves if they think there’s a big reward to reap.” Chance finished her sentence.

“Exactly.”

“Then what if it arrives in thirteen weeks?”

“The message was vague but it went something like this.” She spoke the words as if speaking Benjii’s voice through her own lips. “In the thirteenth hour of the thirteen days passed the eleventh week, a new storm will rise upon the sands. This storm will be precluded by twelve laborers, bringing great riches and need for great peril. Only those with the mark of eight will be able to stem the tide. Let the luck star guide you to the end of times.”

For one moment there was a brief silence.

“I know I couldn’t make sense of anything but that last line.” Cee said.

“Thirteen days have passed the eleventh week, whatever’s happening is going to happen in ninety days.” Fi said. “Bunny boy, you’re the philosopher, can you make sense of rest?”

“A storm could mean a global event, and twelve laborers, it sounds like the twelve challenges of Hercules from Greek Myth.” He said rubbing his chin thinking over this riddle. “Great riches could give me rewards we’ll need for the thirteenth challenge. The mark of eight is most likely level eight skills, which means the eight skills we just acquired, but that last line, end of time...” A sudden shock and awe came across his face. “Wait, end times as in end of time, as in end of days...”

“As in the end of the world.” Cee bluntly said.

“What, is that like a server shutdown?” Fi asked. “I thought they only did that for maintenance.”

“That’s what I thought, that same thing, but then he explained that maintenance on this server is not like a typical game. Benjii described it as not so much a technical issue but an emotional one?”

“You’re saying a game can have an emotional breakdown?” Chance scoffed in disbelief. “That’s impossible, it's a computer program. How can a computer have emotional problems?”

“Wow, wait a minute.” Fi joined the conversation, nearly spilling her drink in the process. “The system is autonomous, which means it’s capable of self updating and self management. I always thought of it as advanced artificial intelligence, but what it’s actual intelligence?”

“Come on bubble head, why would an intelligence computer be in a VR game when it could be in some government facility or on the cover of some science magazine?”

“I know from experience.” Fi said, lifting her glass. “I know you see me and think she has it all, brains, looks, wealth, but everything comes at a cost.” She took a big swig of her drink. “Even the brightest minds need things like rest, relaxation, challenge, things that remind you that you’re alive and breathing and not just going through the motions. If you don’t, you’ll either burn yourself out or go mad trying to figure things out.”

Not even Chance could comment on these deep impressions from a seemingly shallow minded individual, but her words remind Cee of something else that Benjii had said.

“He compared the system’s emotional state like goldfish trapped in a bowl.” She continued. “It’s a fragile balance of food, water, air, companionship and other factors that keep the fish happy and healthy. However, if one of those things is thrown out of balance, such as too much fish food in the tank, the fish will enlarge itself to death.”

“Another experience I can relate to.” Fi shocked her head as she grabbed enough drink.

“Bad pet ownership analogies aside, why do the benefactors need us?” Chance asked. “I’m sure they have a lot of eight skills that could fix the problem on their own.”

“Apparently, the system won’t allow it.” Cee said.

“Why would a bunch of geniuses create something that they can’t control?”

“It was one benefactor, the best of them all, who made sure they wouldn’t interfere. So, they need proxies, people blessed with the abilities of level 8 skills. For Benjii that would be us, we need to use these use the 8 skills to get ready for the challenges to come.”

“I get it, you’re typically holding out for a hero type moment.” Chance rubbed his head. “This whole thing might as well be me living in a comic book or something.”

“That being said, if you all agree to help me, we’ll have to do this together. That was the one thing that Benjii was most adamant about, just one of us won’t be enough to stop this. So if we do this we choose to accept this it’s all or nothing.”

She reached her hand out in the center of the table. Fi was quick to join her as she put her drink on the table. Chance saw this jester but was still nursing his growing migraine.

“Come on bunny boy, are you in or are you out?” Fi smiled as she invited him to join hands.

“...did I really have a choice.” He said reluctantly, placing his hands with the rest. The three players were officially a trope, contracted by more than just friendship and contact information. “Since we’re going all in, we might as well see what’s so special about these 8 skills that’s going to help us.”

Everyone opened their skill lists and opened the skills for the description. What they saw was a combination of confusion, amazement and bewilderment. They read out the descriptions for each other, but still couldn’t believe it themselves.