Putting on the dead guards' uniforms was a gruesome task. The bodies had bled profusely, and both suits - leather armor included - were sticky with blood and gore, and smelled accordingly. While neither Ben nor Red shied away from the grisly business, Red didn't stop frowning and muttering to himself as he worked, which Ben found puzzling. How can a man who seemed so bloodthirsty be repulsed by putting on a bloody shirt?

There was another moment of self-reflection for Ben, which came right after Red removed his nobleman's outfit. Ben found himself staring openly at the other man, whose body seemed to rival that of some African god. There wasn't a single flaw in the mercenary's form; his muscles were toned and fine, his smooth, dark skin seemed to glow with an inner light. Every movement he made was flawless, his muscles complementing each other perfectly. Thinking about his own skinny body in comparison, Ben suddenly felt ashamed. He looked away, trying to busy himself with unbuckling the guard's bloody chest armor - a task that was more complicated than it seemed.

"You're not doing it right. You have to apply pressure here, and here." Red, still shirtless, moved closer to help his befuddled companion, and Ben had to actually struggle not to look at the marvel that was the mercenary's muscular body. What is wrong with me? Ben never found other men's naked torsos to be so interesting.

"Yeah I got it," he said without really looking. "Thanks." Once again, he didn't catch the small smile that appeared on the warrior's face as the other man returned to his business.

After a few minutes, they were as ready as they could be. The guards were about their sizes, so the uniforms and the leather armor fit nicely. Ben was also glad to receive the expected bonus to his defense:

Common Leather Armor: level 1 Bonus to defense: 3 (original: 4) The formal armor of the Sonadin's militia, it is a simple and almost crude armor made of cheap leather. It is next to useless, but it does give a small bonus to defense and who knows, someday it can even save your life. Current state: bloody and torn (-1 to defense)

How high was his defense, anyway? Ben needed to find his character sheet, and he had to do it soon. He briefly considered asking Red to wait while he tried to play with his virtual interface, but decided against it. They were lucky with those two guards, but he didn't know when the guards' friends would come to investigate the delay - in that case, he and Red would be hard-pressed to explain the naked bodies in the cell, especially while wearing their bloody armor.

He did, however, take the time to examine two prompts that he dismissed during the encounter with the guards:

Well done! You have crossed the first threshold for the skill Bluff. Anyone can lie, but it appears you can do it better than most. Keep bluffing to increase the skill and convince people that what you say and do is the truth, we promise not to tell. Bluff: level 11 You are now much more convincing with your lies. Anyone with lower wisdom than your bluff skill will have a hard time seeing through your ruse. Every point lower than your bluff skill is another 5% that is added to your chances of success. (Example: if you try to bluff someone with level 8 wisdom, with your current rank of bluff you will have a 15% chance to succeed). Associated abilities: wisdom, charisma. Bonus for crossing the first threshold (level 10): 10% more likely to bluff successfully, even against those whose wisdom skill is higher than your bluff skill. Bonus XP for crossing this skill's first threshold: 50. Current XP: 710. Points to next level: 290. You have discovered a new skill: Daggers. Swords are a clumsy thing, who needs them? A dagger, on the other hand, is an extension of your body. Perfect for backstabbing! Associated ability: dexterity. Daggers: level 1 You know the basics of fighting with a dagger. 5% bonus to each attack with this weapon type.

Ben wondered why some skills he discovered at level 1, and others while he was already at level 11. Not that he complained, he just tried to understand the system's logic. One thought occurred to him - a thought that was both amazing and disturbing at the same time: could it mean that the system knew what he was really good at in real life? Perception and bluff were two skills he used quite often as his regular self, after all. If that was true, should he utilize his knowledge and skills from RL in the game? Not that he had so many useful skills, but some could definitely come in handy. He was now sorry that he never took the time to learn any art of combat. Imagine what would happen in the game if he was a fencing master in RL!

Thinking about swords, he suddenly realized that he didn't get a new skill after he killed the guard with the short sword. Why was that? He didn't think it was a system glitch, so maybe it had something to do with how he used the sword to kill the guard - there was no fencing or finesse in his killing move, and come to think of it, backstabbing probably wasn't what the weapon was intended for.

He would have to think about it later though. Red was already waiting outside the cell so Ben joined him and, without further ado, they left the stinking room and started down the corridor. The plan, as they discussed earlier, was to find the way to the upper level of the prison and then masquerade as guards. Red said he was impressed with Ben's bluff skill - a compliment that made Ben's chest swell with pride - and they agreed to let Ben do the talking if any of the guards stopped them for questioning.

Despite the sorry and bloody state of the uniforms he now wore, Ben felt much better walking in clothes that didn't seem to crumble to dust at any given moment. The pants and shirt were made of a hardier cloth than his previous outfit, the boots were a bit tight on his feet but were much more reassuring than the dirty sandals, and the armor gave an extra layer of protection that boosted his confidence. Around his waist he had a leather belt, complete with Tam's dagger - a slight improvement to the crude dagger, which he also stuck in the belt, just to be on the safe side. Finally, strapped to his back was the small crossbow and the quiver of bolts - his most awesome loot thus far.

Walking side by side with Red in the dimly lit prison's corridor, Ben couldn't help himself: he envisioned both of them in slow-mo, added some background music ("Stuck In The Middle With You", by Stealers Wheel), and Voila! He had the perfect "Reservoir Dogs" scene playing in his mind. With him as Mr. Pink, of course.

"Skin. Are you dancing?"

His imagined scene evaporated as Ben realized that he was dancing - he was moving his hands together with the music in his head. He looked sheepishly at Red and quickly lowered his hands, trying to regain the badass attitude, only without the bit where he was skipping around.

Red barked a laugh. "You were! Jeez, I sometimes forget what it means to play VD for the first time. It's awesome, ain't it?" Red looked around. "Especially here. The VR is amazing. I can't wait to see what else Raxlon has planned for us."

Multiple questions swarmed into Ben's mind at once, and he nearly stumbled in his eagerness to learn more about the game. "What do you mean, especially here? Don’t all VD games look alike?"

Red gave him a surprised look. "What? No! That would be boring. It depends on the DM who programmed the specific game you joined. Raxlon is one of the best, so it goes without saying that this place would look extra realistic. I tell you, bro. I've been to several other worlds and this..." Red's voice trailed off, and he gave Ben a piercing gaze. "How come you don't know all of that stuff? Or maybe you do? Cos' if you don't, I don't get it how you managed to join one of Raxlon's quests."

Ben could not look away from the other man's predatory gaze, and once again he felt the powerful aura radiating from the Red Mercenary. This was his friend, he told himself. There shouldn't be any secrets between them. "I don't know any of this stuff, I swear," he said. "The only reason I'm here is that Raxlon invited me. It happened only yesterday, so I didn't have time to prepare before logging in."

There was a long pause, as Red opened his mouth and then closed it. "Really," said the warrior eventually. "How... unusual."

Ben didn't know how to respond to that. So it was unusual for a DM to invite players to their games? Or was it unusual just for Raxlon, being as famous as he was? And why, indeed, did the renowned DM choose Ben of all people to join his quest? If all of the players in this party were as formidable as Red, then it was definitely an enigma.

Both men's musings were interrupted by a woman's shriek, which was followed by some shouts. They froze, exchanged a look - and as one started to run toward the sounds, which came from somewhere up ahead.

After a few moments, they arrived at an intersection. The corridor to the left went up a little and ended in stairs that obviously led to the upper floor. The way to the right led to more empty cells - and to what seemed like an ongoing skirmish, about 50 feet down the passageway. Ben couldn't be sure as the light from the scarcely positioned lamps was too dim, but it looked like there were two guards involved, as well as two women. As Ben looked, one of the women was pushed against a wall at swordpoint. His breath caught in his throat when he saw that the woman's hair was the color of hot coals...

His heart pumping like crazy, Ben ran forward, shouting to get the attention of the guards. It took them a couple of seconds to reach the combatants, but he was always a good tactician and it was enough for him to come up with a plan. Obviously, these guards were doing the same thing Tam and his friend were trying to do with Red and Ben - escort the prisoners to the lord. And obviously, he was witnessing some kind of an attempt at escape - which failed, by the look of it. The conclusion was simple: it was time to test his new disguise.

At first, things went smoothly. The guards seemed to think they were indeed facing two more of the Sonadin's militia, so Ben took the time to examine both the guards and the two women who, he was sure now, were part of Raxlon's original party.

His weak identify skill didn't wield anything special - the fat guard, who looked angry and was nursing a bleeding hand, was level 1 and a fighter. The second guard, a dangerous-looking guy that had a blade to the redhead's throat, was of a level and class unknown to him. Both were human.

As for the women...

The one closest to him was the redhead who gave him that unashamed look when he appeared naked on the chair by the floating table. His skill simply tagged her as "human, level 1", with no name or class. But he didn't need skills when he had eyes... she was gorgeous. Her long hair was a vibrant orange-red, half-covering her face as she stared at him in amazement from her precarious position by the wall. Her face was a marvel - eyes that slanted slightly upward, delicate dark red eyebrows, cute button nose, and perfect rosy lips that complemented the impression that she was a masterpiece of an accomplished painter.

Ben was so utterly and instantly smitten with her, that he almost didn't give a second glance at the other woman - but when he did, he noticed immediately that she was no less beautiful, or even more so if that was possible. She was also a sorceress, announced his identify prompt. Ben's breathing quickened, but this time he wasn't sure if it was because of the danger or because of the out-of-this-world beauties that stood before him.

He was suddenly aware of the tense silence that followed the initial exchange of words. The guards were looking at him, and he realized it was his move.

He cleared his throat. Time to throw the dice. "You are relieved," he said to the one who was threatening his future girlfriend (Ben was always one to dream big). He didn't know if it was due to his improved bluff skill, but the next words came to him easily enough. "We were told to replace you in this mission..." he swept his gaze upon the whole scene, trying to look contemptuous - "and it appears that with good reason. Off you go." He locked his gaze with the redhead and gestured. "You two, come with us."

The woman started to move, but stopped when the tip of the guard's blade once again blocked her path. "Hold," said the guard, tilting his head a bit and giving Ben a penetrating look. "Were told? By whom?" His voice was low and deadly.

Ben swallowed. His virtual dice roll must have been too low to overcome this fellow's natural suspicious nature. Alas, he was already committed to this ongoing bluff, so he decided to carry on with the plan. "By the lord, of course," he said with all the confidence he could muster.

The guard's lips curled. "You must be very well connected to take your orders straight from the lord."

Ben nodded. "We are. So you'd better do as you're told."

What came next was a calamity in the making. First came a long and searching look from the suspicious guard, then a very unpleasant smile, and then... the guard moved, and suddenly he vanished! Only to reappear behind the redhead, with his rapier pressing against her beautiful throat and his other hand hugging her tightly to keep her close to him.

No! thought ben in panic and started to draw his dagger - from the corner of his eye he saw that Red was doing the same - but then the guard pressed his sword closer to the woman's body. She gasped, and Ben froze when he saw the blood blooming on her skin.

"Drop your weapons," said the guard in an even tone, "or witness your pretty little friend choke on her blood. You have three seconds to decide. Three, two..."