The dwarf nodded, a bloody grin still plastered on his face. “Me and no other, kiddo. I knew this dwarven face wouldn’t fool you.” He gave another wheezing breath, which was followed by a bloody cough. Mike’s face twisted in pain. “Never thought it would be so god-damned painful in the game,” he muttered.

Ben stared at him, thoroughly dumbfounded. How could it be? Where did Mike get another VD set? How did he happen to be in the same quest as Ben? Why was he a dwarf? Why was he so badly wounded? The questions kept coming and Ben kept staring until he felt a light touch on his shoulder.

“A friend of yours?” Shiraz’s voice had an edge to it, but Ben didn’t notice. He just nodded slowly, still refusing to believe that his best friend was in the game with him.

Mike answered for him. The dwarf licked blood from his lips and tried to spit it on the floor. He was too weak for even that simple action, however, and the spittle hit his arm instead. Mike looked at the red phlegm and chuckled to himself before turning his gaze to the shadow mage. “That I am, lass,” he said, and now there was a strange accent to his voice - Ben’s scholarly enhanced mind recognized it as a dwarven accent that belonged to a certain mountain clan not far from Sonadin. “Me and Ben, we go way back,” continued the dwarf. “He never did manage anything without me… which is why I am here.” He straightened a bit and raised his eyes to meet Ben’s. “I was sent here to help you, kiddo.”

Mike’s choice of words snapped Ben out of his shock. Never managed anything without him! What! The scout shrugged Shiraz off and took a step forward, entering the pillar’s aura and stopping two feet away from the sitting dwarf. He could feel the others coming closer as well and knew without looking that they had their hands on their weapons. “I managed quite fine without you,” Ben said and now his voice too had a dangerous tint to it. “And what do you mean, you were sent to help me? Sent by whom? And for what purpose? And why, pray tell, are you a fucking dwarf?”

Mike looked at his friend for a long moment. His grin vanished, though his eyes were still somewhat amused. “You always speak funny when you’re mad,” he said - which, of course, turned Ben even madder. Mike saw it and weakly raised his hand - just a few inches - to stop the incoming outburst. “Okay, okay. You want answers. I’ll give ‘em to you. I don’t have much time as it is.” His next breath turned into another cough and more blood gathered on his beard.

Milenna took a step forward, into the light. When Mike saw her, his eyes widened despite the pain. His lips formed silent words, which Ben immediately recognized as his customary “how you doin’” bit - he did a perfect imitation of Joey from “Friends”, and the girls loved it. Luckily for him, he was wise enough not to speak the words aloud this time. Milenna ignored his stunned reaction and tightened her grip on the staff. “I can heal you,” she stated simply.

The sorceress didn’t wait for a reply, starting her invocation - but stopped when Mike shook his head as vigorously as he was able. “No!” He cried in alarm. “I can’t be healed. It will kill me.”

Milenna narrowed her eyes. “You sure? You are bleeding heavily. You’ll be dead soon.”

Mike nodded, and Ben examined his status:

Yitro Stone Crusher: Level 2 Race: Mountain Dwarf Class: Warrior HP: 9 out of 36 Active Statuses: Weakened (slows stamina rgn); Bleeding (minus 1 HP per minute); Curse Of The Necromancer (effect 1: cannot be healed. Healing spells and potions may cause damage. Effect 2: unknown)

“He’s cursed,” said Ben, suddenly worried. His previous anger diminished drastically as the severity of the friend’s situation became clear. Ben knelt next to the injured warrior and looked into his friend’s blood-shot eyes. “What the hell happened, man? You will be dead in less than nine minutes, you know.”

“I know,” said Mike gruffly. He closed his eyes as another wave of pain racked his body. Then he started to speak. His voice was low, but not low enough so that the others couldn’t hear him - in fact, all three of them seemed immensely interested in what the dwarf had to say. And with good reason, thought Ben with a sinking feeling. Mike’s story suggested some harsh truths from Ben’s personal life, and Ben knew that RL’s discussions were something that was usually avoided in the game. He couldn’t send Red and the others away, though, so he just hoped Mike would try to be as discreet as possible.

“Last night I was approached by a certain… someone,” began Mike. “He had a hood over his face so I couldn’t recognize him, and he gave me two things: a note, and a brand new VD set. The note said that I had to join you in the game and that I had to help you survive…" Mike's eyes got unfocused for a moment. "I remember the exact words: ‘Your friend Ben is playing a dangerous game in his VD quest. He thinks he has friends, but he is weak and naive. He will be betrayed. You must help him find the Jolk Uhm Power Crystal before he does something stupid.’” Mike saw Ben’s frown and shrugged. “Hey, it was written in the message, don’t blame me. Anyway, the only other thing on the note was a server name, and a password”.

Ben didn’t know what to think. “All of that happened last night? Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you were with Kimberly!”

Mike chuckled. “I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t know who this hooded fellow was but who in his right mind would give such expensive gear to someone they didn’t know? Especially to guys like us…” He winked, and Ben had to physically restrain himself from turning around to see what the others thought of that casual comment. “So,” continued Mike, “I was left with no choice but to believe that there must be some truth to what the note said.” Mike looked purposefully beyond Ben, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he looked at the others.

Ben, already guessing how Red would react to being called a traitor, spoke quickly. “So you logged in? Into Raxlon’s Quest?”

Mike turned his gaze back to him. “Aye. I spent most of the night studying about VD and even shaved my head…” He snorted. “The sacrifices I make for you, fuckface. After I logged in I had to create a character, but I was in a hurry - who knew what kind of trouble you would get into without me - so I just built the character I liked the most from our D&D games. You remember Yitro, don’t you?”

Ben remembered. He always liked that tough old dwarf and Mike played him brilliantly. His friend-turned-dwarf continued: “After that, I appeared on this floor of the dungeon. I didn’t know where you were, but I did hear the DM’s voice. I was given a quest, if you can believe it. A very specific quest. It was called, ‘The Second Half.’” The dwarf slowly moved his hand, and Ben realized he was searching for something in his pocket. As he did so, the dwarf kept speaking. “My mission was to search for a map fragment. And I found it, too…”

Ben’s eyes widened when Mike produced a bloody parchment from his pocket and handed it over to him. “Somehow, I think that was the hooded figure’s intention all along. That I find this thing and bring it to you.”

Ben took the crumpled paper. He quickly unfolded it and saw that it was, indeed, the other half of the map they had already found. This piece showed another rectangular room with various exits, and Ben knew that if he connected the two pieces together he would get a whole map. The others gasped as they saw the parchment. Ben raised his head, bewildered. “How…?”

Mike chuckled again. He was down to 7 HP by now and his face lost more of its color. “It wasn’t easy. The fragment was guarded by a group of low-level ratkin. They were asleep, so I managed to kill two and get the item before the rest noticed me. I tell you, bro, fighting in VD is more awesome than we’ve ever imagined…”

Ben nodded, smiling. “It definitely is. So you killed them all?”

Mike shook his head. “No. I killed one more but there were too many and when I finally managed to escape I was badly injured and bleeding like hell. And then there was also this sonofabitch mage…” He breathed heavily. “I didn’t see him at first, the sneaky half-elf bastard. He was hiding, I think, waiting to see if the ratkin finished me off. When he saw me escaping he shouted something and the next thing I knew I had this Necromancer Curse on me.”

Mike turned his left hand upward, exposing the wrist, and they could all see that he too was marked. His was different than Ben’s - it was a tattoo of a face wrapped in chains with only the eyes showing. “I cannot be healed,” said Mike. “And when I die, I will respawn next to the necromancer who put this curse on me.” The wounded dwarf sighed. “I guess that’s why he let me escape. He knew I will die from my wounds and then he’ll have me. I kept running anyway, leaving a trail of blood after me. Finally, I found this cavern and saw the light of the waystone. I guessed it was a good place to die. And I was also hoping to meet you before the end. So… hi.”

There were a few moments of silence after Mike finished his grim tale. Ben was amazed that all of that happened in just a few hours - and apparently at the same time that he and his party were clearing the first level of the dungeon. He had a dozen more questions, but the most pressing one had to do with the very first part of Mike’s bizarre story. Who was this hooded figure that gave Mike the VD set and the instructions to help Ben? He could think of only one person with the means and knowledge to pull off something like that - a person who made it clear that Ben might be out of his depths: DM Raxlon. Still, it didn’t make sense. If Raxlon wanted to help Ben survive he could bend the rules or even change the quest. He didn’t have to send Ben’s best friend into the game…

Ben gritted his teeth. This was all too insane. He was about to ask Mike where this necromancer was - if they could kill him, the curse might be removed and he’d be able to question Mike at his leisure - but then he froze.

At 23, Ben’s perception was high enough - almost at its fourth threshold - that his senses were attuned to his surroundings like never before. He knew without looking where his companions were standing in relation to him, and he was aware of the only sounds that could be heard in the cavern other than Mike’s heavy breathing and his party members’ lighter ones: a steady dripping sound from somewhere deeper in the cavern, and an occasional faraway screech. The dripping sound was of no immediate consequence, and the screeches had accompanied them ever since they had bested the Vampiric Stirges. They, too, did not worry Ben, as he assumed the winged monsters - those that survived - would remain to guard the passageway that led from the first to the second level of the dungeon.

What bothered Ben and caused him to look up in alarm, was that the steady dripping sound, which hadn’t changed in the minutes since they had met Mike - suddenly and abruptly ceased. It was as if something had come between the falling water and the floor...

“Ben? What is it?” Shiraz caught the look on the party leader’s face and immediately sensed that something was wrong.

In response, Ben closed his eyes. “Watch over me,” he whispered urgently. “I need to check something.”

Mike looked at them in confusion, but Ben’s companions were used by now to his unique power. They quickly surrounded him, knowing he was vulnerable during these short trips, and Ben activated Hawk Eye. This time he knew exactly where he was going; he flew the eye above their small group and into the darkness in the direction of the now not-dripping sound. His Darkvision triggered, and he could see everything that awaited them less than a hundred feet away.

If Ben’s invisible eye could widen in alarm, it would have. The first thing he saw with his special ability was the trail of blood that Mike had left when he fled to the waystone. The trail led toward the same direction of the disturbance he had sensed, and after a few dozen feet the flat floor of the cavern gave way to big boulders that were piled on top of each other. Ben surmised it was some kind of a cave-in that happened long ago. He could see puddles of water that gathered between the large rocks, and when he looked up he saw where the water came from - there were several stalactites going down from the stone ceiling, which was lower in this section of the cavern. Water gathered on the biggest stalactite and was dripping steadily - one droplet every few seconds.

Ben could only guess that the sound he heard was caused by the droplets of water hitting the puddle of water between the rocks. The only reason the sound stopped was because a dark and furry figure was crouching on top of the rocks, staring intently toward the waystone and oblivious to the drops of water falling on its back. It had a long snout, sharp buck teeth, and a long tail slowly wiggled behind its back. Despite its animal-like appearance, it stood on two feet. It also wore armor and even had a ring adorning one of its fingers.

Ben immediately zoomed in, knowing he didn’t have much time before his mana bottomed out. As he focused on the group of dark boulders, he saw more figures hiding behind and on top of the rocks. He counted eight. He also identified them, beginning with the first one - the one who kept his watch toward Ben and his group:

Ratkin Scout, Level 3 Rodents of unusual size? You’d better believe they exist! Ratkin - half-humans half-rats - are considered one of the most common races of the Underdark. While they lack in intelligence and wisdom, they are proficient stalkers, rogues and rangers, and their greatest strength is their strong loyalty to their clans and to each other. Cowards in one on one combat, they rely on group tactics and would follow the command of any leader who promises them a constant supply of food and riches. HP: 16 Damage: Shortbow (1-8), short sword (1-6) Special attack: infectious bite (1-3, chance to cause disease) Scout Power: Hawk Eye

Ben managed to get a quick reading of the other humanoid half-rodents - there were two rogues, two rangers, the others were fighters and all ranged between levels 1 and 3 - before his Hawk Eye popped out of existence. He kept his eyes closed for just a few more moments so he could gather his thoughts, and when he opened them his look was full of determination - and anticipation.

“Hey Mike, I found your rats,” he whispered, and there was a savage glint in his eyes. His breathing quickened at the thought of what was coming and when he turned to his companions they met his gaze with determined looks of their own. Ben’s lips curled in a smile - he didn’t notice Mike’s strange look upon seeing his friend’s bloodthirsty demeanor - and he curled his fingers into fists. “This one, I think, is going to be easy.”