“Ugh, finally!” McKenna grumbled as she ripped apart the package that had just been delivered by drone.

After getting off the phone with Barry over two weeks ago, she had done three things almost constantly. She researched the game, its mechanics, classes, races, and everything else she could think about. There was only so much she could plan since the game sent you to a random city in the world that was appropriate for a low-level character. Not to mention it assigned a race for you based on factors no one could agree on.

The second thing she did was research the company that made Rosengard Worldwide, the Ineffable Gaming Systems. McKenna was an avid reader, watcher of shows, and discusser of stories, and this company’s backstory was unusual.

The company was founded around fifteen years ago by a middle-aged man whose previous occupation was an archeologist. The founder, a man by the name of Dr. Theron Frandson, used his small fortune to start the company and get the backing from other companies and patrons to create the best full dive game ever seen. He had been known to say that the idea for the game and the world hit him in a dream, and now he hoped people dream of it themselves.

Any other details of the company’s founding was pure speculation and conspiracy, with only a few people wanting to poke the bear that gave them the coolest thing since the wheel.

The last thing she did over the previous two weeks was interrogate the thing in her husband’s body. It was an endeavor that proved mostly pointless. The Not-Colin was chosen because its assimilation time with its previous hosts had been the fastest. Not-Colin had no idea where Actual-Colin was and what was going on in Rosengard and why he had gotten stuck in there.

What he did know was information about the game. He was able to tell her things that most players didn’t know when first starting the game, like how you wanted to get as many knowledge skills as possible. McKenna also took special note of the rough locations of places called Dungeon Compounds. He stated that one of them, a Dungeon that boosted the Dexterity Attributes effect on ranged accuracy, was considered secret.

After she got the confirmation that the new Seraph VR headset was on its way, McKenna had a quick heart to heart with Not-Colin. This boiled down to her giving him three choices. He could be walked away to a secure location until further notice. He could be tied back to a chair whenever she was in-game, or he could be locked in their guestroom with a TV and food rations while she was in-game. No matter how much he told her that she could trust him, McKenna knew she never could.

After some complaining, he chose the bedroom, and McKenna would admit that she was glad he did. If she brought Colin back here like she planned, she wanted his body right here. Ready and waiting to receive him.

With Not-Colin locked in his room, McKenna pulled free the headset and marveled at the differences between the one Colin had been using and the one she now held. This one was entirely wireless and a third of the weight. It was a sleeker design going from heavy biker helmet to thin spartan helm.

Not wasting any time, McKenna opened the instruction manual and connected her phone to the headset, and registered it in her name. This made it so that only she could use it to enter Rosengard, and the only reason she didn’t just grab Colins.

That done, she slid the headset over her head, anticipation making her heart pound heavily in her chest. “Start Game,” she intoned, and all her senses faded as if her whole body were falling asleep.

In the darkness, the first prompt every player sees appeared.

Welcome to Rosengard. Before you officially enter the world, we have a few small items to discuss. First, you are going to need to pick a screen name that will be displayed on your account and on your character sheet. Please pick one now.

Having decided this name two weeks ago, McKenna entered it.

Are you sure you want to go with Regina McKendra? You cannot change this name without taking special and difficult quests. Yes Or No?

Selecting yes, McKenna waited for the next prompt, which appeared a moment later.

You now have the option of custom designing your character before you begin. You can either take your current look as seen through your minds-eye or custom create your character. What would you like to do? Current real-life look or custom create?

She chose the ‘custom create’ option to make sure she looked like herself. It had taken her forever to choose a non-military look that she actually liked, and she wanted it in-game too. Not to mention that she wanted Colin to see her and have no doubt that it was her.

Finding that it was correct to what she wanted to look like, McKenna found the back button and selected the current look option.

The prompt closed, and another appeared.

Thank you for choosing the Ineffable Gaming System for your entertainment choice, and we welcome you…

A second screen overlapped that first as soon as she finished reading it.

To Rosengard! The land of infinite possibility.

After a few seconds for a dramatic pause, the screen closed, and McKenna opened her eyes, both now suddenly irritated from light that poured in from above her.

McKenna was lying in a bed made of the softest and quietest leaves she could have ever imagined. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sun and waited a moment for her vision to clear.

Blinking, McKenna found herself in the high branches of a tree at least three times bigger than the redwoods in California. Each individual leaf was the size of her hand with fingers splayed and was a pleasant shade of red-brown. She was lying in a shallow tub filled with these leaves and was mildly weirded out by their plushness.

She sat up and looked down at herself, finding herself wearing a pair of pants and shirt that were mildly uncomfortable against her skin. The boots she wore were not an issue, soft and worn leather with soles that were worn out in just the right way.

“Ah, you’re awake. That’s faster than most Outworlders,” A pleasant woman’s voice said.

McKenna looked around her and found a tall, slender woman in a white and blue dress staring at her. Her long blonde hair was tied back in a braid that went over her shoulder and down her front. Her fair skin, combined with sharp features and pointed ears, told McKenna two things.

First, the woman in front of her was an Elf, and her tutorial guide. Secondly, and arguably more importantly, if she was in Elf country, then she was…

McKenna moved her hands up to her ears and felt the sharp point.

Yup, she was an Elf. That was not a good sign for her goal of finding Colin since Elfin territory was nowhere near the human lands. Shit.

“That’s a good thing, right?” McKenna asked, standing up from her seat.

The Elfin woman shrugged, “Unclear. We will just have to see. Won’t we? Are you ready to get started?”

“Hell yeah,” McKenna exclaimed. “So, you’re my guide?”

“Yes, my name is Sirla, and I have been asked to show you around Redwood City. To make our trip faster, you wouldn’t happen to know which class you’d like, would you?” the woman asked, smiling at McKenna pleasantly.

“I do, in fact, know,” McKenna said, smiling back at her with glee. “I want to become a Priest.”

Sirla’s smile opened in glee, “really? I know the class trainer. I think he’ll be so happy to get a new recruit. Do you know who or what you will follow as a Priest? Wait, don’t say yet. Just tell me on the way,” Sirla waved McKenna to her and gestured to a set of stairs carved into the still-living tree.

McKenna started after her and spoke as they entered the tree, “I was thinking of either the goddess Helene or the concept of conflict,” McKenna told the woman. The pause in her movement for only the barest of seconds showed the only emotion towards McKenna’s choice.

“Helene is a good choice,” Sirla acknowledged after a dozen steps down the stairs. “Why the concept of conflict? Surely, something else would be preferable if you wanted to use a concept as the channel for the divine power. Maybe Glory, Good, or even the concept of the elements would be better.”

“Maybe,” McKenna said, pausing long enough to collect her thoughts and express them to her first NPC.

“Helene is the goddess of the people. She could help me find someone or a group of people if I grow my favor with her. Conflict is simply something that I know I will encounter and cause eventually. I could use the abilities granted by either to achieve my goals,” McKenna said, nodding her head.

She then looked at Sirla, who was still going down the steps but had her head turned to face her. Concern and apprehension for McKenna’s explanation painted across her face.

“I’m sorry, was I too intense there?” McKenna asked, hand comically scratching the back of her head. “Sorry about that, It wasn’t intentional.”

Sirla nodded, “a-alright,” she said, turning forward and facing ahead.

“Good, now you think I am crazy,” McKenna muttered, then chuckled as she realized the irony of that while talking to herself. “You are not crazy unless you ask yourself a question and answer it,” she nodded, thinking of Colin’s favorite sayings about insanity.

“Regina?” Sirla asked, tentatively. “We’re almost there,” she said, turning into the first doorway they reached. To the side of the door, a silhouetted temple was burned into the wood.

“Cool,” McKenna said, nodding at the symbol. “At least I know what I am looking for.”

“Yeah, all church signs in the world are labeled like that. It’s so that, no matter where you go, you can always find a temple to the gods,” Sirla instructed. The NPC then proceeded to tell McKenna everything useful that she already knew about. What shops are in every town, what shops are only in medium or larger cities, and what she should always be on the lookout for.

Mostly, Sirla ended up telling McKenna nothing new on that last front. She warned her to be aware of roving children, these urchins could be pickpockets. To avoid alleyways for a few levels, to avoid possible ambush from thieves and muggers. She listed a few more warnings, but the last one was specific. “Lastly, avoid anyone a part of the guild’ Void Children’. They have a hall somewhere in the city, so we warn new Outworlders to be cautious.”

Smiling cockily, Mckenna simply told her, “I got it, but why are they so dangerous?”

“The Void Children are, and I am quoting Outworlders, are a guild of Lore Hunters. Their leader and her party found a reference somewhere to a place apparently worse than Hell called the Void. I heard that they are trying to find it, isn’t that insane? A place worse than Hell!” she exclaimed.

“Insane, but interesting,” McKenna admitted. “Not that I am interested in that,” she said, waving off the Elfish woman’s concerned look. “I have other goals, don’t worry about me and the Void Children.”

“Good,” Sirla said, all apprehension from previous topics gone.

McKenna muttered to herself, “unless they prove useful for finding a certain DevilWalker.”

“Did you say something?” her guide asked, turning around to face her.

“Oh no, it’s nothing,” McKenna said, “just talking to myself.”

“If you say so,” she said, facing forward and gesturing at the building in front of them. Somehow, McKenna had gotten absorbed in their short chat about the Void Children that she somehow missed her surroundings, just following her guide.

The two were walking across a branch that was intersecting with three others from other nearby trees. The limbs crossed over in the middle, where a building stood amongst potted flowers in every known color. The building looked like it had been carefully grown into its current shape, no gaps between the branches that made up the outer walls existed for critters to scurry in.

“Whoa,” McKenna breathed, her mouth fit into a large O of shock.

“Hmmm- Hmmm, we get that a lot. I promise that it is sturdier than most human keeps and is less likely to fall from its position than be hit by a meteor,” Sirla told McKenna, trying to comfort the staring Outworlder.

“That’s cool,” McKenna said, quietly trying to wrap her head around the wondrous sight in front of her.

“Well, are you going to stare at it all day? C’mon. We have to talk to the High Priest so you can get your base class,” She said, turning back to the building and walking towards it with no hesitation due to their elevated height.

She thought it was weird how Colin had gotten his equipment before getting a class. Still, according to her research, this was another difference in the starting race. Most things were mildly different. Humans tended to have their equipment chosen first then use the chosen gear to suggest a class for the player. Actually, McKenna hadn’t expected to get made an Elf, so she hadn’t looked up their opening itinerary.

After realizing her guide was leaving her behind, McKenna hurried over to Sirla, who had opened the camouflaged door and was waiting for McKenna to come.

Inside was much like the outside, just nicer and furnished. While the outside looked like a grown, air-tight, woven basket, the interior was where every twig ended. These ends were each tipped with pretty white flowers that gave the place a natural beauty—pews made from grown and shaped branches and torches made with sap decorated the space.

In the front of the room, a pulpit with a red-haired male elf standing behind it waited for someone to interrupt his reading. Finally, the last detail that she noted before approaching the Pulpit was the large silver discs set into the wall behind him. Each one had an icon carved into each with care and love.

From left to right, the discs were; a pentacle overlapped by a book, a primordial shark with wings, a nun-ish woman caring for children, a gavel smacked down, and an ax crossing over a shield.

She knew them for what they were; large holy symbols for the gods of Rosengard. Going in order again; there was Weikert, Arcturan, Helene, Irvine, and Anaheim.

Sirla led her to the Priest and introduced them, “Regina McKendra, I’d like you to meet the High Priest of the Temple. High Priest LeMagne, meet Regina McKendra. She would like to get the Priest Class,” Sirla told him, a nervous smile playing across her lips.

“Ah, a new initiate,” he proclaimed, joy in his resonant voice. “Pray, tell me,” he smiled, the pleasure at telling his joke obvious. “Do you want to gain the Priest Class as your main class?”

“Yes, I do,” McKenna told him.

“Then have it, you shall,” he said, raising his arms up to the roof, palms open in invitation. “Come and stand to my right, my child. Let the world’s power fill you up and give you the class you desire.”

McKenna approached the man as described, moving up to his right and closing her eyes as he moved his hand to take hers. She winced at the touch, fighting the urge to grip it tight and hold on as she pummeled him. Instead, she closed her eyes and waited as the High Priest took in several deep breaths and prepared himself.

“Regina McKendra, with the authority invested unto me by the world and the gods inhabiting it, I humbly give unto you the class you chose. I say unto you, let the universe fill you and proclaim your worth!” he announced, a bright white light burning through McKenna’s eyelids.

Congratulations! You have been given a chance to take the Priest Class. Priests come in many colorful and enjoyable flavors. Some help their fellow man, others fight monsters, others summon demons, and others simply want to see the unholy powers win. Would you like to take the Priest Class?

McKenna didn’t even have to think about it. She simply told the prompt, yes, and a warmness filled her.

Congratulations! You have taken the Priest as your base class and have gained the classes starting abilities. You have gained the Divine Channeling Ability. As a Priest, you have the power to channel divine energy from a defined source. This defined source can be either a god/ goddess of Rosengard or a single concept that people worship, such as money or beauty. (Before you can use any spells from the Priest Class, you must choose the Defined Source.)

Having already made her choice, McKenna quickly thought out her decision, and the system reacted.

Choice Accepted. Your Divine Channel Ability has been updated to the Conflict Channeling Ability. Conflict Channeling Ability. As a Priest of Conflict, you are honoring your Priestly path by engaging in conflict with another. This conflict could take many forms, but as long as you are in contest with another, you are honoring your choice. You gain a casting speed percentage bonus and a mana cost efficiency bonus when you are engaged in conflict with another being. The percent bonus depends on the scale of the conflict size. Congratulations! You have gained Divine Magic Manipulation Level 1. At Level 1, you can only access and manipulate a small amount of power from the magic type, so your options are limited. Right now, you only have access to one of the subskills of Divine Magic called ‘Divine Aura (conflict).’ At Level five of this skill, you can start devising your own spells and creativity is your friend. You have gained the main subskill of Divine Magic Manipulation, Divine Aura (Conflict) level 1. You can turn on an Aura of power around you that your choice of Divine Channel has empowered. Your Divine Aura (Conflict) gives you and your party bonus to your Attributes by 1% per subskill level. This subskill’s upkeep currently is 1 mana per second.

“Hell yeah,” McKenna cheered to herself after she finished reading the prompts. While she was hoping to get a different Divine Aura effect, she was not disappointed. She was especially happy since the game accepted her ambiguous use of the word conflict. War was specific, conflict was when one person struggled against another, whether the opposite party knew they were in conflict with her hopefully didn’t matter.

Battle was one obvious use, but when she was stealthing past guards, lying to investigators, or just engaging in arm wrestling, she hoped she would get bonuses any time she was going against someone else.

“Initiate, If I may ask, what Defined Source did you choose for your power?” High Priest LaMagne asked, a kind smile painting his features.

“Conflict,” McKenna answered, thinking about the next step in her plans more than the High Priest’s question.

When she looked up at him a moment later, she found that he was frowning in thought at her and was staring at her face. “What?”

“It’s nothing important, Initiate. Just never heard anyone choosing Conflict as their Defined Source,” he explained. His eyes betrayed his words as he looked away from her face guiltily.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Detect Falsehood level 1. You can tell if someone is lying or telling the truth at a glance. Warning, this skill can be countered by someone with the bluff skill without your knowledge.

Dismissing the Prompt, McKenna focused back on the High Priest, “are you sure? You seem a little unsure,” she pressed.

The man let out a sigh, “Initiate, the goddess Helene has told all High Priests a truth. That one day, an Outworlder Initiate would come in here and ask to be a Priest of Conflict. This prophesied Priest would bring chaos to Rosengard as they wreaked havoc across the land. Your timing cannot be a coincidence, Initiate. Things are in motion for the fifth time in our history as the Demon Lord rises again. Please tell me, do you mean harm to us?” he asked, his face turned down in dismay, but his eyes sparkled with hope.

“No, I only mean harm to one person, and he is likely nowhere near here,” McKenna answered truthfully.

The High Priest’s face lit up with a smile, “oh my dear Initiate. That takes a load off my heart,” he said, taking a deep breath. When he released it, he spoke again, “as a new Priest, you get a small starter kit with your choice of a few simple weapons, a set of robes, and a backpack with the…” he High Priest trailed off, looking at something unseen in front of his face. “Premium starter pack. The gods must like you already,” he chuckled, looking more relieved but the moment.

“I guess so,” she said, humoring the obviously not clued in Hgh Priest.

“Follow me, If you please,” he said, turning to face the walkway opposite where McKenna had just walked up herself. He led her towards another part of the room and out a door McKenna had missed upon her entrance.

They entered into an area that looked like an evidence locker from police stations on earth but made from sculpted bonsai. Every metal facet of the usual evidence lock-up was made from gnarled, twisted, and impossibly thin wood that looked too brittle to exist.

A blue-robed elf sat behind a barred-off counter, leaning back in his chair with a magazine in his hands. He didn’t appear to notice them come in, which let her see that the magazine the Elf was reading seemed to be their equivalent of Playboy, called ‘Puff-Puff Elf.’

The High Priest coughed, and the Elf fell out of his seat in surprise, quickly tucking his magazine away as he stood. “Oh, High Priest LeMagne. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“That much was apparent. If I had just come in to check on you, I doubt that I would have cared what you were doing. But reading that… lewd literature when we have a new initiate is discourteous to her and our church. Do you understand me?” The High Priest questioned, his tone even but somehow harsh at the same time.

“Yes, High Priest,” he said, standing to attention with his eyes downcast.

“Good!” he said, with a bit of a harrumph. “The Initiate here would like to get her starter gear, and she gets the premium starter pack if you aren’t too busy?”

“Yes sir!” he announced, hurrying around inside his enclosed storage. First, he dropped a filled backpack on the counter, followed by a large belted pouch, and a bundle of white robes. The blue-robed Elf opened part of the cage and slid McKenna the items.

“One backpack filled with the premium starter items, one empty fanny pack, and one set of priest robes. You also get to choose a weapon from this list here,” he said, sliding a scroll through the bars to McKenna.

She opened it and looked through the list finding hardened staves, weaponized shepherd crooks, rapiers, morningstars, axes, crossbows, and even whips were included. But her eyes moved down to an item on the list called a ‘War Gaff.’

McKenna requested to see it, and the Elf complied, leaving her for a moment with the High Priest in silence. When he returned, he was carrying a four-foot pole topped with a barbed hook and a spike at the opposite end.

“Such an odd weapon. I’ll bet that it is challenging to use. Wouldn’t a sword or spear be more practical for a beginner?” he asked the supply elf before turning to McKenna, who was smiling as she stared at the weapon.

“I’ll take it,” she told him, beaming.

Both men were astounded, but neither could argue the woman’s choice, as it was her right to choose her weapon.

She took the stuff, putting the clothing in her bag and sliding it onto her back. She quickly belted on both the fanny pack and attached the sling over her back, where the War Gaff would rest safely. Once everything was secure, she looked to the High Priest and the Supply man, “thank you. Do you have a quest for me to complete?”

---

As she had expected, the quest had involved low-level undead.

These undead had taken residence among the roots under one of the trees that made up the cities defenses. Apparently, some sort of curse was set upon the trees of the forest, cast by some ancient and evil Necromancer who wanted the Elfin city destroyed. When she’d arrived, around half a dozen undead humanoids from various races were gnawing on the exposed roots.

McKenna noticed that the fingers of the ruined corpses were all bloodied stumps, still trying to rake against the roots. She couldn’t tell if they knew that their fingers were useless or if they just didn’t care, because either way, it amounted to the same result.

Sighing to herself, she looked down at herself in the nice, well-fitting, and comfortable white robes that were given to her as part of her starter pack. The top portion was mostly composed of a white hooded, cloth, long coat that was meant to be buttoned together. She was also wearing a pair of soft white pants and brown leather boots, which made her look like a holy warlock compared to a priest. It was freaking badass, and she hoped to keep it from getting dirty on the first fight.

The newly minted Priest pulled the War Gaff loose from its sling and smiled again at the weapon. It truly was the fishing tool turned into an effective weapon. Placing her fingers into her lips, she blew out a sharp whistle, and all the zombies turned to look at her.

McKenna turned around as the zombies stared, bent over and spanked her ass in a mocking taunt, “come on! Fresh rump roast waiting to be served!” she taunted. Spinning around and sticking out her tongue.

The nearest zombie, a degraded human woman, growled at her and shambled towards her. McKenna’s eyes twitched in annoyance at the game, “really? You actually shamble? How freaking cliche,” she announced, still smiling in anticipation.

As it approached, McKenna took the polearm in both hands and aimed the weapon’s spike towards the oncoming monster. Once within striking distance, she swung the hook end of the weapon around and snared its ankle. She pulled, tripping it and knocking it flat to the ground with a huffing groan. Then with a deliberate move, she released the ankle and turned the weapon around again and thrust it into the prone zombie’s skull.

It spasmed once before going still a moment later. While she knew these were creatures designed for a level one to take on without much issue, she was still disappointed. Why couldn’t it have survived the first hit?

The next one limped over to her in a rush and had both arms extended, ready to grab her.

McKenna, however, was never one to repeat tactics quickly. She held the weapon forward in both hands, defensively. As soon as the monster’s grabbing hands tried to go past her guard, she turned the weapon around, forcing both hands away from her, and aimed the spike into the undead’s side. Using more of her body weight, she spun the zombie away and, with a final move, drove the point into its skull.

“Two down, annnnnd… five to go,” McKenna counted, sighing. Out of curiosity, McKenna activated her Divine Aura.

Divine Aura (Conflict) is toggled. You are in physical conflict with undead. Strength and Build gain a plus one bonus until the conflict is over.

Deciding to see if there was a noticeable difference, she drove the spike of the War Gaff into the ground. “Stay!” she ordered the inanimate object and waited for a second to see if it complied. When it stayed put, she turned her gaze to the next zombie in line and balled her fist. She took a stance and waited for only a moment before striking.

She twisted her hips, swung from the shoulder, and drove her fist into the zombie’s chin. It fell to the ground and cursed herself a moment later, “dammit, McKenna. This is why you don’t get nice things unless they are free,” she said, looking at her fist and up her gore-splattered sleeve.

Now annoyed, McKenna was done screwing around. She picked back up the War Gaff and proceeded to wipe out the remainder of the zombie squad with impunity. Once done with the grizzly work, she found a few prompts waiting for her.

Congratulations! You have killed 7 shambling zombies and have gained 105 EXP! You have gained 105 EXP and have 105/ 100 experience towards level 2. LEVEL UP! You are now Level 2 and now have 5 unspent Attribute Points. To level up, just say the words, Level Up, to allocate your attribute points. Choose wisely, these points cannot be refunded. Congratulations! You have shown proficiency in the use of the unusual and more unique weapon, the War Gaff, and have gained the skill; Unusual Weapon Proficiency (War Gaff) Level 2. +2% additional strength application towards tripping your opponent, +2% damage. Congratulations! You have shown your proficiency in the skill Unarmed Combat and have attained level 3. +3 damage when attacking without a weapon, +3% attack speed, +3% dodge rate, +6% less damage when actively blocking with your bare hands. Congratulations! For using your body to affect an enemy, you have gained the skill; Femme Fatale level 1. If you use your feminine wiles to distract, hurt, or provoke a target, you gain a +1% chance for the effect to work and a +0.5% chance for something unexpected to happen.

“Really? That’s a thing?” she questioned the empty air. “That ass smacking thing was a joke! System! Can you hear me?! I was playing around?!”

The system didn’t deign to respond to her. McKenna simply waited for a long minute for something to tell her anything, but no new windows opened up.

After fuming, she admitted to herself that the skill may come in handy, but it was so decidedly NOT her. Her usual form of feminine wiles was reserved for her husband alone. Hell, he seemed to be the only person who understood when she was flirting and not threatening him.

These thoughts reminded her of the reason she kept telling herself that she was going to kick his ass for leaving her. It was better to feel enraged than vulnerable. She would find Colin, she would find him and beat into submission for what happened, and then she’d make up for the lost time.

She did love him, after all.