Blix studied the the black-cloaked Shade as she led them deeper and deeper into the underground complex. The interpreter seemed straightforward enough. She was carrying Alf’s sword, presumably because she was planning to return it before letting them loose in the centipede infested lower tunnels, but something didn’t add up.

Everything about the architecture, the wall tiles, the wall-mounted torches, the repeated patterns of the stone stairs, it was all straight from an early two-thousands video game. But the Shades were using this stereotypical RPG dungeon as some kind of bureaucratic office building. They seemed to be exploiting the system like a group of enterprising players, but the game had only been running for a week, and the Shades looked like they had been there for years. The meta-ness was tweaking her brain.

The interpreter led them to a spiral staircase and plodded mechanically down the stairs. She even moved like an NPC. But she looked at Alf with the same schoolgirl-with-a-crush expression as the alien females in their group. Was it an AI-controlled response to Alf’s high charisma, or was she truly sentient?

“Are you a player or an NPC?” Blix asked as the Shade glanced back at Alf for the hundredth time.

The Shade looked to Blix with a very human frown. “I don’t understand your question.”

“What’s your specialty on your home world? Your overall rank?”

“Home world?” The Shade looked genuinely confused. “I am a third level diplomat, a mind mage. I am fluent in six different languages. Mind mages are rare, and I am considered to be exceptionally gifted.” The Shade shot a flirtatious look at Alf. “Several high ranking officials have hinted that I will make second level diplomat before my thirtieth year.”

Blix suppressed a growl. Maybe she was the alien equivalent of one of those infuriating human roleplayers that refused to break character even when discussing basic game mechanics.

“You are jealous,” the Shade smirked. “You need not worry. I have no interest in lower lifeforms.”

Blix shook her head. Now the Shade really sounded like an alien player. She was clearly missing something.

The stairs ended at a heavy steel door. “Directorate orders!” the Shade called out. The door swung open to repeal a huge natural cavern lit by hundreds of strategically-placed, blue-tinted crystals.

Alf grabbed Blix’s hand and squeezed as they passed through a rigid formation of guards. The orcs seemed more like statues than living organisms. They all had identical expressions on their faces, equal measures of rage and fear, rebellion and discipline.

Twenty yards away, under a huge stalactite clinging to the ceiling, a group of six Shades stood in a perfect circle, their gazes fixed expectantly on the platform-like stalagmite between them. Blix was about to ask their guide what they were looking at when a column of dust rose up from the stalagmite and slowly coalesced to form of an armored orc. When the dust fully integrated into the figure, the orc roared and charged the Shade standing directly in front of it, but it was hit immediately by five shimmering missile-like spells and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

“A spawn point?” Blix shook her head. “You’re… spawn camping?”

“You understand this magic?” Their guide turned to Blix, her expression a mix of incredulity and eagerness.

“I think so.” Blix watched as the Shades placed a chain around the unconscious orc’s neck and hoisted it onto a low wooden cart. “Do the orcs generate at a fixed rate or do they only appear when the previous incarnation dies?”

“The magic at this alter makes one guard every thirty minutes, but other alters create guards, as you say, when the previous ones are killed on the lower levels.”

“Guards?” Alf interjected. “You’re using the orcs as guards?”

“As you have seen,” the Shade said. “We must teach them to fear us first and then train them. The process takes much time.”

Blix watched the small group of Shades as they pulled the cart down a well-worn trail. It was almost as if the system were exploiting the system. Meta on top of meta. Massaging her temples, she followed the Shade through the cavern and down a narrow flight of stairs. A squad of twenty orcs opened a steel door to reveal another squad of orcs guarding an identical steel door.

“This is the entrance to the lower levels.” The Shade stopped fifteen feet away from the second door. “As agreed, once you have hunted the centipedes and other invaders, you will return to this gate within twenty-four hours. If your magic is not sufficient to heal the queen, you will be destroyed.”

“Okay?” Alf looked to Blix.

She nodded reassuringly. Better this than fighting their way through a platoon of trained orcs.

The Shade returned their weapons and barked orders at the guards before turning and hurrying through the door which slammed shut behind her, sealing them in. The guards around them dropped into a defensive formation while a visibly trembling orc unbolted the door and pulled it open with an echoing metallic groan.

The orc hissed at them, motioning with its sword for them to hurry. Whatever infested the dimly lit tunnels beyond the scarred metal door, the orcs were clearly afraid of it.

“Here goes…” Alf stepped through the door, jumping as it slammed shut behind them.

A deep, bone rattling growl echoed through the tunnel. The drum-roll skitter of tapping feet.

“Hold on tight.” Alf ran towards the approaching roars, sword extended.

Blix grasped the hilt of her dagger tighter. The tunnel was too narrow. There wasn’t any room to dodge. She should have thought things through.

A giant centipede came into view as they rounded a bend in the tunnel. Even from a distance of fifty yards away, she could already tell it was different from the ones in the forest. It was darker and had more pronounced pincers—and was nearly twice as large.

“There’s an intersection ahead,” Blix called out. “It’ll give you more room to maneuver.

Alf nodded and kicked it into a higher gear. It would be close, but they should reach the intersection before the monster. Whether they had time to stop and dodge in time was another question.

Third yards, twenty yards, ten…

Alf reached the intersection and skidded to a stop seconds before the monster arrived.

It rose up until its head was inches from the ceiling and then lunged.

Alf leaped to the side, bringing his sword down on the beast’s antennae. He and B hit the ground hard as a spray of grit pelted them from above. The monster shrieked and roared as it thrashed in the narrow confines of the tunnel. Alf staggered to his feet and sliced into the raging creatures’s side. Over and over, deeper and deeper, he swung his sword like a splitting maul as the enraged creature rammed its head, again and again, into walls and ceiling.

“Hold up,” Blix shouted. “Let me get a clear shot.”

Alf stopped and ducked his head as she hurled her dagger. It smacked hilt-first into the thrashing beast, but that didn’t matter. As long as she participated in the attack, the system should reward her with EXP.

“You good?” Alf resumed his attacks. The monster had been weakened a lot, but even so, it took a full two minutes for it to finally expire.

Congratulations! You have defeated the Giant Laopede.

Reward: 150 EXP

Congratulations! You have attained Level 2 and have been awarded the following:

+ 3 Attribute Points

+ 3 Skill Points

“Level two!” Blix called out. “Rest while you can. You’re going to need every drop of stamina you can get.”

Alf sank to the floor and helped Blix out of the harness. “I’m putting all my skill points into healing,” he said. It should bring me to fifth level major healing. Hopefully that’s the max and next time I level, I’ll be able to unlock the next healing skill.”

Blix scooted over to the giant centipedes corpse and retrieved her dagger. “How many experience points do you need?”

“Just under thirty-two hundred.”

Blix nodded. “How many points did you get for this guy?”

“One fifty.”

“Me too. Giant laopedes must me worth twice as much EXP as normal ones. It’s a pretty good deal.”

A rumbling roar sounded on the far side of the centipede.

“Wait.” Blix touched Alf’s arm before he could jump to his feet. “The corpse is blocking the tunnel. Even if it’s another laopede, it will take a while for it to get through. Rest as long as you can.” She brought up her stats and stared longingly at her measly six points of dexterity, but decided in the end to raise her constitution from ten to thirteen. A boost in speed wouldn’t matter very much if she was too dead to move. Oh well… She was only six centipedes away from three more attribute points.

She considered putting her three skill points into her dagger skill, but decided to save them for when she became a mage.

The dead centipede jolted as something hit it from behind. Alf climbed to his feet and faced the corpse. The slurps and scrapes of ripping flesh filled their ears as the monster on the other side ate its way towards them.

Then, another roar sounded. From the opposite direction. And then another.

The next few hours were a desperate fight for survival. Alf killed one centipede after another. If it weren’t for the temporary shields that the dead centipedes provided, they would have been killed halfway through the second fight. Even so, Alf had to cast major healing several times. If raising it to level five hadn’t reduced its cool down by two-thirds, they wouldn’t have made it past the third.

When Blix reached level 3, she put three attribute points into dexterity to bring her to a total of nine. Then, three hours after that, she reached level 4.

Congratulations! You have attained Level 4 and have been awarded the following:

+ 3 Attribute Points

+ 3 Skill Points

She put two points into strength to bring her to 11 and one point into into dexterity to bring her to 10. Yeah! She was finally average.

Alf sank down beside her. His clothes were soaked and his face was flushed an angry-looking pink. He looked exhausted. “We need water.” His voice was a dry rasp. “I don’t think I can make it much longer.”

“How far are you from level 8?”

“Nine hundred and seventy-nine.”

“Seven more centipedes.” She sighed and tried to think. “Sorry I’m not more help.”

“You’re doing more than you know.” He reached out and took her by the hand. “I couldn’t have faced this without you.”

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have had to.” Her voice came out as a quivering squeak. She turned away as tears burned in her eyes. This wasn’t her. She had to be strong. She’d already dragged him down enough.

“Shhh…” An arm slipped around her shoulder. She shook it off and tried to scoot further away, but he grabbed her around the waist and leaned in closer. “Blix, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” She tried to wriggle free, tried to pry his arm loose, but it was like trying to bend a steel bar. She hated being so weak. Why hadn’t she put more points into strength? “I… I never should have said anything. Never should have dragged you into black hole that is my life.”

“Stop it. Now!”

The anger in his voice made her freeze. It wasn’t enough she’d gotten them into this mess. Now she’d made him mad. Alf… She hadn’t even thought he was capable of mad.

“As long as you’re with me, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” He pulled her into his arms, and physically turned her head to force her to look at him. “We can do this. You can do this. You did the right thing. Understood?”

She scowled at him a few minutes, you know… to keep him from getting cocky. Then she grudgingly nodded her head.

“Oh…” His head snapped back. He seemed surprised to have won so easily. Was she really that much of a bitch? “Um…” He eyed her timidly. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I…” He bit his lip.

“Just say it!” She huffed out a breath.

“I… really like you. And I trust you, and I…” He leaned in close like he was going to kiss her.

“Oh, God.” She pushed him away. “I like you too, okay? But before we finish this conversation, we need to find some water, and not just to drink. You really need a bath.”

* * *

Name: Blix

Level: 4

Class: —

Health: 169/169

Stamina: 67/117

Mana: 900/900

Exp: 65/2100

Attr Points: 0

Skill Points: 9

ST: 11

DX: 10

CN: 13

IQ: 30

CH: 14

Combat Skills:

Dagger 1: (Effective Skill: 1.0, Basis: DX, Enhancement: 3.0%)

Non-Combat Skills:

Swimming 1: (Effective Skill: 1.0, Basis: DX, Enhancement: 3.0%)