Juno, Rob, and Sam appeared at the bottom of a sprawling set of stone stairs that poured out from a massive set of doors that had to have been fifty feet tall and wide enough four at least ten people to pass through side by side. The door and the platform at the top of the stairs were covered in decorations of gold, silver, and various flowers lit by massive torches. It looked like it was set up as a stage.

Rob looked at the people around him. Most of them were just as confused as he was. They were all waiting for something to begin. Unlike in other games, Rob couldn't see any identification tags or icons above or near the people. They were just ordinary people in his eyes.

"Hey, Rob, come this way," Juno said as Sam, and she walked away from the crowd's middle.

They stopped in a small clearing from the crowd and faced the stage as Sam said, "I'm not a huge fan of crowds, and thought we might get a better view from here."

Rob nodded. "I wanted to do something before all this started anyway. I have no idea if this is our starting spot or what, but let's friend each other and form a group if possible before anything else happens."

Juno smiled, "Great idea. I was worried we wouldn't start in the same place. This way, if we get separated, we can at least find one another."

They pulled up their interfaces and were able to not only friend one another, but there was an option to form a party. By the time they finished, loud trumpets had begun to play, announcing the start to whatever was going to happen. All three focused on the top of the stairs as a large man in full plate gold and silver armor stepped forward.

He held a gleaming sword high above his head. He announced in a booming voice that almost rattled Rob's bones, "Welcome to Elysium adventurers! I am Sir Huthred, Commander of the Andhull forces. This is where your adventure begins. Be it in the service of the crown or against it, everything starts and ends here."

Robert leaned into Juno and said, "This is a little strange. I figured Dr. Kingsley would be making the announcement."

She looked as confused as he did. "Yeah, I hope it doesn't take long, though. I'd like to get to leveling as soon as possible."

They both returned their focus to the gleaming man atop the stairs. "In Elysium, all of your choices matter. Be they good or bad, your decisions here have weight. I encourage you all to explore and grow. Improve yourselves quickly because you never know when the Horde will appear.

"For those of you who want to test your metal in the Arena, you will have twenty-eight days to train and form a party. Riches and fame await you in the Arena. As does death and pain."

With that last statement, Sir Huthred sheathed his sword and finished by saying, "Now go and find your way."

The crowd of people looked around confused, obviously expecting something more. Some people began to file away in different directions, and some even logged out, stepping through shimmering doors.

Robert looked around and said, "Let's see if we can find a guard or something and get directions."

As they approached the base of the stairs, Juno approached a young man in armor that matched several others around him. "Excuse me, sir."

The man looked her up and down and said, 'How can I help you, ma'am?"

"We are new to your city and were wondering if we could get some directions."

He stepped forward. "Of course. What is it you needed?"

"We are looking for a tavern or inn. Something reputable."

He placed a hand on his chin and then said, "Well, there are several in Andhull. I recommend the Raven's Nest, though. Good food and drink, and if you need a room, they are clean."

"That sounds great," Juno responded.

The soldier tapped something in front of him in the air. A notification popped up in Rob's vision, asking him if he wanted to add the Raven's Nest to his map. Rob hadn't used the map function in the tutorial as he'd been so focused on training that he'd probably missed a ton of features. He tapped the button, and a map popped up with details of the area around him. He zoomed out slightly and could see a grayed-out path that led from where they were to a point on the map that said Raven's Nest.

Juno said, "Thank you very much. How far away is it?"

"Oh, maybe a ten-minute walk. It's just outside this area in the commerce district. It's also a good place for you to do some shopping before you head out in the morning."

"Thank you, sir." She said as the young soldier turned away and joined his group.

"Well, I guess we have a place to go," Juno added as they all three started walking.

Rob thought about the announcement and was confused by the abrupt nature of it. "Did you find that to be not very useful?" He asked to no one in particular.

Sam answered first, "Yeah, it was a little disappointing. I was expecting some type of huge announcement and more information, at least. We were essentially told to go away."

"Yeah, it was a little strange." Juno added, "but I guess it was realistic. We are on our own here. From what I gathered in training, there are not a lot of systems here that make it easy. I'm not expecting simple gopher quests to build low levels either, but we will see when the sun comes up."

They continued on in silence as they continued through the city. The streets were of smooth cobblestone, and the buildings were made of a variety of stones that were hard to identify in the dark. While not completely smooth, the surfaces gleamed with the lamps' reflected lights at each intersection and entryway. Robert assumed this was the upscale part of town.

A few minutes later, they approached an arched gate of sorts with two guards. "Good evening, who goes there?" They asked in unison.

Sam stepped forward and said, "I'm Samuel, and these are my adventuring friends. We are on our way to the Raven's Nest."

The guards both relaxed, and one said, "Oh, welcome the Elysium. It is just through the gate and to the left."

They walked through without pausing, and Rob immediately saw the difference between the districts. The buildings there were simpler. Less stone and more wood were used. Instead of ornate doors, the buildings had simple doors with writing and hanging signs that let him know what type of store they were looking at. They passed a clothier, a cobbler, and a general goods store before they came to a two-story building.

The building had a sizeable shield-shaped sign with a raven perched on the edge of a tankard below the words Raven's Nest. Considering it was nearly one in the morning inside the game, they were surprised to see people in the common room when they entered. The common room or pub was covered from ground to ceiling in dark woods and gave off a malty or bread smell that reminded Rob of the wheat harvest at work.

"Good evening, and welcome to the Raven's Nest." Said a burly man behind the bar. "How can I help you?"

Rob stepped forward and asked, "We were wondering if you had any rooms for rent tonight. We just arrived and need a place to rest and gather ourselves before tomorrow."

The man moved to the end of the bar and hefted a large leather-bound book onto the counter. "Let me see here. I believe we have only one room left." He finished by pushing his graying hair out of his face and behind an ear.

"Excellent, I think we only need one this evening," Rob responded, looking at his friends for confirmation.

"That is good. The privy is at the end of the hallway. There is a basin and freshwater in the room for you. That will be three silver for the night."

He panicked for a moment, and Juno stepped forward, sliding three small coins across the bar. "Here you go. Does that include meals in the morning?"

"It would for two guests. It will be an additional five copper for the third." And the man slid the key across the counter.

She slid the additional coin across the counter and said, "Thank you very much. Which room is it?"

"End of the hall. Room eight. Oh, and my name is Marcus. Marcus Windcrag." He finished by going back to his spot at the bar and sat on a stool.

They went upstairs and found the room they had rented at the end of the hall. It was nothing special, but it was clean and in good repair. A single bed was on one side of the room, and there was a small table with two chairs next to the window overlooking the alley behind the inn. The only other thing in the room was a table with a basin and a large pitcher of water next to it and a few lamps attached to the walls. Rob wasn't sure if they were candles, gas, or magic.

Juno sat on the bed and smiled. "Ah, nice to get off my feet for a bit."

Rob grabbed one of the chairs and moved it closer to the bed, putting his feet up and leaning back. Sam used the other chair but didn't leave the table. He just sat there for a moment, looking out the window.

"I'm really looking forward to the morning. While Din Tarum was spectacular, it was a little claustrophobic at times. I prefer open skies."

Robert snorted and said, "Strange that you were given Dwarf as your race then, don't you think?"

"Maybe, but it makes sense considering what I want to do when in-game. I want to win the Arena tournaments, and I needed a fighter that matched my style. I'm surprised you're a ranger considering in Excel you were a mage. Hell, you've always played mages or clerics."

Rob thought about the character creation and said, "I guess it makes sense when you think about my character creation experience, but it has been a little odd."

Juno interrupted before they went too far, "Well, one thing I have noticed is that neither of you has spent much time learning about your interface. You both owe me for a room. Do you even know where your wallet is or how to add money?"

Robert flushed red and said, "I was a little busy, but you have a point. Why don't we spend the time resting here planning what we are going to do and becoming familiar with our interfaces?"

Sam responded first, "That sounds good to me. I didn't spend a lot of time looking at mine either, and from what I can gather, we will likely not get tutorial missions to start off with." He paused, touching the table cloth a little too intently. "While Elysium's sensory experience is incredible, it certainly lacks goals and guidance."

They all agreed that they would spend some time getting to know the interface and how to quickly access important information about the game. After nearly two hours of going through different screens and setting up quick access buttons on his interface, Rob dismissed it all after seeing a notice pop up into his view.

He focused on it, and a message appeared from Dr. Glen Kingsley asking if he was free to log out of Elysium for a few minutes. Rob was surprised not only by the message but by Dr. Kingsley's apparent interest in himself. He replied to the message that he had the time and would log out in a few minutes. He looked at his in-game clock and noted that it was almost three in the morning.

He stood up from his chair and said, "Hey, I need to log out for ten or fifteen minutes. Actually, the in-game time might be longer. I just got a message that I need to deal with."

Juno's eyes focused back on the world around her, and she said, "Oh, yeah, that should be good. I might also drop out and use the bathroom before we head out for the day. I think at least one of us should stick around, though."

"I'll be here. I'm in the middle of reading on my class abilities. There are also a few forum posts going up. I want to see if it's anything interesting or just more people complaining about the launch." Sam said.

"Ok, I should be back soon. Message me if you need anything." Rob said as he pushed the log off button on his interface. The shimmering pool door appeared, and he stepped through.