In the morning I emerged from my bed and stretched. The aches and pains that had plagued my joints for years were gone, leaving a fresh feeling in my muscles. I opened my character status and looked at my avatar. I wasn’t old anymore, I had known that. But I hadn’t looked over my form in detail. I was of average weight and height, pale-skinned, and had a wreath of brown bangs swept to the side of my forehead. My eyes were still green. This person was familiar, and I recognized him from all of the old pictures I had. This was me but as a young man. This must have been what I looked like at what, high school? Maybe college. The only major difference was the glasses, I had never needed glasses. They didn’t change or improve my physical vision, they were just plain glass spectacles. More of a decoration than utility.

I walked out to the main area between all the rooms, seemingly the first awake. I checked the game clock, and it was actually fairly early in the morning. Suddenly, the murky shadows in the corner behind me spoke. More accurately, Cassidy did.

“G-good morning, Gabriel,” She mumbled softly. I nearly slammed my head into the ceiling.

“Holy- what?!? Good Morning?” I yelped. She didn’t make eye contact, instead electing to stare forward hugging her knees in the shadows, nibbling on something. Her hood was pulled over her head, and her dark hair glinting was practically all I could see of her. I shook my head, walking to the table. I copped myself a piece of toast from the endlessly replenishing table. Axel was the next to emerge, his hair a dark disheveled fury. He nodded to Cassidy, entirely ignoring myself. I didn’t bother trying to talk to him. If he wanted to keep to himself, all power to him. We waited for Alixandra, who happened to be a late riser. I stuffed some food into my inventory and filled my waterskin, and we stepped through the next doorway altogether.

Four skeletal warriors (each level four) gave us a less than warm reception into another cavernous marble room with a tall ceiling, the architecture being ancient greek. Seemed to be a theme lately: large marble rooms and terrible hosting. Nobody even offered me a drink, and it would be nice to know the wi-fi password.

The first person to act was Accel, the barrel of his pistol straightened out before him. He fired three times, every shot either missing entirely or flying in between the bones of the undead. Their glowing red eyes turned to us, permanently grinning skulls clicking threateningly. They charged simultaneously, rusty swords raised. Our party fell into an impromptu positioning, with Alixandra and Axel in the middle, Cassidy and I on either side. Alixandra began charging an attack, her boulder having been stored back into whatever spacial rift she kept it in. I did the first thing that popped into my head and analyzed one of the creatures.

[Skeleton Warrior: (lv. 4)

HP: 75/75

Description: enough marinating in an aura of darkness has caused this unfortunate soul to rise from the dead against its will. Out of jealousy, it seeks to destroy the living.

Weaknesses: Holy damage, Blessed Items, Light damage, Fire damage

Resistances: Darkness damage, Death magic

AI rank: C]

I had a bad feeling about this battle. This type of monster was an exact counter to our party. Axel would have difficulty shooting them without flesh to hit, They were fast and multiple, so Alixandra would not be able to end the battle quickly, they were naturally resistant to darkness magic, and there was little I could do. I tried to be as helpful as possible, so I relayed the relevant information to my teammates.

“Cassidy, they are resistant to darkness attacks, so be careful trying to take them down on your own,” I think she nodded ever slightly in acknowledgment, but it may have just been a trick of the swirling darkness that surrounded her.

“I’ll stay close, Cass.” Alixandra threw her a lopsided grin and her trademark wink.

“And these creatures are weak to holy items or attacks and fire,” I finished.

“Thanks, Gabriel!” Alixandra spoke gleefully. Axel’s grunt of annoyance carried a hint of gratitude, but I decided against bothering him about it for now. I could tease him when he didn’t seem as prone to putting a new breathing hole through my face.

The skeletons fell upon us, Axel dashed forward to meet them, bringing his revolver toward the skull of the closest skeleton, firing at point-blank. The red name faded and disappeared as the lead slammed up through where its brain would be. Launched into the air by the impact, the defiled undead didn’t reach the floor before Axel had wheeled around and emptied two more rounds into the nearest skeleton, to a lesser effect. He stepped back quickly, feverishly working to reload. A corporeal duplicate skeleton rose from the shadow of one of the skeletons, bones, and blade alike bathed and swaddled in the black of dark magic. Due to being resistant to darkness damage, the skeleton it targeted took less damage from it, but it distracted the enemy just fine. But the last two unoccupied skeletons were equally dangerous and active. One bound toward me, and I lifted my staff to block its downward cleave. It left a notch in the wood and it recoiled slightly. It swung horizontally now, and I barely dodged in time. As I lunged out of the way of the sword, I saw the blade of the unaccounted fourth foe bite into Alixandra’s shoulder.