When I came to, the pain that I had been hidden behind the cloak of adrenaline had slipped to the surface. I was lying on the stone floor covered in the ashes of that horrible monster, and every bit of me was in agony. My heart was still pounding in a way that I was certain was doing it no good. I drew desperate ragged breaths, trying to fill my poor lungs, and every breath was accompanied by stabbing pain. I had pushed myself much further than I should have, and now it was time to pay the piper. My grandchildren were crouched around me. Elizabeth's face was buried in her hands, trembling like I was. Even Kyle looked genuinely worried.

“Are you okay, Grandma? Where does it hurt?” he asked, clearly not really in tune with the situation. I wanted to tell him “Everywhere”, but my lungs had other priorities at the moment. I panted on the floor, trying to get a grip on myself.

“This is all my fault! Gramma died to save me!” wailed Elizabeth. I wanted to reassure her that I wasn't dying, but I actually wasn't at all certain that I wasn't.

“She's just winded, she'll be okay. Anyway, it's my fault. It was stupid to think that that key would fit the door. Nobody would lock a prison from inside.” said Kyle. Elizabeth's sobs only became more intense. Poor Kyle. He was no good at all at being reassuring.

“Here, you stay with Grandma. I'm gonna see if I can get that door open.”

My vision blurred and the world faded in and out focus. Elizabeth seemed to calm down as my breathing gradually returned to normal. I heard loud clanking and banging sounds sometimes, and sometimes Elizabeth would ask me if I wanted any water. Sitting up seemed too dangerous to attempt right now, I was fairly sure that at least one of my ribs was broken. The banging noises continued as I my mind slipped in and out of a dark fog. At length, Elizabeth's voice again penetrated my consciousness.

“How are you feeling Gramma? Any better?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I thinks so. Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“I thought you were dying. I was so scared!”

“I think I almost did. If you'd broken that skull a second later...”

“I should have broken it a second sooner. Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt!”

“You were very brave, Elizabeth. You should be proud. We'd all be dead if you hadn't been there.”

Elizabeth drew me into a hug, not realizing how much pain I was still in.

“Go easy, honey. It'll be a few weeks till I'm back to 100%.”

I noticed Kyle standing nearby.

“You gonna be okay?” he asked.

“I don't know if I can walk. You kids may have to leave me behind.”

“I don't think so. There's something in the next room that you need to see.”

“What is it?” asked Elizabeth.

“I was right!” said Kyle, reciting his favorite sentence. “This place is all computer-generated. There's this thing in the next room that let's you access the system.”

“I think this place is pretty real. I have the broken bones to prove it.”

“It's a really good simulation, but that's all it is. And it's an RPG!”

“What!” Elizabeth was really excited all of the sudden. I was utterly baffled.

“A rocket-propelled grenade? What are you talking about?”

“I mean it's a game where you can level up and get cool powers. I already went through the whole thing! I'm only level one, but you get free points for every year you've been alive, so Grandma has a big head start. And it can heal you!”

That last part sounded appealing, although he might as well have been speaking Greek for all the sense he was making.

“What do you get when you level up? Asked Elizabeth. I was glad she seemed to understand what this was about.

“I can put curses on people. The system can put information right into your mind. I only know how to give people headaches so far, but we just have to keep going and we'll get more powerful.”

“Couldn't you already give people headaches?” commented Elizabeth.

Rather than respond with a witty remark of his own, Kyle began muttering under his breath and making weird gestures with his fingers. Then he suddenly mimed throwing something invisible at Elizabeth. She immediately grabbed her head as though worried it was going to fall off.

“Ow....Aaaaah! It really hurts! Stop it! Owwwww!”

I have said it before and I will say it again. I do not understand today's youth.

Kyle waved his hand in the air, as though to inform the storm troopers that these were not the droids they were looking for. Elizabeth seemed to calm down. I wanted to believe that this was all a ridiculous game of theirs, but after seeing those monster-dogs turn into ash, I couldn't be sure what was real and what wasn't. Elizabeth made a bee-line for the doors.

“I'm getting my super-powers! Then I'll show you, you smelly jerk!” she announced.

“Help me move Grandma! She's still really hurt you know!”

Elizabeth gave Kyle her patented “this-is-not-over” look, and returned to help me to my feet. It took a lot of careful negotiation for the two of them to carry me, one under each of my arms. My suspicions were now totally confirmed. One or possibly two of my ribs had snapped, and and the sharp points of bone were stabbing me whenever I moved. I was probably bleeding internally. I hoped whatever this amazing thing in the next room was could really help me, or I might die after all.

Now that I was upright, I could see what all that banging I heard earlier had been about. The prison doors hung open, with a large chunk missing where the lock had been. The area around the hole had been burnt, probably in desperate attempt to weaken the solid oak. Sitting nearby were the iron bar I had tried to use earlier, as well as several still-burning torches and the stone block that had been used to fill the secret opening. It had clearly been quite a project for Kyle.

Beyond the doors was a massive temple. There was no other adequate term to describe it. It reminded a little of the Shinto temples I had visited back when I had toured Japan. The walls were carved with dozens of images of landscapes and fantastical creatures. There was another passageway opposite the entrance, and to the left was a massive statue of a dragon guarding a fountain. The children dragged me toward this.

“Drink the water. That's how you activate the interface. Then select “Heal” on the menu.” said Kyle. I didn't follow most of his gobbledygook, but a drink sounded good. I cupped my hands and drew some water from the fountain. Elizabeth did the same.

***Congratulations! You have discovered the Shrine of Initiation!***

This shrine is dedicated to the concept of Beginnings. It has the following unique characteristics:

Cannot be destroyed.

Cannot be Claimed.

Does not accept Sacrifices.

Does not require Priests.

All shrine services up to the 4thrd Tier are available to all who enter, regardless of Religion.

All shrine services are available free of charge. No Piety is required.

I was frozen in place, the water still in my mouth. I tried to blink to remove the slew of nonsense words from my vision, but I couldn't even do that. It was like my eyes had been turned into a computer screen. I felt like screaming. Was this what Kyle had been trying to tell me about?

Services currently available from the Shrine of Initiation:

View Introduction (0 Piety)

Unlock Character Sheet (0 Piety)

Start New Character (0 Piety)

System Query (6 Remaining)

Cleanse (0 Piety)

Heal (0 Piety)

What on earth is “Piety”? And why does everything have zero of it? I waited for the strange words to disappear again, but nothing seemed to happen. I tried to think of what Kyle had told me. If this was a “menu”, how I supposed to select anything if I couldn't move a muscle? If Kyle was right, and this whole dungeon was inside some computer system, the fact that I knew almost nothing about computers was going to be a problem. I stared at the word “Heal”, trying to see some way of “selecting” it. To my surprise, the word suddenly began flashing green, and I heard a sound like wind chimes in the distance.

And all the pain in my body disappeared. I could feel a wave of pure bliss spread through me like a heavenly light, and I felt my body being restored. Not just the bruises and broken bones that I had suffered while I was trapped in the dungeon, but years of accumulated damage just melted away. I felt wonderful. Little aches and pains, the canker sores on the inside of my bottom lip, the dull throb at the base of my spine, all washed away in an instant. I didn't know what god this temple was dedicated to, but if this is what he had to offer, I would sign up in an instant. More words swam in front of me as I luxuriated in waves of pure joy.

All health restored to full. Lost “Concussed” Condition. Lost the “Broken Rib” Condition. Lost the “Mild Arthritis” Condition. Strength increased by 2. Dexterity increased by 2. Lost the “Brittle Bones” Condition. Constitution increased by 1. Lost the “Onset of Dementia” Condition. Intelligence increased by 1. Wisdom increased by 1. Lost the “Adult-Onset Diabetes” Condition. Constitution increased by 1.

I read through the list of “Conditions” that had been removed twice, trying to come to grips with what had happened to me. I remembered most of these phrases cropping up at my regular check-ups over over the last two decades. There were even things here that I hadn't known about at all. Had I really been experiencing the onset of dementia? My mind did feel a bit clearer now, but that may just be the lack of distracting pain. I hadn't even known about the diabetes, maybe that was going to be my next nasty surprise when my check-up came around. If I was reading this correctly, I had just regained most of the physical and mental ability that I had slowly lost over the last thirty years. This was too good to be true!

There had to be a catch. I considered what Kyle had said earlier about us all being in some mad scientist's lab with wires in our brain or the like. If that was the case, would I get to keep any of this miracle?

The menu returned to my vision. The “Heal” option was now grayed out. I was eager to move my body now that it had been so heavily improved, but I couldn't see an “Exit” option on the list.

You have 8 unspent attribute points, 4 unspent Skill talents, and 1 unspent major Skill Talent. You cannot exit the system until all resources have been assigned.

The error message popped up with a faint grinding noise, as if I had tried to shift into reverse on the freeway. Seems like a pretty harsh response for just thinking about leaving. A machine that can respond to my thoughts...did that mean it could read my mind? I looked over the menu again. There was nothing on there about spending attributes or talents, whatever they were. As I considered what to do next, the “Unlock Character Sheet” option flashed green, as though I had selected it. That seemed apropos of nothing. How the hell do you unlock a sheet?

Patricia Chandler

Level 4 Human Wanderer

XP: 6/50

HP:22/22

Stamina: 19/19

Strength: 8

Dexterity: 10

Constitution:10

Intelligence: 13

Wisdom:12

Charisma: 13

You have 8 unspent Attribute Points.

You have 4 unassigned Skill Talents.

You have 1 unassigned Major Skill Talent.

Okay. I guessed that this must be the tab that the computer thinks is so important that I can't leave without seeing it. Looking over it, I guessed that it was a list of measurements of my various abilities. I only vaguely remember what Charisma is. Judging by my low Strength, I guess larger numbers must be better, although with no other “sheet” to compare with I had no idea if 13 is good or if 8 is just really bad. I had no clue what XP might be or why I only have 6 out of a possible 50. And since when am I a “Wanderer”? I haven't any real wandering since I was just out of college. I decided to go through the to-do list that the computer wanted. I gave the “Attribute Points” option a good ol' stare until it flashed green for me.

You have 8 unspent attribute points, which you can spend in the following ways:

Increase you Strength from 8 to 9. (1)

Increase your Dexterity from 10 to 11. (1)

Increase your Constitution from 10 to 11. (1)

Increase your Intelligence from 13 to 14. (1)

Increase your Wisdom from 12 to 13. (1)

Increase your Charisma from 13 to 14. (1)

Open the First Gate of Destiny (2)

So that's what “attribute points” do. I didn't see anything about giving people headaches on there, but maybe Kyle saw a different list than one I saw. Looking over the list, I had to wonder: Could this machine actually make my body or mind better? I suppose it had already done so to a degree, I felt better now than I had back in my forties. I decided to give option 1 a try.

You have increased your Strength from 8 to 9!

Muscular Output 95%

Carrying Capacity: 18%-90%-180% of body weight

-1 penalty to unarmed and melee attack skills and damage

-1 penalty to Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, and Throwing

Another wall of strange terms and odd numbers filled my vision, but I didn't really care. That feeling I had when the computer had healed me was back. I could feel my bones and muscles flood with power and energy. I could really get used to this! When I finally got around to reading the text, it just confused me. If I was getting stronger, why did it keep going on about negatives and penalties? I worried that I ought to spend more time puzzling through it, but the feeling in my muscles had faded, and I knew I wanted more. I sent the the thought screaming into whatever computer system was reading my thoughts: Another Please!

You have increased your Strength from 9 to 10!

Muscular Output 100%

Carrying Capacity: 20%-100%-200% of body weight

+0 bonus to unarmed and melee attack skills and damage

+0 bonus to Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, and Throwing

Now the numbers seemed to be telling me that my strength hadn't increased at all, which didn't make sense because I could feel my body absolutely singing with it. Maybe the numbers I was seeing represented a running total rather than a change. In that case, maybe 10 was some standard of “normal” or “average”, in which case I had just gone from being weaker than an average person to being as strong as an average person. There was no stopping now though, I was hooked and I wanted more.

You have increased your Strength from 10 to 11!

Muscular Output 105%

Carrying Capacity: 22%-110%-220% of body weight

+0 bonus to unarmed and melee attack skills and damage

+0 bonus to Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, and Throwing

You have increased your Strength from 11 to 12!

Muscular Output 110%

Carrying Capacity: 24%-120%-240% of body weight

+1 bonus to unarmed and melee attack skills and damage

+1 bonus to Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, and Throwing

You have increased your Strength from 12 to 13!

Muscular Output 115%

Carrying Capacity: 26%-130%-260% of body weight

+1 bonus to unarmed and melee attack skills and damage

+1 bonus to Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, and Throwing

You have increased your Strength from 13 to 14!

Muscular Output 125%

Carrying Capacity: 30%-150%-300% of body weight

+2 bonus to unarmed and melee attack skills and damage

+2 bonus to Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, and Throwing

You have increased your Strength from 14 to 15!

Muscular Output 135%

Carrying Capacity: 34%-170%-340% of body weight

+2 bonus to unarmed and melee attack skills and damage

+2 bonus to Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, and Throwing

This is more like it. If I had had this kind of strength a little while ago, I could have snapped those iron bars in half like candy canes! That dog thing would gone flying into the nickel seats when I hit it! I would never be a frail old lady in need of protection again. Now, I would be strong enough to keep my grandkids safe.

Now that you have increased one of your attributes to 15, you may choose an Attribute Specialization. Choose carefully, as you may not have the opportunity to change your mind later. You options are:

Hauler: Double your carrying capacity, allowing you to carry twice as much without penalty.

Staggering Blow: Double chance of stunning enemies or knocking enemies prone when making a melee attack.

Sweeping Blow: Reduced accuracy and damage penalties when attempting to strike multiple opponents with a melee attack.

Strong Athlete: +1 skill bonus to Climbing, Jumping, Swimming, and Throwing

Wrestler: +2 to grappling, enemies take increased damage when thrown or used as weapons.

Beefy: Gain additional hitpoints equal to your Strength score.

This computer really like to throw a lot of reading at me just when I was starting to enjoy myself. Strong Athlete seemed like the most obviously useful, so I stared at that until it went away. Keep that strength coming!

You do not have enough attribute points to increase your Strength further. You have 1 unspent attribute point remaining, which you can spend in the following ways:

1. Increase your Dexterity from 10 to 11. (1)

2. Increase your Constitution from 10 to 11. (1)

3. Increase your Intelligence from 13 to 14. (1)

4. Increase your Wisdom from 12 to 13. (1)

5. Increase your Charisma from 13 to 14. (1)

Darn. I guess I had been a bit of a spendthrift there. I had gone from having no notion of what these points were worth to blowing them all in matter of seconds. With only one point left, and no option of spending it on Strength, I guess Dexterity was the next logical concern.

You have increased your Dexterity from 10 to 11!

+0 bonus to Reflexes, Precision, Grace, and Stealth

+0 bonus to all ranged attack skills

105% movement speed

Increasing my dexterity felt nothing like increasing my strength. I felt all of my joints pop at once, my knees, my toes, every inch of my spine. Instead of feeling powerful, I felt loose, more graceful. If I had picked this option first, I might well have gotten excited enough to throw every point I had into Dexterity instead. The read-out was a bit of a letdown, but at least faster movements might allow me to keep up with my grand kids. That takes care of the attribute points. On to the skill talents.

As soon as I focused on the skill talents option, a list of my current skills sprang into view. If my “sheet” had been opaque and confusing, this was darn near impenetrable. It looked like a bunch of nigh-random words with numbers next to them, I guess to indicate how good I am at them. Near the top were the skills I had improved in the system, like Climbing and Throwing, but there were also skills I had already had. I had a Grace of 2, which I would guess was based on those two years of dance I did in high school. My Chemistry and Biology scores were both at 4, which, if anything, seemed like very little to show for a career in Botanical Science. I could spend hours reading through the list and still have only the vaguest idea of what to pick, so I decided to go with my gut. I selected Grace, which immediately jumped to 4, then Climbing, which jumped to 5.

You have increased your Climbing skill to +5! At skill level 5, you may choose you skill specialization. Choose carefully, as you may not have the opportunity to change your mind later. You options are:

Giant Climber- No penalty to climbing a living creature.

Wall Warrior- No penalty to making ranged or melee attacks while climbing.

Silent Climber- No penalty to Stealth while climbing.

Swift Climber- All climbing 50% faster.

Ceiling Master- Can climb on horizontal surfaces as easily as vertical surfaces.

Onward and Upward: Improved ability to lead and instruct others in climbing.

Of course, always another menu. The Giant Climber option gave me cause for concern. Was I actually going to end up in a situation where climbing a giant would be the best option? No, best to go with something simple and versatile that I might actually use. If I see a giant, I'll just run away. Swift Climber, si vous plait. If 5 is the magic number on skills, I thought it best to see what else I could lift above that threshold. I selected Chemistry.

You have increased your Chemistry skill to +6! At skill level 5, you may choose your skill specialization. Choose carefully, as you may not have the opportunity to change your mind later. Your options are:

Metallurgist- Improved ability to identify an ore, devise a process to refine an ore, locate seams of valuable minerals, and predict characteristics of alloys.

Organic Chemistry: Improved ability to identify a bioactive compound in any living thing, predict the effects of such compounds, measure active doses, and predict the effects of mixtures.

Incendiary Chemistry: Improved ability to identify, prepare, and deploy combustible chemical compounds, including explosives, light sources, fuels, and rockets.

Psychoactive Chemistry: Improved ability to identify, prepare, and deploy psychoactive chemicals, including hypnotics, hallucinogens, stimulants, and anti-psychotics.

Material Chemistry: Improved ability to create compounds and reactions that alter the appearance or physical properties of a material. This includes adhesives, lubricants, perfumes, preservatives, coloring agents, and emulsifiers.

Good thing my David isn't here to see this. He would have been torn between the pyromaniac option and the drug-dealer option. I needed to be responsible and focus on things I could use to keep the children alive: Organic Chemistry. While I'm thinking of it, Medicine is also on the list, but I only have a 2 in it. That seems a little low for something I might have to rely on in an emergency, so I bumped it up to 4. That takes care of everything except my major skill Talent. My eye fell on Diplomacy, which currently sat at 1. That seemed like another skill that might help us out of trouble in a tight spot. I selected it, and it immediately shot up to a solid 5.

You have increased your Diplomacy skill to +5! At skill level 5, you may choose your skill specialization. Choose carefully, as you may not have the opportunity to change your mind later. Your options are:

Logos- Improved ability to persuade by citing logic, facts, and consequences. Diplomacy more effective on intelligent targets.

Pathos- Improved ability to persuade others by appeal to their mood and emotional triggers. Diplomacy more effective on strongly emotional targets.

Ethos- Improved ability to persuade others by citing shared beliefs, norms, and values. Diplomacy is more effective on other members of the same group.

Merchant- Improved ability to persuade others in a commercial context, especially trade.

Peacemaker- Improved ability to negotiate ceasefires, surrenders, peace agreements, or other cessations of hostility.

No question. If my goal is to protect the children, I could best accomplish it by being a Peacemaker. Could I please go back to my life, Mr. Know-it-all Computer?

The water finally slid my throat. Took it long enough.

“Did it work? Did you see the interface?” asked Kyle. For a while, I was too busy drinking to answer. I had been waiting on that water for a while now.

“Yes, I saw it.” I said at last. “Feels like I was stuck in there for hours. It was just one weird menu after another. Feels good to be able to move again!”

To illustrate my point, I flipped over and did a handstand. The look on Kyle's face was priceless. His eyes just about popped out of his head!

“Are you sure you're alright, Gramma? You seem...different.” said Elizabeth, who was just finishing her drink.

Kyle turned to her and gave her his patented “how-stupid-can-you-be” look. She stuck out her tongue.

“I mean besides the fact that she's upside-down, obviously. She's talking funny.”

“I did upgrade my Diplomacy skills. Maybe that's it.” I suggested, while walking back and forth on my hands. My body hadn't been able to move like this even when I'd been a teenager. I had forgotten how good it could feel just to move freely and without pain.

“I think it means you're talking faster. You seem more...with it.” Kyle stated uneasily.

Of course, what they had actually noticed was that I no longer was suffering from the onset of dementia. I didn't feel any need to explain that to them, though.

“I'm just excited to have my strength back. I can finally move!” I punctuated this by transferring seamlessly from a handstand to a double cartwheel, then returned to a standing position. They both watched me, but neither one seemed entirely pleased. I realized that the extent to which I had just changed must seem jarring to them. After all, from their perspective, it had been only a few seconds ago that I had needed their help just to stand up.

“Grandma, did you blow all your points on Dexterity?” asked Kyle. I didn't care for his tone one bit.

“Only one. I put most most of it into strength.”

“So, you didn't get any magic?” I really didn't like his tone now. He was talking like I had gambled away his college fund.

“No. Didn't even see that on there.” I replied, not even acknowledging his disrespectful tone.

Kyle brought his hand up to his forehead dramatically. I was genuinely trying to hear his concerns out, but I could really have done without the sass.

“Grandma, you were supposed to pick the Gate of Destiny! That's how you get magic. You're gonna be at a huge disadvantage if you don't have magic!” whined Kyle, who had now passed from “disrespectful” all the way to “educating the poor simpleton”.

“Kyle, I'm not going to put up with being spoken to that way. I am your Grandmother, and you will learn to keep a civil tongue when you are addressing me. Understand?”

Kyle blew out an exasperated sigh and looked at his shoes. “Yes, Grandma. Sorry.” his apology was obviously insincere, but I decided not to press the issue. An insincere apology is better than no apology at all, and sincerity can't be had for the asking.

“Alright. Now explain to me, politely, why you think I spent my points wrong.” I asked.

“Magic is always the way to go in this type of game. They always offer you strength and dexterity and hitpoints and armor, and it's always a trap to give dumb...uh, inexperienced players a bunch of booby prizes. Magic is always more powerful and more versatile in the higher levels. It has no logical limits. Pick anything else, and you'll end up regretting it.”

“I don't really see how the ability to give people headaches is going to help us stay alive.” I didn't want to tell my grandson that his new special powers were sub-par, but in my defense, he kinda started it.

“That's just what I can do at first level. I'm already nearly to 2nd level. Then I can upgrade more and get more spells. Also, if I can find magical stuff in the game and study, I can get more spells that way. Also also, giving people headaches is useful in certain circumstances. Liz, back me up on this.”

Elizabeth rather pointedly ignored him.

Kyle cast his eyes upwards, as though beseeching the heavens for patience.

“Elizabeth, dear sister, am I right or not.” his voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Well, since you asked so nicely, no, you're full of crap.” shot back Elizabeth.

“Oh c'mon, you're just saying that to be a bitch.”

“Kyle, I have warned you before, don't use that sort of language, especially around your sister. Now, apologize.”

“But she just...” he protested.

“Now.”

“Sorry, Liz.”

“Now you.” I said, turning to Elizabeth.

“But...” she began, but I cut her off.

“You know what you said to your brother. Apologize.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I'm sorry that said you were full of crap. Your headache thing probably will be pretty useful. I was just mad because you used it on me.”

That was true. Kyle had deliberately used magic to cause his sister pain, and I had been too confused at the time to call him on it. Still, forcing Kyle to apologize again was unlikely to help the situation. Instead, I grabbed them both by the shoulder and drew them together, so that I could look them both in the eye.

“Listen to me very carefully, both of you. I don't know how long we're going to be stuck here together, but it sounds like we're going to be facing a lot of danger soon. We need to be able to rely on each other, and that means agreeing that whatever our disagreements might be, we're a team, and we need to act like it. We need to be honest with each other, and support each other, and we need to agree not to use our abilities to hurt each other. Agreed?” I presented a closed fist in the air, a gesture I had seen on TV. Both children nodded, and gave my fist a light knock.

I felt a bit guilty for this. After all, I had been using my “Peacemaker” ability on them even as I had said this, but getting these two to get along was actually necessary for our survival now, so I would forgive myself for my hypocrisy.

“Good. Let's get going and see if we can some lunch. I don't know about you two, but I've worked up an appetite.”

Now united, the three of us headed out the door on the far side, wondering what awaited us out there.