The party was met with a modestly sized village before long. The houses were the same style as Uktharar, though they were smaller, as well as the roads. Plenty of players were walking the streets. The flow of people made it easy to find quests and store locations. The delivery quest was easy and gave rewards to each party member. Cookie was given fabric and threads, Raven received a quill that produced blue ink, Tony got a few types of fishing bait and lures, and Lucas had gotten spices and a large bag of rice.

A few more quests were picked up, the stores were visited, and then the group was on their way to Clepset; the southern village. A package was delivered to this village, looking identical in style to Ekleta, with the layout being the only difference. More quests were collected, with any dealing with fighting being set aside. After exploring Clepset, they were off once more. Frisas was the east village and looked the same as the others. The quests offered here were nearly all combat related except for one, which led them to the north village.

The dirt road to Ordwood went into a thick forest, providing plenty of shade as the party traveled. This village differed from the rest. Buildings were constructed entirely out of logs, small and medium-sized trees dotted along streets and houses, and the roads weren’t paved, simply compacted dirt. The amount of players meandering around was lower than the other villages. It took longer for the party to find the building with the NPC to deliver the letter to.

“Are you Maria?” Cookie asked the woman of a small home as she stood in the entryway.

“Yes, that’s me. Might I ask who you are?” The woman had a baby held to her hip, and a toddler playing with toys in the living room.

“I’m Cookie, and these are my friends.” Cookie stepped aside to motion to the rest of the group behind her. “We just came from, um—What village was it, Raven?”

“Clepset” Raven answered.

“That’s right, Clepset. A man asked us to deliver this letter to you.” Cookie pulled a wax sealed letter from her pocket and held it out. “He told us to give it to Maria in, hm—What village is this again?”

“Ordword.” Raven said.

“Thank you very much. Here is something for the trouble.” Maria retrieved a few silver coins from the coin purse hanging off her belt and handed them over.

“Thank you very much!” Cookie smiled, accepted the payment, and handed it to Lucas, who stored it away.

“You don’t have to be so nice. She’s just an NPC.” Tony said.

Cookie waved her hand at the Kobold as if he was a child acting up.

“This must have come from my husband. I don’t know why he would send a letter. He should be back from his guard duty before long.” Maria opened the letter with one hand and read its contents. “Oh.” Her cheery demeanor quickly faded.

“Is something wrong?” Cookie asked.

“I sent my eldest, Timothy, to deliver a meal to his father, and he never arrived in Clepset. I was going to have it sent with a mail carrier, but he was determined and kept saying how he was basically a man.” Maria shook her head. “He’s only 12. I shouldn’t have sent him. I knew better.”

“We could go look for him. I’m sure he is safe and just got lost or something.” Cookie reassured the mother.

“Timothy likes to play in the forest to the east of the village, and he always wears his red scarf. If you could find him and bring him home, I would be most grateful.” Maria’s head lowered as she held her baby to her hip with both arms.

“Of course, we’ll go right away! Come on, everyone.” Cookie turned and hurried off.

“Cookie, wait! You’re going north, not east!” Raven called out after checking her map, hustling to catch up.

“She knows these aren’t real people, right?” Tony looked at Lucas before following Raven.

“I don’t know. Maybe she is just immersing herself in the world. It’s hard not to when you’re stuck in here, having to eat, sleep and basically live a life.” Lucas pulled out his journal and turned to the quest log page. “That quest turned into another quest, huh?”

Tony nodded. “Our first two-part quest. We’ll get more of those, I’m sure.”

Raven led the group out of town and into the forest proper. It didn’t take long for them to find bits of red thread leading them deeper into the forest. Be it in a bush, on the ground, or hanging from a low branch, each piece of thread had another in sight of it. After nearly ten minutes of sleuthing, they found themselves at a cave entrance at the base of a sheer mountainside. One end of a thread was snagged on a rock, with the rest leading further into the darkness ahead.

“This can’t be right. Why would a little boy wander into a dark cave?” Cookie said, staring into the darkness. “Right?” She turned back to her friends.

“I mean, the lady said he had a red scarf, and we kept finding red thread. This must be it.” Lucas said.

“This should be easy. There are probably a few weak monsters, and then the kid is hiding at the end of the cave.” Tony retrieved his flute from his belt. “Let’s go and—”

“Awesome, a party!” A young woman’s voice called out, causing the group to turn around. “Do you need a fifth? I promise I can carry my own.” A feline beast-woman ran over, blond hair down to her shoulder blades. The fur on her ears and tail were striped, light and dark gray. She was clad in dark blue pants with an assortment of buckled straps on the legs, a white shirt visible beneath the opened short-sleeved leather jacket, and a black cape hung from her back down to her knees.

“Who are you, and why should we let you join us?” Tony asked as he stepped forward. “And why are you running around with a knife?”

“You mean my dagger?” She reached down and pulled her dagger from her belt, where a few small bottles filled with red liquid hung. “I’m a thief, and if you want to do that quest, you need a full party.” She pointed her dagger at the cave entrance. “Lucky for us, I’m alone, and it looks like you need one more.”

“Did you try to go in alone and almost die?” Tony asked, looking the cat girl over.

“No. You literally can’t go in unless you're in a full party. Try for yourself.” She motioned to the cave once more.

Lucas turned and walked to the entrance, only to be stopped by a blue force field that appeared when he was within a foot of it. “A barrier?” He reached forward and touched it, causing a bubble of text to pop up. “She’s right. It says we’re four out of five, full team required.”

“Told ya. I wasn’t lying. If I could go in and attempt that dungeon, I would. Instead, I’ve been waiting around for a party that needs one more.” The cat girl secured her dagger back onto her belt. “You’re the first ones to come around today, and the only ones that haven’t been full in two days.”

“You’ve been waiting around here for two days?” Cookie asked. “That must’ve been quite lonely.”

The cat girl shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I’ve been grinding the monsters in the area to keep busy.”

“I recognize you.” Raven said, taking a step closer.

“You probably saw her at the soup kitchen, but I don’t know how to remember one face out of the thousands we saw every day.” Tony said, slowly circling around the potential new party member.

“Oh, yeah. I thought you guys looked familiar.” The thief gave a concerned look to the Kobold, then looked at Lucas. “Especially you. I haven’t seen many Draconians.”

Tony stepped back after doing one full rotation. “See, Mystery sol—”

“No, it was somewhere else.” Raven narrowed her gaze. “That’s it! You were with Grunk in the plaza when that guy—” She paused. “You were there when that happened.”

“I don’t remember this cat girl.” Tony shook his head.

The thief sighed.

“Now that you mention it.” Lucas hummed, looking the feline woman over. “I do remember that hair and the ears.”

“That’s right! You were at the fountain with our friend!” Cookie nodded.

“I really wish people would just forget about that.” The thief looked at the cave and then at the group. “Look, do you all want to party up, or what? I should be a perfect fit.”

“How are you a perfect fit?” Lucas asked.

“Yeah, how would you know that?” Tony pipped in.

“You’re a muse.” She motioned at the Kobold. “A healer.” Her finger pointed to Raven. “She’s obviously a soldier.” She pointed at Cookie next. “And a mage.” Then the thief looked at Lucas. “Two support classes, a melee, and a range damage dealer. You’re clearly lacking in damage. I’m a great damage dealer, and another front line class.”

“This isn’t my first rodeo. Even if you guys didn’t need a damage dealer, this is a beginner dungeon. It’ll be easy.” She looked over the group’s faces. “So, you want to do this?”

Everyone in the group shared a look amongst themselves, then looked at Lucas.

“Sure, why not?” Lucas turned back to the thief as he pulled his journal out. “JustJesse.” He read aloud the name that appeared over the thief’s head.

“Call me Jay.” The thief said, opening her own journal to accept the party invite.

“Welcome to the group, Jay!” Cookie said with a warm smile. “I’m Cookie, this is Raven, that’s Art, and finally, Tony.”

“Er, nice to meet you guys.” Jay gave a nod to the group. “What are your levels?”

“We’re all level nine.” Lucas answered.

“Only level nine? You guys haven’t even unlocked your second skill yet.” Jay said.

“What level are you, and how do you know that?” Tony asked.

“I’m level 17. You get to choose a skill every 5 levels. Every time you do, you’re picking from the same set. I assume at some point new ones get unlocked, maybe after all the skills have been earned.” Jay said, closing her journal and storing it away.

“Is that how MMOs usually work?” Lucas asked.

Jay shook her head. “No, this is unique. Normally, you unlock skills at certain levels, no choices involved. And I would know, I’ve played a lot of MMOs.”

“Galondé is supposed to be groundbreaking. This doesn’t surprise me.” Tony said, then turned towards the cave. “Anyway, are we going to go in now?”

“I’m ready if you all are. You guys might be a little under-leveled, but I’m probably over-leveled. So, we should be fine.” Jay said.

“It’s the first dungeon of the game. I’m not worried.” Tony said.

“I’m good.” Lucas said, brandishing his wand.

“I really don’t want to fight anything, but if we have to, I’ll do it to save Timothy.” Cookie held up her sword and shield.

“We’ll be fine, Cookie. I’ll make sure everyone stays healed.” Raven said.

Jay pulled a backpack from her back, nearly hidden beneath the cape. “Make sure to equip a light source.” She pulled a lantern from her pack, turned it on with a twist of a knob, then secured it to her belt.

“Oh, that’s me!” Cookie slid her sword into its sheath and pulled her pack around. After a few moments, a lantern was produced from her bag. “How did you hang it from your belt?”

“Just press the handle to the belt, and it’ll hang there until you pull it off.” Jay motioned to the lantern floating an inch off her belt. “A lantern can be attached to any belt.”

“How’d you figure that out?” Tony asked.

“I read the item description.” Jay stepped over to the cave entrance. The blue barrier appeared for a moment, then faded away. “Finally, I can get this quest done with.” She glanced back at the others, then stepped into the cave. “Come on, let’s go.”

Lucas and Tony shared a look, then followed Jay.

“Wow, look at that! It just hangs there.” Cookie admired the lantern now hanging from her belt.

“We’re going to get left behind, Cookie.” Raven said, waiting inside the cave’s entrance.

“Oh, sorry. I’m coming!” Cookie said before joining Raven. They hurried along, catching up with the boys and their new party member.

The cave was pitch black. The light from the two lanterns were the only things that illuminated the damp walls once the group got deep enough, the sunlight no longer reaching them. There was only enough space for two people to walk beside each other. Before long, a soft noise bounced off the walls, as if someone was drumming their nails on a table.

“Anyone else hear that noise?” Cookie asked, keeping close to Raven as they trailed behind the group.

“No, I hear it too.” Raven whispered.

“I hate this.” Tony said, flute clutched in both hands.

“Are MMOs usually this creepy?” Lucas asked.

“No, but I’ve never played a VR MMO before. There’s a first time for everything.” Jay said, slowing down. “Is it getting louder?”

“Don’t say that!” Tony’s eyes were darting around the room. “Maybe we should be quiet, so whatever that is doesn’t hear us.” He whispered. “We can sneak our way to the lost kid.”

“I doubt sneaking is an option. Even if it was, I’d be the only one capable of it.” Jay said in a hushed voice.

After a minute, the walls pulled apart. The group could easily all stand side by side now. The light from their lanterns barely reached the opposing walls. Everyone came to a stop. The noise was even louder now, coming from a multitude of places.

“I’ve got a bad feeling.” Tony whispered. “New girl, lead the way!”

Jay shot a glare back at the Kobold. “I shouldn’t be the one at the very front, but whatever.” She scanned the area, still dark as ever, then resumed moving forward.

The group only progressed for a handful of seconds before the noises ceased. Everyone came to a stop, followed by thuds. Jay jumped back and away from the three centipedes that had fallen from the ceiling. They were bright red, and easily as tall as Tony when they stood up, raising their front half off the ground.

“I got the one on the far right.” Jay took off towards their chosen target. “Poisoned Needle.” A large needle appeared in her hand as she ran, throwing and sticking it into the centipede’s chest. “Aerial Assault.” She leapt high off the ground, dashed through the air, and stabbed her dagger into the insect as she came down.

“Damn, that was cool.” Tony muttered, watching the new girl. “Ah, get it, Art!” He backpedaled away from the centipede approaching him.

“Ember!” Lucas aimed his wand at the approaching enemy as embers and flames shot out.

“Wait—I need to buff you.” Tony raised the flute to his lips, fumbling out a mess of notes.

“Uh.” Lucas stepped back as the insect got closer.

“Ew, it’s so gross and huge!” Cookie pressed into Raven’s side, the third centipede approaching the duo.

“Cut it up with your sword.” Raven took a big step back. “I can’t do anything.”

“Ah—Icky, icky, icky!” Cookie closed her eyes and flailed her sword as the insect grew closer.

“Tony, beat the crap out of it. My spell is on cooldown!” Lucas quickly stepped back, leaving the Kobold in front.

Tony returned to clutching his instrument in both hands. “This is the spider all over again!” He charged forward and delivered several hits to the centipede.

Jay finished her target, only having lost a fourth of her health. She turned away from the insect fading away, eyebrow raising as she looked to the rest of the party. “What am I watching?”

“Ember!” Lucas cast his spell at the insect beating on the Kobold. “Tony, are you okay?”

“Does it look like I’m okay?” Tony exclaimed, batting at the centipede to keep it off of him, though failing. “My health is getting low!”

“Raven, Can you—” Lucas looked over at Raven and Cookie.

“Mend!” Raven said, green sparks of magic spraying from her wand and onto Cookie.

“Thanks, sweety!” Cookie called out, landing a hit every few seconds as her sword flew around the centipede.

“Shit.” Jay broke out into a run. “Vendetta!” She sped up, charging over to Tony’s centipede to stab it in the back. The insect immediately turned around, now focused on the thief. “Catch.” She jumped back, then tossed one of her corked bottles to the Kobold. “Drink it, fast.”

Tony dropped his flute to the ground and caught the bottle, popping the cork off and downing the red liquid. “Mm. Tastes like fruit punch.” The dark orange bar on his wristband brightened up to a yellowish green.

A shriek caused everyone’s heads to turn.

“It’s on me! It’s on me!” Cookie ran past everyone and took off deeper into the cave, a centipede hanging off her back.

“Hey, wait. Come back!” Jay watched Cookie go, then turned back to the insect swiping at her. “You’re going to pull even more!” She slashed at her opponent.

“Hiya!” Tony ran back in, instrument in hand, as he landed a blow.

“What are you doing?!” Jay asked, looking at the Kobold behind the centipede.

“Cookie, come back!” Raven ran off, chasing the light that disappeared around a bend in the tunnel.

“Uh.” Lucas watched the chaos unfolding before him. “Oh, Ember!” He shot the spell at the centipede, watching it fall over, curl up, and then fade away.

“Aha, we did it!” Tony said triumphantly.

“I—Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Jay turned to where Cookie and Raven had gone. “We need to hurry and catch up to them.”

“Right. Cookie needs our help with that Centipede.” Lucas said.

Jay walked briskly. “Yes, but she’s going to—” She stopped.

“Run away! There’s more!” Cookie cried out, rushing back into the room.

“Go, go, go!” Raven said, right on Cookie’s heels as they ran past.

“Why are you girls so afraid of some—Bugs!” Tony pointed to the red centipede running into the room, followed by three glowing blue ones.

“Let’s go.” Jay said, turning and making a dash for the exit.

“A tactical retreat sounds good to me. Come on, Tony!” Lucas turned around to see the Kobold running off ahead of Jay.

“Way ahead of you!” Tony called back.