“I don’t like it.”

Matt pressed his ear to the door, trying to decipher which of the hacker imps was speaking.

“Like it or not, the kid found three dragon shards. THREE! That’s more than either of you have done in your time here, and he doesn’t even have the same kind of abilities you do.”

The second voice was Stoffel. Matt grinned as he imagined the stunned and offended expressions that the other two hackers likely had.

Suck it.

“Besides that, the Red Tower aligns with all of our interests,” Stoffel said. “We let Matt take one of the shards there and blow the place up. It strikes a big blow against the company, and it takes out several auditors.”

“You must have been the kid that threw rocks at hornet nests when you were little,” one of the other imps said. “If we detonate one of the shards now, we’ll tip our hand. As far as the players are aware, the shards are used to power things like wizard wards, massive constructs, or to augment undead armies. No player knows they can be rigged to explode.”

“She’s right,” the third hacker said. “We do this, and the company will up their game. They might even come after us with a shard of their own. We don’t know where the rest of them are. They might have several.”

“So do we!” Stoffel shouted. “We now have four, that’s four out of nine! We should strike now rather than risk getting caught before we can even use one. Come on, think of it as a dry run for our end game strategy.”

“I still don’t like it,” the second hacker said. “I think we should wait. I’d rather have eight, or all nine even, and then blow them all at once.”

“Think of how much longer we’d need to hunt down the other shards,” Stoffel countered. “Every day we spend hunting them is another that the company spends hunting us. Or have you forgotten how long I was imprisoned?” Silence hit the room. Matt waited several moments for one of the other hackers to respond, but it was Stoffel who finally broke the tension. “And remind me, which one of you rescued me?”

“Hey, now that’s not fair!” the female hacker said. “We were looking for you, but they kept moving your location!”

“Matt found me, and Matt freed me.”

“From what I heard, you forced him into helping you,” the male hacker chuckled. “So don’t get all knight-in-shining-armor with us now. You used him, and you got him tortured.”

Matt took a breath and reached for the knob. He’d been told not to enter the room under any circumstances, but he’d had enough. He turned the knob and pushed the door open. He found the three imps sitting around a small table which displayed a holographic representation of a tall tower in the center of a citadel-like structure.

“You can’t be in this room,” Stoffel said curtly.

“Yeah well, if we’re going to talk about allegiances and who owes what to whom, as well as who is responsible for what, then I am going to have my say. Zap me afterward if you like, but I’m going to speak.”

The imps sat there, staring at him.

Matt’s mouth went dry and he found himself wishing he’d rehearsed what he wanted to say before barging in on a meeting.

“Well?” the male hacker said as he crossed his leathery, impish arms. “We’re waiting.”

“Stoffel might have gotten me tortured, but he was testing me to see if I was false with my intentions. More than that, he’s helped me a lot more than my compliance manager did.”

“That isn’t saying much,” the female hacker said.

Matt shrugged. “I have hope because of Stoffel. It’s that simple,” Matt said. “Listen, if his plan is to blow up a tower full of auditors, then I say we go for it. I get some payback for being tortured and trapped in a game, and you guys get to take the company down a notch or two. I like it.”

“And what happens when the company realizes you’re helping us?” the male hacker said. “The company can boot us, and possibly hurt our minds a bit or put us into a short coma, but they have full access to your body. They can do anything they want to you, and no one would ever know.”

Matt swallowed and his right middle finger tapped rapidly on his thumb as he imagined what might be happening to the real him.

“He doesn’t have the stomach for it,” the female hacker said after a moment. “Look at him tremble and shake. This isn’t a warrior, this is a kid.”

“I saw him fight,” Stoffel said. “I don’t just mean the thugs in the secret tunnels or the goblins when he was fetching shards for us, I mean when he was being tortured. There was a fire in his eyes that never dimmed no matter what the auditor threw at him.”

“Don’t get soft on us now,” the female hacker said. “If he’d known anything about any of us he would have spilled everything during the torture.”

Stoffel shook his head. “Maybe, maybe not. The truth is that everyone cracks under torture at some point. The fact to consider now though is where Matt directs his fiery vengeance. I say we blow up the tower. If you two are so scared about losing the other shards, then start planning what targets to hit next. If we hit hard and fast, then the company might not be able to react fast enough to stop us, or counter.”

“Besides,” Matt said as all eyes turned to him. “They already have my body. So the faster I get out of here, the faster I get it back. I can’t live in fear of what they might do. I can only press forward, otherwise I’ll be stuck. I’ll be trapped by indecision, and they will win.”

“He’s got a point,” the male hacker said.

“False bravado in the face of misunderstood dangers,” the female imp countered. “If he truly understood what they could--”

Matt cut her off. “You won’t even tell me your in-game names,” he said. “Seems to me you aren’t in a position to lecture me on fear.”

The female stood up and then took to the air with a graceful flap of her wings as a fireball jumped to life in her hands. “Caution and fear aren’t the same,” she snarled.

“But one is a good cover for the other,” Matt replied. “I found three shards. That’s three times more than you. I’d say your caution is getting the better of you.”

Stoffel whistled through his pointed teeth. “On that note, I say we go grab a shard and hit the tower.”

The male hacker stood from his chair. “I’m Meffi.”

“Meffi!” the female hacker shouted.

Matt smiled. “I get it,” he said.

Stoffel flew up next to the female hacker and gestured toward her. “This is Leeza.”

“Each of you took a part of the name Mephistopheles,” Matt said with a nod.

“That’s why I didn’t want to tell him!” Leeza said. “Now if he’s caught, the company will know there are only three of us working against them.”

Matt shrugged. “Then I guess we better not get caught when we blow stuff up.”

Stoffel and Meffi laughed, but Leeza turned around and threw her fireball at the holographic tower.

“Let’s go, kid,” Stoffel said.

The two of them moved toward the character creation room once more and Stoffel gestured for Matt to take a seat.

“So, in the story, Mephistopheles gets Faust in the end,” Matt said.

Stoffel nodded and worked at a console for a few seconds while Matt sat in the chair. “And now you’re wondering if you are Faust, right?”

Matt shrugged. “I mean, you’re offering me powers and abilities in exchange for services...”

Stoffel shook his head as a semi-transparent screen descended from the ceiling. “Don’t worry, we won’t be taking your soul at the end of this story,” Stoffel said. “The Faust we’re after already took what he wanted from us, and now we’re making him pay.”

Matt screwed up his brow and regarded Stoffel curiously. “Who was it?”

Stoffel smiled and pointed to the screen as words began to appear. “One thing you need to know is that you won’t get all of the same notifications as a regular player.” The imp had completely shifted topics, but Matt let it go. “You’ll have a generic gamer tag that others can inspect. You’ll have a nominal level and HP bar, but they won’t accurately reflect your real stats.”

“What if I just use my inventory?” Matt asked. “I can check my stat sheet and...”

Stoffel shook his head. “Useless. You see, in order to operate in various environments, you’ll need particular stat load outs to avoid drawing attention. For example, if you’re a level 2 noob, then no one would expect to see you in places like the Red Tower, so you’ll need to project a high enough level that people will expect you to appear there and belong. On the flip side, if you’re max level and running around the town you started in, you’ll attract compliance managers and auditors. Apart from ensuring employees behave, the auditors also try to force balance on the world and prevent things like maxed out players running amok in a beginner area and causing too much frustration for new players.”

“Got it, so I guess you’re about to show me my true stats then?”

Stoffel nodded. “Yep, and lucky you, you are now level three!”

Matt felt a blip of excitement that dies as soon as he realized level three was likely nowhere near strong enough to hit a place like the Red Tower. “What level would I need to be to approach the Red Tower?”

“Officially?” Stoffel said with a shrug. “Fifty I think, or maybe forty five. It isn’t the strongest tower, but it isn’t for noobs.”

“And we’re going to go blow it up?” Matt felt his palms starting to sweat.

“Yep, it’ll be great, trust me.”

Matt looked up at the screen. “I have some ability points it looks like.”

“I’d say stick them all in enchanting,” Stoffel said as he pushed a few more buttons at the console.

A yellow prompt appeared on the large screen.

Enchanting proficiency has now reached 25%

You also had your health increase by twenty points, ten for each level gained. Nominal stamina and mana increases, et cetera.”

“Shouldn’t I choose my ability points?”

“You’re an enchanter,” Stoffel said. “At these early stages you want to max out your enchanting ability first. Remember, you can make items do all sorts of things. So eventually you’ll be like Iron Man. You’ll have a suit for every mission.”

Matt started to reject the idea, but comparing himself to Iron Man was kind of fun. Besides, he could see Stoffel’s point. Why add an ability to stealth if you could just enchant a pair of boots or something.”

“All right, let’s get you some gear,” Stoffel said. “Follow me.”

Matt followed the flying imp through a long hallway and then into a large room with a set of three wardrobes on one side, and some crafting tables on the other.

“You’ll need to fit in at the Red Tower, so I’ll help you look the part.” Stoffel flew over to the second wardrobe and opened it. A moment later he was flinging robes and hoods onto the ground as he rifled through the items. “AHA!” He turned and flew to the crafting table, holding a hooded robe in one hand and trousers and tunic in the other. “Get to work on these three items first. The hooded robe acts as two items, meaning when you enchant it for stealth, it will apply the bonus to both the hood and the robe. Think of it like combining a helmet and a set of armor. The tunic you’ll want to enchant for health, just in case we get into a skirmish. The trousers you’ll want to enchant with stamina regeneration-- we will be trying to outrun a nuke, after all-- and I’ll get the other items.”

Matt looked down at the items and picked up the tunic first. He tried to access the crafting table, but it only gave him color and style options.

“No, no, go to the enchanting table at the far end of the room,” Stoffel called out from behind.

“I knew that,” Matt lied. “Just wanted to see what options I had for colors.”

“Sure, sure,” Stoffel said.

Matt took the tunic to the enchanting table and ran a hand over the cold stone. It hummed to life at his touch.

“The effectiveness is slightly random, but it’s based on your abilities and you’ll have a bonus for being an actual enchanter class too. Good luck!”

“Wait,” Matt said as he turned around. “Can’t you just max everything out for me, or run some code so I can ensure a good stat boost?”

“Nope, all of that went out the window with the latest patches. I can do a few things, but most of them have to do with abilities that I need. It’s kind of like those special escape tunnels. With the company’s security in full swing, we’re limited to what we were able to boost pre-game, and that’s why I figured it best to make you an enchanter. This way you can work within the system and still customize yourself for each mission. I know it feels rough for now, but trust me. You’ll be OP in no time, and then the two of us can take over the world!”

Matt shrugged, feeling a bit like Pinky to Stoffel’s Brain and wondering if he should simply respond with ‘narf,’ but ultimately he moved forward with the enchantment. A menu flashed before him and he briefly glanced at a few of the options. He could enchant the tunic with a health boost, health regeneration, stamina boost, or armor boost. As instructed, he looked at the two health options. A simple boost might be good, but the ability to regenerate health without potions was by far the better option in Matt’s opinion. He chose it and confirmed his decision with a thought.

You have enchanted your tunic. Your tunic, when equipped, will regenerate 4 HP per second outside of combat. If you are in active combat, you must not attack or be hit for 4 consecutive seconds in order for the regeneration to begin. Every time you attack or are hit, the timer will reset.

“Not bad!”

“How’d it go?” Stoffel asked.

“Basically within a couple of minutes after any combat I can fully regenerate my health.”

“Well done,” Stoffel said. “The tricky part will be getting out of combat if we’re discovered at the Red Tower, so I would have gone with a straight boost to HP, but it’s your call.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’ll just roll awesome on my stealth,” Matt said.

He grabbed the hooded robe and went straight to the stealth ability, not even reading the others. He confirmed his decision and smiled as a blue glow enveloped the hooded robe.

You have enchanted your hooded robe. Your hooded robe, when equipped, will grant a total bonus of 20% to your stealth. (10% for the hood and 10% for the robe.). If you are discovered or in active combat, you must escape your enemy’s line of sight in order to attempt stealth again.

Matt frowned. “Do you happen to have another set of hooded robes?” he asked.

“That bad huh?” Stoffel said as he flew over to Matt. “What percentage total boost?”

“Twenty.”

Stoffel shrugged. “It isn’t terrible, but it’s not as good as I would have hoped for your class and level.”

“I could try again with a different set,” Matt offered.

Stoffel shook his head. “That’s the only hooded set I’ve got. I have other robes, but no other hoods. You’ll just need to roll better on the other items.”

Matt went back for the boots and gloves next, then enchanted them with stealth.

You have enchanted your noble boots. Your noble boots, when equipped, will grant a total bonus of 20% to your stealth. If you are discovered or in active combat, you must escape your enemy’s line of sight in order to attempt stealth again.

“Dang, I did good this time,” Matt said. “I got twenty percent on the boots.”

“Now we’re talking!” Stoffel commented. “Too bad you didn’t do as well on the hooded robes, but hey, at least you have a total of forty percent bonus now!”

Matt nodded and rolled for the gloves.

You have enchanted your noble gloves. Your noble gloves, when equipped, will grant a total bonus of 12% to your stealth. If you are discovered or in active combat, you must escape your enemy’s line of sight in order to attempt stealth again.

“Twelve percent,” Matt said.

“Don’t sweat it. I have another pair of gloves. Let me grab them and you can try again.” Stoffel flew to the wardrobe and back, holding out a shiny pair of finely crafted black leather gloves.

Matt took in a breath and cracked his neck. “Come on, get me a good bonus!”

A blue glow enveloped the item and swirled around before the prompt came up.

You have enchanted your noble gloves. Your noble gloves, when equipped, will grant a total bonus of 21% to your stealth. If you are discovered or in active combat, you must escape your enemy’s line of sight in order to attempt stealth again.

“I almost doubled it!” Matt shouted. “Twenty one percent!”

“Excellent. Now get the trousers enchanted with stamina and we’ll be set.”

Matt rushed to the crafting table and snatched up the trousers. He slapped them onto the enchanting table and chose Stamina. “Let’s go!”

Your enchantment failed. These trousers are now cursed.

Matt stood there with his mouth open. “Um. It says the trousers are cursed now.”

Stoffel started to curse and got a zap from the censor bot. “You must have done a really bad job to skip over simply failing to cursing them!”

Matt opened his inventory and went to drop the cursed trousers, but the option was blocked. “Um...”

“Yeah, cursed items become a kind of quest. You have twenty four hours to find someone who can remove the trousers from your inventory and trap them into a kind of chest that can consume them or they’ll bind to you.”

“What happens if they bind to me?” Matt asked.

“Then you’ll be royally --” the zap bot jolted Stoffel once more and he shook it off. “What I mean is, then you’ll have to find an arch mage willing to unbind them from you, and you do not want to have to do that.”

“Let me guess, all arch mages are auditors?”

Stoffel shook his head. “Worse than that, much, much worse than that.” Stoffel rubbed the bridge of his nose between thumb and index finger. “Don’t tell Leeza or Meffi, they’ll just use this to shut us down.”

“Can we still hit the Red Tower?” Matt asked.

“Yeah, but we’ll need to find someone who can take the cursed item first.”

“Do you know anyone who can do that?” Matt asked.

Stoffel shook his head and shrugged. “I mean, compliance managers can do it for their employee group, but I don’t think yours would be amenable to the idea.”

Matt sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good option. Who else could do it?”

“I might know of a place. It’s not too far out of the way from the Red Tower.” Stoffel went to the wardrobe and got another pair of trousers. “In the meantime, try enchanting these for stamina. We’ll just have to make sure we get rid of the cursed pants before they bind to you.”

Matt took the new trousers in hand and glanced at the enchanting table. Now that he understood the risk of critical failures, he wasn’t nearly as excited to try again.

“Come on, you’ve already got the worst outcome anyone could, so you may as well go nuts and do the last item. Worst case scenario, you have two sets of cursed pants but as long as we find the right person we’ll be all right.”

Easy for you to say. Matt glanced at the inventory and noticed that his cursed pants didn’t say what they’d inflict upon him. “So, what will the curse be? It doesn’t say.”

“You won’t know until they bind. It will be something to do with stamina for sure, since you tried to enchant the trousers with a stamina boost, but the specifics won’t be discovered until later.”

“Ugh,” Matt grunted. He set the next pair down and closed his eyes after confirming his choice.

You have enchanted your noble trousers. Your noble trousers, when equipped, will grant a total bonus of 12 stamina to your base total. This bonus stacks.

“I got twelve points,” Matt said.

“Not as good as twenty four, but I don’t have another pair of noble trousers at the moment, so that will have to do,” Stoffel said. Stoffel then flew back to a wardrobe and reached for something on the top shelf. “Now, this is something special. A rare item. It’s a Soul Mask. You’d be expected to have at least one rare item by the time you reached the Red Tower, and not just any kind of rare item, but one specifically meant for magic users. So, rather than try to fake it by projecting hollow images and fake stats, I figure it’s best to let you wear this.”

Matt turned around and saw something that looked like it might have come from feudal Japan. A black, metallic mask with a demon’s face and two medium sized horns protruding from the top, and a smaller horn in the center of the forehead, flanked by a series of rubies on either side. The eyes glowed red and prevented Matt from seeing through them.

“Go ahead and put it on. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

You have equipped Soul Mask. +3 Intelligence, +3 Wisdom, +3% Mana Regeneration, +5% boost to Base Mana Total (stacks with other mana boosts), Able to locate Soul Siphon Crystals up to 2 miles away.

“Whoa! This thing is amazing!” Matt shouted.

“It isn’t top tier, but it’s pretty cool,” Stoffel said.

“Plus it makes me like a shark!” Matt exclaimed as he tapped his forehead.

Stoffel frowned, obviously not getting the reference.

“You know, because sharks can smell, like, a drop of blood in a mile of ocean water or something like that.”

“Ah, the location ability for soul siphon crystals. Yes, that is pretty cool too, but remember those are fairly rare in and of themselves. You lucked out in finding as many as you did, especially so early.”

“I guess luck is something I have on my side. Soul siphon crystals, dragon shards, I’m finding everything you need.”

“Don’t get too cocky there, big boy. You are also the one who got locked into a game for ten years. I’d call that rather unlucky.”

Matt frowned and then shrugged it off. “Killjoy.”

“Come on, we’ve been here long enough. Let’s get on our way to the Red Tower.”

“But first a stop off at whoever can remove my pants,” Matt said.

Stoffel turned around with an arched eyebrow.

Matt closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “I know, I know. That sounded totally wrong.”