Mary threw an impressive number of dice representing her tiger form's raking attack. The damage was even greater than Ash's spell and more than enough to destroy the wraith. Roger sat back with a slightly stunned look. “Wow. No one has ever gotten this far before.”

“Seriously?” Ash said. “It wasn't that hard.”

Jay stared at him. “We're out of spells, potions, vitality, and ammunition. If an angry housecat crawls out of that open tomb, you’ll die. If two crawl out, I’ll die with you. What do you mean it wasn’t hard?”

Ash didn’t squirm under Jay’s glare, though he should have since he was so clearly wrong. The short young man looked back like he was ready to start a fight, even though Jay knew that wasn’t what he wanted. Ash was the kind of guy who was always starting fights without realizing it. “If this was Otherside, we’d be dead. We’re not dead. Ergo, it’s not that hard.”

The logic made no sense but Jay understood it anyway. It was the sort of thing he would say. It was the sort of thing a Truther would say. A person who played the game for training instead of fun.

Jay realized that it made him kind of like the arrogant little snot. He tried to make a peace offering. “We should have brought a cleric to deal with all those undead.”

“That would have obviated the entire point,” Ash muttered. At that moment Jay was sure Ash was in it for “the reals,” as the Truthers put it. Clerics, despite their power, were not often found in Truther games. The only legitimate path to the priesthood lay through the Church of Sinclair, and nobody who joined that organization was going to be out gallivanting around the world in search of monsters to kill. The Church had its own training programs for clergy. The people who played at being clerics were only playing a game.

Mary giggled, causing both the young men to stare at her. Jay realized he had forgotten about her again. “If this was Otherside we’d all be clerics with machine guns.” Then she pulled a face.

Jay and Ash shared a look. Was mousey Mary a Truther too? Of course, the fact that both of them were clearly thinking the same thing meant that they had just outed themselves to each other. Ash leaned back, looking more relaxed and friendly than Jay had ever seen him.

Roger seemed to realize he had lost the attention of his players. He cleared his throat. “Okay, so, I gotta review my notes for the next part. Meanwhile, how do you want to divvy up the loot?”

Ash looked back to the game master. “Is there enough to level me again?”

“No, Jrandi,” Roger answered, using Ash’s character name. “The souls the wraith had enslaved are legion, but you’re seventh level. It’s going to take a lot more than that.”

The next words out of Ash’s mouth shocked Jay. “Then I say we give it all to Mary.”

Jay stared at Ash but his face was inscrutable. The guy would be pretty good at poker.

Mary was also surprised. “Why would you do that? You just met me.”

Ash shrugged. “You’re only fifth rank, right? It’ll probably level you. And you were instrumental. If you hadn’t showed up out of nowhere, we’d be dead. Tonto’s healing spells are weaker than diet soda. Not to mention your big finish.”

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Once again Mary showed a spark of steel. “You shouldn’t call him that. It’s offensive. His name is Aragorn.”

“It’s only offensive if he says it to me.” Ash grinned. “And a ranger named Aragorn is lame sauce. He deserves all the grief he gets.”

That was completely true, which is why Jay had let it slide for the last eight weeks.

“It’s not going to make me like you.” Mary was being quite stubborn for someone getting a free gift. Jay decided he liked that, too.

“If this was Otherside, it’s what we would do,” he told her. “Rank the weakest member. Look out for each other. It’s how a party survives.”

“Yep,” Ash said approvingly, but he was looking at Jay. So it had been a test, but for Jay.

“We’re not a party,” Mary pointed out.

“We could be,” Jay suggested, looking at Ash.

“What would be the point of that?” Ash asked it like he didn’t expect an answer.

“Well,” Jay said, “for one thing we could come back next week and lay waste to whatever new foes Roger makes up between now and then.”

Roger blushed, confirming Jay’s suspicion that the game master hadn’t been prepared for their victory. “Seriously, guys, I have some notes for what comes next. It’s just that in three years, nobody ever thought to trick the king lobsters into fighting the orcs while evading both of them. Skipping all of that saved you a lot of juice. That was really clever.”

“Why spend yourself on low-value targets?” Ash asked. “Better to focus on the guys who are really going to deliver.” He wasn’t talking about the game anymore. Jay sat back, showing he was cool with the new topic. Being a Truther wasn’t illegal, but if the Church got wind that you were, you wouldn’t get closer than a thousand miles to the backside of the Gate. It’s why nobody serious talked about it openly. Which made it hard for the Truthers to organize, to find each other, to put together the kind of party that could actually make it on the other side.

Which, of course, was the point.

“Speaking as Aragorn, I have to say that the Arcanist Jrandi has proven himself in battle time and time again. If he’s going to be this clever in the future, I’d be happy to keep the housecats from killing him.”

“Master Jrandi concurs,” Ash said. “We’ve proven our mettle in this adventure. We should stick together for the next one.”

Roger looked surprised. “Are you guys declaring as a party? You want me to file the paperwork with the gaming commission?”

“Sure,” Mary said. “I’d be happy to. My last party was… I mean, I’ve been looking for somebody who knew the rules as well as you guys do.”

Jay bit back his sigh. He needed to stop forgetting that the girl was there.

“That complicates things,” Ash said, seizing the initiative. “We’ll get back to you next week. First I think the three of us should make camp and have a discussion. Preferably over a beer.”

That was good thinking. The game store didn’t sell alcohol, so they’d have an excuse to go somewhere more private. Jay was surprised that Ash was inviting Mary, but decided he shouldn’t be. The girl had quoted elven lore so obscure even Roger hadn’t heard of it. If she was a Truther, she might well be someone worth knowing.

“Allright, so next week. Same time, right?” Roger was starting to look a little excited. Maybe he was happy that someone had finally beaten his adventure. Or maybe he was just plotting a way to murder them all. Jay realized he didn’t care. The whole reason he had taken up gaming, rather than just studying on his own, was to meet other Truthers. To find a group of people who were as desperate to seize control of their own future as he was.

“Sure,” Jay said. “By the way, that was a great adventure. Thanks for being so creative.” There were rules the game masters had to follow to make approved adventures. Roger was famous because he found ways to use the same pool of resources as everyone else yet turn them into a player-killing machine. Casual players didn’t last long at his table. It was inevitable that Jay and Ash would gravitate here, looking for a challenge that would prepare them for the real world.

“It really was,” Mary said. “You’re every bit as fantastic as everyone said you were.”

Roger mumbled a bit. “Thanks. I mean, I try.”

Jay realized that Mary had sought Roger out for the same reason. How many Truthers had passed through Roger’s orbit? For that matter, was Roger a Truther himself? Jay took a critical look at the game master. He was older, which didn’t mean as much as it used to, but he was also soft, pudgy, wearing thick glasses, and prone to affability even when players were screaming at him. Jay decided adventuring was always just going to be a fantasy for the man.

For him, though, it was going to be more than that. He was sure of it. Even if it got him killed.