Raziel dashed in front of me, dawning his armor as he went. I had a hand on Raccoon to keep him in place. I'd sent him home to talk with my parents. He was half in and half out of the game. I was sure he could still hear us but I didn't want him to fall and break his neck.

I wasn't sure how the system dealt with pet deaths but I was sure I'd find out sooner or later.

Trudging through the water was a hassle but keeping Koffers men off our trail was paramount. That is if they still needed to find us.

Molly seemed more worried about Koffer than anyone else. Koffer was a teen like me. I didn't have all the answers and I doubted he did either. Was I going to let anyone else know I didn't have my shit together? Not for all the bits in the world.

The town wasn't very far off. We'd traveled in an underground catacomb and then through a cave. It led us to an opening outside of town which was filled with water and trash. A short distance from there was the river. It cut through the land leaving tall banks that we had to climb periodically to get a good view of our surroundings.

I'd left my whistle with Morgue’n. He was the ghost with armor that I had met earlier. His full name was Morgue’n Freeman. I appreciated his innovation. Not everyone dared to defy their classes' innate characteristics. However, his naming conventions needed a lot of work.

As we splashed our way forward I noticed Morgue’n up the bank peering over the edge and stopped. Raziel did the same and crept ahead.

Despite his best effort to stay quiet Raziel’s armor was extremely loud.

I cringed as I climbed the river bank next to Morgue’n.

Heavy armor was also loud on ghosts, which didn't make sense to me since it was semi-transparent.

Morgue’n pointed and my gaze followed his direction.

The only thing I was able to see was a helmet of someone descending down a hill before disappearing below it.

Grass-covered rolling hills met the river where vast amounts of dirt blended with the green. Trees loomed in the distance.

“Wait a sec,” Morgue’n whispered as he put up a finger.

Downriver I could see some of the Hexed begin copying us.

Instead of simply unleashing Undead Domination on them, I focused and tried something new.

The vampires earlier gave me an idea. I activated the skill but didn't let the area of effect spread. I concentrated and after a few seconds, every undead in the area lit up.

Each type had an associated color. Blue for ghosts, orange for skeletons, and green for shamblers. Molly and Rufus glowed gold and stood out from the rest.

Were there any other hidden features in the skill?

I turned and focused on a leather-clad skeleton. His aura began to flash and then his eyes darted around till they landed on me.

He gestured in the air and turned purple. The ambient noise in the area quieted.

“Hello?” his lips moved as he spoke.

That was interesting. “Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, this is weird. It's like the world was put on mute,” he said.

I turned to Raziel. “Can you hear me?”

His aura began to flash. He swiped through the air, dismissing the notification, and the blinking stopped.

Raziel was hard to read. On the way to the graveyard, he seemed almost childlike in his demeanor. Perhaps he was doing his part and roleplaying? That I could handle.

“What's your name?” I asked the skeleton.

He climbed up next to me. “Hoppins.”

“You were at the meeting weren't you?” I asked.

“Yup.”

“You focus on the more…” I paused for a moment and checked the hill. No one had re-emerged from the other side. “Crafty side of your skills?”

Hoppins grinned. “Bullseye.”

“I might need you. Can you hold on?” I asked.

He nodded.

I thought about disconnecting and Hoppin's color changed back to orange.

Another voice chat outside of the party system. I wondered if rogue types could hear these conversations. We'd have to experiment further later on.

“What were you able to make out, Morgue?” I whispered.

He shook his head. “Looked like a few guys walking down the hill over there.”

“Were they Enlightened? Did they spot you?” I asked.

The ghostly man scratched his armpit under his metallic armor. “I’ll follow them.”

As he got to his feet I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You, Rufus, and Raziel should lead everyone to the rendezvous point. Your armor is much too loud for tracking,” I said.

Molly floated up next to us.

“I'll take Molly and Hoppins. We'll see what they are doing and meet you there,” I suggested while making eye contact with them.

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Raziel backed down the hill a few steps. “I'm coming with you.”

“You're too loud and what if they,” I gestured at the slow-moving Hexed behind us. “Are ambushed?”

His gauntlet clenched and an echoing snarl came out. “At least bring a zombie with you.”

“Shambler,” I muttered.

“Whatever, just bring one of them with you,” he said,

I gazed across the water and found who I was looking for and gestured for them to come.

The shambler I met earlier, who was decked out in Kevlar, came running forward. His name was Bastion. He was the one I’d friended, along with Morgue’n, and a ghost girl named Etherea.

“Bastion, let's go,” I said.

He excitedly shuffled forward.

I focused on my lieutenants and thought, Can you keep leading the rear to the rendezvous, Rufus?

He was further back, but I could still see his glow.

As long as someone’s guiding the front, I'll make sure none of these stragglers get out of line, he replied.

“Rufus is all set,” I said to Raziel, and turned to the three people gathered around me. “You three ready to go?”

They nodded.

I gave Raziel and Morgue’n one last look before climbing over the bank.

The others followed me.

Molly kept low to the ground while Bastion, Hoppins, and I ducked while creeping up to the top of the next hill.

We should invite them to the party, Molly said in group chat.

It was a good idea. If the people we were following were Enlightened they would have someone specialized in perception. However, if they didn’t, at least party chat would stop average people from hearing us. Molly, Raccoon, and I were the only ones in my group so I tossed the others invites.

They accepted immediately.

Hey.

Hello.

Hi.

Came all at once.

Let's get going, I said while taking the lead.

As I peered over the hill I could see a clear path in the grass where the people had traveled.

They had gone through the center of two hills which was why we didn't see them from the riverbank.

Hoppins and Bastion each flanked me as I pressed forward. Molly traveled around us skipping and circling like a child-sized satellite.

We weren't moving particularly fast. Then a full-body chill ran through my body as I heard a haunting voice draw out, “In-a-thiel.”

Molly—

She passed by seemingly unaware and glanced at me when I said her name.

“Can I come?” a girl's voice asked.

That wasn't Molly's voice.

Suddenly Etherea flickered in and out of existence as she blinked around.

I swallowed and took in a few measured breaths.

It's not him, it's not him, I told myself.

Bastion and Hoppins had stopped and Molly took a place at my side.

“You can come,” I replied and sent her an invite.

Thanks! she said.

The Undead in our zone never had a uniting force. There were other towns where the majority of people played undead. They, like most of the Hexed here, would fight against their own kind.

The devs hadn't added much in the way of NPCs for us to fight so it was understandable. If what Raziel had told me was true that may have changed recently.

While I was excited to explore his find, some things needed to be done first.

I wasn't angry at Etherea for following us. She wanted in on the fun and I understood that. Who was I to stop her from getting her spook on?

Who is Riley? Hoppins asked.

Shit. I'd forgotten all about Raccoon asking us to use that name.

“This little guy,” I whispered while still holding on to him.

Raccoon took that moment to stir and stand up. Hello.

He immediately reached for Molly.

She picked him up and laid him against her shoulder.

He doesn't like to walk, Molly explained.

Instead of conversing with them, I climbed the hill next to us. A gorge in the earth on our right was visible where the main river had split the land.

The river had changed course, probably due to a dam we had built somewhere. It was dried up.

Then I watched as two people walked up to the edge and the ground beneath gave way causing them to fall down the side.

Holy bytes, I said and ran.

***

Penurious Jennifer Marie Edwards blinked a few times and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She was back in her real apartment. Whatever the fuck real was, she didn’t know anymore.

That stupid Raccoon pissed her off. Why did he have to be so snide? He was only delivering information but could have been more empathetic.

“Arackulous, come out here,” Jennifer demanded.

Jennifer's vision flickered and her Zix Arackulous slinked into view. “Jennifer, why are you being so reckless if someone was—”

“No ones watching me,” Jennifer spat. She closed her eyes briefly composing herself. “I'm going to the meeting tonight.”

Arackulous sighed, and his feline breath came out as a purr. “You know you're welcome but it's been decades since a Penurious has attended.”

“Did you know that Azerail's Zix made her a Temporal Dial?” Jennifer asked.

The digital cat stretched. “A crude version I'm sure.”

“Yet you do nothing!” Jennifer screamed.

Arackulous leapt onto the couch. “Observe, that's what we do, that's what you do. We do not interfere.”

Jennifer slammed her fist on the sofa’s arm as she stood. “And what have you learned about the spider that attacked her?”

“Now you're asking the right question,” he said. “We've examined the sword in Infinite Diffusions quarantine.”

“And?”

The cat sat there unblinking, unbreathing. “A rogue program was found in it.”

Jennifer crossed her arms waiting for more.

“It has been dealt with and will not infect another Zix,” he finished.

“Where did it originate?”

Arackulous lifted a paw and licked it. “We are still investigating.”

“We have a Chronofield on our server,” Jennifer stated.

“We know.”

“Azerail accessed it,” she said.

After finishing his cleaning animation Arackulous spoke, “And she suffered from chrono sickness, which is why Raccoon created a temporal dial.”

“Aren't you worried about what that, what did you call it? ‘Rogue program’ did to her Zix?” Jennifer asked.

“We are investiga—”

“To hell with your investigation! Is my daughter dying?” Jennifer asked.

Arackulous turned away from Jennifer then.

Jennifer took a step toward the cat. “If you don't do something, I will!”

“You must not interfere!” he protested and faced her.

Jennifer walked past the couch and gazed out of her sphere. The sky was lined with residential buildings like her own. Normally, they only ever had their sphere become translucent in their room. Tears flooded down her cheeks.

“We must trust that they know what they were doing, Jennifer,” Arackulous said as he circled her leg.

She crumpled to the floor. “They left us, he left us.”

Arackulous climbed onto Jennifer's lap and purred. “He will be back one day. They will have accomplished what they set out to do and everything will be better.”

Jennifer hoped he was right. She held her Zix and sobbed.

***