I wanted to run, push through the mages, and escape this horrid place. Instead, I stood my ground waiting for the inevitable.

The crowd turned in unison. They were all looking at us.

All the masked mages' heads turned as if on a swivel. Most didn't have a mask that mimicked their expressions. Then again, I enchanted mine to do it.

My menu popped up as I pinched the air in front of me. “Going dark,” I said as I tapped the leave party button.

It asked me if I was sure I wanted to disband. When I selected ‘yes,’ a sudden wave of relief washed over me. There was always a sense of tension that built up when I was in a group. It could have been my implant messing with me or nerves. Either way, I needed some solo time.

I swapped back into role-playing mode both in my menu and in my demeanor. It was like a switch in my brain had been flicked. Inethiel and I were one again.

What I thought would happen, happened. The man in black trekked toward our group. He would likely be able to point me out, especially since my mask was unique.

I examined the other girls in the group to make sure. Yep, I'm screwed.

We should fight, Kumori said.

Its persistence was enough to frustrate me. Fine, but we have to do it at the right time.

The chances of making it out alive were slim, and I would have to ask for Darryl’s help afterward. I despised being forced to beg for favors.

I put a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of me, and they turned.

“Pardon me,” I said and took a step forward. The way they backed away, you would have thought I had a disease.

They must have all heard me because everyone moved as I pressed forward. By the time I hit the open field, the leather-clad man had arrived.

A stare-off broke out between us. Blinking was something the undead didn't need to do, so I waited.

He rolled his eyes, took a step to the side, and gestured for me to move ahead.

I smirked as I passed him and the look on his face was marvelous. This man hated me.

By the time we were about halfway to Lily, a small contingent of armored men had separated from the mass and encircled her.

One had a white shoulder cloak like hers. He extended his arm and said, “That's far enough.”

In an act of defiance, I didn't stop until his hand went for the sword at his hip. It was only a few steps, but these pathetic humans didn't deserve my respect.

I'd never been this close to the leaders of the Enlightened, so I took my time and observed as much as I could.

The man who stood before had armor that was specially crafted just for him. It was very different from the newer players from earlier.

Where hers was bulky, his was form-fitting which would allow him to move freely in combat. Glowing runes similar to what I'd seen on Victor's scrolls were etched along the breastplate.

I wasn't skilled enough in enchanting to know what those runes meant, but they were probably at least master-class.

His ornately embroidered shoulder cloak flowed down to the bottom of his elbow. Emblazoned on its side was a symbol of a lion with twin blades behind it.

The hilt of the man's sword was adorned with jewels and gold filigree. I'd seen dozens just like it. They sold well, for junk.

Each of the men with him was dressed similarly. The craftsmanship of their equipment wasn't as good, but it was close enough.

“I want to talk with it,” Lily said. She was blocked from my vision, so I couldn’t see the details on her equipment.

Did she really call me an ‘it?’

A sense of rage flooded over me. Yes, Kumo said.

I stepped forward, and the man with the sword drew it. Golden runes were revealed and lit up the area.

Was it me that was angry, or was it Kumo? I didn’t have time to contemplate the question. The man’s eyes flicked to my left for a second, and then a sharp pain hit the back of my knee. No doubt, it was the man from the bank who had done it. Before I knew it, I was kneeling before the pathetic wretches.

“Let me talk to it!” Lily demanded.

The knight turned his head. “But my Lady, it’s dangerous!”

Damn right, I’m dangerous.

“It’s only a zombie. Hold it down,” she said.

“Lucas,” the head knight said, and a man separated from the group walked behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. By the amount of pressure he was using, it could only mean his strength was maxed out.

Touch him.

I ignored Kumo. What Lily wanted to say to me seemed more important.

A small gloved hand wrapped itself around the head knight’s left arm. “Koffer,” Lily said.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Koffer, I assumed, was the knight.

Without removing his eyes or his sword from me, he took a practiced side step, revealing Lily.

She was even more beautiful in person.

Her armor was elaborate. Though it seemed less suited for combat and more geared toward decoration. Despite its decorative nature, it still had protection runes.

Kumo, can I use drain if they are touching me, or do I have to touch them?

Lily took a few steps forward. Koffer advanced with her.

More potent if you touch them.

I activated drain and felt what I could only describe as a small stream of pure bliss seep into me. Lucas’s grip loosened.

As Lily closed in on me, he regained a bit of his composure and redoubled his efforts. His powerful grip hurt my shoulders.

The vision that Kumo had sent me didn’t match what was happening to Lucas. Was he resisting? The flow of whatever it was hadn’t stopped, so it was still working.

Perhaps its diminutive effects were because it was such a low rank.

Koffer pressed his sword to my throat, and it burned. I’d felt the sensation before. It was a sword dedicated to slaying my kind.

Rage once again flowed through my body, and this time, I knew whose it was. Mine.

Lily kneeled, so she was at my level. “Who are you behind that little mask?”

“Who are you?” I said and tilted my head as a curious puppy would. “Under your mask.”

The Hexed voices all had an otherworldly essence to them. We were technically possessed dead bodies, except for Ghosts.

Lily raised an eyebrow. “Such a funny little thing, aren't you?”

Suddenly the stream from Lucas stopped. His unwavering grip still lingered.

“Your kind are all the same,” I said.

She had the nerve to laugh. “Darling, you and your pathetic little Grey friends have already lost.”

Lily reached out and touched the bottom of my chin. A smile spread across her lips. “Koffer, what do you—”

I grabbed her arm and reactivated the drain ability while focusing on my hand. The world seemed to pause, and then darkness overtook me.

A small part of me panicked when I didn’t lose consciousness. I waited, unsure of what to do next.

***

“I know what you’re thinking. They can’t be doing what they’re doing.” Koffer pointed at the small band of zombies across the river. “But they are. They have to.”

“Is that an adventurer?” I asked.

The zombies pulled and tore at something indistinguishable. Streaks of bright red blood matted their grey skin. I immediately turned off the game's gore setting.

“It was,” he said.

I swallowed hard. “And you want me to fight one of those?”

“C’mon, Lily. We could fight them together?” he suggested.

He’d invited me to play earlier in the week, and I had trouble figuring out why. “I don’t know about this one, Koffer. This game seems super gross.”

“But isn’t it awesome? A whole other world layered on top of ours!”

The excitement on his face was contagious. I sighed. “I guess I’ll give it a try.”

***

We marched across the grass plains. I was encircled by four men, including Koffer, Lewis, and two other men. I was told their names but didn’t bother learning them.

A wall of fog loomed in the distance. I hated that I had to do this.

I spoke in party chat, “How long till we get there?”

“We’re almost there, my Lady,” Lewis said.

The distance between us and the writhing mass of mist closed faster than I anticipated.

Koffer pointed. “A group of about twenty dead ahead.”

There were only five of us, which didn’t give me confidence in our odds. Especially since there were rumors of random elite zombies popping up.

“They’re coming in hot!” one of the men I didn’t know said.

My heart nearly burst out of my chest it was beating so hard. Just before they hit, I saw one of them separate from the group and head back toward the murky wall. Its purple skin didn’t match the rest of them.

[What is this Kumo? I thought.

The scene paused as I stepped away from Lily. The men all had their swords drawn while Lily stood in the center.

Part of the grass disappeared. The giant silver spider from earlier crawled out. It loomed over us. Memories.

I pushed past the two soldiers at the front and stared at the shambler Lily was watching. I pointed at her and preened. That’s me.

Indeed.

It was a week ago and late in the day. I’d had my fill for the evening and was setting up the other shamblers for a feast. Had I known that Lily was in this group, I would have fought with them.

What happens to them?

Kumo joined me. We Observe.

How?

One of Kumo’s legs pointed at Lily, so I walked over to her. I’d seen point-of-view movies before, but none were as detailed or vibrant as this one. I could feel the fear emanating from Lily and was eager to see how this played out. I stepped into her body, and the memory started up again.]

My sword came from the sheath as if it were an automatic reaction. I was only there to soak up the experience from the party. We’d practiced this routine so many times that it was second nature.

I was only to attack if the zombies got past one of them. They’d never gotten past the men before. They were hand-picked professionals.

A wave of zombies and chill spilled over us. They were faster than I’d ever seen them. The clash of rotting bone and polished steel rang throughout the air.

I had to put my free hand over my nose because the smell of the creatures was overwhelming.

In less than a minute, Koffer had dispatched three of the disgusting monsters. They were in every direction I looked. We’d never been surrounded before.

The sword in my hand was shaking. “How are we doing, guys?”

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb didn’t seem to be able to score a single hit. Professionals my ass.

Lewis smashed the hilt of his sword into the face of one knocking the remaining teeth out of its bottom jaw. It reeled at the blow. He followed up by taking a step back and lopping off its head. Another took its place almost immediately.

One of the zombies grabbed Dee and pulled him out of position. A zombie slipped through.

We stared at each other for a split second before it attacked. I put my sword up to parry, and its hand slammed into it, slicing it off. A sizzling sound came from my sword as little bits of flesh popped up and down on its edge.

As I looked up, a rotting hand grabbed my arm.

The zombie leaned in close, and its mouth opened impossibly wide. This was it, my fears coming to life for a second time.

I screamed.

[I stepped away from Lily, and it all paused again.

She was deathly afraid of shamblers. I could feel her fear. Something in her past had caused it. Kumo, how do we leave?

More, Kumo insisted.

No, I know how to escape!

A mini version of the spider appeared on my shoulder. We fight?

Yes, we fight.]

***