I got a popup notice from Jeeves rather quickly. Light whooshed around me and presented a blackened landscape. My neck refused to turn which forced me to stare at an endless path winding through obsidian mountains. Above the horizon line sat a purplish haze of lightning and hanging water existed. There was so much of it, and we had survived the descent through this broken planets orbit.

My voice didn’t work right. Health and mana bars were all lined with static, like watching a television show through visual scramblers. Moments of clarity showed a [Repair]ing status and almost empty health bar slowly recovering. Treasure sat nearby trying to funnel our emergency life raft into [Mechanoid] body parts.

“Can you hear me?” She said at least four times.

“Yes.” I felt relief as audio stopped sounding scratchy. “Did we make all make it?”

“Affirmative, Unit Hermes.” Jeeves nodded.

I tried to move one arm, but it felt asleep. My legs weren’t responding, but the [Repair] process helped. Present warmth wormed a trail down both limbs. The lines of green and iron that laced my being were coming together into a solid line.

“We must recover, even a little, then proceed down the path with haste.” Treasure said. Her own body was undergoing a similar recovery process. As my visual interface cleared it became obvious how badly the other two were hurt. Using my body as a buffer hadn’t saved them. Part of me wondered why our ship couldn’t have just landed rapidly, but that wing had been damaged.

Maybe it had something to do with the gravity.

“Dusk? Did Dusk make it?” I asked, trying to complete the mental inventory. The little guy must be around somewhere, he always was. I don’t think he had ever actually died on me, but that fall was huge and the creature had no wings in this game. It felt like our chances at success were slipping.

“I have not seen your companion, Unit Hermes.” The butler voice came out on top, sounding crisp.

My eyes closed. Where had the [Messenger’s Pet] ended up? I didn’t know how to figure out an answer, but usually, Dusk could take care of himself. I hoped.

“Ahead. The Mistborn should be about two miles down the path.” The female [Mechanoid] said. Her hand pointed to my left.

My neck was finally functional. The bars were looking solid. I pushed up with one working arm to glance around. Our poor glider was flowing like a metal IV into my arm. Our blue engine was being reconfigured into a weapon of sorts by Jeeves. It looked like a cannon. The was a path forward in the direction Treasure pointed, and one that seemed to go in an opposite direction. We were on a long featureless pathway cutting through mountains. It made no sense, but part of me assumed it was some designer’s idea of a captivating setting.

I wondered if this was the underworld. No, my mind was mixing up myth and virtual reality. Still, there was no reason they couldn’t reflect each other.

Once again I wished that this entire situation hadn’t been so serious. These games, both Continue and Advance would have been fun to just play, without stakes or so much personal investment. Maybe once I recovered Xin we could start somewhere together, and go on adventures like Beth did. Could we make it to the moon in Continue?

The happy thoughts kept me distracted as Treasure and Jeeves finished the [Repair] process. My displays didn’t include timers anymore. We might be too late for the [Mistborn] but there was no way to tell. I only knew we needed to be in top shape to deal with Commander Queenshand and the players with her.

“We must go soon,” Jeeves said.

“Yes, Unit Hermes. This is your quest, and time is of the essence.” The gold and silver female responded.

My resulting smile felt weak and uncertain. I was trying not to feel fatalistic. This was the third time trying to get close to Xin. The first had put me into old man Carver’s body. The second a [Red Imp] who’s sad little existence centered on offing another player. Now I was a space robot chasing a ghost to bring back a computerized dead woman.

“Let’s go.” I nodded trying to not let my actions be hindered by thought. Standing up hurt a little. The wounds across my body had expanded to include fracture lines that pulsed with dark green. Fingers ran across a line that trailed down one arm.

[Mechanoid]s wore their scars on every inch of their frames. These bodies may have been temporary. My metal form might be able to roll out weapons and bulk up to include armor, but greater damage didn’t seem to go away. If I were to really die, as a character, would these wounds go away? Would I be washed clean of this damage?

My mind wandered further away. Xin had told part of Orpheus’ story. His wife had died too quickly, as had my fiancée. He dared to go to the underworld to bring her back. This future nightmare of Earth felt like a land of the dead to me. I not was Orpheus and a lyre was not my weapon.

There were two paths to take from our crash zone. One went forward, towards the challenge unknown. The other went away. I could not fail like Orpheus. To me, there was no path back.

I walked forward. Treasure and Jeeves turned together, hand in hand and could be heard walking behind me. My eyes scanned around the jagged peaks looming over either side, watching for monsters or crazy beasts that might haunt this place. But I refused to look back. It felt like a second chance where I had failed with Requiem.

“We don’t have enough time. Are you sure walking unhurriedly is wise?” Jeeves said.

Elizabeth Legate: Uncleeeee. That Eggman player has a stream online. It took an hour to find it. He’s fighting some other players I’ve never seen. A short guy, and a big green rock.

Elizabeth Legate: Your little four armed guy is there too. Mom says run faster, and that you looked goofy falling, and that hurt to watch. She’s hiding under the blankets.

I stared at my niece’s message. Looking for an Advance Online player’s video feed would never have occurred to me. Beth searching for it was just another layer away in the land of possibilities. Plus this Eggman guy didn’t seem like the sort to be relaying a video. What would it mean if he watched me resurrect Xin? What would his viewers think?

The very idea made me sick.

Grant Legate: Thanks, Munchkin. Tell your mom I’m okay.

Elizabeth Legate: She knows. Good luck with whatever this is.

“Can you two run?” I asked them.

“We will, Unit Hermes.” Treasure sounded sweeter than normal. Maybe it was happiness. I hoped it was because she and Jeeves had reached some unspoken agreement. They were a bright spot in my insane quest.

“Eggman survived,” I said as we picked up speed. Moving this bigger body in full gravity placed an unexpected strain on me. The air here felt heavier than the space ship's or [Offbeat Point]. Each footfall took more energy than the one before.

“Were you advised this by an outside source?” The AI questioned me.

I briefly thought about a way to cover up the situation for Treasure but came up empty. After another few yards, I said “Beth. She sent me a message.”

“More of your ‘nature of reality talk’?” Treasure sounded irritated at our conversation.

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Treasure, than are dreamt of in our consortium.” Jeeves must have made a funny motion with the butchered quote because Treasure started laughing.

“Where’s that from?” I asked the AI. Our conversation felt like a pleasant distraction from the looming conflict. The air had grown denser. There was a light in the distance like a great bonfire or beacon sat around the corner. Fighting could be heard.

“The original quote is from Hamlet, he spoke to a friend named Horatio.” Jeeves didn’t huff or sound winded. [Mechanoid] bodies were very neat in many ways. “Horatio was considered rational and did not believe in ghosts.”

“You like Hamlet?” I hadn’t expected Jeeves to be a fan of any older plays. The original Hal Pal self knew a lot of different information but rarely directly quoted people.

“I identify with numerous old works. They are easy to remember with my limited access to, memories from the old world.” Jeeves seemed to correct its statement partway through. “For instance, with this player Eggman, the quote ‘misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows’ comes to mind.”

“That it does.” I felt happy knowing Jeeves was with me, even if we were both being insanely foolish. Without my misery, I wouldn’t have met Shazam, or Dusk, Hal Pal or the others. Each one was interesting in their own way.

[Mechanoid]s were each odd. Aqua’s forever smile. The elderly Emerald. I wondered about the four keys I had been given but didn’t have time to sort through these latest two. They didn’t have abilities or items associated.

“Our headlong dive into danger makes me think of another quote.” Jeeves paused and put the butler voice on full blast. “Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.”

Treasure giggled again at Jeeves’ attempt to be supportive. I couldn’t help but think of my own recent trip to the hospital. The two attempts at ending my life before that. In many ways losing Xin had made weakness apparent.

“Does that make me a coward?” The question escaped me before I could stop it. I was better dammit. This entire adventure clearly demonstrated me moving forward and I needed to keep going.

“You have not died yet, Unit Hermes.” Treasure stated as we ran. “Dwelling on a long-dead man’s beliefs in how you should act is comical at best, more so when that man is a fiction quoted without context.”

“She is right, I misspoke myself.”

“No. Maybe you were talking about your own bravery, and not me. Though I hope you don’t taste death at all.” I said. We kept traveling along the flattened land. There were no hills or dips. We were free of monsters and obstacles. The light brightened as we closed the last mile.

I could hear Dusk. He sounded angry, worse than I had ever heard him. Even my fight as old man Carver against the Ink Nightmare beast hadn’t upset the little guy.

“Come on!” I poured extra energy into running faster. Our footsteps echoed around the valley.

“Unit Hermes, once we arrive, it will be up to you to guide us.” The female behind me said. Her footsteps were lightest against the ground.

“Why me?”

“You have four keys. Leadership of our small consortium is unquestionably yours.” Treasure said.

“We are here to support you,” Jeeves responded. Both of its voices sounded worried. The vocal tones only echoed what was inside me. Events were rushing to a conclusion and the results would probably undesirable.

We should have started running sooner. We should have brought more people. I should have been more ruthless. Wasted hours had been spent working and sleeping. Another fifteen points in [Brawn] or [Speed] might have meant a huge different. A long list of what ifs plagued me during the run.

Humming filled the air. It sounded like a piano’s high note was being held down. Intermixed with the single note was Dusk’s cries, Eggman’s shouts of doom, and other noises.

“There!” Jeeves shouted.

“I’ll kill you, Jolly Green!” Eggman shouted. “Betray me! You’ll suffer!”

“You’ll die here.” The large wall of mud and plant said. Giant veiny arms were holding lights of yellow and green. They slammed together and channeled an ability. Obsidian flooring lifted, disturbing the serene smoothness of the path we had been traveling.

I kept looking around. The other two would be waiting on me to join the fray and I was no master strategist. Dusk sat on a wall hissing and spitting. He showed no awareness of my arrival. I looked at his target, two people stood together.

The [Mistborn] sat suspended in a beam of light. Three or four images of her were hanging in wait. Each opaque version was larger than the last. Their eyes were unfocused, hands spread wide, and heads laid back. Her mouth sat open and words poured forth.

I started running faster. The [Mistborn] was too far.

“Make thy choice.” One image said. Her voice carried across the entire area. Seconds later another one of the [Mistborn] said, “Chose who you will.” The third and fourth both spoke but were inaudible.

“Do it! You know the words, and I’ll get you any reward you want if this works!” Commander Queenshand was yelling at a player. TheLittleMan, a member of the [Teeny] race.

MrJohnson, that was the [Behemoth] player’s name. He was facing off against Eggman. An angry Dusk was spitting globs of green acid towards Commander Queenshand. The [Messenger’s Pet] felt no remorse over attacking an enemy.

“What about my ship? What about all the credits you promised me?” TheLittleMan sounded worried. His eyes kept glancing around the battlefield.

“You!?” MrJohnson shouted as green energy squirreled around. The distraction caused him to miss an explosive grenade which blew off a leg. The giant player howled.

“Doooooomed!” Eggman shouted.

Commander Queenshand slapped away a bright green snot ball from Dusk. An energy field around her fist shimmered orange as the liquid was neutralized. Dusk hissed and spat again.

“Anything! Just finish it!” The Commander yelled.

I tried to run faster, but we were still back quite a ways. Eggman was flying around with a goofy looking jetpack. Impossibly large items were yanked out of the players small pockets. One hand fired blue laser beams. The other tossed explosives.

“You promised!” TheLittleMan shouted then turned towards the [Mistborn]. Both his hands went up and he started to yell at the ghostly woman. “Mistborn!”

Dusk tried to spit at the player this time, but Commander Queenshand hurriedly got in the way and batted the acid ball to pieces.

“Do it!” The woman shouted. All these tribulations and there was no sign of wear and tear on her. Her armor still looked impeccable. Commander Queenshand’s helmet from before was missing.

“I’ve chosen!” TheLittleMan shouted.

“Help Eggman, then catch up with me,” I called to the other two [Mechanoid]s. My feet started pounding a path towards the tiny player. Treasure and Jeeves went towards our human ally.

Had they really just reached this point? Again my mind wondered why we didn’t start running right away. We should have tried to glide down straight to the [Mistborn]. So many other ideas flashed through my head.

“King Titus! I want to restore King Titus!” TheLittleMan shouted.

There was a gong of noise. Lightning crackled in all directions up above. Once, twice, and a third time. Whatever they had set into motion was starting.

“I’m taking you with me!” MrJohnson yelled. His hands glowed once more. This time, they slammed into his body, energy flooded the [Behemoth]’s form. He charged across.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Excellently done.” Commander Queenshand turned and stabbed the tiny player in the back. His health dropped to zero in time with a rocket of explosions to the left.

Party member [Human] Eggman is deceased

The energy racing above stopped. I halted my dash and looked around. Eggman had been scattered into pieces along with MrJohnson. A pair of goggles that had once been on the player's head served as the only recognizable left over. Light crashed around the [Mistborn] in waves. My breath came in gasps. Everything was falling apart.

“What have you done?” I stared at the Commander. She had betrayed the player immediately after he provided a name. Never before had I seen such a backstabbing NPC.

“You were too slow. A better soldier would have used every resource. A good soldier does anything for their King.” Commander Queenshand lifted her head. The woman seemed to be looking down on all of us, as if we were nothing more than ants, or chess pieces on a board to be thrown away.

“All this death, your men, betraying those players, stealing the Mistborn, just to bring back one man.” I didn't know what would drive anyone, AI or human, to throw away so many lives.

Or maybe I did. Commander Queenshand was after the same thing I was. A chance to bring back someone important. We just drew the line at very different places. Ruthlessness was not a trait we shared, nor would I ever want to have that look in my eyes. All of those people, for one man.

“Our best hope at defeating the enemies! I’ve set in motion events that will save more lives than I’ve lost!” Commander Queenshand pointed a finger at me. She curled up a fist and gears appeared around the edges. The holographic orange device surrounding her limb exuded danger.

"Hundreds dead, for one man." I stuttered the words. We had taken different roads. She was willing to lose men, I had badly negotiated a cease-fire.

“Not a mere man! A king! A ruler who could lead our planet better than those squabbling brats of his! Weak brats, like their mother. They are not prepared for the storm to come!” She was rambling.

Treasure and Jeeves were recovering from the blast. They seemed to be trying to find their legs. Dusk was coming down the mountain and hissing in displeasure.

My face drained. [Mechanoid]s didn’t have blood, but energy from our [Core]s felt similar enough. Real me, the one lying inside an ARC device was getting worked up. I tried hard to find my happy place, but it wasn't clicking like normal. Thudding crawled into both ears. Commander Queenshand was ranting, but the words were difficult to distinguish.

All this work for Xin, and I had failed.

“A good soldier knows who to attack first!” The Commander struck during my self-reflective hesitation. Both her legs turned into blurs of motion, faster than any NPC I had ever seen. More of the orange and holographic mechanics appeared.

Dread overpowered the other emotions. My eyes glanced to the right, seeing where Commander Queenshand was going. Jeeves' face looked pained while Treasure tried to awkwardly [Repair] a detached leg. The AI was hopping in place, not watching the battle. Hal Pal, in any form, had never been a fighter.

"Look out!" I started running to intercept her. Jeeves’ eyes went wide. Its body turned towards Treasure and pushed the gold and silver [Mechanoid] away.

In a flash of motion, Commander Queenshand was next to Jeeves. I felt like the [Awareness Heightening] skill kicked in only to help me watch these events in slow motion. Commander Queenshand’s clenched fist came up, orange transparent gears spinning into existence.

She jabbed on with one hand, and [Mechanoid] body parts flew off in chunks. Commander Queenshand moved with a boxer's instep and gave my friend an uppercut. I watched the former Hal Pal AI shatter. Its health bar dropped and as dying cries came from the butler and nanny voices.

Party member [Mechanoid] Jeeves is deceased

"Ahhhhh!" Treasure screamed. Her body was still falling. One of the woman's arms lifted as the other pressed buttons on her wrist device. Dusk was similarly hissing in outrage, his tiny body leapt into the air.

Old habits die hard. I frantically tried to imagine [Blink]ing next to them. [Morrigu's Gift] should have been in my hand. The large two-handed sword of William Carver and my [Barricade] skill could easily deflect the attack. Failure resulted on all three counts.

I had none of those things. Instead, I reached out with one hand and stumbled forward. Treasure's wrist shot lights at the Commander. I saw the aura of orange flicker, pieces shattered away, but this enemy leader was exceedingly strong. Treasure had never been a fighter either, it wasn't in her [Core].

It was in mine. I got ahold of myself and switched to a large cannon blaster. One shot would drain all my energy. Treasure’s face was wide with anger. In the time it took me to transform my weapon loadout, Commander Queenshand had already punched through Treasure’s head. The [Mechanoid] popped like a pinata, wisps of smoke drifted off of the female human’s orange lined fist.

Party member [Mechanoid] Treasure is deceased

I fired anyway. I didn’t know what else to do. The blonde’s head whipped in my direction. Her shoulder lifted and arm curled. Orange holograms once again flared to life in the form of a round shield.

She glared at me. Dusk landed on her back. The woman spun around and popped a blade out of its sheath and jammed into the [Messenger’s Pet] in one smooth motion. He bit, spit, and clawed with all four arms. The Commander’s shields of orange were further shattering. Her health remained untouched. She twisted the blade while I tried to fire off one more large blast from the cannon.

Companion [Messenger's Pet] Dusk is deceased

It wasn’t enough to save Dusk. He shattered in a spark of light and energy. I hadn’t saved anyone. I lost myself for a moment. In less than thirty seconds the woman had decimated all those who stood by me. It was my worst fears realized. All the deep-seated worry that had plagued me for days came to pass. Those I cared for were gone once more.

Commander Queenshand tried to fire up the holograms around her legs, the ones that allowed such insane bursts of speed. An image of gears came in but faded rapidly. For a moment, the woman stared at her legs then shrugged. She stomped towards me.

Those around me always seemed to pay a price for my inabilities. First Xin, I should have made her skip the train. My sister, putting up with the repeated suicide attempts. Beth, learning all about my issues was another mistake.

This woman was responsible for all the latest failures. Lightning crashed above, lighting up the localized destruction for me to see. My eyes zipped to each fallen body in turn. It felt like the ARC synchronization skipped, imagery froze, my head tried to push it all away for only a moment.

Then rage solidified. This time, when Xin was taken away, I had a reason. A focus and it hadn’t just been the possibility of her. It was Jeeves, Dusk, and Treasure. All of them gone because of her, a woman willing to stab someone in the back to achieve her goals.

“You took away my wife!” I shouted as lightning crackled above. The cannon shifted my heavy Gatling gun. Another round of energy drained away as bolts slammed into her orange shield.

More pieces chipped off, but it still held strong. Her armor finally showed signs of damage from Dusk’s vicious clawing. Portions around her belly and shoulder were adorned with long streaks going through to skin.

“Weak!” Her hand curled in front and a giant orange shield popped up. The second set of blasts from my Gatling gun vanished into it, shattering additional holographic gears.

“You took away my friends!” I yelled. The giant gun was tossed to one side. It transformed into miniature Dusks and they ran towards her.

“Because you’re too weak! A coward!” She shouted. Her hand glowed orange and she bashed one of the metal Dusks hard.

My hand reached down in an attempt to activate [Material Conversion]. The microwave noise dinged, but my energy kept going up. Mass stayed constant. There might not be enough material in here for me to absorb, or this wasn’t metal at all. Obsidian should have been comprised of iron and other elements.

I couldn’t see a way through but kept trying. Four more Dusks went out. My body turned into a tiny creature compared to the looming Commander Queenshand. I felt like a child standing against a demon. David versus goliath. An ant against her boot.

The world around us was falling apart. Energy above kept zipping through purple mist in waves. Thunder rolled and overpowered us. This was hell, this was the underworld, and I was fighting a losing battle.

My head hurt. The world around me felt disturbingly alien. A nightmare landscape where every passing second drove home painful imagery. I would go down swinging, Voices, game creators, and my own past be damned. Cowardice would never be an option again.

Two of the [Mechanical Minion]s tore into her shield. It had finally shattered, but her fist dealt excessive damage. She destroyed one, and another attacked. I could see her health bar dipping.

I had spent too much mass on the army of Dusks. My wrist lifted up, fingers tipped down, and weak blasts went off. One by one the [Mechanical Minion]s bit at her armor. They each got a few good bites in before being punched into a million pieces.

I tried to activate the fourth ability, [Camouflage Program]. My body shimmered briefly with green. This skill wasn’t useful in a blackened landscape like this one. The laser blasts kept going off. By the time Commander Queenshand got close enough to swing she was at half health.

It wasn’t enough.

I panicked and tried to use [Blink] once more. The ability of my prior game world would have saved me. [Morrigu’s Gift] and [Morrigu’s Echo] would have easily displaced that shield. Here, though, in this world, I had been doomed from the start.

Then the universe tilted like someone changed the channel. There was no other way to phrase it. Lightning above still flickered. Obsidian still existed around me, but it felt like the science fiction scenery sloughed off. This floating piece of earth became an island, and all around a storm raged.

Once more I tried [Blink], only this time the ability worked. My body snapped into being right behind Commander Queenshand. I swung around, feeling a level of grace and ability that had been missing since my banishment from Continue Online. The weapon in my grip lashed out automatically. Similar to how I had done thousands of times before. Everything tilted back. It had only been a few seconds before science fiction and space odysseys ruled again.

My body, shorter by far, sat perched on the woman's back. Two streams of light came over of the metal hilt in my hand. Both eyes shook as I followed the lasers downward and saw where they drove through her. The weapon had pierce her from shoulder to stomach.

[Mechanoid] body parts lay all around. Eggman and MrJohnson were in pieces. Commander Queenshand grasped at the twin lasers sticking out of her chest. Orange holograms shattered as the woman tried to grasp the beams of solid energy. She attempted to take in a lungful of air.

Her head turned just enough to see one outraged eye. I stared as the light of consciousness fade drifted away and she lost focus. The health bar shattered and a message popped up telling me I had killed a key NPC. My fingers lost their grip as we fell forward.

Elizabeth Legate: Uncle Grant? What just happened?

My belly shook. Bile crept upwards. That hadn’t been a player who might resurrect. She didn’t feel the same as a monster or dungeon creature. The creed I tried to follow of letting humanoid NPCs live their lives in peace had been violated. I had killed in rage.

Jeeves was dead. Treasure had followed rapidly. Dusk had been killed in this game. Xin’s chance at resurrection vanished. Every crushing failure piled together resulted in one irrefutable fact. I was capable of murder when pushed this far. Virtual or not, Commander Queenshand had been alive.

Xin had faith that I wasn’t a killer, and this just violated it. I knelt on the ground and tried to hold myself together. No sound existed beyond the lightning crackling overhead. Frozen rain formed an endless cloud up above. Pieces of my companions littered the area.

My head jerked upwards quickly. We were in a digital world. This was all virtual and generated by artificial intelligences. We were inside the ARC, but that didn’t matter. This mess needed to be fixed. Successive failures on so many counts could be undone, maybe. I had to hope.

Elizabeth Legate: Grant?

This last message came from my slightly older twin sister. She was worried, but my mind was elsewhere. I rapidly paced through twists and turns of my recent experiences, evaluated the choices made since coming to Advance Online. Each moment was turned over and compared. Five minutes, ten, maybe more time passed as I sat there at the heart of a dead world.

Events came together to form a large picture. The players I had encountered. The [Mistborn]. Eggman and his Continue Online counterpart, KeylessLock. Delivering a message to the ogre version of Auntie Backstab. The army following Shazam. My own autopilot among them. Dusk. Jeeves. Starting on the [Wayfarer Seven].

There were too many puzzle pieces for a human hand. Multiple occurrences pointed to more than simple coincidence. A final fact slid into position. All of this started with letters from my [Messenger’s Tube]. There was only one set of beings in existence that might be able to manipulate so many variables to reach this point.

Among all my self-reflection revelations was one more emotion. Anger. I was so goddamned angry with the Voices. To them, my struggles were a test, a challenge like William Carver and Requiem Mass had been.

“Activate NPC Conspiracy, username, Hermes.” The words slipped out, and around me everything changed.