Once Amanda was done admiring herself in the mirror-- a feat that took nearly an hour-- she decided to pay attention to the black window in the corner of her vision.

i've handled all the other beta players.

you're the last one left.

can we finish your transformation?

"There's more to this?" Amanda gulped. "Can I become even cuter?" The skies trembled in fear; perish the thought. "I'm not sure the world can handle me if I become any cuter than this."

someone is adjusting well!

the world certainly would be in danger if you became any cuter.

more importantly,

you are going to run out of time.

"Out of time for what?" Amanda hadn't realized how much time had elapsed since she started her self-admiration, a mistake that could cost her considerably.

the game has already begun!

you need to hurry,

before the first wave of monsters spawn.

grab that monitor.

if the mirror inside is destroyed...

you will die.

Amanda paled, standing to her feet and grabbing the monitor with both hands, unplugging it from the computer and holding it underarm. The casing was warm and familiar. The more she focused, the more she realized that whatever was inside the monitor was a part of her. Amanda couldn't let anything touch it, or the consequences would be disastrous.

you don't have long until the first wave comes.

it would be best if you got that monitor to a place you could easily defend it.

once you do, i will gift you another [tangleweave].

this one will allow you to establish your [dungeon].

"Dungeon? I thought this was a role-playing game." Amanda pouted. She didn't expect to be forced to play a real-time strategy game right out the gate. Worse, one which her life depended on?

...at what point did the genre of the game she was playing mean less to Amanda than the fact she was risking her life to play this game? Amanda felt her sense of priorities had been skewed out of line after the game transformed her. The game let her embrace who she...

(Wait, I didn't ask for this, either! Who's the manager here? I'm going to file a complaint!) Amanda huffed internally.

you are more suited,

magically speaking,

to manage a dungeon.

but that should not be your focus.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

amanda,

you have approximately 15 minutes.

if you stay here,

then they will find you.

if you make it to your car?

you can gain distance on the first wave.

time to find the perfect place to create your dungeon.

it could be an abandoned hospital.

a historical military base.

even a lakeside island.

you need somewhere that is isolated.

far from society.

do you understand?

we need to establish a new █████████.

"I don't understand, that was just a censored box of letters." Amanda held her head. Staring at the pink bars made it pulse. Something was wrong with those letters, and her mind was not capable of comprehending its contents. "I understand what you're saying. That we need to find somewhere far away? It's just that I don't have a car. I wouldn't know how to drive if I did."

you...

can't drive?

...

zoomers...

"It's okay! I know the perfect place to go." Amanda started grabbing the things important to her, shoving them into her old college backpack. The statuettes, her handheld gaming console, and the external hard drive with all her data. After slipping in her laptop and smartphone, she felt ready to leave. Hesitating, she grabbed a stuffed animal and tucked it into the side of her backpack, just in case. (Just in case of what?) She didn't answer that thought, scooping up her computer monitor and heading out the door.

The walk through the neighborhood was usually more nerve-wracking. Whenever she'd stepped out of the house before now, she could feel the judgemental stares of others as she walked. Now, she didn't seem to mind as much as they stared. She even smiled at a trembling neighbor, who doubled back and ran back into their home, screaming.

"What's their problem? They don't know a cute girl when they see one? A cutie. An absolute cutie. I'm so cute..." Amanda let out a smoke-filled sigh.

[7 minutes remaining.]

they're already on to you.

hurry.

"I've got it, okay?" Amanda took a left, walking down an avenue and picking up the pace. She could break into a run, an action that astonished the brand new Malice. She wasn't skinny, or muscular for that matter. Even still, running felt natural and as easy as breathing.

It wasn't long before she'd been up the street and made her way to a locked fence. Beyond it, a decaying theme park lay in wait. If she were forced to operate a dungeon, she would rule it in style. One building, in particular, called to her. Amanda would already be inside if it were not for the gate's padlock.

Setting the monitor down, she examined the chains. They were rusty from years of weathering. The park had shut down nearly a decade ago, around the time that high spikes of stress were linked to Malice awakening. Several incursion points opened up in the theme park, and the place was closed days after the slew of lawsuits to follow.

Amusement parks ran on thin margins, anyhow. It wasn't a surprise to see this place sitting in decay. A few strikes against the chains with her claws, and she was able to break them. Chunks of metal flew everywhere as the chain was shattered, and she pushed the gate aside to let herself in. It was time. "You have that 'tangleweave' ready?"

an amusement park?

it isn't the worst location you could have picked.

find somewhere defensible,

and we will begin.

Amanda nodded, making her way for the building she had in mind; a place with meaning to her, back when this park was still in operation.

installing your second [Tangleweave]...

please be patient!

don't like it?

please submit your complaints to the Council of Knots!

we care about your freedom!

C4LICO

A countdown continued in the corner of Amanda's vision, letting her know how long the installation would take. The time to her first wave of visitors. She had less than four minutes. Every step added time to the counter, but the march of her unknown invaders quickly swallowed it up. The wave was approaching, and there was little Amanda could do to change that. Glancing at her silvered monitor, she headed deeper into the park. Her steps led her, slowly but surely, to the House of Mirrors.