Alissa sat with her back to the wall while Daisy knelt over her with glowing hands as she softly sang to the half-orc. As I watched, the numerous scratches, cuts, and bruises vanished as the light from Daisy’s hands passed over them.

“Look out below,” Lexi yelled from above as she dropped the rope. It landed in a heap next to me. I took a minute to expertly coil up the rope before handing it to Briana.

She accepted the rope, giving it a strange look. “You did this very well...” she said. I heard the incredulity in her voice and chose to accept it as a compliment.

“I’m good at things. You’d be surprised,” I said.

The level up message slowly faded away as we collected are things and prepared to move deeper into the dungeon.

I decided to open the menu just to see what it would give me.

You have one unspent level point. Do you wish to spend it? Y/N

I selected “Y” and the party screen popped up.

Lexi

Daisy

Alissa

Briana

That was strange, why were they greyed out? I tried to select anyone other than Lexi, but it wouldn’t let me. It also wouldn’t let me spend it on myself. I wished Adora had thought about sending me a user manual along with this sword.

“Nick?” Briana asked waving her hands in front of me. I guessed I’d zoned out while I was thinking.

“Yes?” I asked the beautiful elf. She had one of her blades out and was busy cleaning it before sliding it home in the sheaf she wore on her lower back. She then pulled out the other sword and cleaned it.

“You’re starring at the wall... is something wrong?”

“Oh, no, I was trying to figure out how to level you all, and me,” I said. I was only half looking at her, still working the problem.

“You got a level?” Lexi screamed as she flew by. “Do me! Do me!”

“No,” Daisy yelled from where she’d finished healing Alissa. “Me, he’s going to do me next,” she said, standing up and lightly jogging over.

Suddenly there were two beautiful women jostling for who I was going to ‘do’ next. It was almost too good to be true. I smiled and held out my hands.

“Girls, listen, I haven’t figured out these powers quite yet,” I said. As I spoke, Alissa pulled herself up and walked over as well, her giant sword practically scraping the ground as she moved. “Right now, the only person I can level is Lexi, I can’t even level myself,” I explained.

Briana cocked her head to the side, her amethyst eyes narrowing as she looked at me. “Are you saying you have some magic power that can make us stronger?” she asked.

“I think so, it’s hard to figure out. I think... I think the only way it works is if were bonded together, but that isn’t something to do lightly,” I said.

“Bonded?” Daisy asked quietly, the excitement drained from her countenance.

“Together?” Briana finished. “With a human?”

I glanced back and forth between the two girls and raised my hand. “Does everything mean sex around here? All it means is we intertwine our life-force and link. It’s not a marriage proposal.”

“For the elves, that’s exactly what that is,” Briana said. She slammed her sword home. “No power is worth that. I’ll not marry a human for a hundred of your levels.” She turned and walked to the far end of the hall we were in and sat down with her back against the wall.

Daisy put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not your fault. Once, long ago, the elves were enslaved by a human kingdom. With their long lives comes a long memory. They don’t forget, or forgive, easily,” she explained.

“Oh, I wasn’t suggesting marriage, but the spell description says ‘bonded’,” I said with a sigh.

“It’s okay Nick, I figured it was too good to be true. We just need time and experience and we’ll—what did you call it?”

“Level up,” I replied.

“Right, we’ll level up on our own,” Daisy said. She patted my chest and walked away to keep an eye on the hallway that led from the stairwell.

I glanced over at Alissa who had watched the entire exchange stone faced and silent.

“Does it mean marriage for the orcs as well?” I asked.

She leaned against the rock wall. “It is a commitment, to be sure. One I’m not sure I can undertake until my other duties are complete.”

I nodded, gathering she meant her father. “I’ll help, if I can,” I said on impulse.

Her head perked up and a genuine smiled filled her lips. “Thank you, Nicholas, it means a lot to me.”

I smiled back enjoying her attention. “We should get moving,” Briana interrupted. I sighed, once again a moment with Alissa, spoiled.

“Give me one second to check a few things,” I asked as Alissa moved to the hallway to stand with Daisy.

I pulled up the screen and started looking at each of the girl's character sheets one-by-one. Something Daisy had said to me made sense. Thanks to Adora I had magic to see the world as a game, for them it’s still a world.

Then I saw what I expected, none of their XP bars had budged. It was like playing a MMO with the leveling turned down to a fraction of the actual xp. It might take years, or never, before they make it to the next level.

Even if I could get them to agree to bond with me, I’d still be me, weak and worthless in this world.

I decided to think about it, but I was still keen on the idea of respecing to something I could truly rock at. In the meantime, I dismissed the screens, saving my level point for later.

“We should get moving,” Briana said.

She was right. The next part of the dungeon led to the actual Halls, and we wouldn’t want to get caught between the living forces and the dead ones.

The Haunted Halls were discovered by the miners of the long-forgotten town outside. When they first opened the door the Fade rushed out, killing and infecting every living thing. The lore said it was cursed fortress. The king had spurned a rival’s wife and she had brought down a plague upon them. In the end, the king decided the only way to save his kingdom was to seal his entire fortress under the mountain.

It was impressive, for sure. We stood outside the broken doors of the main entrance to the fortress. Over time, someone had rigged a wooden barricade that kept the undead in. The mark of Hedric the Brave, Lord of the Paladins adorned the makeshift palisades. It was a compass with the north symbol made from a sword and the west and east symbols were weight scales.

However, instead of glowing to hold back the undead, huge scratch marks were gouged in them and whatever magic they had, was spent.

“From this point forward,” Daisy began, “This place is exponentially dangerous. Inside these walls is the Fade Root I need, but everyone else... please be sure you wish to come in.”

“I go where Nick goes,” Lexi said from her position on my shoulder. She had stopped flying for now, almost hiding on one of the straps of my new cuirass.

“I seek the honor of my father,” Alissa said simply.

“Briana?” Daisy asked. “Your skills are invaluable, but you don’t have to come,” Daisy told the elven beauty.

“My reasons are my own. I am with you,” she said.

“Good enough for me,” I said as I stepped forward. Alissa put a hand on my shoulder.

“I should go first,” the barbarian told me. She walked by, reaching behind her to pull the massive blade from her back and grip it in two hands.

Daisy followed shooting me a sympathetic look. I sighed and went after her with Briana bringing up the rear. In the tight quarters the elf had switched from her longbow to just using her blades. The pair of swords were slightly curved, almost like a carving knife, but instead of five inches long it was a foot and a half long with intricate carvings on the pommel and blade.

The wooden barricade had two massive sections, one peeled outward and the other inward. We had to walk between them as we entered. The old wood was stained with the blood of many previous battles. I could see where chunks told of the history of axes and swords that missed the mark.

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“This place is creepy,” Lexi whispered.

The fortress itself was probably mighty looking, but now, buried under the mountain, the walls disappeared into the mountain rock a few feet above us. If it weren’t for Lexi’s light, only Briana and Alissa would be able to see.

“Up here it should turn right, there will be a destroyed portcullis then a group of lesser fades backed up by spirit archers may attack,” I said as we approached the end of the artificial hallway created by the barricade.

“How do you know that?” hissed Briana.

“I’ve done this dungeon... hell, I don’t know, a thousand times? I could walk here with my eyes closed if I knew where I was starting,” I said.

“Yes, but how?” she asked again in a forced whisper.

“I’ll explain later.”

Sure enough, as we turned the corner of the barricade, there was the broken portcullis, it looked as if some giant monster had opened it like a zipper from the bottom and then peeled it out, from the inside.

Alissa stopped, her sword wavering in front of her. She turned her head to me eyes wide as if she didn’t quite believe until this moment. “How?” she mouthed.

I gave her a smile and a nod to keep going.

She took a step forward disappearing as she moved past the barricade. Daisy followed in her gladiator stance with her round shield held tight and her sword resting on the top and pointed forward.

In the game, the fade attack the moment the last person passes the portcullis. The wrought iron magically slams shut and the fade rush from the front. Would it be like that here?

A spike of fear ran through me. When I was a level seven warrior, trying to tank this place for a party, I must have died six times in this battle... it was a stark reminder that I only had one shot at this. Just the one.

I hung back as they passed the portcullis, my eyes wearily scanning the walls lining the once cobblestone path. It really was like someone had just buried a fortress in a mountain. On either side of the entrance past the portcullis was the guard rooms. Fifteen feet from where we stood two large doors were closed. I knew, the second we walked in, the portcullis would close and fade guards would poor out of those rooms.

Once Alissa and Daisy were on the other side I stopped at the threshold.

“What are you waiting for?” Briana asked from behind me. I could tell the closed in spaces and lack of sky above was unnerving the elf.

I couldn’t blame her. I always hated being closed in myself.

“Here we go,” I whispered. I stepped across and Briana followed. Just like in the game, the second she passed the threshold, the portcullis slammed down, blocking off our retreat and undead fade rushed us from the two guard rooms.

“Brie,” I yelled, shortening her name in my haste. “Cover Daisy’s right flank, Ali, cover her left, stay together!” I shouted.

The elf swooshed past me, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the cleric. Ali took a step back, fighting her instincts to charge into the mass of enemies.

“Alissa,” I yelled to be heard above the sudden mass of fade who were all murmuring and chanting. “Trust me,” I pleaded with her. The difference between victory and defeat was often working as a unit.

I can’t remember who said it, but working together is what makes us a team, and not just a bunch of people running around fighting.

The half-orc did as I asked, stepping back to stand on Daisy’s left. Alissa hoisted her sword over her shoulder and held it like a baseball bat as she braced for the charge.

“Lexi, fly above and behind Daisy, on my signal refresh your daylight and give it maximum power,” I told the winged girl.

“On it!” she said as she zoomed toward the back of Daisy’s head then pulled a ninety-degree turn and went straight up. And hovered two feet above the healer.

Since the fade were reluctant to attack Daisy, probably because of her faith and ability to resist them, they split, half going for Alissa and the other half for Briana. There were more of them than in the game, almost two dozen crowding the tunnel to get to us and more coming out from the rooms every second. I didn’t see the spirit archers, but I ran out of time to look for them.

Just as the first fade reached the girls, I gave Lexi the signal.

“Now!”

Light shined from above with the intensity of daylight. A few of the fade outright vanished. The rest screamed their rage while attempting to block out the new sun. Leaving them wide open.

Alissa swung her sword in a wide arc, her powerful arms rippling with effort as she blasted through four of them in one blow.

Daisy jabbed with her sword, the long tip of the gladius striking vital locations, though of no extra use against the fade, showed her accuracy and control.

Briana went to town, ducking under grasping arms and slicing rotting flesh to pieces until the curse that held them together could do so no longer.

True to their name, as they died, the bodies faded away, taking everything, they had with them.

I was behind the trio as they sliced and diced the fade who ventured too near. The only problem was, just like in the game, this was no ordinary fight. The fade would keep coming until we killed the captain of the guards. A mini boss inside one of the guard rooms on either side of the entrance. With the portcullis at our backs, we could hold out, but not forever.

“Lexi,” I yelled above the din of battle.

“Yes?”

“Fly into the room on the right, tell me if there is a fade in there with full plate armor, okay?” These undead were typical guards with studded leather armor and helmets. If they used the swords on their belts to fight, they’d do better, but instead they grasp and claw trying to tear their foes limb from limb.

“On it!” In a flash of light like a little falling star, she flew into the room on the right. The light faded but the two primary fighters, Alissa and Briana, had no problem seeing in the lowlight condition.

Daisy floundered a bit, but since they weren’t attacking her directly, she was okay and could hold on long enough despite the darkness.

A second later Lexi flew out, dodging a grasping hand that reached for her as she ducked under the door.

“No,” she said.

I pointed at the room on the left. She didn’t acknowledge me just flew right in. Alissa swung her blade again back the way it had just come, taking out another group of fade, cutting them in half.

Lexi zoomed out, her agility allowing her to zig and zag out of the way while she came back to us.

“He’s in there, big and bad and full of mean,” she said.

“We need to move as one. Shift to the left until Ali is against the wall, then we pivot and walk forward until we can get to the door,” I said.

“As one,” the three warriors said. I smiled; it was nice to be in a unit again.

“Shift as one!” I yelled. They took three steps together, moving to the left until we were pushed up against the wall, then they pivoted, putting me in the center behind Daisy.

Briana decapitated a fade who got to close before flipping her swords around and jamming them into the chest of another six times in a second. The first body had barely hit the floor when the second one joined it.

Damn, and she’s only level four!

Alissa’s muscles strained as she drove her giant sword through a fade who had ventures to close.

“Lexi, dazzle.” I pointed toward the door. Alissa breathed hard as we fought for each step. Her sword was fantastic for short engagements, or if she were raging, but for continued fighting we would need to get her something that didn’t weigh half as much as she did.

Ten more fade hit the ground and vanished by the time we reached the room. I stepped in and saw the guard captain twenty feet away with a group of spirit archers. They hadn’t aggroed yet, almost like they were enspelled to wait until we were ready.

“Briana, in,” I said tapping her on the shoulder. She stepped back, spinning into the room behind me. Next, I grabbed the back of Daisy’s armor and tugged on her. She wasn’t as battle hardened as Briana; her eyes were wide as she stepped into the room.

“Ali, you’re next!” I had to shout over the din. The big half-orc stepped forward and slammed her booted foot into the chest of a fade, shooting him like a rubber band into the three behind. They all fell down and she retreated into the room. I slammed the big wooden door and through the latch.

As soon as the wooden lock fell, the guard captain activated.

“Intruders,” he yelled. His voice was cold like winter morning sending chills up my spine as he stepped forward.

The air in the room condensed and fear sprang up around like a barrier.

“Fight it,” I yelled. I was familiar with fear. This, however, was unlike anything I’d ever felt. It was a compulsion rooting me to the ground and at the same time every nerve in my body screamed at me to run.

Daisy was rooted, unable to fight or flee, she raised her shield and squeezed her eyes shut. Briana backed up to the wall, putting it behind her and raising her swords in a guard position.

The spirit archers pulled their bows and knocked arrows. If they fired, we would die.

“No,” Alissa roared. The room shook as she unleashed herself. The blood of her orc ancestors ensnared her, bringing forth the rage monster. Her sword went out wide as she leaned her head back and roared.

The ten spirit archers, five on either side of the guard captain, swiveled their aim from us, until they were all pointed at Alissa.

She taunted them!

While the fade outside were a mix of material and immaterial, almost like ghost zombies, the spirit archers were one-hundred percent ghost while the guard captain was the opposite, not a zombie, but certainly decaying flesh.

Alissa charged, her sword out to the side as the archers fired. Arrows of ethereal energy shot out like blaster bolts. They hit her as one, but if they had any impact, she ignored them.

Then she hit like a tidal wave, taking out three of the archers in one swing of her huge sword.

The spell broke and we could move again. Lexi fired off a dazzle, hitting the guard captain as he drew his sword to engage Alissa. He yelled, startled as the world went dark.

“Brie, the other archers. Daisy, the captain!” I ordered.

Briana shook herself free of the unnatural fear. Rage filled her eyes, but she kept her cool as she charged. Two of the archers noticed her and fired the undead arrows at her. She batted one out of the air and dropped to a knee slide under the other then hopped back up on her feet stabbing her swords through its chest.

“Daisy,” I said as she hadn’t moved. The red head looked at me with her green eyes filled with fear. Not the magically induced fear, but real fear.

She opened her mouth to say something, but her mouth just hung open. I leaped the few feet to her, coming to stop next to her and grabbing her shoulder.

“Daisy, it’s okay. Just breathe,” I told her. The sound of Alissa smashing through the archers filled the room.

“I... Nick, I...”

“You can, trust me. You can do it. You’re a badass warrior priestess,” I told her. She didn’t seem convinced by my statement. An idea hit me. “Daisy, sing,” I told her.

“What?” she asked. Her eyes cleared and her face tightened as her mind engaged.

“Sing for us,” I said. I turned to raise my sword as I sensed movement and sure enough the guard captain had regained his sight. He was charging right at me. The once mighty warrior had a full suit of plate mail and a dented kite shield that had once held the logo of the forgotten kingdom, and a hand-and-a-half sword that he raised above his head.

The first time I’d ever engaged the enemy in a firefight, I was scared piss-less. But my training kicked in and it was okay. I had trained and trained with a rifle, what to do, and how to respond.

Yeah, none of that really helped me here. I had no muscle memory on what to do with the sword. All I could do was hold it in front of me and hope he hit it.

Man, how I hated relying on hope.

He knocked my sword aside and full body slammed me with his kite shield. The hit sent my flying sideways toward the wall and my sword off to who knew where? I crashed into the wall with a thump, all my breath exiting my body at once, collapsing my lungs as I slid to the ground on my side.

He raised his sword over me, ready to strike me down—

Daisy hit him from the side in a shield rush, doing to him what he’d done to me. The compact cleric struck with enough force to send the captain sideways, spinning around away from me.

As she stepped passed me, holding her shield and sword up defensively, the soft sound of her lyrical voice filled the air as she sang to steady her nerves.

I smiled, pulling myself up and looking for my sword. It had landed across the room. Ignoring the ache in my back and ribs I jumped up and ran for the sword.

Alissa pinned the remaining archers between her sword and Briana’s. The barbarian grunted from several hits that didn’t slow her down one bit as she finished chopping the spirit archers into dissolving swirls of energy.

“Ali, the captain,” I called. Pain lanced through my ribs as I spoke, stopping me solid and dropping me to my knees.

She responded by charging across the room with a great snarl. He turned to block her mighty blow with his shied. Alissa swung her sword with both hands. The thick blade shattered the shield, the arm attached to it, and severed the limb from his body.

Daisy took advantage of the sudden opening and brought her gladius down on his back with a reverse swing.

Trapped between Alissa’s huge blade and Daisy’s impenetrable defenses, the captain opted to rush the half-orc.

Alissa freed one hand from her sword and grabbed the armored plated man by his neck, lifted him bodily up, spun in the direction he had run at her, and then slammed him flat onto the ground, breaking every bone in his decrepit body.

Briana was there, driving her twin blades into the eye sockets of his helmet like a knife into a can of tuna.

Then it was over.

Which was good, because I coughed up blood and passed out.