Edvardus chose one of his new shirts to wear today, it was plain, without any frills. Even the buttons were dull and lacked the usual shimmer and shine of jewels that he was accustomed to. He stepped in front of the mirror and decided he didn’t need to shave yet. A shadow had formed around his jaw but it wasn’t bad looking. It made him look rather dangerous. Yes, the combination of his short hair, and a scruffy beard made him look like he didn’t have servants to attend to him. “Probably because I don’t have any servants at the moment.”

He’d managed to escape the spies his daughter had sent to follow him and was on his own again. He ran his fingers through his hair. It still felt strange. He was used to tight curls, now it was just a little fuzz. He cleaned his teeth and washed his face. Then, he added plenty of lotion until his black skin was nice and dewy.

Now that Edvardus looked like a proper commoner he was ready to meet up with his new friends Norman and Blok. He left the Garazza Inn and walked down the central road. The buildings were made of stone and wood and while small and homely individually, together the buildings sprawled out over a hilltop made a lovely picture. The backdrop of the river delta draining into the sea made the small town feel cozy and warm.

A few minutes later he arrived at the Seaview Pub and made his way to the back to their usual table. Norman was already there waving at him. Edvardus waved back enthusiastically. No one waved at a King, at least not in normal, non-parade-type situations. He patted his friend on the back, and said, “How’s your morning going? Any happenings down at the mine?”

“I got to sleep in a little this morning.”

“It is your only day off,” Edvardus remarked. He’s tried to pass several laws requiring a two-day weekend break for all, but the nobles had blocked him at every turn. It had never passed and had become a recommendation, which did nothing for the majority of his people.

“Torry is sick now. He hasn’t been able to work most of the week and when he did come he couldn’t stop coughing. He caught the black lung, he might get better if he stayed out of the mine but if he does that, his kids will starve, so there’s not much he can do.”

“The sea is full of opportunity. Why doesn’t he try his hand at fishing?”

“You really aren’t from around here, Edvard. Only the nobles can fish without a license and they choose who can have boats in the harbor. And the boatmen don’t take on people they don’t know. You have to have family already in that line of work or you’ll never be accepted.”

“Doesn’t that only apply to the river delta? The rest of the coastline should be free for anyone to use.”

“Ha, wouldn’t that be nice? The river is the only place us commoners can fish and only on Mondays. That’s the law in these parts. Where are you from?”

Lord Rivarr, that asshole, was circumventing the law. The coast was for the commoners. He’d deal with that the next time he visited home. Edvardus didn’t want to give away personal information, but he also didn’t want to alienate his friend. “I’m a city boy. I grew up in Oonar.”

“I heard the capital is a good place. As long as you are in the shadow of the castle. The King has some influence around there. I heard King Edvardus cares about low-born folks like us. That he tried to pass laws to help us out. Too bad he doesn’t have enough power to make his ideas reality. I heard he’s just a figurehead.”

“He’s done some good. He lowered taxes a few years back, and opened up a library that anyone can use.” Edvardus could come up with several more things he’d done, but his friend was right. Ever since his grandfather’s day the royal family had lost the majority of their power to the leaders of the noble factions. As they were lost in thought Blok arrived with a smile on his face.

“Hi fellas, sorry I’m late. The missus required a little extra help this morning.”

Edvardus smiled. Blok’s wife was pregnant with their first child and was due in a couple of weeks. “Then I’m glad you were able to help her. I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep your woman happy especially when she’s almost ready to burst.”

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“And how many children do you have, Edvard?” Blok asked. Edvard had purposely avoided telling the lads about himself and he didn’t want to start giving away too much now. What if they put the pieces together and figured out who he was? They would treat him differently.

“Just one, but enough about me, tell us what names you’re thinking of.”

Alright, we can order one pint of beer, but then we need to get moving. I can’t spend the whole day away from my missus. We need to get heading out to the dungeon soon so she doesn’t yell at me again,” Blok explained. He then ordered them all a drink. They spent a half an hour catching up. Then they all piled up on Blok’s horse and cart. The young farmer was kind enough to transport them to the dungeon for free.

Once they were close to the entrance, Blok loosely tied his horse to a tree and hiked the last few feet up to the glowing portal at the base of the Fortuas Mountain Range. Blok held his sword at the ready and entered first as their Paladin and tank. Then Norman the rogue went next with one of his many daggers in his fist and Edvardus followed them through.

Inside the dungeon was a meadow of grass surrounded by trees and mountains. One of the closest trees was so knotted and gnarled that it looked like a wizened old grandmother. It was warmer here and there was less moisture in the air. It was the dry heat that first alerted his brain that he had teleported to a new location.

He’d been here four times already but he was still nervous about fighting. They followed a small winding path in the grass and it didn’t take long for Blok to signal that it was time to stop and prepare for a fight. Five goblins came charging forward. Edvardus could feel their anger and killing intent from the look on their faces and the speed of their attack. He gathered his mana to the tips of his fingers and focused on what he wanted to make. One strong fireball that would hit the center of the enemy group. “Fireball.” He called forth his one and only skill. His fingers grew warm but did not burn as sparks flew from him into to ball of flame. Once it was large enough to be deadly he flung his fingers at the goblins and watched it hit the two in the back. His aim was still a little off, but he was improving little by little with each raid.

He needed to wait for 45 seconds before he could use his skill again. He’d taken many sword fighting lessons throughout his life but had never been talented in that field. So while he pulled his sword from its sheath at his hip he truly hoped he would not have to use it. Blok was able to block one of the goblins with his shield as he swung his sword in a perfect arc. One swing was all it took for him to dispatch and decapitate one of them.

Norman stepped behind the blocked goblin and used backstab to kill it. Norman was pulling his knife out of the enemy when the last goblin jumped onto him and started biting his shoulder. The little green man had a rock tied to a stick that he used to club Norman on the head.

That looks painful. I ought to step forward and help. “System how much time is left on Fireball?” Edvardus asked.

The glowing blue system screen hovered in front of him. 22 seconds. He looked over at Norman. If he stepped forward he’d only be a nuisance. At least he was wearing some protective gear. Norman’s leather armor would stop some of the damage, but blood was already leaking through his shirt.

Edvardus unconsciously stepped forward again, but was relieved when Blok turned, faced the enemy, and stabbed the goblin in the neck. It wasn’t enough to completely remove the head, but it did kill the thing, and as it died its grip on Normal relaxed. It fell to the ground and the forest was silent once more.

“Let me see your shoulder,” Blok said.

Norman untied his leather breastplate. Pulled down his tattered shirt and revealed his opened wound. “You’re lucky I leveled up last week. I guess you get to be the first person I heal. Rejuvenation.” A golden glow hovered between the two men. Edvardus snuck closer. The glow was made of thousands of tiny spheres that settled on the bite wound. The blood stopped flowing and a moment later the wounds closed. They were still raw and red but he had never seen anything like it in all his years as King. The Game was truly remarkable.

“Thank you, Blok,” Norman said. He rolled his shoulder about and rotated his arm, stretching the wound. “I can hardly feel it anymore. Shall we move on?”

They all agreed to keep moving. They started marching forward through the woods but something was strange. Dark clouds from the East moved in quickly as the wind picked up. “Have either of you ever been in a dungeon with changing weather? I know I’m the newest adventurer here, but I’m pretty sure the weather is a set detail that is supposed to remain constant,” Edvardus commented.

“I think you’re right,” Norman said, “I’ve never encountered anything like this.”

The clouds reached them and the rain fell down torrentially. The land grew dark in less than a minute and Edvardus didn’t have anything to keep the water out. He was soaked. The clouds covered the sky a moment later.

“Let’s head back. I have a bad feeling about this,” Edvardus said, “I can barely see anything and feel like we’re being watched.

“I feel weird, too. Let’s turn around and come back another day, ” Blok said.

Edvardus turned around and started walking, he tripped on a tree root but caught himself before he fell. He was staring at the ground trying to walk quickly when lightning lit up the forest.

The light illuminated the woods and in an instant hundreds of goblins were revealed. They were surrounded by enemies. Archers were in the trees and behind bushes. Others held clubs and knives.

“Shit. I think we need to run.”