“According to my map, my Safe Circle should be up ahead somewhere,” I said, nervously eyeing my Health Bar at the same time, which was in the red thanks to the drain the gopher poison had put on it. Nothing a Health Potion or slug or two of whiskey wouldn’t cure. But still, it was unsettling to know I was only a handful of points away from death. It hadn’t even occurred to me to use the Health Potion in my inventory. I made a mental note to stay on top of such things from now on. It would only take me getting ambushed by some mob and taking a hit or two before I ended up dead. That thought made me grab the potion from the inventory, the small bottle appearing in my hand. I uncorked it and swallowed the lot in one go. It tasted vile, like that medicine my parents used to give me as a kid, only worse.

“You know you don’t have to physically drink those,” Annalise said.

“Really?” I tossed the bottle away, wincing at the after taste. But at least my Health Bar was full up again.

“Didn’t you listen in orientation? If you put the item in a Quick Access slot, it takes immediate effect once you select it. It doesn’t have to pass your lips.”

“Good to know. I’ll remember tha—Jesus!”

I jumped back as something dropped from the sky, landing in front of me. It only took me a second to realize it was a severed human head. Above, some winged creature passed by, emitting a screech that sounded suspiciously like laughter, almost like the creature had been playing a prank by dropping the head near me. Thankfully the creature flew on, disappearing into the clouds, so we didn’t have to fight it.

“What the hell?” Annalise said, turning the severed head over with her boot, revealing the fact that it had no eyes, just empty, bloody sockets, as if the creature who’d dropped it had pecked the eyes out. “It belongs to a player, according to the AI.”

“Not anymore,” I quipped, slightly disturbed by how undisturbed I was at the sight of a severed, eyeless human head. “Sucks for him, I guess.”

Annalise shook her head at me. “Could you be any more callous? That could be your head lying there.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m just really fucking tired. Plus, this place, it makes you… comfortable with all the carnage.”

She knew what I was talking about, so she didn’t argue. Instead, she turned around and looked for her SC, not seeing it. Mine was nowhere to be seen, either, despite the map saying we were right by it.

But then, out of nowhere, there was a rumbling sound. The ashen ground began to tremble and crack, sending up plumes of sulfurous dust. Annalise and I stumbled back, watching in awe and trepidation as something massive began to emerge from the earth.

With a groan of straining metal and the crunch of displaced rock, a circular structure erupted from the ground like some bizarre, mechanical flower blooming in fast-forward. It rose about ten feet into the air, its surface a patchwork of rusted metal plates and pulsing, organic-looking veins.

As the dust settled, we could see a single door set into the curved wall of the structure. Next to it, a small panel glowed with an eerie blue light—some sort of retinal scanner, I guessed. The whole thing looked like what you’d get if you asked a mad scientist to design a panic room for the apocalypse.

“Well,” I said, brushing off some of the ash that had settled on my glue-encrusted sleeve, “I guess that answers the question of where my Safe Circle is.”

Annalise eyed the structure. “There’s a scanner. Try it.”

Stepping up, I warily placed my eye over the scanner, and then a beeping noise sounded. On my screen, a message flashed:

Identity Confirmed… Kade Dalton

Safe Circle access granted.

The door then swished open, sliding across to allow me access. “And there she is,” I said, actually glad to have found this place at last. “My own little hovel in this even bigger hovel.”

“It looks exactly the same as the one I was shown during orientation,” Annalise said, poking her head inside.

“It’s basic, but I think we can upgrade these places. No idea how yet, though.”

“By killing more things probably.”

I snorted. “Most likely. You coming in?”

“That depends. Do you plan on locking me in and then raping me?”

“What? For fuck’s sake, Annalise. What do you take me for? Some sort of barbarian?”

“I’m just checking. But I warn you, if you try anything, I’ll shove this stick up your ass.”

“Oh, kinky.” I walked inside the circular room and plonked down on the lumpy monstrosity that passed for a couch, glad to take a load off after walking around for so long.

“I should really locate my own SC,” Annalise said. “It’s around here somewhere.”

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“How about a whiskey before you go?”

“Funny.”

“No, I’m serious. Look.” I located the whiskey in my inventory and made it appear in my hand, holding it up to show Annalise.

“Damn. Where’d you get that?”

“A loot chest, for having the gaul to insist that there be whiskey waiting for me at the SIPC building, if you can believe that. I think the AI was just trying to please me, lure me into a false sense of security. Not that it ever happened. How the hell can you feel secure in this place?”

Annalise smiled before stepping inside and sitting slightly over from me on the couch. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said after I handed her the bottle, doing the gentlemanly thing and giving her first slug. “I don’t even drink whiskey, especially with strange men.”

“Strange?” I reared back slightly in mock offense. “I wouldn’t say we’re strangers. We’re at least acquaintances now. Maybe even friends.”

“Friends?” She stared at me as she held the bottle. “In this place? Do you think having friends is a good idea?”

I shrugged. “Why not? I figure we have to retain some sort of humanity here, don’t you? Otherwise, we’re just gonna end up mindless killing machines whose only purpose is to entertain trillions of faceless aliens.”

“You’re not wrong. But I don’t think we should get too attached. Any one of us could get killed at any moment.”

“All the more reason to stick together. This may be the last chance we get to have meaningful human contact.”

Annalise laughed softly as she shook her head. “Something tells me you weren’t big into ‘meaningful human contact’ in the other world, Kade. You practically said so yourself. So why are you getting all warm and fuzzy now? Or is this just some ploy to get into my pants?” She edged away slightly, still gripping the bottle like she was going to hit me with it.

“Jesus, chill,” I said. “I haven’t even thought about it. Maybe a tiny bit. But my main concern is staying alive, and I think we stand a better chance if we stick together.”

She suddenly took a slug of the whiskey, her face registering her distaste before she’d even swallowed. When she did swallow, she started choking. “Oh Jesus… it burns.”

“You’re supposed to savor that,” I said, taking the bottle from her. “You savor the burn.”

“How does anyone savor this? It’s gross.”

Putting the bottle under my nose, I inhaled deeply before taking a mouthful. The moment the whiskey hit my tongue, it was like a symphony of flavors exploding in my mouth. The initial burn gave way to a complex blend of honey, oak, and a hint of smoky peat. As it slid down my throat, leaving a warm trail in its wake, I could taste subtle notes of vanilla and dried fruit.

The finish was long and satisfying, with a lingering warmth that spread through my chest. It was smooth yet robust, a perfect balance of flavors that danced on my palate. For a brief moment, I forgot I was in Hell. This wasn’t just alcohol—it was liquid artistry, a small piece of heaven in this infernal realm.

I closed my eyes, savoring the aftertaste. “Now that,” I said, opening my eyes and grinning at Annalise, “is how you drink whiskey. This isn’t just booze, it’s an experience. It’s like... if comfort and courage had a love child, and that child was raised by Scottish angels.”

Annalise looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “Whatever you say,” she said, shaking her head.

“And hey, as an extra bonus, it also grants +7 Regeneration for a whole hour.”

“How did you get the good gear? All I got was this sleeveless shirt and stick.”

“What’s the shirt do?”

“It negates melee-based damage debuffs and helps me heal quicker.”

“Cool. I killed a buncha imps, so I ended up with several chests.”

“I just ran from those little bastards. They threw bombs at me!”

“I tossed one of the bombs back at them. Blew them to shit.”

Annalise chuckled at that. Then she stood up. “So listen, Kade, this has been cool and all, but I think we should go our separate ways from here.”

I just stared at her like she’d punched me in the face. “Seriously?” I sounded like a little kid after his mother told him he couldn’t have ice cream.

“I just… prefer to be alone. It’s just… easier.”

“But who will keep you entertained?”

“I think I can entertain myself.”

Sighing, I shook my head. I sensed she didn’t want to be heading off on her own like this, but something was driving her to anyway. I also knew there’d be no changing her mind. “Alright,” I said, putting the cork back on the bottle of whiskey before retiring it to my inventory and standing up. “Have it your way. But at least grant me this much—add yourself to my map. So I’ll know you’re still alive out there.”

“What? I can do that?”

“I have no idea, but let’s try anyway.”

“Kade…”

“Come on. It’ll make me feel better. Bring up your screen and try it. Check your options. I’m checking mine now.”

I focused on bringing up my map screen, and a series of options appeared.

Map Options

1. View Full Map

2. Zoom In/Out

3. Set Waypoint

4. Track Resources

5. Show Safe Circles

6. Player Tracking

7. Map Legend

“Okay,” I said, scanning through the list. “Looks like ‘Player Tracking’ might be what we’re looking for. Let’s try that.”

I selected the ‘Player Tracking’ option, and a new sub-menu appeared.

Player Tracking

1. Add Player

2. Remove Player

3. View Tracked Players

4. Set Tracking Permissions

“Alright, Annalise. I’m going to try adding you. Can you see a similar menu on your screen?”

Annalise nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration as she navigated her own interface.

I selected ‘Add Player’ and a prompt appeared:

Enter Player Name or ID:

I looked at Annalise. “What’s your player ID?”

She checked her own screen. “It’s AL-7392.”

I entered the ID and hit confirm. Another prompt popped up.

Request sent to player AL-7392 for map tracking. Awaiting approval…

“Annalise, you should be getting a request from me. Can you accept it?”

She nodded, her eyes focused on something I couldn’t see. After a moment, she said, “Okay, I’ve accepted.”

Almost immediately, a small icon appeared on my map, a tiny green dot labeled ‘AL-7392’.

“I can see you on my map now,” I said, relief evident in my voice. “It looks like it’ll update in real-time as you move.”

Annalise’s eyes widened slightly. “I can see you too. There’s a green dot labeled ‘KD-5168’ on my map.”

I nodded, satisfied. “Good. At least now we can keep track of each other, even if we’re not traveling together.” I paused. “You sure you won’t reconsider? It’s dangerous as, well, hell out there.”

She stared at me for a second, as if she were going to change her mind. But then she nodded. “I’m sure. You just be careful out there, Kade. Try not to get yourself killed.”

“Yeah, you too,” I said, as she turned and left my Safe Circle. When she was gone, I pressed the button to close the door and lock it. “Well, Kade… alone again.”