We were closer than I thought to the end of this godforsaken pass, and thankfully, we made it out with no more injuries, surprises, or betrayals.

While we weren’t in the true towering peaks of the Bygone Mountain, when we exited Lucard Pass, I was still struck with a spectacular view of eastern Vedra. It was an idyllic scene with rolling hills, thick groupings of cedars, and curving streams in wide valleys.

I could see where the path to Lucard met with the road coming from Rook Pass, which I absolutely should have taken in hindsight. Although, if I had gone against Tara’s wishes, I would never have known Val’s true nature. I still didn’t know if it was better or worse to know the being living inside my head was a malevolent sociopath. Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss.

My eyes followed the road from Rook as it cut eastward across the land. I had to strain my eyes, but I could see the outline of Danver, one of the largest cities in Vedra. There were three more prominent cities: Angeline, which was west near the Alturan border; Vedir, where the ruling class lived with the King; Nesa, the desert city far to the south; and, of course, Danver, the mountain town.

The distant Danver exceeded my expectations. There were many tall buildings, perhaps reaching as high as five stories, but the city's vastness wasn’t in its skyline; it was in its sprawling breadth. The city was at least ten miles away, probably more, but it seemed to cover an entire quarter of the horizon before me.

It was growing late already, so I couldn’t make it today, but I’d be there in no time tomorrow.

“Val, any spot about a mile ahead that I can set up camp for the night?”

“If I can find something, I will notify you.”

“Thanks.” There wasn’t much to do except walk on this lonely road, so I figured I could fill the time with some light conversation. “What’s Danver going to be like? For me as a Player, I mean.”

“There will be everything you expect, like shops, taverns, and entertainment venues, but we will focus on completing simple quests. I will help lead you to any suitable scripted quests, should they be available, and I can help arrange the most beneficial outcome for you regarding experience, payments, and prizes. It would be nice if you could avoid triggering any on-the-spot dynamic quests. Don’t speak to anyone unless I say so, and you’ll be fine.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, that last part isn’t going to happen. I’ll speak to whomever I wish.” Not wanting to get into an argument, I moved on. “How many people are in Danver?”

“The current population of Danver is approximately 110,000 humans. When I am in the city, I can tell you how many Kurskins are among them. It is even possible that we could encounter a few Dalari there.”

"A Dalari? But all their land is to the far west. Why would one even risk coming this far, and won’t the lizards just kill a Dalari on sight?”

“There are many reasons a Dalari would leave its center of population,” Val said. “Remember, not all Players are here to fight in the war. Some choose to seek their glory elsewhere, and adventuring throughout this world is a highly sought-after experience for certain types of Players. If a Kurskin encountered a Dalari this far from the battlefields, it would not necessarily lead to violence. The Kurskins and Dalari both know this is a game and that some of their population participate in different ways. In fact, this far away from most of the warring factions, some of the Kurskins and Dalari may even work together on certain quests. Things are different in places not yet embroiled in the war."

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“I’ll do my best to avoid any Players,” I said. “Thanks for the information.”

I became more excited the closer we grew to Danver. Finally, I’d have a reliable way to gain experience. Already, the unnatural powers I wielded make me lust for more. My skills may not require magic, but they were essentially magic to me.

For example, my Simple Distraction skill had already served me extremely well. I didn’t understand how it worked, but it has proven very effective, and it was magic in my mind.

I had no doubt there were magic skills that allowed someone to cause a gust of wind or summon lightning. Whatever mechanism created my Simple Distraction could seemingly create anything.

And so, the question was: Why does one use magic and one doesn’t?

I asked Val, “Hey, Val? Question time.”

“Oh, my favorite time of day,” Val said in a monotone voice.

“Why don’t my skills cost magic to cast? I can create a sound at a distance. Why isn’t that magic?”

“My, my. That is a good question. If I had a cookie, I would give it to you. This particular system has two kinds of casts. A cast would be anything that breaks the fundamental laws of the universe. Here, under the sphere’s influence and access to unlimited energy, the laws of physics are meaningless. So, the System AI can manipulate matter however it pleases. In this iteration of the games, there are two casts. One is done using magic. The other is done as an action skill. Following?”

“So far so good,” I said.

“Wonderful. Action skills are a sort of trigger that fires a pre-programmed cast. They are time-based and can grow in power by frequent use, but they cannot grow as fast or as powerful as magic-based abilities. You see, magic allows Players to dip into the zero-point energy around them to make their casts without any time constraint. Think of it like channeling. Channeling is dangerous and can greatly weaken or even kill those who overdo it. Their cast is tied to the limit of their channeling ability, while your casts reset every sunrise.”

That helped explain why Val needed a magic user. They were literally dipping into the energy field that could recharge her. We were going to find a way to recharge her, but in a way that didn’t involve my brain exploding. “Did you follow what I said?” Val asked.

“Yeah, Val. You did a good job. If only I had a cookie for you.”

“Do not steal my jokes, please.”

“Do not steal my jokes, please,” I repeated.

“I did not steal from you, Ethan. You stole from me.”

“I did not steal from you, Ethan. You stole from me.”

“Wha…What are you doing?”

“Wha….What are you doing?” I repeated, this time mimicking her own voice.

“Stop.”

“Stop,” I repeated.

“I swear to you right now, Ethan, if you repeat what I say again, I will find the connection in your brain that allows you to speak, and I will sever it.”

Oh shit. “Okay, okay. I was just messing with you. I’m sorry.”

Val was silent for a long moment.

“That was very unpleasant. Never do it again.”

Honestly, it felt good to get Val so upset. She deserved to feel out of control sometimes.

“I’ll try my best, Val. It’s getting dark. Any place nearby that would be a safe place to camp out?”

“Life is so unfair,” Val’s avatar appeared before me, making me jump. She had her best depressed face on. “You drive me to my breaking points, yet I must help you. Surely, I am cursed to live such a life."

Could she really not see the irony in what she was saying?

“I feel your pain,” I said. “You drive me to my breaking points, yet I must help you. However, I don’t see it as a curse. We may not get along well, but I see us differently than you. I see us as two weapons, which, when wielded properly, could be unstoppable.”

“You sure are chipper tonight, aren’t you?” Val said.

“Happy to be out of that pass and in Danver tomorrow.”

I was happy to be so close to civilization again.

“I’m happy that I’ll be able to take a bath soon.”

Her avatar sniffed at the air and recoiled in disgust. She waved a hand. “Yes, I think that’s worth smiling about. We’ll find you a bath as soon as possible.”

That wasn’t the only thing I was happy about, but I wasn’t about to mention it to Val.

I had a foolish hope. My primary mission in this game was to find my wife and make sure she was safe. I had no way to know where to find her or if she even existed, but a big city like Danver seemed like a great place to start looking.