After a delicious meal, the group wandered around Cresthaven to let their food digest and see the sights.

The patron at Grubb's that had warned them about Gar, her words still echoed in Andy's head.

Perhaps they were getting ahead of themselves, being too brash. Sure, there was a unique System that encouraged the acquisition of power, but in addition to the System, the Infinite Plane also had a rich, storied history, cultural norms of its own, and hierarchies of social power and responsibility that Andy had not even begun to understand. Treading recklessly could cause them to do something they would later regret…

The group continued walking in silence, punctuated by the occasional comment on the businesses, outfits, and goings-on of Cresthaven.

It seemed that the group had stumbled onto the entertainment district. There were carnivalesque amusements, as well as item shops selling weapons and equipment, and, of course, a plethora of delicious-looking restaurants. But even Kermit was too full to consider more food.

As much as Andy thought he would enjoy the stroll, he was itching to lay down for a bit and study the level zero feats.

"I want to… play… the games," Kermit said wearily. "But I'm so sleepy… from all… the… meat."

"Why don't we get back to the inn and have a rest," Arlene said, the energy gone from her as well. "The fun and games will still be here later."

They headed back to Tobo's Tavern & Inn.

As they entered the tavern, the group exchanged some more small talk with Tobo. Yes, the food they found was excellent, yes Cresthaven's culture was delightful. Yes they had a little scuffle, and no, no one was hurt. Yes, the group was awfully tired and would love to be shown to their rooms.

Tobo took the three of them upstairs and handed them their keys, saying, "Please don't hesitate to come downstairs if you need anything at all."

Andy slipped into his room.

Finally, he thought. Time to plan out my feats.

Andy laid on the modest but comfortable bed and took out the envelope. He opened the weathered papers and read the inscriptions.

Class Zero Feats

Befriend Animal (Druid)

You can cause a neutral or hostile animal to become friendly toward you.

Arcane Gesture (Sorcerer)

You receive an arcane gesture that enables you to cast the following spells for free: summon minor elemental, blinding light.

Fluid Strike (Monk)

You can strike (melee or unarmed) 3x faster than normal, with a modest boost to your striking power.

Drain (Warlock)

You can draw from the health of other creatures you can see in order to replenish your own physical health.

Righteous Wrath (Paladin)

If an ally takes damage from an enemy, your next attack on that enemy is an extreme success.

Alchemy Bomb (Alchemist)

You can use alchemical techniques to build small explosives.

Subversion (Tactician)

You can see an enemy's tactics, intentions, and deceptions. On a successful dodge or parry, you can counterstrike the attacker.

Intercession (Cleric)

You can conduct a 20-minute ritual to fully heal one creature.

Turn of Phrase (Bard)

You are exceptionally eloquent. As a result, you have a passive bonus to your deception, performance, and persuasion skills.

Blend into Shadow (Rogue)

You can become functionally invisible in a sufficiently shadowed area.

Wallop (Berserker)

All successful melee attacks deal double your base damage.

Knowledgeable (Scholar)

You are well-studied. You gain a passive bonus on your occulture, history, and deity skills.

Telepathy (Psychic)

You can speak into the mind of a sentient creature. You cannot read their mind, so the communication is one-way.

Favored Weapon (Fighter)

You select a weapon type and receive accuracy and damage bonuses with that weapon type. You may change your favored weapon type once per fighter level.

Disguise (Charlatan)

You are a master of disguise.

Arcane Word (Wizard)

You receive an arcane word that enables you to cast the following spells for free: burst of force, slow projectile, levitate light object.

Craft Simple Object (Builder)

You can replicate any simple, non-enchanted, non-metal object that you have seen.

Discern Recipe (Farmer)

You can discern an approximate recipe for any dish you have tasted.

Craft Metal Object (Smith)

You can replicate any simple, non-enchanted metal object that you have seen.

Discern Enchantment (Enchanter)

You can discern the basic nature and functionality of any enchanted item.

Andy was starting to see what Arlene meant by synergies. There seemed to be many feats that would work well together.

For example, the Fluid Strike feat allowed for more rapid strikes, but only provided a modest increase in striking power. Combined with the Wallop feat, those strikes could all be extremely fast and extremely hard. Combine that with the Favored Weapon feat and the Drain feat, and you'd have a deadly close-quarters fighter with the ability to restore your health.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

In fact, Andy was impressed with the loadout he had just come up with. He felt that he'd have a hard time coming up with a better one.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Andy said, rolling over and sitting up.

It was Arlene.

"Kermit's asleep. Out cold. Probably a food coma," she said.

"Oh nice," said Andy. "Glad he's getting some rest… how are you?"

"Good," she said, pulling the envelope of feats out of her black tunic. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure, no problem," Andy said, scooting over to allow her room to sit with him.

"Have you figured out what you want to take yet?" she asked as she sat down.

"I was looking at a few," Andy said. "It looks like the monk, berserker, fighter, and warlock feats work really well together…"

"I was eyeing that combo," she said. "It's a good one, don't get me wrong. If that's what you want, you should go for it. It's one of the more optimal combos, actually."

"Oh?" Andy said. "Have you got anything better?"

"Depends on how you want to play it," Arlene said. "If you're interested in doing anything with spellcasting, Arcane Word and Arcane Gesture are musts. If you take them together, that's five spells for free."

"How do spells work?" Andy asked. "We haven't covered it at all, and I didn't find any information on it in my papers."

"Well, it seems like there's a magic system where you have a certain reserve of points to spend on casting spells, it's called magickē, I think."

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Andy asked, impressed.

"I was just looking at the display," she said. "The magic tab."

How did I not think to do that? Andy thought.

He concentrated, opened his display, and navigated to the magic tab:

Magickē Reserve: 0/0

Spell/Cost: N/A, No Known Spells!

Andy came back.

"Nice," he said. "So you're going for a spellcaster build?"

"No, I don't think so," she said.

"Well, what then?"

"I was looking more at a stealthy sniper build. Favored Weapon with a longbow, Blend Into Shadow for stealth, Righteous Wrath for taking out aggressive enemies, and Alchemy Bomb. Between all those, you'd have a quite effective range fighter."

"Huh," and said. "Not bad…"

"Only question is healing," Arlene said. "Intercession seems like the only spell that allows you to heal someone else, and it's a long-ish ritual. Drain is great for keeping your own physical health up in combat… But it's also dependent on having a nearby enemy to draw health from. The level 0 feats are light on healing overall."

"Can't we just replenish our physical health with food? It seems like that's how it has worked so far." Andy asked.

"I don't know," Arlene said. "Maybe? But then why would they have these healing feats?"

She trailed off.

"Well I was thinking of a great sword," said Andy, filling the silence.

He thought back to his drawings. His heroes always had great swords.

"Nothing wrong with a giant sword," said Arlene. "If we go in this direction, that makes you a close-quarters fighter and me a range fighter."

"We'll see what Kermit picks," said Andy. "But that seems good to me. What do you think?"

"I think we're lacking in magical capabilities, and I think at least one of us should take intercession. I suppose I could switch out Alchemy Bomb or Righteous Wrath for it."

"I could swap Drain for it."

"I don't think that's a great idea. Drain is perfect for a melee fighter. You're going to need immediate healing, not a 20-minute ritual, and if Drain prevents you from going down, that's all the better for our party."

She relaxed a little bit, leaning back against the wall next to the bed.

"Are you having fun?" she asked, looking Andy in the eye and smiling.

"Yeah, I think so," said Andy. "It's all happening so fast. And I have already forgotten that this place is a simulation. It's weird. It feels really, really real."

He was telling the truth. Over the short time that he had been here, the novelty quickly wore off. It felt no different than life. It felt…

"Realer than real, right?" Arlene said.

"Exactly," said Andy.

There was a long pause.

"I was really scared when I died," she said.

Andy remained silent, not knowing exactly what to say. The energy had suddenly shifted to a more personal seriousness. The comment had come out of left field, but it seemed clear that Arlene wanted to connect more deeply, and this was her shot.

"I don't know," she continued, "maybe it's stupid. I had never felt super connected to anyone. I always felt lonely. Even with my streaming audience… I just wish things had been different sometimes."

Andy considered asking her how he died, and then he realized that would be missing the point.

"I'm sorry," he said.

She smiled.

"Well, it's not all that bad, you and Kermit are keeping me in good company," she said.

Andy paused.

"I'm glad," he finally said. The words sat in the room.

"How are you adjusting?" She asked. "I mean, how was it for you? Transitioning from life and all."

"Yeah, it was something," Andy said, attempting to conceal his nervousness.

Arlene was the first peer he had had a serious conversation from in almost a year. His social skills had all but vanished when he began working with his father full time. And plus, he was never this open with people. But Arlene seemed different, inviting, easy to talk to.

"Yeah, I don't know. You said you were lonely. I was kind of, I don't know, resigned is maybe the best word."

Arlene mmm'ed.

"Yeah," Andy continued. "But, I feel like I'm getting a second chance here. I feel like, I don't know, anything is possible. I think things are starting to click for me a little more."

"You didn't seem so resigned earlier today," she said, smiling at him. "When you thought you were getting chopped in half for me, remember? That was very brave."

"Well shucks," Andy said in a slightly exaggerated tone. "Yeah, I don't know. I feel like I have something now. A drive… a purpose. Something like that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah… I don't know, all my life I felt like I had nothing to look forward to. I felt like I had all these dreams inside me and there was no way to let them out. I knew that I had two options: chase my dreams at the cost of everything else, or live a safe life and… kill the dreams. Push them down. I chose that, and I regret it."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Arlene said. "I chased my dream, at least as much as I could, and I ended up in a dark room playing video games. It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well like I said, it was lonely. But also stressful. I had to stream so much just to be able to pay rent. I would go sometimes ten hours a day. When you have to put that much into your hobby, it's not a hobby anymore. It's a chore."

Another pause. Sounds of tables being set in the tavern echoed up into the hallway and under the bedroom door.

"Do you think this world will become a chore?" Andy finally asked.

"I don't know," said Arlene. "But I sure hope not. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Same," said Andy. "I actually made a similar vow to myself when I first arrived. I'm not going to be pushed around. I'm going to become exactly the person I want to be, and no one else."

"Do you promise?" said Arlene.

Andy was a bit thrown off.

"Huh?"

"Do you promise? Promise me you'll become exactly who you want to be, and I promise you I will do the same. And we won't let it become a chore."

Andy considered it.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I promise."

Arlene grinned.

"Me too."