“So, when are you going to post a video about this new game you’ve been playing?” Blaine’s agent, Aurelio asked. “I know you’ve been logging some serious hours in the same game for a few weeks now. Your fans are curious what you’re up to.”

Blaine made a face as he drained the last of his coffee. “I can’t yet. I’m still under an NDA, you know.”

“Yeah, but that just means you can’t reveal anything about the game,” Aurelio scoffed. “Does it actually explicitly prevent you from at least mentioning the name of the game?”

“Well,” Blaine said slowly, “I’m not sure. I’d have to check the NDA.”

Of course, he knew already that he wasn’t allowed to say anything. He wasn’t even allowed to admit that he was playing the game, let alone disclose its name or what it was about. It wasn’t his fault that a savvy fan had leaked the title of the game after seeing a screenshot of his play status. Doubtless, one of his many online friends had let slip the title of the game he was playing. Well, that was perfectly fine by him, he thought. Anything that stirred up his fans’ interest was good for him.

“Not to mention the fact that you’re not actually pulling any new income in,” Aurelio pointed out. “You have to pay your bills, you know.”

“I’ve got savings for that,” Blaine said, dismissing the complaint with a wave. “I’m sure the NDA isn’t going to last long in any event. I already have some clips recorded, and I’ll post them when I get the green light.”

Aurelio let out a brief sigh, his face troubled on the screen in front of Blaine. “Alright, then. I get it, you can’t say anything. But I’m curious too. Will you at least tell me the name of the character you’re playing this time around?”

“All I’ll say is that I’m doing a monk build,” Blaine said. He knew the vague, tantalizing hint would drive his friend crazy, but he really couldn’t say anymore. “Oh, and I’m in a guild. We’re doing really well so far.”

“Well, of course, you’d make a guild,” Aurelio said, his face brightening with a grin. “You’re a natural leader, after all.”

“Actually, I’m not in charge of this one,” Blaine reported with a laugh. There, he thought, that should keep his fans occupied for some time. They’d probably spend a few days trying to uncover the identity of this mysterious person who’d been able to convince Blaine Espinoza to join their guild.

“Well, alright. That’s all the time we have for today,” Aurelio admitted. “I’m sure you’re itching to get back into the game. Give me a call if anything changes.”

“You know I will. Oh, and Aurelio, please don’t leak anything just yet. I don’t want to stir up the fans.”

There was a long silence then, as Aurelio understood exactly what he meant. He really did want these tidbits shared, just not through any of the official channels. “You got it, boss. Have a good one.”

Blaine ended the call and closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. Truth be told, he’d gotten bored ever since he started Project Terra. He was used to making daily videos and streaming. Gaming wasn’t just his passion, it was his livelihood. The donations from fans and sponsorship deals were what allowed him to live in such comfort, and he was itching to share this game with his followers.

A faint electronic beep caught his attention, and he looked over at the computer screen to see a message had appeared from Zeke, one of his best friends. Interested, he clicked on it.

Zeke: So how’d the meeting with Aurelio go?

Blaine: About as well as can be expected. He wants to know what I’ve been up to. It’s like he doesn’t understand what NDA means.

Zeke: Can’t help that. His livelihood depends on yours, you know. No sponsorships or new subscribers means he doesn’t get paid either.

Blaine: He’s got other clients to make him money, and he can wait. I’m not risking anything by trying to get around the NDA.

Zeke: Fair enough. You getting on soon?

Blaine: In a bit. Anything exciting happen?

Zeke: Not really. Caius confirmed a new raid dungeon. He thinks we should partner up with the Sisters again. And you should see what Azalea’s up to.

Blaine: She finally doing something with all that wood and metal?

Zeke: You could say that. I don’t wanna spoil it. Let me know when you get on, and we can rush the daily. If you’re early enough, we can swing by Market Street.

Blaine: Alright, give me about half an hour. Gotta catch up on the news.

Zeke: See you then. I’ll be hunting in the forest.

Blaine: How’s the bow working out?

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Zeke: So far so good. I’m thinking about getting it enchanted. If that’s even possible.

Blaine: I don’t see why not. If Azalea can get a bag of holding, you can get a magic bow.

Zeke: We’ll see. ttyl.

Blaine: GLHF.

He closed the DM, wondering just what Azalea had gotten up to. Caius, he was sure, already knew what the plan was. Or maybe she even kept her friend in the dark, she thought. He opened his news feed next, scrolling through the list of articles that had sprung up since yesterday. Nothing particularly interesting today, he thought, pausing to watch a short clip of one of his friends getting an ACE in the new Call of Duty game. He closed the news feed. Curiously, he hadn’t seen any mention of the new game in the feeds. He’d scoured it as thoroughly as he could, too. But even the other players of PT were keeping quiet on the matter.

The only evidence he’d seen of other people playing the game online was a post that had popped up on his personal forums. It hadn’t even been much of a post, just a single line of text. Marcine’s Blessings to you all. Of course, nobody who wasn’t playing the game had any clue what that meant. But Blaine had recognized the name from PT and knew the maker of that post had been a player. He’d friended the account but hadn’t gotten a reply just yet.

Turning off the screen, Blaine poured himself another cup of coffee, then wolfed down a granola bar before settling down in his GameBed. The visor to his system automatically rose up on an arm for him to grab, and he slid it over his eyes, unable to prevent a grin from breaking out. This game was seriously addicting. He couldn’t wait to show it off when his NDA wasn’t a thing.

As usual, his field of vision went dark for a few seconds after the hypnotic pattern of his visor put his body to sleep, then cleared to show a slowly rotating third-person view of his avatar. He admired the new outfit he’d gotten from Market Street for a few seconds while the game loaded around him, then blinked as he suddenly shifted to a first-person view. He was still lying in his bed, of course. He held his badge, checking his status, and was thrilled to see that his Endurance had indeed risen to C-Rank while he slept.

“Hell yeah,” he muttered, pushing himself off the bed of the small house and heading for the door. As soon as the area of Flower’s Rest came into proper view, however, he stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth falling open in shock. “What the-”

He’d gotten used to the growth and changes of Flower’s Rest over the past few weeks. Azalea was always hard at work on something. But this change was even more drastic. Located at the very back of their camp, right where the old mine had been located, was a massive building.

“Morning, Riley,” a voice said from his left. He turned to see Azalea walking away from the river, two large buckets full of water at her side. “Like the new guild hall?”

“Is that what that is?” he asked, eyeing the building apprehensively. It was at least three stories high, he could see, even if it wasn’t yet complete. Each floor had a wide patio ringing the outside, supported by huge pillars. And there were flowers in every single one of the dozen windows. Actual glass, he thought. Where the hell had she gotten glass? “I see you’ve been busy.”

“Well, I figured it was only fair,” she replied with a shrug. “We can’t fall behind the other guilds, and since you three are always bringing in cool items and finding dungeons, I thought I should do my part. Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”

She showed off the interior with an excited air, showing him the common space. “It’s even got room for big meals and parties!” Next were the rooms - over a dozen of them - that were somehow more spacious than the small homes they’d been using. And to top it off, each room had a fluffy feather bed instead of the simple cot they’d been using. “I found the recipe for those a few days ago, but couldn’t get enough feathers for them until yesterday. They’ll give us a small endurance buff if we sleep in them for more than four hours.”

Finally, she showed him the bathhouse. Occupying at least a quarter of the ground floor, these four stone basins were fed directly by the stream outside - or at least they would be, according to Azalea - and were lined with some interesting runes. She explained that the third recipe she’d found was these runes. When a player bathed in these basins, it not only cured minor illnesses and diseases, but also provided an Intelligence buff.

“Damn,” he muttered. “Nice work. Why’d you make so many rooms, though?”

“Well, Caius mentioned something about trying to find new guildmates, so I’m just preparing for the future,” she explained. “But I also thought we could rent out these rooms for a night. People could use the beds and the bathhouse to get the buffs, and we’d make a little extra Yemon on the side.”

“Farmer, Cook, Alchemist, and now Innkeeper,” he shook his head with a grin. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

She blushed a little at the comment and quietly thanked him, but was spared from thinking up a reply by the arrival of Caius, who stumped in through the front door holding a bottle of some bright blue liquid. He looked… different. Riley wasn’t sure what about him had changed, exactly, but he definitely didn’t look the same as he had the previous night.

“Got the pot for you,” he told Azalea, handing it over. “Time to start taking this game seriously, right?”

“Right!” She agreed cheerily “Just a second, Riley. I gotta go change.”

Non-plussed, he waved her away with a distracted air, still staring at Caius. The warrior noticed his gaze and gave a mysterious sort of grin. “Noticed, did you? It’s a subtle change, but I knew you’d spot it.”

Almost unconsciously, he stood a little straighter, and the change became more obvious. His hips were leaner, Riley thought. In fact, his whole body had become a little leaner, and his face had been made a little more angular. He looked as if he’d lost fifty pounds overnight, and shrank a few clothes sizes.

“Alright, I think this will do.” Azalea’s voice made him turn, and his eyes widened. If the changes in Caius’s physique and appearance had been surprising, it was nothing compared to the drastic transformation that Azalea had undergone. She had to be a few inches taller, he thought, or maybe it was the fact that she looked just a little more confident now. Her hair had definitely changed, going from a bright azure to a deep auburn, and now drifted down in a long sheet to her elbows, save for a simple but cute braid that went over her left ear. A silver circlet sat on her head, keeping her bangs out of her eyes.

What was most evident, however, was her outfit. Before, she’d worn a simple light green blouse and skirt. That had been changed to a short blue dress that ended at her mid-thigh, with a red breastplate and pauldrons. Dyed leather plates lay over the hem of her skirt as well, and she wore high boots made of deep blue leather with more dark red metal to accent it. In her right hand, she held a long thin spear carved with intricate symbols, and on her right hand, she wore a highly polished silver bracelet. Judging by the arcane markings on the surface of the jewelry, it was clearly designed to let her cast spells.

“What do you think?” she asked, giving a small twirl to show off her outfit. It was then he noticed the dark red cape extending to her ankles, which looked to be made of light silk. “Do I look a bit more like a fighter now? Caius has been teaching me how to use the spear, and I’ve gotten a little better.”