“So, is that… the Bergdolff party?” Nostrafartas asked.

Karseerteal looked around. There was stuff broken all around and bodies that were only partially decomposed. Decomposition started very slowly, then picked up fast while on Northworld. You’d get a nearly pristine body for two or three months, then rot suddenly set in, and two weeks later, there would be a handful of bones and nothing else. They’d been there in time to find something.

“Four bodies, and looks like most of their gear. Bergdolff liked that style of sword. So I’d say yes.”

Nostrafartas shrugged.

“Figures. So they tried to tackle stuff above their weight.”

“The southern border is always full of surprises. This place shouldn’t be a problem for veterans, but they probably got a wanderer above their levels or with the wrong skills.”

Karseerteal shook his head in denial. There were always people who took too many risks and believed numbers won every time.

“So, what do we do?”

“Get their gear, see if they have next-of-kin instructions, and that’s pretty much it. Since someone paid us to check on them, that’s probably who will be interested.”

Karseerteal was looking at the location, trying to figure out what exactly had happened. The corpse of the Acrantopsis Loricatus was totally pristine, meaning it had been freshly killed. That kind of critter would probably wipe the party… but that one had been killed long after the original death. And nobody had bothered skinning it, despite the skin’s worth. So, a mystery. Some high-thousander party had stumbled on the dead and killed the critter, but the avenging party had left everything in place, not even trying to get their remains back to town. Some power-leveling assholes, certainly.

“FUCK!”

Karseerteal turned and nearly collided with Nostrafartas, who was backpedaling straight into him. Then he froze in disbelief.

“There were all four Silvergates left, so I thought I’d pick them to give as mementos, even if they’re burned out. But this one has activated.”

Karseerteal looked at the huge black globe. He moved in front of the other Gater, but the globe remained black.

“I thought they can’t activate once you’re dead. It's like they’re burned out or something. How come this one does? Why doesn’t it show my spawn? Or Recess?”

Karseerteal closed his eyes. He knew the answer to that question. And that answer was not one he liked to know.

“I’ve seen that once.”

“Oh? How do you re-activate one, then?”

“You don’t. It activates because it’s not a Gate to Earthside. It’s one to a different world.”

Nostrafartas looked at him incredulously. Then he realized what it was about.

“It’s like one of those… Aliengates? From the aliens our expedition found?”

“It looks like it is. We wait until it resets, pack it carefully with the rest, and then run back to town on the double. All the stamina we can spend. And tomorrow morning, I do an emergency Recess as soon as the option pops up and sound the alarm.”

“Why? I mean, how come their Silvergates now point to…”

Stolen story; please report.

Nostrafartas stammered when he saw the dark look that Karseerteal was throwing his way.

“No. The problem is, we didn’t find the Bergdolff’s Silvergates. All four of them. But instead, we found the ones that belong to aliens.”

Nostrafartas’s face scrunched as he processed the implications.

“You think… there’s four of them? Did they kill Bergdolff?”

Karseerteal shook his head in denegation.

“No. I think they just found the bodies. They killed the Acrantopsis who had wiped the lowbies. And then, they picked and used the gates. Theirs got left behind when they did that. But they all have gone Earthside.”

The scout had been expecting a repeat of the first spawn. Getting unavoidable nausea and puking all over the place. But this… spawn had been basic. So, it was really the Setup that did it when you were remade with the Interface. No new version of the Interface, no spawn sickness.

It was nighttime, but the place wasn’t dark. He was on some kind of hillside, and below him were lights. Grids of lights, moving lights in great snaking rivers. Looking upward, he could even see a few lights blinking in the air. All the marks of an advanced and technical civilization. He could imagine himself back Home instead of the Far Home.

Now, all of them would be spread all over this world, and he would have to deal with everything on his own. For at least nine days, presumably, until the return option activated. He wondered where it would go now that he had two Silvergates.

A noise behind surprised him. He crouched, trying to offer the least view in the night and avoid being silhouetted against the lights from below. He peered at the slowly moving shape. Someone was trying to stay discreet.

He whistled once, twice, three times. A thrill answered. He stood up as did the other.

“Didn’t expect anyone to spawn next to me? What happened?”

“Remember those ideas that you could spawn at the same place if you were all entering your Gate at the exact same time from the same place?”

“And they were never really confirmed. So, who knows.”

“Well, maybe there’s some truth to it after all.”

“What about the others?”

“They might also spawn nearby instead of half a world away.”

“Let’s hope we find them. Now look at this.”

He waved to the cityscape below.

“High-tech. That’s nice. And maybe frightening.”

“We have nine days to figure out the most of this. At least the Interface is up and running, so there’s that. And stay hidden. I mean, it will be obvious we’re not from here.”

The second scout snorted.

“Yeah. We all saw what they truly looked like, not just what was under the pyramid. They’re going to notice all that fur. And even if I could shave that…”

The other made gagging sounds.

“… I’ll never pass for a native. Their head is shaped all kind of wrong.”

Armand Walker made his way across the aisles of the all-night convenience store. Sometimes, he forgot the time while on the computer and then had to get some groceries because his refrigerator was always nearly empty. And all take-away tasted like fuck. Even with his shitty cooking skill, he’d rather make real meals. That was important for one’s balance.

He picked a pack of sauce.

Tomato Concentrate (lvl 0), cooking supplement

Armand frowned. For a second, it seemed like he’d seen a descriptor from the Interface. He turned his head and looked at the cans arrayed on the other side of the aisle. He gingerly fingered one.

Flavored Stamina Drink (lvl 0), +0.2 stamina/min.

He had the Interface up. But that was impossible. The Interface didn’t work on Earth. Skills did not work. Without a Silvergate inside you, there was no way you could get access to… He raised his hand and focused. Flames sprung, forming a ball of hot fire around his fist.

There was a sound of glass breaking on the floor.

“Fuck, man. What’s that fire hand???”

The other customer looked incredulously at Armand’s burning clenched fist. Walker opened the fist, ending the Flaming Fist.

“Is that… magic? Like that place they talk about on the net? The other world? I thought you couldn’t do magic on Earth?” the other man blabbed.

“I thought so as well,” Armand replied drily.

He dropped his grocery bag and ran to the exit. The cashier raised himself from his chair, but seeing nothing in his hands, he sat back.

Armand opened up his phone. Apparently, it worked… well, of course it worked. The reason it wouldn’t work on Northworld was the lack of cell towers. And electronics being interfered with while batteries discharged way too fast. He dialed the first contact number.

“Fuck. Do you have an idea of what time it is? I know you have no respect for Earthside hours, but…”

“Check your Interface.”

“What do you mean, check my Interface? That shit doesn’t work without a…”

The other side of the call went silent as the man digested the presence of the Interface.

“It does now. It’s active Earthside. The whole thing. Skills, probably regen, everything. I…”

He checked and confirmed, “I even got a tiny percentage in a skill. Everything’s active now.”

“Oh fuck!”

“Call everyone,” Armangest said.