"... breaking news, an ion storm is battering Icepolis, capital of the Northern Polar Kingdom. Witnesses report that the royal palace has received several direct hits ..."

"Oh shut the fuck up." I groan, rising from the couch. Groping about blindly, I manage to find the remote control for the TV and quickly silence the racket. Morning light streams through the gap in my apartment's curtains and I blink owlishly, feeling malodorous and barely awake. My phone falls out of a trouser pocket and I pick it up, checking what godforsaken hour it is.

Wonderful, I'm too late to clock in at Guild HQ on time. And I fell asleep in yesterday's clothes. No surprises there's a stench. Stripping off my work clothes and leaving them on the couch, I stagger my way to the bathroom. Opening the sink's faucet at full blast, I liberally splash my face with cold water, trying to drive away the memories of last night at the Sensorium.

"Maybe it was all a dream." I mutter at my reflection in the mirror, taking in the dark rings under my eyes and the unkept beard, "I got totally drunk at the party. And had a fucked up nightmare."

I look like absolute dogshit. There's no point showing up for work today in my current state. Gargling my mouth, I begin the morning ritual of brushing my teeth. The normalcy of the act is soothing. Calming.

Nothing like encountering a pack of monk ghouls dealing drugs right in the middle of the city.

Shaking my head, I stand under the shower and let the water blast away all the dirt, sweat and memories. Whatever happened last doesn't matter at the end of the day. The world keeps turning and life goes on. Let the nightmares stay in the realm of imagination. Letting out a deep breath I didn't know I was holding, my nerves achieve some measure of peace. Turning the hot water tap, the shower becomes more comfortable and I ease into the belated morning ritual.

......

My phone rings just as I finish toweling myself dry. Reaching to pick it up, I click my tongue the moment I see the word "Supervisor" plastered on the screen.

"Yes sir." I answer, trying to sound as out of it as possible.

"Everett!" the Supervisor's familiar voice blares through the handset, "Where the hell are you?"

"At home." I feign a long groan, "I'm not feeling too hot today. Probably need to call in sick."

"Well, you can forget about it." the Supervisor snaps, "Pull yourself together and get your ass down here. You're being sent on an emergency expedition. Briefing at HQ in two hours time."

"Emergency what?" I blurt out in surprise.

"You're being deployed in the Winter Rift at short notice." the Supervisor explains, "Everyone else that's part of the team is already prepping at HQ for the mission. You're the odd man out, Everett."

"Hold, hold up." I stutter slightly, not quite in the groove of things yet, "What team? How many people are we talking about? I'm really not up to this -"

"Just four people, including you." the Supervisor grunts into the line, "And Winter Rift is relatively safe. Classed as low risk. You should be fine Everett, even if you're hung over."

"If its such a small team, why am I being deployed?" I object, "There would be no need for someone from General Department for a mission of this scale."

"Have you forgotten already?" the hectoring starts again, "You're now part of Combatant Department until further notice."

"I remember." I mutter in resignation, as the Combatant Department armband stares accusingly at me from its resting spot on top the TV.

"So get down here, chop chop." the Supervisor says, "You're starting sound better already."

And the line goes dead.

So much for a day off. I toss the phone on to the couch and begin pulling out a fresh set of clothes from the wardrobe. Good thing I left for the party straight from work last night. I had brought home all my equipment with me. Knife, check. Casting focus, check. And of course, Love, sitting in the cheap leather holster. On goes the flak vest. Everything is in order. I reach for my Guild jacket and something falls out from one of the pockets.

"Shit." I curse. Its the voucher from the bar last night, its cheerful design mocking me. But there's something different this time. The voucher is wrapped around something else. Unfurling the voucher, I find a huge, thick blunt inside. Along with a note.

Something to help you relax. Best wishes, Brother Breath

A lance of pure fear stabs down my spine and I very nearly fling the blunt out of the window. Last night was real. The drugs, the monks, even the electric chair. It was all real. My hands start shaking uncontrollably. I'm losing it.

Clenching my fists, I force myself to focus. Think of anything else other than Breath and his fellow ghouls. The sea. Puppies. Anything.

Then it hits me like a landslide. Breath could use skills from all the classes. And I absorbed Gunslinger history when I picked up Love. Could it be that I'm something similar to the monks? Was that why Breath was willing to admit me into the Cathedral?

I rise to my feet and assume the firing stance. My accuracy is good, the battle with the Primal Ape proved that already. As a mundane shooter I'm more than proficient. But a shooter is not a Gunslinger. As Latour said in the Rift, my stance is stiff. Mundane marksmanship revolves around a firm stance to aim and handle the gun's recoil. But a Gunslinger can maintain dead eye accuracy while at a full sprint. That's the magic of class skills.

And that's something I mean to try out, right now.

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Dodge shot. Its one of the most common Gunslinger skills floating around. As the name implies, you dodge to the side and return fire at the same time. Essential in surviving battles without enhanced toughness or the fortress spell. Drawing a bead on the TV, I loosen my stance up. I've seen dodge shot performed countless times before, so I should be able to perform a reasonable facsimile. The test will be whether I can maintain my aim on the TV at the same time.

"Dodge shot!" I shout, sending my entire body into motion.

And I unceremoniously trip over my feet, crashing into the couch. The momentum of the stumble sends the couch tipping over and I land on my head.

Hard.

........

"So, hi hi everyone!" the perky young woman greets us as she steps into the lift, "Say hello to the nice people Buddy!"

The red fox standing at the woman's feet waves its fluffy tail back and forth in greeting.

"You're with us for this expedition, Carol?" James asks as the elevator zooms its way up to the top floor of the Combatant tower at Guild HQ.

"The Guild needed a ranger," Carol says with a broad grin, "And guess who they picked?"

"Ranger." Sam muses, "You were a regular Gunslinger just a month ago."

"I got my certification just a week ago!" Carol cheers, "This will be my first expedition in the role."

Carol is irritatingly energetic, constantly waving her hands about. Her pet fox begins sniffing my trousers out of boredom. At least I hope its boredom.

"A milk run." I drone unenthusiastically, "This should be a milk run in the Winter Rift, right?"

"Uh, yes?" James looks at me with some concern, "None of us here are heavy hitters."

"So hello, Adam!" Carol extends her hand to me, which I shake, "James told me all about how both of you fought the Primal Ape. It sounded very dashing and dramatic."

"Hnh." I grunt, the bruise on my head starting to hurt again.

"Is anything wrong Adam?" Sam asks, casting a professional eye at my state, "You don't look well."

"Slept badly last night." I say, "Don't mind it."

"Did something happen after you left the party?" James queries.

"Yeah." I affirm, but leave everything else unsaid. My companions get the message and the questions stop. I look out of the glass coffin we're in as it zooms up the skyscraper. Snow's incredibly heavy today. Below us, people scurry about like ants, cogs in the machine that is Crossroad City.

My mouth narrows into a line. James has got his halo back. Sam still has his. But Carol is halo free. I need to work why some people have halos and others don't. That might be one of the keys to making sense of my condition.

The elevator doors open and the four of us walk down a thickly carpeted corridor, where at the end a stunning woman in a business suit waits for us.

"Hey ..." I murmur to myself. I remember that woman. She was the one trying out that tiara in the atrium yesterday.

"James good to see you again." the woman bows gracefully, "And the rest of you, welcome."

"Nice to see you, Rachel." James smiles back.

"I'll take all of you to the acting Grandmaster." Rachel starts leading us to the floor's conference room, "Please follow me."

"Hey, hey." Carol whispers to James, but her voice is so loud we can still hear her, "You know the Grandmaster's PA. Damn! Friends in high places, huh?"

"James and I grew up together." Rachel responds politely, not in the least put out, "You could say we're childhood friends."

"Daaaaaammmnnnn!" Carol repeats for emphasis, "Be my friend too James! Please!"

"Ah, this is a little embarrassing, isn't it?" James scratches his cheek awkwardly and looks about for support. Sam makes an annoyed huff at Carol's antics but keeps her peace. I merely shrug and stifle a yawn at James's silent plea.

Rachel opens the conference room door and we are immediately confronted by a massive long table, with a surprisingly young man seated at its head and leafing through a file. The young man barely lifts his head up to notice us and Rachel moves to stand respectfully behind him.

"Acting Grandmaster." Rachel says, "The expedition team is here."

"I can see that." Spectacles drolls as he closes the file.

"Acting Grandmaster." the four of us bow our heads in unison. Even Buddy, Carol's fox, lowers its body in submission.

"You have all been called here because an urgent situation has arisen." the Grandmaster speaks without preamble.

"A delivery was underway before something went wrong. It was diverted into the Winter Rift. The client has instructed us to pick up the package. Urgently."

"That's it?" I ask, "No offence, but that seems a bit, uh -"

"Small time." Carol continues for me, "Small time for someone like you sir, to brief us in person. Not that we aren't honored! We are!"

"The expedition may be simple." Rachel explains, "But the value of the package warrants the Acting Grandmaster's attention."

"As long as you move quickly, the risk should be minimal." the Spectacles adds.

"We will not fail, Acting Grandmaster!" James announces with a bow.

"I know you won't." Spectacles graces us with a slight smile, "This team was selected for its skills and reliability. I have faith."

Wow. Seriously wow. You think a bottom feeding Sorcerer and a Ranger who just got certified can handle a high value package? Either the Guild is seriously lean on talent or everyone else sucks badly. I don't say any of this though. That would be rude. Though to be fair, James and Sam are pretty good. So Carol and I might just be here to add to the numbers.

"When will we be leaving?" Sam asks, his voice unsteady, nervous about being in the presence of such an august personage.

"Immediately after this briefing." Rachel answers, "Your gear and the needed supplies have been loaded into a van that will take you to the Rift portal."

"Now, Carol." Spectacles stares at the Ranger, "There's a very special role you need to play for this expedition."

"Yes sir!" Carol's perkiness increases by another quantum at this bit of recognition.

"From the amount of exotic radiation Winter Rift is releasing," Spectacles continues, "We expect the Rift's interior to be undergoing a reality shift."

"Reality shift?" that term certainly gets my attention, "Wouldn't this mean that the layout of the Rift is currently in flux?"

"Yes." Rachel confirms, "The standard paths will no longer be usable. Expect the terrain to keep changing. Perhaps even new landmarks to pop out of the blue."

"Which is why you were summoned, Carol." Spectacles says, "A Ranger is needed to guide the team through the shift."

"I, uh, you do know I just passed the Ranger exam, right?" Carol starts sweating visibly, "I've got zero experience actually navigating a reality shift."

"Think of it as a trial by fire." Spectacles answers with a straight face, causing Carol to blanch.

"We should wait for the Rift to stabilize." I point out as delicately as possible, "The shift makes the expedition unnecessarily complicated."

"Not possible." Spectacles immediately shoots me down, "Time is of the essence. The Guild must retrieve the package as soon as possible."

"We are aware of the difficulties the team will face." Rachel says, pushing laptop toward Carol, "That is why support has already been prepared."

"This is?" Carol reaches for the laptop, eyeing it with curiosity.

"A Rift mapper." Rachel responds, "When you scout the Rift, all you need to do is to punch in the sensor readings gathered into the device. The onboard algorithms will then map a safe path through the reality shift."

"And how will we find the package," Sam licks his lips, "if the terrain keeps changing?"

"The client dropped the package of at an already existing landmark." Spectacles picks up the conversation, "The objective position of the landmark may change, but you'll be able to map your way there."

"Until the reality shift sends the landmark to a different spot." I comment.

"Yes. That is why once in the Rift, the team has to work quickly and efficiently." Rachel remarks.

"Understood?" Spectacles glares at all of us.

"I can do it!' Carol nods, accepting the Rift Mapper with both hands.

"Yes sir!" James salutes.

"I'll do my best, I guess ..." Sam's voice trails off.

"Yeah." I give a plain confirmation.

"The van awaits." Rachel says, "Best of luck everyone."

And the four of us troop out of the conference room without any further ado.