“Rise and shine, Ryan!” Ike’s voice was shrill and cheerful, well too dapper for early morning.

I stirred, the cold edges of infernal dreams fleeing from my consciousness as I did so. Brief memories of screams and torture flashed through my head and I glimpsed Jeldorain’s soul shrugging and smiling as I sat up and rubbed cold, icy eyes.

“It’s well past time to be up if you’re gonna help me run the place,” he added cheerfully, popping through the ripped and frayed fabric of my makeshift home. I noticed he was wearing a fur cloak, faded brown but quite warm in appearance, and it made me realize how wonderful the day felt on my infernal skin.

Still I hesitated, groaning softly, eager for just fifteen more minutes of rest. Ike cocked his head, then pulled out some jerky from his inventory, tossing it into my lap.

MEAT! Jeldorain growled, adrenaline coursing through my body and dispelling all sense of weariness. I let him take the helm, watching as he scarfed down the red-brown strips of dried venison, then turned our eyes about our sleeping area, searching for more.

Finding nothing, he ushered me back into place, his disappointment evident strong in my thoughts.

No worries, Jeldorain. I’ll find us more before the day is done, I consoled him. My mind was beginning to cycle now that I was moving, and the events of the previous day rolled through my mind as I made my way out of my tent and into the day.

The vista was dazzling as always. The mid-morning sun was pale behind the hazy wispy streak of cloudy sky, its orb just the peak of distant mountains. The temperatures felt steady and cooler outside of my sleeping area, and I noticed some of the camp refugees wrapped up in ragged cloth blankets as they stumbled to their tasks.

“We need to get them better clothing,” I noted, pointing them out to Ike as we began to walk around the camp. “And we’re going to need to scavenge for food. There’s not enough for more than a week.”

Ike nodded. “We’ll have to craft the clothing from what we have. Surely some of the NPCs will have skills that can help with that.”

I stopped in my step and stared. “Non-Player Characters? Here in this world? That doesn’t make any sense.” I felt Jeldorain laughing in my head as Ike also stopped and stared back, cocking his head as he often did.

“What is a Non-Player Character?” he asked. “Someone who watched games? I’m talking about Naturally Pacifistic Citizens. Those who aren’t born with the ability to gain experience points or level in any way beyond regular skill progression. People who can’t adventure.”

System slaves, Jeldorain added, an aura of pity floated over his words. We get a lot of them in the Hells. Their lack of class makes them easy pickings for sacrifices, and for infernal bargains.

I growled. “I see. Yes, let’s sort the NPCs and find out their abilities then. There is a lot that needs to be done.”

We started walking again, past the shattered morning afterlives of a dozen plus people, rooting through piled debris parked next to their own impromptu dwellings. Two broken carts made a triangle that was covered with torn tent canvas, and in front of it a little girl pulled a charred loaf of bread from out of it. I cast a surprised glance at Ike.

“These people — they don’t have inventories?!”

“What a world you must have lived in,” he returned, “in which all could adventure and have access to inventory. It really makes me wonder if when it comes time to send you home, I shouldn’t join you.”

I chuckled at the absurdity of it. “No, it’s not at all like that. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to go there. There aren’t any levels. No classes. Well, no adventuring classes anyways. And you, well . . . there isn’t anything like you there. For starters, the whole planet is humans.”

Ike raised a hairless eyebrow, a look of genuine screwed-up curiosity on his face. “A whole planet of humans? No orcs, no elves, no goblins?”

I nodded. “Yeah, just humans. It's... different. We have countries and cultures, sure, but no magic, no mana, no inventories or classes. Life there is more about... I guess, mundane things. Working, learning, building.”

Jeldorain's presence stirred in my mind. Sounds dreadfully boring, he mused.

“An entire world united. It sounds amazing. I have sometimes wondered what would happen with us kobolds if the other species weren’t constantly killing us and raiding our homes. What it would be like to have a world of just kobolds.”

I shook my head. “Nothing like that. We just hate each other for having different languages or colors or holidays. Plenty of people get killed and raided.” I sighed.

I felt Jeldorain rolling through my memories, news on the television and the internet, feeding on the chaos. I take back my previous comments, great champion. This is a world that I could well enjoy.

Ignoring Jeldorain's comment, I continued. “It's not all bad, though. We've got technology that might seem like magic to you. Machines that fly, devices that let us communicate across great distances instantly, carts that move faster than any horse.”

Ike looked fascinated. “Like the Gnomish Technomancy! Or what they want to be, anyways. A place of black smoke and rolling horseless carts, sticks of thunder that can take down a dragon from a mile away. I’ve always thought it sounded like a land of wonders. How does anyone manage all that without magic?”

“Science and technology,” I replied. “It's a different kind of power. It's about understanding the laws of nature and using them to our advantage.”

Ike scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Science and technology. Is that something we can do here? If the gnomes can do it, maybe we can too? Could science and technology defeat the goblins?”

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Looking down at the girl gnawing on her hard, burnt bread, I imagined what someone else could have done here. Someone like Walter White, some brilliant chemist who understood all of those chemical interactions that made my world go.

Seems to me that the magic maybe grabbed the wrong champion? Jeldorain suggested, chuckling.

I chuckled as well, a bit embarrassed. “I was a nurse, a soldier, and a gamer, among other things. I don’t really know a lot about how to make the things that I lived with, or how to power them. In my spare time I played games. Games similar to this world, but... they were just games. For fun, for escape. Games that I was the best at. I never thought I'd end up living in something like them.”

Ike grinned. “Games that you were a champion at, yes? So, you living here, as you gain your feet . . . you will be a champion here as well! This is the reason the magic selected you! And if this was what you liked to do, to win at these games, this world must be like a genie’s wish granted.”

My family smiled at me from memory, and I shook my head. “It isn’t. Not without my family it isn’t.”

We began walking again, viewing more of the camp coming to life as exhausted people finally rose for the day. As we walked, Ike glanced at the refugees, his expression growing more solemn. “What about these NPCs, as you call them? What happens to them in your world?”

“NPCs are in games only. In my world, everyone is just regular people,” I explained. “They live their lives, work jobs, have families. Nobody has special leveling abilities so everyone is free to choose their own paths.”

Ike nodded, looking back over his shoulder at the little girl with the charred loaf of bread. “Sounds like a freedom they could only dream of here. Even if we didn’t have classes and leveling, we still have to worry about coin. With enough coin, you are a king. Without it, you eat from the trash. Few of us really have choice in our world.”

I coughed and choked on my own spit as I realized what he was saying. Tell him! Jeldorain enthused inside of me. Tell him about the power of money in your world, the beautiful sameness of the strife! Deciding against it, I finished our walk, winding us to the remains of the central firepit.

Ike stopped his walk at the ashy rim of last night's fire, stretching his arms wide, a series of pops emanating from his joints.

“If we can pull this off,” he stated, a wry smile on his face, “We too can have a world of equals. There has to be a way.”

I returned his smile weakly.

“Anyways, enough about all of that.” Ike clapped me on the back of my leg. “We've got a big day ahead of us, Ryan. Time to make some tough decisions and start using that hero champion magic of yours in our favor. Did you get through the system stuff alright?”

I nodded, stepping over to him. “Yeah. It gave me some good ideas too.”

Ike smiled. “Go on.”

My mind rolled through all of the data that had been contained within the pages, picking out the points that I rolled over again and again in my night of strategizing. Jeldorain rolled over them with me, smirking.

It’s a wild plan, champion. Chaotic, full of speculation. I like it.

“The orcs have a camp near here. You, Kevinar and I could check it out and see what is going on with these constant tribal raids. The goblin lord who was with them might have been their leader—but given what Schustak did to us, there’s a decent chance the orcs aren’t fighting for the goblins so willingly. The data in the system suggested that the tribals generally aren’t interested in the Empire, and often raid them. So it seems like something we should check out.”

Ike pursed his reptilian lips. “Well, I can’t say I fancy heading into a camp of orcs after killing a bunch of them, but the magic didn’t summon me into your demon body. Go on.”

I cleared my throat, a billow of frost in the chilly mountain morning. “There is a lot of information on dissident villages and small rebel groups. And of course other outposts of Shadowed Vanguard to contact. We need to take the other adventurers, partner them up, and send them as emissaries. See if we can’t make ourselves an army.”

Ike nodded. “Yes. Definitely. What else do you have?”

“Well, we take the refugees with us and stow them somewhere safe before we get to the camp. Our group will be the strongest protection they can get, and the other adventurers will need to be free to move and hide. The real question is, how far will we be taking them?”

Apparating a map into his scaly, taloned hands, Ike checked the legend on the side, scanned it over once, then handed it over to me. “The closest orc encampment I have marked down is up north. Might be the one that attacked us. But might also not be, and might be that it doesn’t matter. We can head in that direction for a day, encamp somewhere hidden, then head the rest of the way by ourselves in the morning.”

I studied the map, tracing the path northwards “Sounds like a solid start. How do we convince them to join us?”

“That’s where your diplomacy comes in,” Ike said with a smirk. “You got a way with words. I saw that when you talked down Jeldorain. Plus, they've all got bones to pick with the enemy. We just need to remind 'em of that.”

You are a good talker, Ryan, Jeldorain said. And if your words don’t sway them, we can always eat their leader.

I took a deep breath to keep from laughing. Despite the weight of the task ahead, his words loosened me up, making me feel confident in the plan. Convincing the orcs to join us after we’d been killing so many of them didn’t feel like a good idea intrinsically. But there was absolutely something going on there. Some sort of blackmail or hostage situation. From what I understood of the orcs at the moment, none of it made sense otherwise. And it seemed that Ike was in absolute agreement.

“Alright, let’s get everyone together. I’ll address the group, lay out our plan.”

Ike nodded, and we called everyone near the ash of the last night's fire. The survivors of The Shadowed Vanguard gathered around, their faces a mix of curiosity and apprehension. I could see the toll the recent events had taken on them, but there was also a spark of hope in their eyes.

“As you all know,” I began, my voice steady, “we’ve suffered a great loss. But we’re not defeated. Not yet. Our enemy is strong, but we have something they don’t – unity and the will to fight for our freedom.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group.

“We need to strengthen our forces, and for that, we’re going to seek allies. The orcs to the north and the goblins in the east are our first targets. They have their own reasons to despise the enemy, and with their help, we can turn the tide of this war.”

I paused, letting my words sink in. “It won’t be easy. Trust is hard to come by in times like these. But we have to try. For the future of our land, for the memories of those we’ve lost.”

The group nodded, a sense of resolve settling over them.

Ike stepped forward. “Ryan, Kevinar and I will lead the diplomatic mission to the orcs, and we’ll take the non-adventurers with us to keep them safe. The rest of you, we need teams ready to head out and find support from our other outposts, and from known empire dissidents. I’ve given you a quest from the system menu. Head out when you feel ready, and don’t get yourself killed.”

With the meeting adjourned, everyone set about preparing for the tasks ahead. I rolled through the inventory, allotting potions and loot to anyone who needed them, making sure that all had 3 health potions, mana potions, and exertion potions on their person.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, I took one last look at the camp. The faces of The Shadowed Vanguard were determined, their spirits unbroken despite the hardships they’d endured. It was good to see. As I stood there, Brandosyeus came to my side, geared for travel.

“I’m coming with you,” he said. I nodded, lost for words of my own.

“Thank you,” I stuttered.

He nodded and smiled.

With our packs slung over our shoulders and weapons at our sides, we set out. The journey would be long and fraught with danger, but I felt a surge of determination. I was going to save these people from the ones who did us all wrong, and then I was going to go home.