After tidying up the room as best I could, I plopped down onto the unmade bed with a book I’d discovered in a case under the bed.

The case was filled with glass instruments, such as beakers, stirring rods and a glass retort. Along with the case were two books. The first was called Felix’s guide to common plants and herbs which contained information on how to identify and harvest several plants.

The second book, A Potioneer’s guide to basic Salves and Tinctures was much more interesting, though I was disappointed over the lack of more in-depth information.

So, the red Amanita Mushrooms can be infused into alcohol to create a tincture that can heal minor aches and pains. Morning dew combined with cat's tongue will create a tincture with a revitalizing effect, Lungwort for a curative tincture used for minor poisons and disease. But wouldn’t the healing effect from the Red Amanita Mushrooms also heal disease? Then again, this salve is for healing burns, and this one is for minor cuts, so that must mean that in this world a single healing potion won’t heal you fully. Brow furrowed, I flipped through the book searching for any further mention of the mushrooms to see if they were used in any of the other recipes.

Thudding footsteps alerted me to Marcus’s return, and I looked up from the book of recipes as he re-entered the room carrying a bundle of now-clean linens.

“I see you found the alchemy kit and books,” he said in greeting, tossing the linens onto the gigantic bed.

“I didn’t know you were interested in alchemy,” I remarked, it had been a surprise to find him with books, let alone ones on a subject he’d never shown interest in.

“I’m not,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes as he moved to sit beside me on the unmade bed. “Alchemy is really underdeveloped in Kaledon, so it’s one of the hardest professions to learn. This chick in our guild thought she could make some quick gold, but ended up without a coin to her name, so I offered to buy them. I figured you’d use them if I ever convinced you to visit Kaledon.”

“How much did it cost? I have some gold, so I can pay you back,” I told him, yanking the case closer to where I sat.

With a chuckle, Marcus waved a hand dismissively in the air. “Don’t worry about it, sis. Besides, you won’t have enough. Call it a late birthday gift.”

Gaping, I stared at him, and then down at the case in shock. I don’t have enough? Marcus knew I’d gotten five thousand gold from the platinum plan and said that wasn’t enough?

“How much was it?” I asked.

“Books and shit are expensive. Demand is high, but supply is low, so the world's economy is a bit crazy right now.” Marcus said with a shrug, picking up the common plant's book. “You could afford this book, but that’s about it. This one is roughly three thousand gold, as there are lots of copies floating around. The recipe book goes for around seven to eight thousand, depending on your location. The basic alchemy kit is ten thousand gold, but seeing as this one is missing some vials and the fire stone, she sold it to me for eight thousand. Don’t worry about the stone though, I can hunt some fire drakes to replace it.”

“You spent so much,” I whispered.

In the previous world I spent time in, you could buy a cottage in one of the farming towns for the gold he’d spent on these few items.

“Nah, it’s not that much for me. I get a decent bit of gold from selling weapons, and my guild commission. I also had a special encounter, which got me a rare smithing technique only usable by Minotaurs. I am the only blacksmith who can forge rare quality items, even if the chance of an item being rare is only thirty percent.” Marcus bragged, talking about how he’d met an old Minotaur who was a retired smith living in seclusion.

As Marcus continued droning on about the various aspects of smithing, I found my eyes drifting back to the book I’d been reading.

I wasn’t interested in knowing how hot a forge needed to be to melt Kalitherium ore. I’d rather learn more about the different ways Kaledon incorporated traditional alchemy techniques into this virtual world.

“Kads, it’s almost dusk so I need to head out if I’m going to confront dad before he leaves for work,” Marcus said as we remade the bed with clean linens. Kaledon ran on an opposite day, night cycle to the real world. So, the players could enjoy the world without it affecting their daily lives.

According to several studies, spending a night in the capsule was better than sleeping in a bed, but I’d always found myself mentally fatigued after spending a night in virtual reality, which made it hard to focus on my studies.

I nodded, not wanting to discuss it further. I’d already told Marcus in detail about the letters from the universities and the confrontation with our father.

Sitting on the bed, I watched as Marcus walked to the far side of the room where he sat on the floor. Once he’d settled into a comfortable position, his body flopped forward like a puppet whose strings had been cut and turned to stone.

Walking over, I examined the large Minotaur statue. Then, once I was finished with my inspection, I grabbed a sheet from the bed and tossed it over the motionless form.

I didn’t want to sleep in a room with that ugly thing in the corner. Not that I was planning to sleep, I had books to read after all.

Settling back onto the bed, I sat with my chin resting on my knees as I stared at the sheet covered mass on the far side of the room.

Marcus and I hadn’t been close when we were younger, though it wasn’t for lack of trying on his part.

For the longest time I resented him for being the product of my father's betrayal and hated him for coming into my home with that woman who made my life a misery.

It wasn’t until we were fifteen that I realized Marcus was also miserable and suffered as much as I did. While I found solace in my books and research, Marcus found it in virtual worlds.

When I’d fallen down the stairs on Marcus’s fifteenth birthday, thanks to Danica pushing past me to hurry upstairs to touch up her makeup, Marcus had carried me to the nearby public transport hub and to the hospital when his mother refused to take me, claiming it would ruin the party she’d planned.

Danica had been furious when she arrived at the hospital two hours later, blaming me for Marcus leaving his party, and berating Marcus for embarrassing her with his absence.

I’d been horrified when she’d slapped him, but he didn't even flinch as she continued on with her tirade until our father arrived and she became the demure, gentle woman most people thought her to be.

That day had been a turning point in my relationship with Marcus, and we’d slowly built an amicable relationship over the past three years.

I wonder if he will keep his cool long enough to follow through with his plan to see how they intend to explain what happened. I closed my eyes against the tears threatening to fall, attempting to push thoughts of what happened out of my mind.

I didn’t want to cry anymore; I didn’t want to trap myself in a cycle of what ifs.

Marcus would contact the lawyer in charge of my trust, and who I hoped would be able to help. Davis wasn’t connected to my father, having been my mothers personal lawyer, and the executor of her will. It was Davis who’d secured my mother’s estate and ensured Danica’s attempts to get her claws into my trust failed.

The lawyer was someone I trusted, purely based on the fact he was someone my mother trusted.

Soft footsteps in the hall caught my attention, and I listened as the person stopped outside the door, then left without knocking.

Frowning, I stared at the door as the footsteps drew further away and was shocked as I realized I could hear the person not only through the door, but also down the hall.

Straining my ears, I found that if I focused, I could also hear the soft murmur of voices from the main hall, though I wasn’t able to make out what was being said.

The next several minutes were spent trying to see how much I could hear and investigating the function of my new vulpine ears. From what I could tell, my hearing required me to be focused on the sounds I wished to hear.

An hour later, as I lay reading the books I’d been given, I once more heard the sound of someone approaching the door.

This time the person outside knocked, and I briefly considered ignoring them, before putting down the book of recipes with a sigh.

As I stood, I glanced at the still-covered Minotaur statue before walking to the door. I didn’t know when he’d be back, but the least I could do was pass on a message for whoever was looking for him.

“Marcus, er, sorry, I mean, Markion isn’t here right now. But I can let him know you want to see him when he gets back.” I called out, hand hovering over the door's handle.

“Kadia, it’s Darius. I got Markion’s note saying you are here. Can I come in?” A gruff male voice responded from the other side.

Darius?

Pulling the door open, I frowned in confusion as I saw a tall, dark-haired man outside the door.

Peering around him, I searched for the muscular green-skinned guild leader, but didn’t see him anywhere.

“Where is Darius?” I asked, frowning at the dark-haired man.

“I am Darius,” he said, smiling wide to show off a set of sharp upper and lower canines.

“You’re not green,” I said, grimacing at how dumb that sounded, but in my defense, he’d been an Orc the last time I saw him.

“And you’re not tiny, still small, though.” Darius quipped, eyeing me up and down.

I scowled at him in response and considered slamming the door.

I’d only been four feet tall when I was playing as a Faerie, and I hadn’t bothered changing my natural five foot four height during the character selection. Though, in hindsight, maybe I should have added an extra few inches. Everyone I had seen so far had been on the tall side, except for the goat man.

“Ōkami as well?” He asked. As he spoke I noticed the pair of black furry ears almost hidden against his tousled black hair.

It was strange. On close inspection, he still looked like the rugged and fierce Orc I’d known in Avalon. The only notable changes were that his light green skin was now a tanned brown, while his orcish tusks had been replaced by a tail and wolfish ears. He kept the same neatly trimmed beard, and faint scar splitting his left brow in two.

“Kitsune,” I corrected, stepping back from the doorway to allow the Ōkami guild leader inside.

Entering the room, Darius closed the door and moved to the side table, which he used as a makeshift chair.

“Markion needs some damned chairs in here,” he grumbled, glancing around the room. “I see he finally cleaned up, so that’s something I guess.”

“I cleaned up. Marcus just hid somewhere under the guise of doing laundry until I was done,” I said, while trying to reach behind myself to catch my tail, which was swooshing about behind me in fast motions.

Nodding, Darius glanced around the room, eyes finding the sheet covered lump in the corner and staying there for several moments.

“I’m guessing from the size that’s Markion. Don’t blame you for covering him up, I wouldn’t want to look at that ugly mug while I’m trying to sleep either.”

“I figured covering him up would save me from some pretty scary dreams,” I laughed, shifting to the bed, and pinning my tail beneath me to keep it still by means of entrapment. “It’ll be a while before he gets back. Somehow, I don’t think the talk with his mom and our father will be a short, or pleasant.”

“He said in his note they forced you into being digitized,” Darius said, losing his previous light tone as he gave me a concerned look.

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I nodded. “Pretty sure they paid someone to switch our exam scores. As expected, Marcus scored horribly, which meant in the eyes of the government I scored horribly.”

“I’m sorry, Kadia, I know you never wanted to spend your life like this.”

“And yet here I am,” I muttered, fighting to keep my expression composed.

“There isn’t anything I can say that will make what happened to you any less horrible than it is, but what I can say is you will always have a place with the Eternia guild.” Darius said as he ran a hand through his hair. “As an existing member from Avalon, you can skip the entry level ranking of squire and novice.”

“I want to work on alchemy again, I think I’ll enjoy it more than fighting,” I told him, holding up the book of recipes for him to see.

“You will still need to fight to grow stronger, but you won’t be required to contribute through raids if you prefer to follow a profession. I think with your personal background, you won't have much difficulty with the alchemy profession.” Jumping off the side table, Darius reached into a pouch tied to his belt and pulled out a token which looked almost exactly like the one Marcus gave me.

Handing Darius the copper guest token my brother had given me, I inspected the new bronze token, noting it had my name and rank on it.

“Welcome back to Eternia,” Darius said with a smile. I returned it with a smile of my own, despite not feeling any real sense of joy.

Silence filled the room, as I tried to find something to say. I didn’t know Darius very well on a personal level, but he’d always been friendly, and willing to help me with quests when Marcus had been busy, usually acting as a bodyguard while I collected different plants.

“Now that’s settled, how about I get you a room? We have some spare rooms on the third floor,” Darius said, gesturing to the door. “I’m sure you’d rather not stay with Markion, he snores loud enough to wake the dead, and I do mean that literally.”

“Has he?” I prodded with interest, sure there would be an interesting story behind that statement.

As Darius began telling a clearly embellished tale of their group camping near a graveyard, only to be attacked by skeletons that he claimed were woken by Marcus’s snores, I grabbed the books and alchemy kit off the bed, trying to put them in my pouch, but discovered they wouldn’t fit.

Laughing in response to my failed attempts to stuff the items into my pouch, Darius reminded me that only things which could fit inside the pouch's opening could be stored within.

Annoyingly, the pouch only had an opening that was three inches wide.

So, neither the books nor the alchemy kit could fit, and even with the canopy closed, the wagasa was wider than three inches.

After handing the alchemy kit’s case to Darius, I held the wagasa over my shoulder, and gathered the books into my free hand, sparing a quick glance at the sheet-covered Minotaur before leaving the room.

Following Darius to the third floor of the guildhall, I fought back the foreign and animalistic need to sniff not only the guild leader, but every new thing I saw.

The strongest was the playful urge to yank on his fluffy, black tail—but I restrained myself. I was pretty sure he’d return the favor if I did and knew from yanking on my own tail it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

I’m a person, not a fox. I’m a person, not a fox.

“We normally pair apprentices together in shared rooms, but we’ve some single rooms free, so I’ll assign this one to you,” Darius said, gesturing for me to enter the room.

It was smaller than my brother’s, but that was to be expected with how massive the Minotaur was.

Even the doorway to his room was thrice the size of a normal door.

Glancing around at the room with its sparse furnishings, I decided I would need to see about getting a desk or workbench. The room was big enough that I could fit a small table along the far wall next to the wardrobe.

Leaning my wagasa against the wall, I stacked the books I carried on the bedside table.

“Have you eaten since you got here?” Darius asked as I finished putting away my few possessions.

“No, but I was pretty tempted by all the smells floating around the market I walked through.”

“I was about to head out to attend some business. You’re welcome to join me and do some shopping at the same time. As you may have guessed from Markion needing to do laundry, clothing here gets dirty, and while more durable than clothing on Earth, it can also be damaged. So, you will need to buy some extra clothing, and some basic armor. That kimono is only a standard clothing item, and will provide little in the way of protection.” Darius said, inclining his head towards the door.

“That would be great. I was thinking about going out to explore, but was worried I’d get lost so I planned to wait for Marcu- er, Markion,” I said.

“Bring your wagasa. It is important to never leave the guild hall without a weapon. While fighting is prohibited in cities and towns, unlike other worlds, there is no ‘safe zone’ that prevents attacks. The only thing stopping fights, theft or other crimes is the guards who patrol the city. While we’re on that subject, how much gold do you have on hand? Have you already banked it?” Darius said, gesturing to my wagasa as we headed for the door.

“I have a platinum plan. Markion said he'd take me to a banker when he got back.”

“We’ll do that first, then. As part of a guild with a good reputation, you can open an account at a lowered cost. If we head into the market with all that gold, you’ll be pickpocketed for sure. There are some who have a sight ability that lets them find targets carrying high value items.”

“Thieves can tell how much gold I have just by looking at me?” I asked curiously, wondering how that would work considering Marcus claimed the world was one designed to be more realistic than other fantasy game-styled worlds.

“Not exactly. They can only see that a person has an item of high value. Unfortunately, this is based on the owner's perception of value. If you think a pebble is your most valued possession, it will appear to them as an item of value. It’s certainly resulted in a few interesting stories.” Darius informed me with a broad smile that showed off his sharp teeth.

“Interesting,” I murmured, wondering why anyone would think a pebble was their most valued possession.

“There are a few different abilities related to sight, some can see magical residue left by spells or enchantments, others can see footsteps left by a person long after they’re gone. Your brother can tell the quality of a weapon or armor, while also having some ability to determine what enchantments may be on it.”

I nodded, remembering how Marcus had been able to tell the quality of my wagasa, and that it had an enchantment on it.

As we walked down the hall towards the stairs, Darius pointed towards one of the doors.

“This door leads to the showers and the baths are in the bath house at the far end of the rear courtyard. The bath house is split into sections, giving you a choice of using the larger communal bath or a smaller, more private bathing room.”

“Got it,” I said, nodding and making a mental note to buy some soaps and hair products. “Wait, if we need to shower. Do we go to the toilet?”

“No.” Laughing, Darius shook his head. “We were spared that little bit of realism. Any food or drink you consume is converted into energy by your body. No waste means no need for a toilet. Plus, can you imagine the trauma a Markion-sized shit would do to the plumbing?”

“I’d rather not,” I said between giggles as a part of my mind wondered if a Minotaur defecated like a person or a cow.

Arriving in the main hall, Darius reintroduced me to various guild members who’d all transferred with the guild from Avalon. I didn’t remember most of them, but they all seemed to know who I was, which I found a little unsettling.

I doubted they truly remembered me from my time in Avalon, as I didn’t socialize much outside of Marcus’s close friends.

“Kadia, open the canopy of your wagasa and hold it over your shoulder so it covers your back. That will make it more difficult for a thief trying to approach from behind to pickpocket you.” Darius said as we exited the guild building and made our way onto the street.

“You think someone is going to pickpocket me?” I questioned anxiously, doing as he instructed.

The canopy was large enough that it covered most of my back, and I could feel my tail brushing against the bottom edge as it swished around behind me.

“Not with me here, but it’s good to always be aware of your surroundings, and to protect your coin.” The dark-haired man lectured.

“How are you keeping your tail from moving? I keep hitting things with mine. It won’t stop wagging!” I whined, glancing down at the Ōkami’s tail that wasn't moving aside from a gentle sway with each step he took.

“It will come with time. You aren’t used to controlling a tail, so your brain needs time to adjust. I think it took me about three days to stop hitting myself in the leg with my tail, and a week before I could control its movements. That was around the time I was first able to use the Yōkai’s transformation ability. Being in my full Ōkami form helped me get a better grasp on the more animalistic urges as well.”

“Yōkai transformation ability?” I queried, distracted by the sight of four shirtless male Centaurs moving down the street carrying a palanquin.

I couldn’t see much of the person who was riding on the palanquin, as they were concealed by blue curtains. But, as the curtains swayed with the motion of the palanquin, I saw a glimpse of golden blond hair before the Centaurs trotted away into the crowd.

“All the Yōkai, whose nature is associated with a particular animal, possess the ability to transform into their bestial form. This includes the Kitsune who can take on the form of a fox.”

“How many types of Yōkai are there?”

“Many, but not all are deemed intelligent races.” Darius said as we moved around a group of people arguing in the middle of the street.

Glancing back at the group, I saw a familiar looking short, green-skinned man being held up by his throat, as a much larger green man snarled at him with a fierce expression on his face.

“Only a handful of the Yōkai from mythology have been used by the creators of this world as an attainable race. Ōkami, Kitsune, Oni, Tengu, Bakeneko, and Onikuma are the attainable Yōkai races that I am aware of. Gaia corp has replaced some of the beast men races with the Yōkai races, as there are no canine, bear or feline beast men present in the world.”

“Are there other Yōkai in the guild? Markion mentioned Yuki was a Kitsune.” I asked, furrowing my brow as I tried to recall what I’d read in the past about the mythological Japanese demons.

Darius didn’t answer right away, instead pushing open the door to one of the buildings on the corner of the street.

Inside the building were ten counters, with a set of old-fashioned scales placed on each counter. Several armored guards walked around the room, and I tightened my hold on the handle of my wagasa when one of them walked past, staring down at me with eyes that glowed an eery blue color within the confines of its helmet.

“Our guild has two Tengu, called Dravern and Helvern, who joined Kaledon from Galxia, a space exploration world. Calidus, who you might remember from Avalon, is now an Onikuma, and his wife Isabella is a Bakeneko as is Corvus. There are about six other Ōkami in the guild, all new recruits who are in different cities for training.” Darius explained as he guided me to a counter that, unlike the others, had no line.

Seated behind the counter we stood in front of was a short man whose golden colored hair and beard were styled in an intricate weave of braids. Silver clasps and chains were woven into the braids, giving the man an almost kingly appearance with his display of wealth.

The man didn’t glance up from the book he was writing in when we approached, and I took a moment to look at the items laid out on the counter.

Aside from the large scales I’d noticed before, there was also a pile of papers and a strange looking silver box with dozens of glowing shapes engraved into the metal.

“Greedy dwarf,” Darius muttered in a teasing manner, tossing a single gold coin onto the counter which disappeared with a quick swipe of the golden-haired man’s hand.

“Welcome customers to the Hand of Midas bank. How may I assist you today?” The dwarf said, putting down his quill and giving us a wide smile.

“Henric, old friend, this is Kadia. She’ll be opening an account, guild rates.” Darius said, gesturing to me as he spoke.

“Of course, may I see Miss Kadia’s life token?” Henric asked.

I hesitated, glancing at Darius who nodded. Pulling out my pouch to retrieve my life token, I handed it to the dwarf.

“Ah, a Kitsune, one doesn't see many of those around.” The dwarven banker muttered, pressing my life token down onto a fresh page of the opened book on the counter before handing it back to me.

“Will you be making a deposit today?”

“Uh, yes please.” I said before turning to Darius, who spoke before I could voice my question.

“Keep two hundred gold on hand, you need clothing, armor and other basic items, it shouldn’t end up over a hundred and fifty gold, but it's better to have extra in case you find something you want. Saves us having to make a return trip for more gold. I also recommend changing about five gold into silver and 1 gold into copper.”

Nodding, I turned back to the banker, who pushed the glowing box towards me with a wide smile.

“Place the gold you wish to deposit in here and place the gold you wish changed on the scale.” The dwarf directed.

I frowned, looking down at my pouch. Do I just pull the coins out one by one?

“Think about how much you want to remove, and just tip the pouch upside down over the box,” Darius said.

Ducking my head to hide my flushed cheeks, I tipped the pouch upside down over the box with its glowing symbols and watched as coins fell from it in a shower of glimmering gold.

Once the flow of coins stopped, I pulled another six coins from the pouch and placed five of them on the scales.

The scales glowed as they tipped to one side with the added weight, then it rose again as silver coins appeared on the opposite end.

Reaching out, the golden-haired dwarf spun the scales around so the silver coins were closest to me and I collected the pile of coins into my pouch before putting a sixth gold coin onto the scales to be changed to copper coins.

“Now then, is there any else I can assist you with today?” Henric the dwarf asked, rubbing his hands together as he eyed Darius, or rather Darius’s pouch.

“I’ll be making a withdrawal,” Darius said.

“How much do you wish to withdraw?” Henric asked, flipping the lid of the box containing my gold closed with a huff.

“A hundred thousand gold.”

“Coins or bars,” the dwarf said impatiently, tapping his fingers on the box he held. “I’m not a mind reader.”

In response, I flattened my ears against my head, fighting the urge to growl at the dwarf who was scowling at Darius.

“Bars,” Darius said, not looking at all fazed by the dwarf's attitude.

“Why did he get upset about you taking out gold?” I asked, watching the unhappy dwarf stomp away.

“Guild bankers like Henric get a portion of the monthly fees for the accounts they manage. He isn’t annoyed that I'm withdrawing, he was expecting me to make a large deposit as it is nearing the end of the month.”

That still didn’t explain why someone working at a bank would behave in such an unprofessional manner. The few personal bankers I’d met were always courteous and respectful.

“What are the fees? He didn’t give me any paperwork or explain the accounting fees.” I complained, growing even more annoyed at the dwarf’s lack of professionalism.

“Your account fees as a guild member are two percent of the total amount of gold stored, non-guild members are charged four percent. Considering any money carried can be stolen, it’s a small fee to pay to ensure the safety of our money.” Darius said as Henric reappeared, still carrying the box which he slammed down on the counter with a loud thump.

I waited to ask my next question as the guild leader took the gold bars from the glowing box while Henric watched on.

When Darius finished putting his gold away, he said a polite farewell to the still-unhappy dwarf.

As we walked away from the counter, I made a mental note to not do any business with the dwarf in the future. While Darius might not have an issue with his behavior, I didn’t want to deal with someone who didn’t even bother informing his new clients the fees associated with the accounts they were opening.

“You said money can be stolen, can all items be taken? How do I protect my things if I die? How long does it take to re-spawn? Do our bodies disappear when we die?” I asked in rush once we’d exited the bank.

“Any items not bound can be stolen or looted, with clothing being the exception. If you are wearing armor with clothes beneath, then your armor can be looted. If removing your armor would leave you unclothed, then it cannot be removed unless you are awake, and willingly remove it.” As Darius said this, he gave a slight shake of his head, a wry smile curling over his lips. “I don’t recommend wearing plate armor without clothing beneath, it’s rather uncomfortable.”

“And our bodies?” I prompted, plate armor wasn’t something I needed to be concerned about. I wasn’t planning on wearing any, with or without clothing.

“Your body will remain in the world until you respawn. The stronger you are, the slower you take to respawn. When you respawn, you will be at the temple of new beginnings nearest to your place of death, or a location you’ve chosen by binding your soul to an altar or token.”

Walking alongside Darius through the bustling crowds, I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I scanned the surrounding faces.

Isn’t he making himself a target by carrying so much gold? As I expressed this concern to Darius, he assured me he wouldn’t be carrying the gold for long and pointed to a large, white dome roofed building further down the street.

“Next stop, the auction house.”