There were no other incidents before making it back to the group. Denny climbed up the hill, ready to sign off and finish his workday. With the meeting before hand, the paperwork after, and the 4 hours in the playground troubleshooting was a rigorous job. When he reached the top, Denny saw a small safety shack, one of the few buildings that even he could learn to make.

All five of Denny’s squad were there. Denny waved at them, only Ally and Alex acknowledged him, the other three busy with their own endeavors. Denny decided to approach Ally, “What do you have there?”

She sat, surrounded by different objects, “Mostly materials, but as you can see a few things that Sophie crafted. She’s working on a javelin launcher for Alex right now,” she said pointing at them. “Anyway, how’d the exploring go? Did you find anyone?”

Denny nodded, “Yeah, I found Martial 3 down the flow of the creek. I’d share my map, but I can’t right now. Didn’t see any sign of the Umbra 2 squad unfortunately. Was there a second team coming center with us?”

“Yeah, there was. Actually, I was in it, Psychic 2, elemental 1 and galactic 3.” Ally’s long fingers grabbed onto a bag, a stone dagger, and a short rope. “These are for you,” she said as she handed them over. “It’s not our best bag, or dagger, but you do get the best rope we have so far.” She smiled looking up, “Now, go report to the director. I’m more than ready to sign out for the day and she wanted to wait for you.”

As Denny walked away, Ally started gathering the rest of the items around her into her remaining bags. “Hey Kamila,” he said simply as he neared her and Mitch.

Kamila focused in his direction, “Good, you’re back. Report?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Um, I found Martial 3 they’re a couple hours away. I found also found a lair and an ore deposit. I didn’t find any stone deposits. There is a better source of water not too far away from here, but that’s where the lair is” Denny rattled off the information as quickly as possible.”

“He didn’t find any stone deposits because he doesn’t have detect stone,” Mitch sneered.

Denny grimaced for a second, “I took the detect stone ability partially through. I still have,” he glanced quickly at his character sheet, “27 AP to select more abilities.”

“27 more and you’ve already spent an extra 5 today on detect stone? You must have a longer story than I’ve heard so far.” Denny went to speak, but Kamila held up her hand, “save it for the report at base. It’s already after 2:00. Let’s return to the warehouse and chat get information from the whole group. I made a safety shack for us to log out of.”

The entire squad convened at the shack moments later, “Alright everyone, you know how this goes.” Kamila said, “One at a time since we only have one shack. Sophia, Mitchel, Alayna, Dennis, then Alexander. I’ll go last.” No one moved for a second then Kamila clapped her hands twice and Sophie went in.

Moments later the squad arrived at the warehouse in the virtual earth (VE). The other squads from all 6 teams were there as well. Kamila let the group and proceeded to the stage. “Eyes and ears here everyone,” she commanded the warehouse. “If you’ll notice it seems that our excellent advocates behind the scenes saw our mishaps in joining the new playground and have already changed terminals and uniforms to match new designations. It looks like we still have a couple of squads who haven’t come out yet. Fortunately, squads did know what locations were already occupied before confirming and we still have the right numbers and builds in the right locations.

I realize that the workday is over, but I do ask that you meet with your fellow team members, especially those from different squads who have your specialty. Team leads, meet with your 3 explorers to get an idea of the area, and try to reunite the team. It’ll help keep your members from spreading out their abilities too much.”

After her Kamila rejoined the team, “Penelope, George, would you two like to meet at Founders Brewhouse afterwards to discuss abilities?” The umbra and martial supports both agreed to meet her there. “Dennis, Bradford, Amelia, I need to see all of you before you leave for the day, but I need to talk to a few people first. Wait here.” While Denny, Mia, and the umbra explorer, Bradford, waited the rest of the team left, most headed towards Founders Brewhouse.

“Good to see you again Denny, nice to meet you Brad,” Mia started.

Brad shut his eyes and took a deep breath before saying, “Please, please, call me Ford. I absolutely hate the name Brad.”

“Uh,” Mia paused, “ok then Ford it is,” she smiled, issue resolved. “Denny and I met up near a river. Our current base is downstream from there. We’re going to need to head closer to the river ourselves, but I found a decent stone deposit near our part of the river.”

Denny nodded along, “Basically, what Mia said. I headed back upriver and found an area where a bunch of streams and creeks join up to make the river. We’re further up one of those creeks. I also found a lair close to the convergence and a small ore deposit close to our camp. I don’t know where Kamila intends for us to go.”

“We’ll be moving to you guys,” Ford said confidently. “We have several portable buildings, and we won’t have trouble getting past that lair. I’ve seen a couple streams and creeks. Found two lairs and a solid wood deposit so we might want to leave a safety shack where we’re at.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Director Kamila agreed as she walked up to the trio. “It looks like team 2 are all in some plains. All three of her squads located each other due to a small wooded area that they all gravitated towards. The other teams have had mixed success, but it appears as though BOB at least put our squads near enough to each other. You’ll both be sharing your maps with Dennis as soon as we meet up tomorrow downstream from the confluence. It’s the most efficient. We’re going to get an early start tomorrow, so be here ready to launch by 9:00.” She didn’t expect a reply, she didn’t even wait to see if there would be one.

“Uh, I guess that’s it. Would you guys like to go to Founder’s?”

Ford clapped Denny’s shoulder, “Thanks for the invitation,” My squad’s heading that way anyway.” He smiled at Denny, turning towards the door with his hand still on Denny’s shoulder.

“I’ll come too! I’m super impressed with how Director Kamila is handling all of this, aren’t you guys?” Mia asked as they walked towards the door.

Travel in the VE was different than the playgrounds or in the real life. When you exited a building, you could mentally choose a location to go and just teleport to an open space there. Most buildings expanded or shrunk based on the number of occupants. Ford, Denny, Mia, and over half of Warehouse 23’s troubleshooters all opened into Founders.

Founders held onto a great atmosphere. Originally, a real location in the real world the digital concept just expanded on that. There were tables, darts, pool, and an almost obnoxiously long bar. Denny didn’t know if he should order up a table or just go and sit at the bar. “Awesome,” Ford declared, “It looks like Sanders already got a table for team 1 with a dart board. Let’s go.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

As Denny entered the area an all too familiar notices popped up on his LO:

By entering this premade area, you agree to pay for all consumed substances and all games you are a participant of.

Yes No

Denny of course selected yes. “Oh, Denny, glad you made it,” Alayna exclaimed! “We thought they might have asked you guys to put in some extra hours just to meet up and trade maps. Sanders was just telling us how she took out three wolves today.” You never heard gatherers telling epic tales. Merchants might sometimes, explorers would tell interesting tales, but only combatants needed to be the center of attention telling every story of conquest they could. Umbra combatants were almost the worst because of how much misdirection and enchantment went into their affiliation.

A tall, muscular, redheaded woman held her palms forward, “Now, hold on. I took them down sure, but it wasn’t alone.” She leaned back and to the side and pointed at two of her squad mates as she named them. “Ford and Penelope both helped quite a bit. Without them it might have been touch and go, instead it was easy. Pen had them so distracted that they were chasing their own tails. Ford setup a couple of traps that disoriented them. Plus, I already have an invisible bladed spear thanks to our dear Hazel’s crafting skill coupled with some special ingredients that Kelly gathered. He may look short and block, but Kelly knows how to get what we need.

But, back to the story. So, there we were just come down from a hill towards this small stream when Ford stops dead. ‘There’s a lair in 3 meters,’ He says.

We look around and then I smile. ‘Alright,’ I say, ‘I’m going to grab a few of them you guys wait here. I’ll bring them back.’ So, I go forward, creeping along silently like, well, like a silent predator. One of my abilities is called sidestep and I activate it, ready for them to pounce just in case.

It was a good thing that I thought ahead, because even though I was silent they noticed me. One of them popped out in front of me. I thought I had it, but then two others ripped into my hamstrings. But sidestep lets me step to the side once from an attack, and I neatly avoided both in the same instant. They biffed it, so I had a chance to stab the closer one and I took it. My spear went neatly into the back of his spine and he didn’t get up. Then I darted.

This is where Pen really helped. I glanced back for just a second and saw me still fighting the other two wolves. It only stood for about 5 seconds, but that was enough for me to get away. So they come chasing me like I have their favorite stuffed animal and I see a small blue circle in the grass. I run right over that and when they get to it, it explodes with light. I turn and see them flinching and stab a second one right down it’s throat.

So I step back, and a shadow wolf rises from the one I just downed and attacks,” She stopped to take a drink before continuing, “the other wolf. Turns out Pen just got enough AP to get that ability. Anyway, it didn’t hurt the thing, or no more than the live wolf’s mind let it, but boy did the fight look fierce. Just as live wolf wins the fight I come from the side and stab it in the heart. And that is how I slayed 3 wolves today.” She then finished off the rest of her mug, slammed it on the table and exclaimed, “Now, who wants to lose to me in darts?”

“Come on Denny,” Mia stood up and put her hand behind his chair, “Let’s go show these umbras what we’re made of.”

Denny paused. He had absolutely no desire to play darts, especially not with umbras and martials. Umbras cheated when possible and martials were just too competitive. On top of that most of the few others getting up were combatant specialties. “I’m ok, I’ve actually gotta get going. I told my parents that I’d meet up with them after my first day as a troubleshooter.”

Mia blinked, “Oh, okay, well, have fun with your family. It was really nice meeting you. See you tomorrow,” She gave Denny half a smile.

“Yeah, it was nice to meet you too and yeah definitely see you tomorrow. Early start just so we can meet up.” Denny started to wave, but Mia leaned forward and gave him a quick hug before turning to the dart board.

“Off so soon?” Came a voice behind him as a hand reached up to his shoulder. Denny turned as Alex resumed, “I was hoping we’d have two psychics so that we could play darts with squad-based teams. Doesn’t look like anyone else wants to join me.”

Denny shrugged, “Sorry Alex, the best I can do is wish you luck in beating them.”

He waved the comment away, “Don’t worry, I can take both their teams solo.” Alex then shook Denny’s hand and reached to give him a one-handed hug. “And don’t worry Denny, you and Sophia are doing just fine.”

I wasn’t worried, Denny thought to himself. And he never even considered Sophie. She was the crafter, totally different roles. After he thought about it though, they were the newbies. Alex and Alayna were moved up a squad as well, but Denny and Sophie were moved up from the worst psychic squad to the best. Maybe everyone else was watching them? “Uh, thanks Alex.”

After Alex walked a few steps away Denny turned to the merchant sitting next to him, “I heard,” Ally said, “you’re heading out. I hope you have a good night and like Alex said, you’re doing a fine job.”

“Uh, thanks Ally,” he chuckled just a bit to himself realizing he was repeating himself. “I hope you have a good night too. See you in the morning.”

“Yep, see you in the morning,” She stood up to hug him.

Alex didn’t bother swinging around to say anything to Mitch or Sophie, but as he headed for the door the latter caught up to him. “Headed out too, Denny?”

He turned to look behind him, “Uh, yeah I am. What are you up to tonight?”

Sophie walked up beside him as he spoke, “Oh, I’m probably going to continue working on my sculpture. I’m making a physical rendition of the real world, virtual earth, and all of the playgrounds in an expanding format. The real world is of course the core, and the rest connects in from there.” As she spoke about her project her words picked up speed.

“Where are you making the sculpture, here or in the real?” Denny queried.

“Well, both actually. Anything I add in the real I have setup to add in my studio here. Anything I add here I have a printer that will place it perfectly in the real. Doing in it VE can be great because I can just change its size and really get the minute details right. But, there’s just something more satisfying about hand molding it in the real. Plus, it’s value will hold better the more I do in the real. I mean, if it ever has value.” Sophie barely paused to take a breath as she explained it. Denny nodded along with her and allowed her to go on, but it lost his interest quickly.

“That’s really impressive Sophie, anyway I’ll uh, I’ll see you tomorrow.” They hugged, then Denny quickly headed for the door. It’d be nice to get some alone time at home before he went to see his family. He arrived at his VE studio, a small box room with a desk and comfortable chair. The walls displayed a viewpoint from the top of a mountain. He sat down in the chair and logged off, back into the real world.

Rejoining real life felt just like laying down from a sitting position. Denny opened his eyes and his pod lit up with a soft pink glow, based on his settings. As soon as he moved, the lid lifted open to reveal his small, simple apartment. Those who had the space, kept their pods in a side room. Many others, like Denny, let their pods double as a bed. There wasn’t much else in his apartment. It didn’t have a kitchen, just a water and a soylent tap. His loveseat sat in one corner of the apartment parallel to his pod. He did have some counter space, a couple of cupboards (mostly filled with cups) and a bin that he kept his clothes in. His apartment also held a bathroom and of course a dispenser where he could insert his clothes and pull out new ones.

Patiently waiting at the foot of Denny’s pod sat, Monster. Denny got out of the pod and reached down to pet the synthetic fur of the miniature husky companion before going to get cleaned up. After his shower Denny opened his pod setting in his linked overhead and changed his ideal physic. As a gatherer, he looked for more strength. While strength remained important for an explorer, Denny felt that he’d need more speed. He lowered his body mass by 10% and moved his muscle groups to increase his speed a little. He also pushed for some greater lung capacity. None of this would happen overnight, but now that his new settings were in place Denny’s pod would change his nutrients and his body’s workout routine while he was in it.

Denny went to his bin and grabbed out one of the few outfits he had for monster. It matched his own uniform, except the crest was wrong. He went back into his LO and saw that his emblem had updated. He then threw the companion outfit into the dispenser waited 15 minutes and pulled out a new one with the proper insignia. Denny himself wore more casual clothing; he’d let his companion show off who he was. Ready to go he glanced at the time and realized he needed to wait. He sat on the loveseat, petting Monster idly, and turned a popular playground show on his LO.