I must have nodded off in the bath because I opened my eyes to an impossible situation. Gertie towered over the tub, staring at me with a smirk on her face.

“Do you still want that nudge?” She asked as I grabbed a towel and tried to cover up.

“How are you here?” I gasped, pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

The friendly voice of the house AI came from a nearby speaker. “One of the features of the software you recently installed allows it access to the house’s nano network. Do you wish to disable it?”

“Warn me before you give access in the first place,” I barked and flung myself out of the tub in a tsunami of water.

The safety feature in the bathroom kicked in and several robotic vacuums emerged from the wall to slurp up the water.

“Go back in the game,” I snapped at the dwarven replica the nanobots had created.

I waited for her to dissipate before pulling on my clothes and heading back to my chair before resuming full immersion. The sight that greeted me took my breath away. I logged in right smack in the middle of a bustling port town. A salty sea breeze hung heavy in the air along with the smell of fresh fish. Businesses lined both sides of a road that followed the coastline up to a harbor where boats of all shapes and sizes were anchored.

“We’re here,” Gertie stated the obvious. “I am going to procure us passage to Permafrost. We will be staying at the Salty Dog Inn, and we should set sail in the morning. Please tether yourself if you can’t be there in person.”

I made a quick mental note that morning in-game wasn’t the same as the real world so I only had an hour or two to explore. Time didn’t matter though. I knew just what I needed.

“Excuse me,” I said, stopping a pretty woman who hurried past with a basket of fresh vegetables. “Can you tell me where the alchemy shop is?”

She spun on the spot, scowling at me with piercing red eyes before giving me a once-over. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were an adventurer. Please forgive me.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Am I the first adventurer you’ve met?”

She shook her head. “No. A lot to them…of you, showed up recently. The alchemist’s shop is on that hill over there. The one with the garden.”

“Thanks,” I replied absentmindedly as I realized I’d forgotten to contact my brother.

“Are you going to be in town for long?” She asked. Was she blushing?

“Just for the night,” I replied.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” she paused, turning even redder. “I mean, this is a lovely town and you’d probably enjoy a longer visit.”

“I would, actually,” I replied, wishing I had more time to explore all the opportunities for quests. “Do you work around here?”

The smile she flashed showcased just how beautiful she was. She had lovely brown hair that fell across her shoulders and a singly beauty mark on her left cheek.

“I work at the Salty Dog Inn,” she said, pointing to a nearby two-story building.

I finally found my voice after being mesmerized by that smile. “I…I’m staying there.”

“You are?” Her words came out in a sigh. “I mean I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tonight then.”

She scurried off before I could say anything else. My heart thundered in my chest. Was that a feature of the game, or was it echoing my heart in real life?

Shaking my head to clear it, I focused on the task at hand. The conversation about adventurers reminded me that I completely forgot to tell Jed I was in town. I waited patiently while the call connected.

“Yeah?” He answered impatiently.

“I’m in Kingstown,” I replied.

“Oh?” He asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice. “Where are you?”

“I’m on the main strip, close to the Salty Dog Inn,” I replied.

I hadn’t thought to look at my map, but sure enough, there was Kingstown with just the businesses I’d asked about labeled. I read the sign in front of the closest shop.

Amariel’s Knitting Supplies

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Sure enough, the label showed up on the map as soon as I read it.

“Are you there?” Jed asked when I didn’t answer.

“Yes,” I replied. “Sorry. I was looking at the map.”

“I said wait there,” he repeated. “We’re coming to you.”

I glanced in the direction of the alchemy shop. It was still a ways off. There was no way I could make it before they got there. I sighed and waited impatiently.

The streets of Kingstown were much busier than Homestead had been. Where I hardly saw anybody out and about in Homestead, Kingstown was a veritable highway. I stood aside as people bustled by, wondering if they were players or NPCs.

It didn’t take long to spot Jed. His spikey red hair stuck out. It wasn’t the typical color you expect to see on a redhead. If I had to label the color my brother chose, I’d call it Firehouse Red. He was surrounded by several guys wearing an assortment of mismatched armor. That was when I realized exactly how to tell players apart from the locals. Any self-respecting NPC wouldn’t be caught dead dressed like that.

Jed wasted no time when he got to me. “You can call me Cyros in game. What was your in-game name?”

“Veritas,” I replied.

“This is Fellblade, Targin, and Samuri,” he said, introducing his group mates.

“Can we talk in private real quick?” I asked.

“Let me guess,” he groaned. “You’re not coming.”

“Not yet,” I replied.

“Why?” He asked, using his public voice. We reserved our best arguments for when we were alone.

“I have to finish this quest,” I explained, not wanting to tell them about Mount Drunder or Permafrost.

“Always with the quests,” he sighed. “Whatever man. You can’t say I didn’t try this time.”

The one he introduced as Targin stepped forward. “I don’t think he’s a good fit anyway.”

“What?” Jed asked, glaring at Targin. “Why would you say that?”

“It’s nothing personal,” Targin said, stepping back. “It’s just he isn’t an adventurer. I inspected him.”

Jed stopped and gave me a once-over. It was his turn to be shocked. “How do you have two classes?”

The others stared at me with renewed interest. From the look on Targin’s face, I had a feeling he didn’t notice the first time.

“You unlock it at level twenty,” I explained, realizing there was no point in keeping it a secret.

“How did you hit level twenty so fast?” Fellblade asked. “We’ve been grinding pretty steadily but none of us are level ten yet.”

“Like you said, I’m a miner,” I explained. “I hardly had to kill anything.”

Samuri shook his head. “You’re the highest level of any class I’ve seen. That includes both crafters and gatherers.”

“How do you know?” Jed asked.

Samuri swiped the air a few times. “You can search anyone who’s online from the menu. The next highest person after Veritas is only level twelve.”

Fellblade whistled. “We got some work to do once we get to The World Tree. That reminds me. Do you want to join the guild we’re making? We will have a gathering division. If you join, you’ll always have a place to sell your ore.”

I wasn’t sure why but the way he said that rubbed me the wrong way. I turned to Jed and gave him what I hoped was my best sorrowful look. “I think I’m going to level up some more before I choose a guild. I think I’ll be an adventurer in the end.”

“Whatever,” Jed said, looking angry. “Do what you want.”

I sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ll play with you at some point. I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” he said, shaking his head.

“You can always come with me now,” I replied.

“Yeah, right,” he laughed. “You want me to go on a quest with a gatherer. Not gonna happen.”

“I had to try,” I replied. “Don’t forget about me when you take over the world.”

“You know I’m going to do it,” he replied.

“I’ll race you,” I said, puffing out my chest.

Jed grinned. “It’s on!”

----------------------------------------

I was torn about whether I made the right decision. Jed and his guild mates took off toward the harbor, leaving me to make my way to the alchemy shop. It was located down a narrow path that wound up a hill. I never would have pegged the tiny cottage in the middle of a garden for a shop that sold potions. It wasn’t a typical garden with rows of veggies. Instead, walls overgrown with foliage surrounded bushy plants.

I knocked on the door to be polite. An old olive-skinned lady opened the door and waved me inside. “Come in, Dear. If the door ain’t locked, that means we’re open.”

Inside was more of the same. Plants grew through cracks in the walls. There were jars everywhere filled with various herbs and spices along with several filled with colorful liquid concoctions. On the other side of the room were crates filled with empty potion bottles. In the back was a workstation with a large pot as well as a mortar and pestle.

“Do you know what you want?” The old lady asked.

“I’d like to start with some recipes,” I replied.

She cackled. “Well, that’s a tall order, My Dear. You’re going to have to be more specific. I’ve got thousands.”

“Can you make explosives?” I asked.

Her expression darkened. “I can but why would you want to start with such a vile thing?”

“Because I’m a demolitionist,” I replied.

She sighed. “Very well. But I’m going to give you some useful recipes as well. Can’t go giving alchemy a bad name now. I see you already have a proficiency for alchemy, so this will be easier than it would otherwise. Even with your class, I don’t advise misusing this. Explosives are indiscriminate. That means it will kill you just as soon as do your bidding.”

“I understand,’ I replied. There was nothing wrong with a little respawning while I got used to it. Just to be safe, I set my bind point in the alchemy shop.

After scribbling on a scrap of paper for a few minutes, she handed it to me. “I take it you’ll be wanting ingredients as well.”

“Yes,” I replied, scanning the list until I found the one I was looking for. “Wait. Why firecracker and not dynamite?”

The old woman placed her hand on top of mine. “You aren’t ready for that. Take this as a learning opportunity. I guarantee you will find fireworks have plenty of pop in them.”

I watched her bundle ingredients while I checked them off the recipe list. When she handed them over, I noticed one was missing. “You forgot fire powder.”

She smiled. “I don’t specialize in destruction. You’ll have to get that elsewhere. Might I recommend a mine?”

That was a relief. A mine was just where I was going. I thanked the lady and turned to leave but she stopped me.

“Aren’t we forgetting something?” She asked sweetly.

“I don’t think so,” I replied, going over my inventory. “Unless you want to give me some more potent recipes.”

“That’ll be one gold,” she said curtly, holding out a withered hand.

I sighed. Part of me wanted to haggle but I knew next to nothing about prices and she did give me a lot. In the end, I dropped one of my precious gold coins into her hand.

“Do come again,” she called after me as I left through the garden. “Master those recipes and I’ll sell you their upgrades.”

So that’s how it works! I thought to myself, eager to prove myself.

I headed back to the Salty Dog Inn where I found Sasha and Nelly waiting for me.