Daniel allowed Syrian to lead the way. Once she was a few feet in front of them, Cole queried him.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“She’s gonna tell us where her bandit friends are so we can get the food and complete your quest.”

“And you’re really going to cut her jail time?”

“I made a deal. This might be a game, but there’s still a system we follow. Just like in real life. I guess life is someone else’s game too.”

Cole thought about that for a bit. “Why do you guys keep whispering your skills?”

“It’s so that the other player doesn’t anticipate your next move. It’s something one of the better players practiced in the earlier stages of the game. It caught on quickly.”

“It’s also to keep your repertoire hidden,” Syrian joined in. “Pro players familiarize themselves with the most common skills. Once they hear you say it, they can exploit how it works. Some skills can appear the same on the surface but have different underlying effects and attributes.” She turned to look directly at Cole. “By the way, you suck at it. So, shut up, we’re here.”

The trio came to a precipice and slowly crept to its edge. Just below them were three of the bandits recovering their strength. Cole noticed the package between the three of them. The bandits sat and stared as if in a lull.

“They’re waiting for me,” Syrian said.

“Well, I’m not going to ruin your reputation any further by having you sabotage your quest.” The moment Daniel drew his sword, the chains left his waist, wrapped around Syrian, and anchored her to the ground.

The girl sucked wind. Daniel ignored her and dove off the precipice. The brawl between Daniel and the bandits was short-lived. It was as if they couldn’t touch him. Soon Daniel was returning with the food, and they were set back on their path to the village. They arrived at the village gates with an injured donkey, handcuffed bandit, and health-depleted players. The gates opened when Cole presented an invitation to the guards and they were led directly to the Chief.

The village they entered was much bigger than Cole’s, but he couldn’t say that it was in better condition. Broken swords and broken men lay side by side on the ground. Beneath them were blood, excrement, and the hopes of glorious victory. Above them, flies circled, smoke billowed, and the scent of death compounded them all.

The stench was new to Cole, and he fought to pull his tunic over his nose. One of the guards gave him a nasty glare at that point but said nothing. The tour through the chaos was nothing short of traumatizing. Cole forgot he was playing and froze when he saw severed limbs and weeping women. He even lost the broth he ate the same morning. Daniel dragged him from the mess he made and shielded him from further bombardment by walking directly in front of him.

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Cole barely saw anything else besides running warriors and worn buildings. Soon they were in the Chief’s hall. This man was much larger than the previous chief that Cole met. There were several other men around him in heated debate. Their voices rose higher and higher until the Chief silenced them with a frustrated roar. In the slight hiatus, he noticed Cole’s group. The guards announced the visitors as if first scared to interrupt the chief’s meeting.

“Finally,” the large man said. “Don’t you know better than to keep a chief waiting?” He squinted his eyes as his focus shifted behind them. “What’s… What’s that?” Cole brought the donkey around for the Chief to see. The chief waved it away “We need it, but it’s the least of our problems.”

He beckoned the group closer, and one of the guards led the donkey someplace else. Cole imagined that food won’t last a second wherever it was going. All of the men that surrounded the chief left, save for one. The man was studying a map intensely. Numerous pieces were on the board, and Cole soon figured out which ones were the Chief’s and which were someone else’s. They were outnumbered.

The Chief spoke. “Zuna’s forces have multiplied in the previous months. He’s been attacking the ridge, and we can only assume that he intends to establish a stronghold in the middle of the land so he can close in and conquer the North of Sonner. At first, we weren’t sure what was causing it, but our scouts report that he has a powerful Necromancer with him. One that can not only raise the dead but take on the composition of living breathing men.”

“Why would he want that?” Cole asked. “Dead men don’t die.”

Daniel turned to him, “It’s because the living are less vulnerable to Light Magic.”

“And,” the Chief continued, “he can sacrifice one to make a dozen more.”

“So he can produce an army that never truly dies.”

The chief nodded. “Which means that no matter what he goes up against, he’ll have the entirety of Sonner under his rule in a short time. We need your help to kill the necromancer so that we have a chance to defeat his forces and prevent Sonner from falling into the hands of evil.”

Cole pulled Daniel out of earshot. “Is this really a beginner’s quest?”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought beginner’s quest would be less critical to the entire game. This guy is saying that if I fail Sonner will be conquered by Arrad and then it’s game over. I can’t be responsible for that. This must be a mistake.”

“The game gave you this quest. You don’t have to take it. But if you don’t, then who will,”

“Some other gamer will stumble across the place and take the quest.”

“You’re not sure of that. For all you know, this could be a unique thread. Fate Maker is filled with unique threads, that’s what makes the game so interesting.”

A female voice joined them. “You guys still suck at whispering.” Syrian came between them, and the Chief seemed puzzled at the mid-discussion gathering. His focus soon shifted from the group to the map and the man examining it. “Even if we do fail this quest, there’s no way you can know if that was the plan all along or not. If Sonner gets conquered by Arrad, who’s to say that doesn’t just start a new phase of the entire game? Imagine it Fate Maker: Rebellion.”

“You must be joking,” Cole said.

“She does have a point,” Daniel said. “Even though I doubt it’s a serious threat.”

“So, the game is sending a single newb to change the tides of the entire war and initiate a new arc? That’s some pretty intricate game design if you ask me.”

“That’s Fate Maker,” Syrian said plainly.

Daniel held Cole’s shoulder. “No matter what the quest, the aim is to complete it successfully. If the goal is to kill the necromancer and stop the world from ending, then that’s what we’re going to do.”

“Aren’t you the optimist?” Syrian commented.

Cole sighed and then approached the Chief. “Duranki.”

Details of the new quest popped up after Cole accepted the offer. He didn’t know how he was going to take down this necromancer, but he figured that it would be better to try than not to try at all. It may not turn out as bad as he thought.