“Can I get you anything, Mr. Miller?” Claire asked, still wearing the headset Jay had seen her wear previously. “It seems Mr. Georges is running late after dropping his kids off at their high school. Please, let me know if I can do anything to make you more comfortable.”

Claire was no longer working at the front desk, instead becoming a direct assistant for Mr. Georges. Jay stood with her, chatting amicably inside one of the many conference rooms at Tumult Corporation.

“You could make Mr. Georges a little less intimidating,” Jay joked. “Congratulations on the promotion, by the way.”

“Thank you,” she said happily. Her smile was welcoming and tailor-made to make the receiver feel at ease. She laughed lightly at Jay’s joke, shaking her head slightly. “I’m afraid that’s not a power I command. I’ll tell him you’re waiting when he gets in.”

“Coffee will be just fine, then. I should at least be awake when he tears me apart.”

Claire was still chuckling as she left the room. Jay wasn’t feeling nearly as nervous as he was letting on, but he didn’t want that getting back to her boss. Ideally, she would pass on his false anxiety so Jay could catch Mr. Georges off guard.

Claire returned to her desk while Jay paced gently in the conference room. Glancing over at the attractive executive assistant, Jay saw her desk was easily visible from the conference room. He caught her looking at him as she made coffee.

He wasn’t sure how she was making coffee at her desk because she was partially obscured from view by a barrier surrounding the desk. The pieces of plastic were meant to divide cubicles and offer some privacy to the occupant. It looked out of place on her desk, which was an island away from other desks. As he waited, he caught her eyes several more times, enjoying how it made her look away from him.

When Claire brought him a coffee, Jay could see her cheeks were slightly red. She wouldn’t make eye contact, either.

“You have a coffee maker at your desk?” Jay asked, graciously accepting the cup. He took a small sip, which burned his lips. It smelled delicious with a hint of hazelnut.

“It’s a single cup maker, yes,” Claire said, absentmindedly tapping on the edge of the conference table. “I’m very efficient. That’s how you get off the downstairs front desk.”

Jay laughed, nodding his acknowledgment of the point.

“He’ll be with you soon,” Claire added. “Again, don’t hesitate to tell me if you need anything.”

“I will. Or I won’t... you get it.”

Claire smiled and left the room, leaving Jay by himself. He checked his phone, seeing a text from Taylor Lynn updating him on the party’s progress. They were level eighteen. She even apologized for outleveling him slightly, explaining that everyone had loved the dungeons. So much, in fact, that they ran an extra.

Jay texted back, assuring her not to worry about it. He left out the part about him being level twenty. That was going to be a fun surprise.

Mr. Georges kept him waiting for another thirty minutes, leaving Jay to text back and forth with Taylor Lynn. She kept him updated on all the details of the dungeon bosses. Nothing was as exciting as the Monster Hunter dungeon had been. Taylor Lynn would have a field day once she learned about the goblin town quest.

When he arrived, Mr. Georges interrupted Jay’s phone usage. “How are you doing this morning, Mr. Miller? I was surprised to hear you were coming to meet me. I apologize for my tardiness. Usually, my oldest child drives their sibling to school. Unfortunately, that car is experiencing some issues.”

“I’m doing well,” Jay said. “Progress is being made on my leveling—I’m twenty already.”

“Excellent,” Mr. Georges acknowledged. He was carrying a manilla folder of documents, which he opened when he sat at the conference table. He spent a few moments looking over the papers. “I see you completed one of your tasks by killing a Goblin Pathfinder. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. It was hard to find a rare creature, but I got lucky,” Jay said. “I was surprised with the circumstances, though. My friend was getting a beast contract, but the companion demanded a subquest from us. The whole thing was bizarre. Do you know anything about that?”

“They are certainly rare,” Mr. Georges agreed, still looking over the documents as they conversed. “Yes, I see that here in the report. It appears the quest, Demon Faction invasion, and all related elements were part of the dynamic questing system.”

“Is that the dynamic questing system that’s the subject of dispute in the pending lawsuit?” Jay asked, trying to maintain an innocent tone.

“The lawsuit?” Mr. Georges practically spat the words. “I suppose it is, but I assure you, there is only one dynamic questing system. The game masters utilize it to build dynamic quests instead of the standard kill count fare.”

Slowly, his frustration melted away, and Mr. Georges continued, “Do you mind delving into some details of what I’m seeing in this internal memo?”

“Sure, ask away. I saw some news online, and I was just curious. I apologize,” Jay said, not wanting to push too hard.

“The pending litigation is nothing for you to worry about, I assure you. But I understand the curiosity,” Mr. Georges said, shuffling the papers in his manilla folder around.

“The report indicates that you disappeared for a period of time while your party was running a dungeon. The dungeon was associated specifically with your Monster Hunter class, correct?”

Jay nodded his confirmation. “Someone with a Historian skill found some interesting markers that pointed to Monster Hunters. We ended up exploring the dungeon to see what happened.”

“Your disappearance is not the only oddity. It appears you engaged in a solo boss fight for the first boss, and the second boss challenged you to a duel,” Mr. Georges said. “But, in particular, it concerns us that you disappeared off our grid. Could you please explain what you saw?”

Jay found it strange he could disappear from Tumult’s grid inside their game. That was a red flag since it was nonsensical for them to be unable to track him in their game. He feigned deep thought like he was trying to recall particulars of the event, even though his story was already solidified.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Well, I ended up passing into this strange area. Somehow, it was blocking out my party with strange runes. Magic, I guess. I followed it to the end but found nothing.”

“But you did receive a chunk of bonus experience?” Mr. Georges prompted.

Jay had forgotten about that detail but worked swiftly to smooth it over. “Yeah, I didn’t even notice it at first. I didn’t get a notification, either.”

“That does match our records,” Mr. Georges confirmed. “You leveled while off-grid, and there was no notification.”

The lawyer frowned at his papers, trying to make sense of them. The lull in conversation created an opportunity for Jay, so he seized it.

“By the way, I was curious if I could receive payment for all the Bestiary entries I’ve been collecting. It would really help me, you know, live while I level.”

The lawyer looked up, slightly taken aback, but happily answered Jay’s question.

“Concerning your payment, the terms are clear. Completing the rare monster milestone is an event that qualifies you for payment. You simply need to write a report of events from your perspective. I do want to provide you with a word of caution regarding that report.”

Jay sipped his coffee to buy some time to respond. He wasn’t relishing doing homework, but the money was necessary. There were a few medical bills he could pay off. He could also pay monthly rent and eat something other than ramen noodles.

“Of course,” Jay said, trying to sound as open-minded as possible. “I’m grateful for any advice you might offer.”

“Since the class and its core code are in a strange state, we’re relying on you for details,” Mr. Georges reiterated. These were details Jay already knew. “With that being the case, I don’t want to see you jeopardize your contract. Anything you hold back could put you at risk. There is no detail too simple or extraneous. Our company genuinely wants to know everything about your class. And we don’t want to see you lose your contract over some silly omission, either.”

“That makes sense,” Jay agreed. “You’re relying on me, so even though you’re watching everything I do, you don’t have the experience of playing. A bird’s eye view is different from a first-person perspective.”

“Does it bother you that you’re being watched?” Mr. Georges asked. “I sense some hesitation based on your choice of words, even though you seem to understand the need.”

“If you’re going to use it to hotfix things that are bugging me, I can hardly complain,” Jay said, though he definitely still wanted to complain. “I’m actually much more concerned about being able to see my sister. Can you get me the address of her new hospital?”

In truth, Jay was annoyed about being watched. He hadn’t been informed about it, and the observation had severely breached his privacy. Sure, the game was their property, but not telling him was weird behavior.

He missed his sister something fierce, and seeing her frankly was the most important thing. All ongoing events were for her. His mother worked hard for Sarah, so he needed to put in just as much effort.

“I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible,” Mr. Georges said matter-of-factly. He didn’t even realize the implication of what he was saying and how much it would aggravate Jay.

“Excuse me?” Jay spat out. “Reach back into your bag of stupid answers and try again.”

“What?”

“If this is some terrible prank, I suggest you cut it out. Now. I don’t play around when it comes to my sister, and I demand to see her. We have a contract.”

Mr. Georges looked at him, almost seeming sad for a moment. It was a look of pity, which did not help Jay calm his rising fury. Mr. Georges closed the manilla folder and finally gave Jay his full attention.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” he said. “Our contract only stipulates making a good faith effort to provide Sarah Miller with medical care. We have an agreement with her, but I can’t disclose more. Her treatment plan is between Sarah and her doctors. Unfortunately, her current treatment protocol doesn’t allow for any visitors.”

“You’re not joking,” Jay said, malice threaded through his voice but hoping Mr. Georges would disagree. That event never came to pass.

Jay’s heart plummeted in his chest. The strained muscle beat faster with anxiety as if it could free itself from his body. His day was wholly ruined, and he couldn’t even bring himself to speak. There was a lot of money on the table, but for the moment, he started questioning what it was worth.

“You’re holding my sister hostage,” Jay accused, standing up and leaning over the table into Mr. Georges’s face. “If I’m ever going to see her, I’m forced to keep working on your stupid Monster Hunter project. Otherwise, who knows what her treatment protocol might call for.”

“Any changes to her protocol would have to be cleared with Ms. Miller, naturally,” Mr. Georges tried to assure Jay, though it was wholly ineffectual. “I’m not sure I appreciate the accusations. Perhaps, you should spend some time on your report. I will inform you when she is allowed visitors.”

Mr. Georges stood up to leave, but Jay didn’t let him escape. Jay hoped he already had the lawyer off guard. Earlier, he hadn’t pushed, but this time he would.

“When were you going to tell me that my chosen council was a close personal friend of yours?” Jay asked. Temper showed on every inch of his face.

Mr. Georges paused by the entrance to the conference room, holding onto the doorway’s frame. He turned slowly to look back into Jay’s eyes.

“Ted Inges was left off the list because I thought our friendship might make you uncomfortable. I promise you both of us are professionals who take our positions with the utmost seriousness. No legal basis, company policy, or law prevents us from representing contrary parties. I have another meeting. Have a pleasant day, Mr. Miller.”

Jay was left fuming at the conference table. His righteous anger at Mr. Georges compounded with his anger at himself. Despite the rationality of calling Mr. Georges out, Jay knew it had tipped his hand more than necessary. He was furious, and his anger clouded his ability to find his next steps.

It wouldn’t do to subject the rest of the world to his mood, so he closed his eyes. He wasn’t a particularly contemplative or meditative person. Still, he knew it was important to sometimes take a moment.

Jay realized he really should try to contact his mom soon. Their mother was the only one with direct access to Sarah’s medical records, which wasn’t an issue because Jay usually visited daily.

During the original conversation about access to her records, Sarah had convinced Jay he didn’t need access. She had done this by suggesting he could also have a detailed accounting of her romantic history. He had accepted her solid point without protest and was left off her records.

Jay tried to let the rest of the world fade from view, focusing on his own mind. He took deep breaths and tried to focus on those. His mind kept coming back to the fact that he felt absolutely absurd. He kept thinking about how the world was out to get him.

The spiral trapped him.

“Is everything okay?” Claire asked, breaking Jay from his failed meditation. “Sorry... I was starting to get a little worried about you.”

“Got some bad news,” Jay said. “Nothing that’s your fault. Nothing you can help with.”

“Do you want some more coffee before you go?”

“No thanks.”

“Are you sure?” Claire asked. Jay could see the genuine concern on her face, but he didn’t want to bother a stranger. She had no control over Sarah’s care or her boss’s cutthroat maneuvers. Jay was mad, but it would be an exercise in futility to direct it at her.

When Jay shook his head in response, she added, “I haven’t taken my lunch hour yet.”

“I wouldn’t want to bother a real person,” Jay said flippantly. “I’ll just listen to some sad boy music. It understands me.”

“Oh, shut up,” Claire said, rolling her eyes but laughing slightly despite herself. She wrote her name on a piece of paper and scribbled a number down, sliding it over to Jay. “You’re kind of cute when you’re not pretending to be a sad boy. Call me sometime.”

Jay smiled slightly, intrigued by her forwardness. The smile didn’t last. He left the room, making his way through a crowd of people, pondering how to get in touch with his sister.

Once he reached his car in the parking lot, he pulled the slip from his pocket and started the car. The paper had, presumably, Claire’s phone number written on it with purple ink. The short message read: call or text me whenever, with a smiley face at the end.

He knew he was distracting himself, saddened at being barred from Sarah and her witty banter. Part of him still whispered his feelings about Taylor Lynn in the back of his head, too.

Jay planned to ask Claire for lunch one day soon. Something tastier than ramen noodles.