The next few days, we travelled in a comfortable peace. For the first time since becoming a player, I was surrounded by people who knew the truth about me. It felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted from my shoulders.

  I considered myself beyond lucky to have assembled this specific group of individuals. Each had my trust, and I had theirs. It was a pleasant change from last month, when the only person I could honestly confide in was the manipulative and murderous AI that lived in my head. I was confident that her murderous intentions toward me were in the past, but I knew to be wary of her manipulative side. At this point, I didn’t even blame her for lying. You don’t blame a feral dog for biting you. It was just part of Val’s nature, but that didn’t mean her nature couldn’t change. Even feral dogs can be tamed.

  We were still three days out from Nessa. Val informed me that the temperature was 91 degrees, and I felt every degree. Thankfully, the air was dry, and a nice breeze cooled us down. The land around here reminded me of my home in Arizona, where the earth was more hard-packed clay than dirt, and only the hardiest of trees and plants thrived. It wasn’t a desert by any means, but it was a lot harsher than where we came from.

  For the most part, the land was flat. That was until you came upon a deep ravine or caught sight of a distant, rising bluff. Personally, I was pleased about the change in scenery. This felt more real to me, especially compared to the vibrant, idyllic landscape in central Vedra.

  I hoped to see a cactus by the time we reached Nessa. I had a thing for succulents.

  Today, I was riding on top of the wagon with Tabby again, whispering about the past. We talked on and on about our favorite toys as kids – mine were Z-Bots. Tabby’s was the Barbie Dream House. She also threw Stretch Armstrong in as a bonus, to my surprise and delight.

  When we stopped for a break, I practiced throwing my knives. I found a solid tree and landed 4 out of 5 throws. I tried it again and landed all five.

  A notification popped up, and I grinned when I saw that I had finally reached Tier 2 of the Shurikenjutsu Competency, which supposedly made all bladed weapons feel lighter in my hands. I picked up a dagger and flipped it once in the air, catching it by the handle. Unsure if I felt a difference, I tossed it into a tree and hit almost where I was aiming. The weight difference was barely perceptible, but it was there. I felt like it was worthwhile to keep grinding out this Competency. Hopefully, I could find some Kurskins to test my knife-throwing skills on. I was sure I’d reach Tier 3 much faster that way instead of endlessly throwing knives at trees.

  Raised voices drew my attention away from my practice. It was Ersabet and Delen. They hadn’t argued for days, and I had thought they’d finally decided to stop needling each other, but I guess I was wrong.

  “You were taught what to watch for as a child, were you not?” Delen said.

  “All Dalari are taught how to see,” Ersabet replied.

  “Then there’s nothing unique about your biology. Your people are better at detecting lies because you are all trained to do so from a young age.”

  “You are wrong,” Ersabet said simply. “Our intuition is superior to that of other species. Our minds are born a blade. The teaching only serves to sharpen it.”

  “Ridiculous,” Delen exclaimed. “Have any of your kind actually looked into this, or do you all just think you’re born special?”

  “All Dalari are special.” She winked. “This one in particular.”

  Delen’s face turned red, and before he made a fool out of himself, I jumped in to save him.

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  “It doesn’t matter if it’s innate or learned,” I said. “What matters is that you need to get a better poker face.”

  Delen’s eyebrows twitched wildly in frustration. “My poker face is just fine, thank you very much.”

  “Let us play poker then,” Ersabet said. “We’ll find out who can bluff and who can’t.”

  I shook my head, chuckling. “You two have your fun. I’ll be back in thirty minutes. Maybe you’ll have solved whatever this argument is by then.”

  I walked some distance from camp and checked on Val. She assured me that she was doing fine and was experimenting with different ways to allocate her remaining power so she could produce an avatar again. She told me she was doing it for me, but I knew the truth. She had grown to like being seen as ‘one of the group.’

  As I was mindlessly walking, I caught a brown flash in the corner of my eye. I froze and turned slowly to my right, where a rabbit had come to a stop. With gentle movements, I located one of my throwing daggers and lined up a shot.

  My release was perfect, and the dagger soared true, striking the rabbit in the side. It wasn’t an instant kill, so I ran over and finished the poor thing off before it suffered any longer.

  To my surprise, a notification popped. I opened it.

  Congratulations, player. You have leveled up. You are now Level Eleven.

  Finally! I had been on the cusp of Level 11 ever since the goblin cave, but I hadn’t had any real opportunities to earn experience since then. Killing this little rabbit was just enough to get me over that threshold.

  You may select one of the following skills and abilities, or you may enhance one of your previously chosen skills or abilities.

  CAVER: Yes, this is a rehash, but you should have expected it. It’s your own fault, really. You sure spend a lot of time in damp, dark caves. If you like it so much, how about this: You can see better in the dark with Caver! It's not much better, but it's enough to make a difference. This is a passive ability.

  NIGHT-NIGHT DART: That’s right! You’ve already seen something like this in action, though it was a significantly upgraded version of the ability. Conjure a magical dart in your hand. If stuck with this dart, your target will be immobilized and fall unconscious for no more than ten minutes. Use it to subdue a target or make a quick escape when you’re fighting a stronger opponent, which is most every opponent when it comes to you. This skill can be cast once a day, so don’t miss.

  This ability, or one like it, was what Bhatri had used to subdue Ersabet before our fight. I wanted it.

  FEAR: Most people are scared of the dark, but that’s where you seem to do your best work. Take advantage of your opponents' fear of the dark and trick their minds into thinking something dangerous lurks just beyond their vision. If only they knew they were right….

  Fear will cause a targeted opponent to experience an elevation to their current state of fright. Frightened opponents may act erratically or could even run away. Results may vary depending on the target’s innate mental fortitude. Fear only works after sunset. You can cast Fear twice a day.

  While I liked the idea of scaring my enemies shitless, I preferred the tangible value in Night-Night Dart. I selected it and had to resist the urge to test it out. But it was a once-a-day cast, so I couldn’t risk wasting it. God only knew what problems could lie ahead.

  “Hey, Val,” I said. “I know your ability to track quests isn’t what it once was, but have you been looking into any scripted quests that can get us access to the portal?”

  “I have, and so far, I’m not coming up with anything directly related to the portal. I think your best bet is to locate whoever runs the portal and ask them.”

  “That seems simple enough.”

  “Oh, I assure you, it won’t be simple. Nothing is ever simple when it comes to you.”

  “Hey, I didn’t design this game, Val.”

  “Neither did I, but I’m not the one constantly getting into trouble.”

  “Sometimes I wonder if things would have been better off if I had never met you and was still in the Kurksin army.”

  “You’d be dead.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’d appreciate it if you kept searching for ways we could access the portal. I’d like to have some sort of plan before we get to Nessa.”

  “Oh, you’re making plans again?”

  “No. We’re making plans.”

  “I’m sorry, Ethan. I can’t be much help in this regard. I’ll keep searching for possibilities, but I’m afraid you're going to have to figure this one out on your own.”

  That was blunt, but I appreciate it. “Okay, Val. I guess we’ll just see what surprises Nessa holds for us.”

  “Might I recommend securing a room and bath upon arrival? Trouble is best met after your clean.”

  I smiled. That was a nice way of saying I stank. Val really was changing.

  But she couldn’t really smell me, could she?