“Alright, folks. This is going to be the first dungeon for many of you. So I want you to stick close to your party leaders, and if they tell you to retreat, do so. There’s no point in any of us losing our experience or skill levels just because we want to be badass.”

  A rumble of chuckling erupted among the crowd, and several people nudged those standing next to them. After a full two days explaining everything about the game system beside the combat, they were finally going to get into a real fight. Orion gripped the staff more tightly in his hands, torn between excitement and anxiety.

  “So, the party leaders. Each of you has been assigned one. These are veteran players from the first wave, and so they’ve been in several dungeons already. They won’t do much to inhibit your progress, they’re just here to save you if it starts to get dangerous. I’ll give you all a moment to get acquainted.”

  Orion glanced sideways at the other members of his party, curious what they had in mind. It was his first real chance to see how their chosen styles would mix - at least in the combat sense. He’d chosen to use a quarterstaff, inspired by the monk that had saved him from the PKer squad. Jordan, using the name Marxus, had a sword and shield. Richard, going by Doran, had a long spear. Rachel had taken on the name Indra, and so far had no weapon. She usually liked using magic in fantasy-themed games, so he wondered what tricks she might have up her sleeve.

  Perhaps it was because he’d been thinking about the monk who had saved him a few times over the past few days, or perhaps because he was the only figure to be bare-chested in the cold winter air, Orion had no trouble spotting him as he approached their group. He flashed them an easy smile, seemingly oblivious to the tense, expectant, and even nervous air of the people around him.

  “Hey there,” Riley said, giving a quick nod of recognition to Orion as he came within easy speaking distance. “Nice weapon choice.”

  “Oh,” Orion said, looking down at his staff. “Well, it seemed the most versatile, and I can’t swing a sword to save my life.”

  “Holy shit,” Indra said, taking a step forward. “You’re War Theory aren’t you?”

  Orion glanced at her, confused. War Theory was the moniker of a pretty famous Youtuber, one who played hardcore competitive games - anything from medieval fantasy to rogue-like shooters. There had been some rumors that he was playing a secret new game, one whose details he’d been unable to release. Well, that was until a few weeks ago, when he’d started talking about the game. Now that it was public, he could release the hours of footage he’d accrued. Orion hadn’t gotten around to watching those videos yet. If he had, he might have recognized the monk.

  “I’m called Riley here,” Riley replied, smiling at Indra. “Please address me as such.”

  “Of course,” a surprisingly flustered Indra said. “My bad. It’s nice to meet you, though.”

  “Likewise,” the monk replied casually. “So, it seems that I’m going to be your guide and party leader this time around. You four already got a squad name?”

  “Uhh, do we need one?” Orion asked. “I thought this was just for training.”

  Of course, they were planning on making a guild soon, and they already had the name picked out. But Riley shook his head. “It’s not required. I just noticed you all seem to know each other, so I was sure you had one in mind already.”

  “The Pathfinders,” Marxus said. “It’s always the name of our guild.”

  “Oh, right!” Riley said, looking surprised but pleased. “I’ve seen a few of y’alls tournaments. You’re a nasty combo. I look forward to seeing what you can pull off in this game.”

  Orion wasn’t sure which was more awkward; to realize that the monk he’d been inspired by was a famous content creator, or knowing that he knew who they were, and was enough of a down-to-earth person not to freak out, challenge them, or be toxic. It was a common enough interaction when meeting other fans. Though, he reminded himself mentally, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge for him. Yet.

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  “So, I’m sure old Caius expects me to help y’all out with tactics and to give you some tips,” Riley said. “But I’m not gonna do that. Personally, there weren’t any guides when we started, and we turned out just fine. I think the best way to learn is just to dive right in. You can learn techniques and all that later during combat training. This is just to give you a taste of what fighting in this game is like. Consider it a crash course, or a shock awakening, like smelling salts.”

  They all nodded. This had been covered in the briefing Caius had given before they left Silver Village. It wasn’t anything new to them, having to travel on foot. VR games were big on immersion, and plenty of other games had no fast travel.

  “So, have any of you fought any monsters yet?”

  Again, they nodded. They’d found a pack of wild animals in the forest around the village, enjoying a rare afternoon of no enemy players attacking them. So far, they’d managed to kill two wolves and a small pack of goblins. Nothing fancy, but it had felt incredible, once they’d gotten over the awkwardness of the combat system.

  “Well, dungeon monsters are a bit different,” he went on to explain. “They’re all controlled by the dungeon boss, either by telepathy or just plain loyalty. That means they’re generally more intelligent than your average field monster, so tactics are important. Do you have any plans?”

  “Well, I’ll probably be in front,” Marxus said, wiggling the hand that held his shield. “So I guess that means I’m the tank.”

  Riley nodded his head but didn’t offer any corrections or advice. He didn’t seem to have an opinion at all. Orion spoke up next. “I can cover his flanks with my staff. Doran’s got that spear, so he can help me out.”

  “And obviously, I’m going for magic,” Indra said. “So I’ll be fighting in the rear, attacking at range.”

  Riley continued nodding, then, with a slight smile, asked “So, no scout?”

  “Scout?” Orion asked, confused. “Is that necessary? We just fight each pack of monsters we come across, don’t we?”

  Riley opened his mouth to reply, then, apparently, thought better of it. “Well, that’s certainly sound logic. But I will offer one correction. Mage-”

  “Indra,” she corrected.

  “Indra,” he agreed, reaching back to his belt and drawing out a dagger. “You need a weapon.”

  “I don’t usually use one,” she said. “Magic is enough for me. I only have a bolt for now, but I can just spam that.”

  “You’ve got the hang of the incantations and all that?”

  She nodded. Still, Riley seemed unsatisfied. “Well, it’s just a good idea to train a weapon. Even our mage took up the spear, and she’s deadly with it. Even if you don’t want it to be your primary, you should have one.”

  Indra appeared to consider that for a moment. “Are my fists good as weapons?”

  Riley hesitated, then nodded, sheathing the dagger again. “If you want. I’ve seen an unarmed build or two, and they usually do pretty well. But you’ll have to work hard at it.”

  That just made her laugh. “I’m no stranger to hard work. Being a girl gamer is its own challenge.”

  “I’m sure it is. Well, we’ll be heading in soon. I’m just gonna go report back to Caius, and I’ll be back right before we go in. See ya soon.”

  He walked away through the gathered crowd, his stride balanced and even. Several of the new players looked around as he passed by them, and Orion distinctly heard ‘War Theory’ muttered several times. Riley corrected them each time, and, like Indra, they seemed a little bothered at their slip-up. But Riley remained cheerful and casual the entire time.

  “How are they going to defend Silver Village if all the veteran fighters are here?” one of the nearby groups was asking their guide. Orion recognized the man. It was Oscar, the archer that had been with Riley the other day. The rogue shook his head.

  “Don’t you worry, the village is well-defended,” Oscar told them reassuringly. “Besides, it’d take a large group to raid a property that size, and we have a guildmate handling that. They won’t be able to take it.”

  “This game seems pretty serious for an RPG,” Indra commented. Obviously, she’d been listening in on the conversations of the other groups as well. “They’re worried about things like defense and security.”

  “It’s warranted,” Orion replied. “You don’t understand yet, because you haven’t been targeted by a PKer. It’s a real problem in the area, I’ve heard.”

  Indra shrugged. “If you can’t defend a property, you shouldn’t make one. And if they’re worried about the PKers in the area, why don’t they just move?”

  At that, Orion could only shrug. “I’m sure it’s something we’ll pick up if we play long enough. For now, we should focus on prepping for the dungeon.”

  Thank you for reading Project Terra: Alternate Earth!

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