The burglar rushes forward, a knife aimed toward Mags. He moves incredibly fast, his steps like rain pattering against the damp floor. I freeze.

"Substitute." Olivia jumps in front of her teammate. A double of Olivia forms, a puppet that perfectly resembles its owner.

The burglar stabs the substitute. It turns to dust. The real Olivia stands behind the burglar, swiping her blade downward with a slash.

He dodges without trying. He simply steps out of the way, like his senses have been trained in the darkness. He howls with laughter. "Don't think you can beat me with such a simple trick."

"Thrash," says Mags, swiping at the burglar with her bow.

"Firearrow," Nathan says.

The burglar dodges both the bow and the fire arrow. He taunts us with another bark of laughter. He targets Aileen, jumping at her with his dagger at her throat.

"Protect," says Cody. A sheen of light encompasses Aileen's body. The burglar's dagger reflects off her. The burglar curses.

In the time we have as the burglar regroups at the opposite end of the lair, our members use our buffing abilities. Aileen uses shield to raise her defensive stats. Nathan uses armor and fireup for his defense and attack. With aim, Mags boosts her accuracy. Olivia raises our speed with agility, also using shadow to increase her evasion stat. Cody uses aegis to reduce damage taken by our enemies, and bless for our overall stats.

It feels like I've been chosen by the most powerful players of Starlia. I begin to feel invincible. Nothing can go wrong when I'm with Aileen and these pros.

That's until the burglar targets me next.

I scream as he swipes his dagger toward my face. He gets some of my cheek, and I feel the burn of his weapon drawing virtual blood.

Josiah. HP: 90%

Cody uses heal and gets me back up to full health.

It's time for me to act. "Sing." My voice projects straight toward the boss.

The burglar tries to resist. He waves on his feet, but in the end, my song delays him for a single second. It's enough for Nathan to capitalize on it, sending a thunderstorm that shocks the burglar after a dark cloud forms above his head. The burglar groans. He recovers, but not without losing a big chunk of health.

Burglar. HP: 90%

Yes! I did something helpful. I'm on a mission to prove that bards aren't as useless as perceived. Ever since Aileen wrinkled her nose at me choosing to be a bard, it's been on my conscience to make a name for myself. I set several traps on the ground, protecting the backline. Olivia uses her kunai, sending several rounds of knives toward the burglar. A few of them hit home, reducing the burglar's HP by slivers.

Mags infuses her arrows with ironarrow, giving them a strong metallic quality. She uses enhance to further strengthen her next attack, and then volley to send a round of arrows toward the boss. The burglar's fast, but he can't avoid all of the attack. Several arrows are buried into his chest. He groans, pulling them out as his health falters.

Cody and Aileen act next. Aileen uses throw, pulling her hands around the boss in a brave stride forward. She tosses the boss to the side, while Nathan's jolt holds the boss in place.

"Assassinate." Olivia's ultimate ability is heard even though she whispers. It's nice not to be on the receiving end of it. She buries her dagger into the burglar's heart, twisting hard. The boss' health plummets.

Burglar. HP: 45%

The rest of our battle falls into a coordinated dance. Each person cycles through their abilities, missing some but hitting the rest. The burglar strikes back, but even as our health drops, Cody quickly heals us back to full. It's looking like we'll win the battle. That's when the burglar utilizes his left hand. He wields two daggers now, striking out in deadly bursts.

Aileen takes the brunt of the damage. She falls to the ground and her HP hovers in the red.

"Aileen!" I shout as my friend struggles to stand.

That's it. "Uproar." I vocalize a note in a minor key, hoping that my low level and mastery will still affect the boss in some way.

The boss covers his ears, swaying in discomfort.

"Poison." Cody's hands emit a purple mist that surrounds the boss, and as the burglar inhales he receives an affliction.

Burglar. Poisoned. HP: 28%

"Nice going, Josiah and Cody!" Nathan shouts, as his blizzard freezes the boss' body in a flurry of hail.

Burglar. HP: 14%

As the poison ticks away the boss' health, I'm strengthened by a burst of courage. I feel alive, in a way that I felt when my father was still here. I rush forward as Olivia beckons a storm of knives. As the knives descend, I launch strings to my victory.

The harp comes down against the burglar in a burst of strength I didn't know I had.

Congratulations! You've defeated the burglar. 20,000 gold gained.

I level a few more times, to thirty-seven. Aileen also cheers as she reaches fifty, enough to pursue her next job advancement.

Nathan rushes forward and buries me in a hug. I feel like the sun smiles down on me. Even in the dampness and stink of the sewer, it feels like I stand in an open field of daisies. "That was amazing," he says. "I'm so proud."

Aileen, Mags, Olivia, and Cody join the huddle.

Oh! We almost forget to check, but right where the burglar disintegrated, a small blue gem barely catches the light. I reach down to pick it up.

You have found a weathering fragment. 12/100

*

Nathan is rich.

I realize this when he offers to come to Seattle in his family's private jet. I didn't assume that he was wealthy. I guess I heard his story about losing a parent and assumed that his life was as difficult as mine. But his father is supposedly one of the country's most successful realtors. He owns a business that rakes in millions every year. I try not to judge him too hard. After all, he can't choose his family in the same way I can't choose mine.

"He's coming to Seattle?" Aileen asks, sounding doubtful on the phone.

I sigh. "I couldn't really tell him no. He said that he really wants to visit us. He said he's gone to the hometown of all the other members."

"That's insane," Aileen says. "It's like he's some type of manager of an empire. I can't believe our luck in being able to join Mysteriously."

After hanging up the phone, I dwell on Aileen's words. It really is strange that Nathan would offer us a position in his esteemed guild. Of course, there was the duel we had to get through, but he made it possible for us to win. If the duel was a battle to the death, Olivia would have crushed us both.

Why were there two spots in Mysteriously, so conveniently open for me and Aileen? It doesn't make much sense. Such a popular guild would have people lining up outside of Star Town to join. There are probably hundreds of high-level players gunning for spots.

I decide to ask Nathan when he comes over.

It doesn't take too long. I'm finishing up my chemistry homework when Nathan calls me. He's ready to meet me and Aileen. He emphasizes the "in person" part.

"I'm over all the virtual cafes and meeting rooms," he says. "It's nothing like meeting in person."

I dress in a protective jacket and matching pants. It's deadly hot outside, and the sun's rays are causing more cases of skin cancer than ever. I make sure to apply a ton of sunblock. My mom tells me to be careful, not to trust strangers, all that jazz. I tell her that Nathan isn't a stranger, but she responds with a note that I only met him in LA one time.

"Got it, Mom!" I yell while heading out the front door.

I get into our self-driving car, entering the address of one of the only cafes that allow people to sit inside, Coffee Milk. The roads are empty, everyone choosing to stay inside and explore the perfect invention of the time, the VRS. As the car drives itself, I take note of the smog and the deadly heat that manages to infiltrate even with the air conditioning on full blast.

Coffee Milk resides downtown, which means tons of office buildings with state-of-the-art glass windows to keep in the cool and reflect the heat. The streets are devoid of green, thanks to the relentless sunlight. There are fake plants propped up in intervals, but they're obviously phony with their sickly shades of fluorescent green.

The exterior is nothing special, just a box-shaped structure with specialized white paint to subdue the sun. The vintage metal sign, attached along the roof, blinds me. I exit my car and enter the cafe as quickly as possible—anything to get within the AC again. As expected, it isn't very crowded. The place is home to real-life bonsai along the shelves, an old-school espresso machine, and chalk drawings of latte art along the walls. It smells amazing here. I guess there are some things that always remain superior in real life, and one of them is homemade coffee. I order an iced Americano and sit down around a table for three. I sip slowly, waiting for my friends.

What my mom said strikes me. Is Nathan Lum really my friend? I truly don't know him very well, despite that he's kind most times and pleasant to be around. I'll count this as my first day really trying to get to know him better.

This chapter was so fun to write! Do you think you'd be able to defeat the burglar? Honestly, I think I'd be too busy freaking out about being in the sewer. Hope you can join me for next Saturday.