The first floor opens up into a sitting room, which holds a bookshelf full of novels and a couch big enough to fit more than ten. The passageways lead to a dressing room, full of armor sets and weapons that must belong to the various members of Mysteriously. The second and third floors have twenty-five rooms in total, and Mags leads us to our empty rooms at the end of the third.

"You guys are so lucky Nathan took notice of you." Mags sighs. "It took me a whole year of playing until I was invited into this guild. And another few months for me to fight for the third-in-command position."

The fourth floor is the most impressive. One big open room with a table long enough to fit twenty-five. Paintings of various monsters decorate the columns between the glass. A map of Starlia hangs on one wall, fabric with lines drawn by hand. I admire just how big this game world is. Besides Star Town, there are more than ten towns on the first continent. Across the open seas which are traversed by airships, there are three more continents with just as many if not more towns. I have yet to explore one percent of the world of Starlia.

"This is the meeting room," Mags says. "We hold monthly meetings here, which we require our members to attend. If you miss one, we'll kick you out immediately."

Aileen's eyes grow wide. "Really?"

Mags giggles, winking once at my friend. "No, not really. Just kidding!"

I'm beginning to see the drastic difference between Olivia and Mags already.

*

"Play." I run my hands across my replaced wooden harp. Nathan was nice enough to buy it for me.

The slime bounces backward before disintegrating into thin air. 10 Exp Gained. Level 5 reached! I'm back in the slimes plains next to Star Town, claiming a section in the middle of the field to train. I'm surrounded by other beginner players. After defeating the first few slimes, I've become less embarrassed about announcing my skills and fighting as a bard.

Nathan cheers from behind me. "Good job!" He claps me against my back, and I lurch forward and almost fall. "Oops. Sorry, I just got excited."

"It's okay." I don't know whether to be happy to be spending time with my guild leader or upset that Aileen isn't with me. Mags accompanied Aileen to find a good spot to train for her level. Nathan volunteered to be stuck with me.

"You'll be my level in no time," Nathan says. "Well... it might take a while longer since you're a bard." He raises his staff, pointing the jewel to the sky. "Thunderstorm."

The skies darken above Nathan's head. After a few seconds of the clouds swirling, multiple bolts fly straight toward the ground. All around us, slimes are disintegrated. Just as quickly as the clouds formed, they disappear.

10 exp gained from your ally!

Nathan beams at me. "Soon enough, you'll be getting stronger skills like that one. Then you can fight the big bosses with us."

With us. It didn't take long for me to find a home in this game. When Aileen first invited me, I expected to be facing the world alone with her for a while. Now, I have twenty-something allies who I can count on. And if one of the strongest mages in the game wants to roll with me... why would I ever stop him?

I train for an hour. With Nathan helping me out, gaining experience is a breeze. I learn to ignore the attention of random strangers. There are plenty of eyes following someone like Nathan. It feels much like I'm following the popular kid in school around. I have to admit, I get used to the feeling of my fingers running across the harp's strings. A few more days of this and I might get around to calling myself a harpist.

"You know, you're the only bard in our entire guild," Nathan says. "No offense to you, but they're not a very popular class."

I try to remain confident in my choices. "I guess that makes me extra special then."

Nathan grins. "That's the spirit. You're beginning to act like a member of Mysteriously already."

Level 7 reached!

"Hey," Nathan says, right after I eliminate another slime with my harp. "I think you're ready for an upgrade. Let's head over to the hogs."

"Hogs?" I gulp. "They already sound stronger."

Nathan rests one hand on my shoulder, which somehow comforts me more than any word can. "Hey, you can't stick with slimes forever. You're strong enough for bigger and scarier monsters—trust me."

"If you say so." I scratch the back of my neck, trying to be confident.

Nathan takes out a sphere attached to his belt. He presses a button against his side, and soon a griffin appears in front of us. Its midnight blue fur catches the sunlight, cool and mysterious. It appraises me with its dark eyes. I hold back a screech when it rubs its beak against my arm.

"He doesn't bite," Nathan says, mimicking Aileen when I first met Simba. "Jump on."

"Jump on?" I say, unable to keep out the incredulous tone from my voice.

"Yup." He jumps on his griffin. "His name is Sparkle. He can hold two just fine."

I decide that I want to be brave. Besides, what could happen to me in a game? The worst that can happen is that I fall from the sky, hitting the ground with a minimal amount of discomfort. I'd probably die and respawn in Star Town.

Okay, that does sound a bit scary.

Nonetheless, I jump on behind Nathan.

"Wrap your arms around my waist," Nathan says.

I blush, thanking God that Nathan can't see me when I listen to his request. Nathan is more than just a powerful mage in this game. He's also kind of cute. Well, more than that—he's pretty stunning.

Reminding myself that I have absolutely no chance with him at all, I lean forward as the griffin takes off. Sparkle circles the plains with large sweeps of its wings. Just like before, players below point up and marvel. This time, I'm part of the show. I look downward and try to ignore my fear of heights, the dropping that happens in my stomach. It feels like I just ate a brick.

Sparkle takes us past Star Town. He soars past the buildings while wind whips against my face. I try to balance as the world teeters below me. I end up holding onto Nathan too hard. He reaches down and adjusts my hands, in a motion that tells me to calm down. In the end, I gain the bravery to look down. We're flying to an area in the opposite direction of the plains. The landscape, dry and barren, overflows with tumbleweeds and rock formations. Immediately, the sun's heat feels stronger. The light bounces off the clay, blinding me.

We land on a platform that overlooks the expanse of brown and orange. Nathan puts Sparkle away, and from there we hike down to where a few other players are hunting hogs.

They turn when Nathan approaches. "Oh my gosh, it's Nathan Lum!" one girl shouts as we walk by. "He's the best mage in the game," she boasts to her friends.

"Good to see you all training," Nathan says. Gosh, he must be the president of Starlia or something.

We find a little clearing for ourselves, where a few hogs are running around without any hint of what they're in for. As we draw near, one of them takes notice and begins charging.

"Oh my gosh!" I yell and to my shame, I try hiding behind my guild leader.

"Bolt." A flash of lightning shoots toward the monster. It squeals before disappearing into shimmering dust.

"It's okay," Nathan says. "I'll protect you."

I blush. Why do I feel like the luckiest player in the world?

For the next hog that approaches us, I try to remain calm. I firmly hold my harp in my hands. "Play." I run my hand across it, stringing out a simple melody.

The hog rears backwards, as if caught in whiplash. It squeals. But it doesn't die. It continues charging. It looks angry now, its eyes squeezed together and its head leaned forward.

"You got this!" Nathan yells, stepping sideward like a cheerleader, and I'm the main person in the game. "Just use play one more time. It's almost done."

My mouth dries up. I watch as the hog nears me, and I totally freeze up in my fear. My hands go rigid, and even though I know I should act, I feel suspended in time. My whole world fades out, and all I see? The angry hog charging towards me, only around five feet away now. I'm about to be—

Hope you had a great Halloween! If you celebrate Thanksgiving, are you looking forward to it this month? I know this sounds typical, but I'm so ready for the weather to change. I live in Hawaii and it's still sweltering! Kind of like the place where Josiah and Nathan are fighting the hogs, lol.