“What?” Nakamura yelled. “What do you mean ‘you’re not going’?”

  Stick had never seen Nakamura this bewildered before. His outburst caught the attention of PP, who jogged over from the remnants of their camp.

  “I don’t want to,” Stick said simply. “Going west isn’t the best course of action.”

  “But you have to find Alastair,” PP interjected, frowning.

  “We haven’t even confirmed that he’s not in the east at this point.”

  Nakamura threw his hands up in frustration. “What is wrong with you? Did the cold freeze your brain?”

  Stick wanted to snap back at his sass, but he tried his best to stay serious. He was too exhausted to deal with the banter.

  Instead, he asked, “What even is west anyway?”

  Nakamura took a step back, processing the stupidity of the question. “Are you… dumb?”

  Stick opened his mouth to explain, but he found it difficult to put his reasoning into words. PP gave him a weird look, and Nakamura’s patience was clearly running thin.

  “West is where Carnifex isn’t. That’s where we should be right now.”

  Finally, Stick latched onto the thread of his own argument. “We go west, and then what?”

  Nakamura hesitated. “Well… we’d be safe.”

  Stick wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “You said you wanted to fix Carnifex. I want to free my friends. How will we do that from outside the country?”

  Nakamura folded his arms. “We ask the Heavenly Union for help.”

  “And what good will they do? They’ve been at war with Carnifex for years and haven’t accomplished anything by the looks of it.”

  Nakamura fell silent, brooding over that point.

  “Screw safety!” Stick declared. “Who is the Heavenly Union anyway?”

  Nakamura turned sharply. “Don’t underestimate them! They’re powerful enough to keep the General from attacking.”

  “Why won’t she attack? I thought Carnifex waged war.”

  “War isn’t just about throwing troops into a meat grinder. That would be disastrous.”

  Stick frowned, still not fully grasping it.

  “It’s kinda like the Cold War,” Nakamura attempted to explain.

  Blank stares met him.

  “Oh, right…” he muttered. “Well, I wasn’t there, but my father told me about it. The two biggest forces in the world fought indirectly, constantly trying to one-up each other in an arms race. Their weapons were so powerful that if they actually went to war, it would mean mutual destruction. Basically, both sides didn’t engage in battle in fear that it would wipe them all out. Since the war between the Heavenly Union and Carnifex started, only about twenty Players have died. But before the war? Hundreds—maybe thousands—died when the Playerbase tried to kill the Raid Bosses. There are still skirmishes where people get hurt, but compared to what came before, this is preferable.”

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  “Preferable to who?” Stick countered. “Thousands are suffering in insane conditions.”

  “Yeah, but those are just...” Nakamura trailed off, catching himself before finishing the thought.

  PP shot him a mean look.

  Stick got back on track. “Still, what makes you think that the Heavenly Union will help us? It sounds like they’ve got their hands full.”

  “War is also about resources and information.” Nakamura placed a hand on Stick’s shoulder. “I was a Praetorian. There’s a lot they’d like to hear from me.”

  “So… high treason then,” Stick mused. “Reassuring to know that you’re not loyal.”

  Nakamura scoffed. “I declined Claudius’ offer, remember? Face the facts, Stick. We’re out of options.”

  “No, we’re not. We can still fight!”

  “Have you learned nothing?” Nakamura snapped. “You’d be dead in a second.”

  “Not now, you idiot,” Stick shot back. “I have to become stronger.”

  PP raised an eyebrow. “And how will you do that?”

  Stick manifested his [Bronze Sword] from his Inventory. “I start playing the game.”

  Nakamura’s jaw dropped. “That must be the stupidest thing you’ve said today.”

  “I’m tired of placing my fate in the hands of others. It’s time to take matters into my own hands. And that starts with leveling up.”

  “You don’t understand how stupid that idea is.”

  Stick’s bravado faltered. “What? Why?”

  “We’re in the northeastern Goblin Steppes. This is a first-leveling zone, but where we are standing, there’s nothing you can do. The goblins here would kill you outright. Normally, at LVL 1, you’d start in Cavon, the capital, on some starting quests to get to LVL 3 and then get to fight your first goblins outside of the city. That’s the only place on the whole continent with such low LVL monsters—”

  “So I just have to fight those goblins, right?” Stick interrupted.

  “Good luck doing that without the beginner quests first,” Nakamura shot him down. “From there, you’d move from the southwest of Cavon clockwise through the Goblin Steppes, hitting milestones until you reach LVL 10. Right now, from where we stand, we’re too deep in. If we’d go south, we’d land straight at the Goblin King and behind that the entrance to the Whispering Woods at LVL 11. But you won’t ever reach close to that LVL if we don’t go west first. Half the Leveling Zone is behind the border!”

  “Then, I have to go to Cavon first.” Stick nodded, extrapolating.

  “The quest givers are all dead! The city is abandoned.” Nakamura pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you know how long it takes to LVL up just by killing mobs if you’re able to kill them at all at LVL 1?”

  “But if I kill those goblins I have a chance of leveling up and getting stronger?”

  Nakamura refused to answer, fearing what reaction his response would bring. PP, however, chuckled.

  “That’s a yes for Cavon!” Stick grinned.

  “Are you not listening?” Nakamura exasperated. “The game isn’t functioning properly anymore. The people of Cavon, the merchants, the guides, the quest-givers—they’re all gone.”

  “And whose fault is that?” Stick shot back.

  Nakamura scowled.

  “Forget it! I’m leaving.” Nakamura turned, grabbing his bag. “I’m not wasting my time on a suicide mission just to get caught again.”

  “Come on now!” Stick called after him. “It’s just a small detour through the center of the zone. We’d cross the border anyway.”

  “You’d have to re-enter the East from the North Strip to continue leveling. That means crossing the border twice! That’s asking to get caught!” Nakamura quickened his pace, heading toward the edge of the camp.

  Stick’s voice rang out behind him. “You’d really let a Player die like that, Praetorian? I don’t even know which direction Cavon is. I thought you were a Carnifex member with principles.”

  Nakamura stopped dead in his tracks. He stood with his back toward them, caught in an uncertain moment of hesitation, letting out a deep breath somewhere between anger and wounded pride. Ultimately, it was the latter.

  “Pack your stuff,” he said without turning. “We’re going to Cavon.”

  “Alright!” Stick whooped, hastily putting his sword back into his [Inventory].

  PP, already packed, just crossed his arms and laughed.

  Together, they set out for the ruins of the NPCs’ former capital—Cavon.

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