The Voice was now obviously actively monitoring us. I didn’t know whether to be worried about the extra scrutiny or elated that the Voice seemed invested in our success. It obviously was going to be a dick about pronunciation, and that made me want to ask the condescending prick to spell things out loud just so I could avoid being mocked.

  I pondered this while checking my stat screen. I looked at it only so I wouldn’t have to think about how my magic was affecting me and my morality, nor about how easy it had become for me to consider killing. Instead, I considered what I was going to level up next. Strength was still at the top of my list, but I also needed to increase both my health and mana amounts. And now I know I need to increase my potion resistance.

  My level increased to 9 as I accepted the experience energy, and I put my two stat points into stamina and endurance, bringing stamina up to 18 and my endurance to 19. I noticed the number next to the PS level 3 increase to 18.5. Health points increased to 188 points, while my mana pool jumped to 192 points.

  We didn’t speak as we rode west toward the tall mountains. I vaguely remember seeing the Rocky Mountains during my youth, far to the west of the metropolitan city. Whenever we went camping, it was in those mountains. Estes Park was a favorite of my dad’s, but not the only one. I remember thinking those mountains were towering whenever we drove to them. The Rocky Mountains were foothills compared to these monsters. And though I had never seen the Himalayas, I doubted they would also have had nothing on these peaks.

  The perspective was weird, as they seemed close to me, yet I knew we still had several days’ ride to reach them. Harper and Juan argued about which pass to take, discussing the merits of each and which one was closer to where we were. I half-listened while I practiced looking at the levels of the horses and my two companions while we were in the saddle. The slower pace made it easier for me to inspect them, yet having to focus my mind on bringing up the map just to focus on the different dots on it seemed inefficient to me. And it gave me a blinding headache.

  It shouldn’t have been so difficult, but the mindset for the map and the mindset for pulling up the information on the dots were slightly different from each other. I found that keeping both focuses at once hurt my brain. If I had learned and practiced meditation earlier in life, it might have been less of a strain on me. But other than a couple of classes through the Uni rec and wellness center that I shallowly tried a couple of times to meet girls, I had little experience. Nor the time between my classes and taking care of my brother, Sean.

  In a fit of pique, I glared at Juan with the mindset of looking at his information, as if I was also looking at the map. Above his head appeared his name, level, and some titles, most of which I didn’t recognize. I was so surprised that I lost it a second later. “Son of a bitch!” I yelled, pissed it had worked.

  Juan and Harper looked back at me, startled out of their discussion of routes through the mountains. Juan asked, “What is it?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me I could look at people’s level and stuff without first going to the map?” I yelled at him.

  Harper stifled a laugh, and Juan looked at me in exasperation before speaking. “Finn, I told you that weeks ago. Were you not paying attention?” he asked.

  “Weeks ago?” I whispered to myself, somewhat mollified. It was shocking to realize it had been almost a month since I’d woken up here. I felt myself beginning to panic again and but pushed the feeling down. I had ignored the insanity of being in another world and how fucked up that was for a while now, and I could just keep going on like this was normal. Just needed to keep reminding myself that I didn’t have a choice and that if I wanted to get home, I needed to accept all of this as normal. I could continue practicing radical acceptance. Yep. Just another normal fucking day in this normal magical land full of bullshit quests and blood.

  I had no memory of Juan teaching me this, but I let it go. I would not argue when I was trying, yet again, to keep the gibbering monkeys of my psyche in their barrel. There were other things worth discussing. Radical fucking acceptance.

  Harper saved me the trouble of having to respond when she said, “Again, I really think we should take Arnold’s Pass. It’s safe, easy, and it’s the closest one to us. Plus, there are messenger stations in the pass.”

  “Okay, Harper. You’re right. Arnold’s Pass it is.” He looked to the sun and back to the mountains. “Let’s not waste daylight. We have a ways to go.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “What about lunch? I doubt there’s a drive-through anywhere around here,” I asked hopefully. A hard biscuit hit me in the chest, and I barely caught it. Harper looked too innocent, and I sighed. “Thank you, Harper,” I muttered.

  I munched on my biscuit in silence.

  It took us three days before the land rose toward the mountain range, where we spotted the opening to the pass. It was a gentler incline at first, but I didn’t have any doubts that it would get worse. The tall peaks belied any sense of easy travel through their snow-covered domain, despite the grass-and-wildflower-covered expanse the glorified trail wound through. From what Juan and Harper had told me, Arnold’s Pass was one of the better ways to move goods and armies through the range.

  The air was cooler as we began our trek up the wide trail of the pass, with the mountains looming above us. GB made a snort that I took to be a condemnation of the incline. Or it could have just been a noise a horse sometimes made. I really couldn’t tell, not being a horse guy even after having been in the saddle for weeks.

  “How far off is the first messenger station?” Juan asked, looking ahead for signs of it.

  “If everything is the same as last time I came through, we should reach it about half a day’s ride from here,” Harper replied. “And if we’re really lucky, they’ll have two or more people there.”

  “Wait, if there’s messengers, why do we even have to go over the pass? Why can’t we just send word ahead and wait for backup?” I asked. “Not that I don’t want to go over the pass and check out the Shadow Lands, but I could use a break. And any place called the Shadow Lands has got to be dangerous.”

  “It is not ordinarily the most dangerous place on the continent, though it is more dangerous than the area we just came through,” replied Juan. “We have to keep moving, though. Whoever oversees the war against the Empire may not be willing to relinquish any forces without being convinced. Don’t forget, the Allied Army Council representatives sent Harper after me. They want me for something—not that they’ll get it, but it’s possible I can use that to my advantage.”

  A sigh escaped my lips. GB’s right ear turned in my direction, and I patted her on the neck. She snorted again in return. I really wished I knew what that meant. The pass itself felt like a mountain, climbing to the horizon. It was beautiful. The cool breeze, the long grasses and flowers bending with it, reminded me of home. Of the home I’d had as a kid in Colorado. And camping. Camping had seemed so much better before I’d had to do it day in and day out.

  “And then we turn around and come back to take care of the bad guys, right? Are we going to let whoever they send back with us deal with them alone, or are we going to be part of it? Cause I’m still not strong enough to be much help against an army,” I said and made some pew-pew noises, gesturing like I was casting at enemies.

  Harper chuckled at my display. “Whatever, dude. It looks like you’ve got a pretty fast draw for a lower level. But no, you’re pretty much useless in all of this. Stick with us and we’ll keep you safe,” she replied.

  Dramatically, I brought my hand to my chest and sighed loudly. “And there goes my fragile masculinity. Seriously though, what’s our plan?” I asked.

  “Finn, we will have to travel with the small force,” Juan responded. “Depending on who they give us, we’ll be able to head down to where the Steel Falcons are holding the bridge over the chasm, take a few shots, and then let our allies clear the bridge while we head on to the caverns. They’ll hold the bridge and prevent any of the enemy from crossing at our backs. Once we get back, you’ll likely be stronger, but you’ll still have to rely on Harper and me.”

  This was worrisome, as it sounded increasingly like I was going to be here in this world for much longer than I wanted. Hell, I’d already been here for quite a while, and it was gnawing at me. I didn’t feel any closer to home. Oh God, how are Mom and Sean dealing with this? Do they think I’m dead in an alley somewhere? The police probably told them to give up hope. They might have suggested that since there was no body, maybe I had just up and left! I felt bile rise in my stomach at the prospect.

  As we rode on, I wallowed in misery over the grief I had caused my family. I had been avoiding thinking about it while focused on the next goal, getting to the next place, just living in the moment day after fucking day. However, I decided at that point to remember why I was doing this: I had to get home. There was nothing I could do about the pain or suffering my disappearance was causing my family. The only way home was to continue forward. I didn’t think I could harden my heart, but I had been just coasting along with that anxiety in the back of my mind.

  Determination rose in me to do what needed to be done. Whatever that was, but without compromising myself or my beliefs. Things were different here. Dangerous. Despite the help from Juan and Harper, I had to work hard just to survive. I had to, although I was angry and afraid, keep going. Even if it took years. When we stop, I’m going to pull out the Poisonous Shot book and study it to see how I could level up the spell. It was my only Mage spellbook. I would use it to get the spell as strong as possible. And then I needed to find more spellbooks.

  It was time to get more powerful. No matter how the magic affected me, and no matter how euphoric it felt to cast. This was my choice.

  Just then, I felt like I was being watched. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a figure at the edge of the valley to the right of us. I glanced toward them but saw only rocks and shadows. My body shivered, despite the pleasant day, and I felt a deep dread. The feeling and the moment passed, so I went back to my musings, rocked by the comforting movement of GB’s plodding beneath me.

  I thought of Arilyn and her dimples, and a feeling of calm and relief filled me. It was going to be okay...

  Is it the people who are actively participating in the game? Or whoever is behind the game?

  In Finn's case, he doesn't know who the true enemy really is. All he knows is he has to avoid a demon, avoid the mercenaries, and somehow complete an unclear quest given by an entity that really doesn't like him and insults him every chance it gets!

  Thanks for reading!