By the time the sun had risen, I was a bloody mess, and the city was in a strange sort of subdued chaos. Thankfully, none of that chaos had involved the Kurskins. With the help of the city guard and a bucketful of random civilians who hated the lizards, we had been able to kill enough that the rest had no choice but to flee Danver.

  We had won, but at a significant cost. At least sixty Kurskins had been killed, and the rest chose to flee the city instead of fighting against the mobs of NPCs. The losses of the Kurskins were minor compared to our losses. In total, the count had been one hundred and seventy deaths on our end. Of my Hunters, only eleven remained.

  But we did it. Danver was now free. Well, once the citizens deposed their Special NPC leadership, Danver would be free. I figured it would all take care of itself in a few days.

  The entire morning had been spent making my case to the Captain of the Guard, who disagreed wholeheartedly with what I and his own soldiers had participated in. The Mayor even came to speak with me, but I had the city's support at my back, and all he had was his programming. It wouldn't be long before the free-willed citizens of Danver demanded his resignation.

  It had worked, and in the way I had hoped. Now, the people of Danver would never freely let a Kurskin or a Dalari into their city. Danver was a human city, as it should have always been.

  There would be repercussions, and there was so much work to do in a short time, but I would see that the people of Danver were ready for another fight. The human spirit remained in every regular NPC on Erda. It just needed to be unlocked; when it was, it was a powerful force to behold. Danver was evidence of that.

  "How does it make you feel?" I asked Djadja. "To know that humans reclaimed this city as their own?"

  We were half a mile outside of Danver. His hands were still bound, and Ersabet was with me, just in case he tried to do something stupid.

  Djadja's eyes were alight with fury. "It makes me feel happy."

  "Why is that?"

  "Because in a week, you will all be dead."

  "You think the lizards will send enough soldiers to overcome the walls of Danver?"

  "They will burn it to the ground," Djadja hissed.

  "I wonder about that, Djadja," I said. "Is Danver so important that they would risk conceding ground to the Dalari?"

  Djadja laughed. "The Dalari progress slowly. They are cowardly and rely too much on human fighters. We will hold them off, even with our forces split."

  "From my experience," I said. "The Kurskins rely heavily on human soldiers as well. I was one of them once."

  “A deserter then? One more reason to kill you."

  I laughed. "You could never kill me, Djadja. Your job is to bring me the lizard who can. I cut the binding at his wrists. "Bring me Prajio."

  Djadja rubbed at his hands but stood casually with no intention of attacking. "I will find Prajio, and you will die.”

  "Good. I'll be waiting." My original plan, which I had shared with Val, was that I would be long gone before Prajio came here. But after what I had seen from the people of Danver, and the losses they suffered at my direction, I felt more than a little compelled to stay and help them fight. I'd have to take it up with Val. She wouldn't like it, and part of me hoped she would talk me into staying with the original plan. But I couldn't abandon these people now? Could I?

  It would be the smart thing to do. The best way to disrupt their games and eventually attract the attention of the Voxals was to go from city to city, create an uprising, and then disappear into the wilderness. It was smart, but it felt wrong to abandon my people in chaos.

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  Before Djadja began his hike back to Kurskin lands, he turned to me. "You said Prajio told you of our nature. I find this hard to believe. Speak true. How do you know what we truly are?"

  I shrugged. "Already told you. Loose lips sink ships."

  "I do not know what that means," Djadja said.

  "I don't care." I turned to Ersabet. "Any parting words for our friend?"

  "You should ignore John, find somewhere safe and comfortable, and live out your days on Erda in peace."

  I spun on her. "What the hell?"

  She shrugged. "That is my advice. John's way leads only to violence. If that is what you seek, then follow his path. But know, Djadja, there are other paths to follow."

  Djadja snarled and looked at me. "I told you the Dalari are cowards. I will find Prajio. I will find out if what you say is true. And then we will come back here and kill the both of you."

  I smiled. "You can try." I brushed forward with my hand. "Run along now. The longer you take, the more fortified we become. And hey, if you're fast enough, you could probably catch up with the Kurskin cowards who fled instead of fighting last night."

  He scowled at my last dig but said nothing, turning and jogging west toward the real war.

  "What the hell was that?" I asked Ersabet.

  "You asked if I had anything to say. I did."

  "Well, you said the wrong thing. We need Prajio and his people's attention on Danver."

  "And you will stay and fight?" she asked.

  That was the question, wasn't it?

  "Yes," I said. "Only once Danver is totally secure will we leave."

  Val popped into existence right next to Ersabet.

  'Excuse me?' she said, hands on hips.

  "Not now, Val."

  The projection of that beautiful red-headed monster stomped toward me. I took a few steps back so that she wouldn't be breathing down my throat.

  'Ethan, you said you would cause chaos and leave. The chaos has been caused; now it is time for you to leave. If you stay, you will die.'

  "John, are you okay?" Ersabet asked.

  I stuttered, trying to come up with some excuse. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in a thought. Let's go back to town."

  "No," Ersabet said.

  "No?" I questioned, glancing quickly to the side to see if Val was still there. She was, and she was pissed.

  "No," Ersabet reiterated. "You owe me three questions."

  Shit. I had promised her answers. I'd have to go about this carefully, especially with Val nearby, shooting bullets at me with her gorgeous eyes.

  "Ask," I said.

  "What is the name of the skill that grants you the ability to track both the location of Players and NPCs?"

  It was time to think quickly. I glanced at Val with pleading eyes, but she just rolled her eyes. "It's called Tracker," I lied. "It lets me track Players and certain NPCs up to a short distance."

  "I've heard of no such skill," Ersabet said. "And if one were to exist, it would be only accessible to high-level Players, and you, my dear John, are not a high-level Player."

  "I will be," I said, ignoring the rest of what she said.

  "Your lies are easy to read. Far easier than a fellow Dalari, that's for sure. "So, how about you tell me the truth?"

  "That's your second question," I said, grinning.

  Her brow furrowed in annoyance.

  "The truth is," I said, drawing it out. "Is that I don't have a skill that lets me track Players or NPCs. It's more like an inherent ability I have."

  She looked at me, searching for the lie. "Nonsense," she said.

  I shrugged. "I did not lie."

  She crossed her arms. "Players do not have inherent abilities. All abilities are earned by levelling up."

  I shrugged again just to annoy her. "I'm different."

  She looked me in the eye. "How are you different? Please, explain to me in detail. What sets you apart from other Players?"

  Ersabet thought she had me with that question. That I would have to reveal the truth about Val. I knew she suspected I was being aided in some way. Perhaps she thought that a rogue group from the Triarchy had turned me into a Player. Or maybe the Master Control itself decided to mix things up. But if I said either of those things, she would surely see it as a lie. So, I told her the truth.

  "I'm human. That's what makes me different. That's what sets me apart from other Players."

  Ersabet hissed at me, like a cat would. She put her hands to her head. "You vex me beyond all reason."

  'Join the club,' Val added unhelpfully.

  I reached out and touched Ersabet's arm. "Stay with me, and you'll have more opportunities for questions." The look in her eye made me pity her. She had been resolute in her allegiance to me, and I didn't want to ruin it by keeping secrets.

  "There are things about me I can't yet tell you," I said to mollify her. She knew there was more to it, and my admission may ease some of her distrust. "When the time is right, I'll tell you everything. For now, know this. I am a Player. I am a human, and I remember who I am. I know who you are and what your people did to my world. I intend to take it back. I hope you still intend to get universally famous by aiding me in destroying this game."

  She pondered that for a while before nodding. "I am beginning to realize this ledge was a far deeper fall than expected when I jumped with you. If you die, I will be killed, and my name will be sullied for eternity. However, if you survive through the end, or miraculously come out on top of this game, I will be immortalized for all time. Yes, I will become a controversial figure, but I will be debated over and thought about for centuries."

  She took a step forward and put out her blue palm. "I'm in for the whole of it."

  I shook her hand. "Thank God."