Prajio took me to one of the few bars in Danver that catered specifically to his race. It was even operated by a Kurskin, which seemed like a strange way to play this game, but to each their own. Since it was a Kurskin bar, the spirits were high-octane hits of liquid death. I had tried Kurskin liquor before during my brief stint as a soldier, and the potent swill made my eyes water for an hour. Hopefully, I could keep myself together and not look like a wimp in front of Prajio.

  There were three other Kurskins inside, and I couldn't help but notice their frequent glances toward our table. I knew they were only intrigued by the oddity of a Kurskin having a friendly drink with a human, but nonetheless, their gazes were unsettling.

  Val was visible in her avatar form, sitting right next to Prajio. I was the only one who could see her, but it still made me nervous when she was out in public. She was glaring at me with her arms crossed.

  Prajio ordered me the same drink as him: something called a kurtail. Perhaps, that was short for 'Kurskin cocktail.' If so, it wasn't very imaginative, if you asked me.

  The drink was served in a tall, thin glass and was intended to be downed in a single swig, although you didn't have to dump it all down your throat at once. Prajio informed me that multiple drinks were allowed as long as the rim of the glass never left your lips.

  Back on earth, I once took a shot of Everclear at a college party. That shot was pure agony and made me realize just how poisonous alcohol was to the human body. Humans were not made to drink jet fuel. That said, I wanted Prajio to like me, so we tapped glasses and downed the kurtail.

  The inside of my throat felt like it had been set alight in a blazing chemical fire. My eyes watered. I sucked in air through my nose, and the air felt like blades piercing my nasal cavity. This was Everclear times a thousand. This was a horror.

  I coughed and snorted and cried for a solid ten minutes before the pain wore off. Prajio laughed the entire time.

  "No offense," I said when I could finally speak. "But whoever makes that stuff should be in prison."

  I blinked my eyes, trying to refocus as my world began to spin. Chugging a glass of water helped.

  "My people feel the same about human distillers," Prajio said. "Their hooch is so weak it may as well be water. Kurskins are a hard people with hard stomachs to match. Intoxication is not an easy state for us to achieve."

  "I'm saying no next time you invite me for a drink. Just for the record."

  He laughed. "The fact that you tried the drink shows me you have an open mind. Men like us want to experience all the world has to offer. We like to learn, try, and even change."

  I tilted my head toward him. "You alone have forced me to rethink everything I knew about the Kurksins. My uncle believed you were sent from heaven to save us from the Dalari's incursion, but I've never been the religious type. Now that I have the opportunity to ask, I'd like to know...What's the truth? Where did you come from?"

  Prajio pondered this a moment before replying, "That is a dangerous question to ask, one that some of my kind would kill you for. Luckily, I am more reasonable than my fiery brethren, and so I'll accept that you are asking an honest question with no intent to offend."

  I held up my hands. "If it's taboo, you don't have to answer. I would hate to offend my new friend."

  "Fear not, Ethan, I am not offended. I already know you do not believe we are angels sent by God to aid in your fight against the Dalari."

  "So, what can you tell me?"

  He tapped his chin with a claw. "I'll say this. The Dalari and the Kurskins have a long and complex history. We've been both allies and enemies throughout the ages, although our conflicts were never known by the humans who shared our planet."

  "So, you've always been here?" I asked. "How is that possible?"

  "The world is big, Ethan. Far bigger than you would realize. Tell me, do you know the shape of the world?"

  Of course I do; it's a sphere. "I haven't put much thought into it, but my uncle once told me the earth was flat, like a plate."

  Prajio nodded his head sadly. "It seems nearly all your people believe this falsehood. You see, the world is round, like a ball. It rotates around the sun, just as Luna revolves around Erda."

  This knowledge would have blown Milton Musgraves's mind. "If what you are saying is true, how does it answer where you and the Dalari came from?"

  Prajio held up a fist and pointed at one side. "Let's say my fist is Erda. Humans live on this side." He moved his finger to the back of his fist. "We, meaning the Kurskins and the Dalari, live on this side, across the vast ocean."

  My eyes went wide, and I wasn't even faking it. This was their backup story for those who didn't buy the heaven versus hell propaganda.

  "So why are you here now? I asked.

  "Because the Dalari are here. My people will not let them take over this land. It does not belong to them, nor does it belong to us. My people will push the Dalari back into the sea and force them to swim back to the other side of the world. In that way, those who believe we are angels are right."

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  "So you both came to us by sea?" I asked.

  He gave me a sly look. "Some secrets are better left unsaid, my friend. Perhaps someday, I will share more with you."

  A human waitress came by our table, and Prajio ordered some more poison while I settled for another glass of water, as I was still very much feeling the effects of that first drink. As she walked away and past a table with another Kurskin, he slapped her on the butt. She yelped in surprise and blushed as the Kurskin laughed. Asshole.

  "If the Kurskins are here to fight off the Dalari, why are you in Danver and not fighting on the warfront?" I asked.

  "Ah, another astute question." Prajio downed his drink in one gulp and hissed through the burn. "I am helping in my own way, am I not? I am a bounty hunter who brings in some of the most dangerous criminals around. Just today, I aided you. I am doing great things, all of which directly aid humanity."

  "Not to belittle your exceptional work, but I've heard rumors of Dalari acting in similar ways." I hadn't, but of course, there were Dalari in this world with a mindset similar to Prajio's.

  "Are you familiar with the term psychological warfare?" he asked.

  'No, you most definitely are not,' Val said helpfully, before I could say 'yes.'

  "I'm afraid not," I said. "Please, enlighten me."

  "Psychological warfare is when a military force creates propaganda or tries to alter some beliefs while reinforcing others. I suspect the Dalari you have heard about are acting on behalf of the Dalari High Command. They are sent out far from where the war is being fought to spread propaganda and possibly ingratiate themselves with a town's population. Then, once the Dalari army comes knocking on their door, the humans will already have preconceived notions that the Dalari are noble, kind, helpful, and worthy of respect, just as the Dalari who aided their town in its time of need had been."

  That was precisely what Val had told me the Kurskin were doing. "I understand," I said and cocked an eyebrow. "So, are you secretly working on behalf of the Kurskin forces to breed trust among strategic communities?"

  He laughed. I was beginning to get used to that strange noise. "No, no, no," Prajio said. "I am a freelancer and have no desire to join the war anytime soon." He looked at me strangely for a moment as if trying to ascertain something about me. "To be honest, I disagree with Archons regarding levying humans for the war. They say they must because the Dalari are doing it, but as a Kurskin, I feel our kind should handle our battles without using others to accomplish victory. The humans should fight alongside us, not for us."

  He shrugged. "I could never say such things to another of my kind, so I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself."

  I nodded. "I appreciate you sharing that with me. I wish I had the power to end this war right now. Already, far too many of my people have been lost to a war that isn't theirs."

  "Isn't their war?" He asked. "Surely you don't believe that. The Dalari invaded your coastal cities, subdued your kind, and claimed the land for themselves. Does that not make it your war?"

  "You're right, of course," I conceded. "I guess this war belongs to us all."

  He nodded, mollified by my answer.

  We continued to drink and talk for another hour before parting ways for the night. Although our conversation was built on a lie, it was still beneficial to me. It was interesting to see the depth of the lies the lizards created so they could stay in the 'theme' of the game. Prajio was happy I wasn't a member of the church or a believer in his divine provenance. It allowed him to connect to me on a more personal level.

  He called himself a freelancer, which I knew meant he wasn't here for the war at all. He was here to grow powerful and accumulate wealth. He was here to have fun.

  Before we finally parted ways, he invited me to join him on a quest. He explained the job, and I said yes to Val's dismay. My justification was that I needed the experience, and if Prajio wanted to power-level me, who was I to stop him?

  That reason was only surface-level. In truth, my motivations were complicated and personal. On one hand, I wanted to use Prajio. I liked lying to him. I was the one in control, and Prajio was the one being deceived. On the other hand, I felt drawn to Prajio. His personality was magnetic, and I felt a strange but sincere kinship with him.

  As I said, it was complicated.

  I found a tinkerer's shop off the road and sold the watch for forty gold. Not the fifty Delen had assured me it was worth, but I didn't care. I felt like I was filthy rich.

  After I had some money, I found a nicer place to stay. It was still small, but the bed was well worth the price. I sprawled out on it and couldn't think of any good reason to get back up.

  It had taken all my self-control to wait until I was somewhere alone to close out my quest and level up. The flashing notifications in my interface had been hard to resist.

  I started with the quest.

  QUEST COMPLETE!

  Lightning in a Bottle

  XP: 250 points

  I watched my experience bar shoot past level four and stop about a quarter of the way to level five. I initiated my level-up.

  CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYER. YOU HAVE LEVELED UP. YOU ARE NOW LEVEL FOUR.

  That familiar rush of warmth flowed through me, and my body glowed a light gold before fading away.

  I shivered in pleasure and could tell that I had been improved. It was only a small change, but I could see its potential at a higher level. I was growing stronger and faster each time I levelled up. It was incremental, yet noticeable. I wondered how strong I'd be at level fifty.

  YOU MAY SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SKILLS AND ABILITIES

  .

  SILENT BUT DEADLY: I know this is a rehash, but you did some sneaky stuff, so you get it again. Take your victims by surprise. For three seconds, your actions will be completely silenced. Clap your hands, shout obscenities at your opponent, or move through a room without making a squeak. The possibilities are limitless! This skill can be used twice a day and has a one-minute cooldown.

  POISONER: You almost killed a man with Valera root powder. He nearly overdosed, so technically, you poisoned him. POISONER moderately increases the potency of poisons and other malicious alchemical agents. Use your fist next time instead of a drug, and you won't get lame skill choices like this.

  The fuck?

  DRUNKEN NINJA: The drunker you are, the stronger you become. Beware, it will take far more than just a single cup of ale to benefit from this passive, but if you get really sloshed, you'll be able to lift a bear. You've been hitting the booze a little hard lately; let's be honest here.

  My sub-mind was completely nuts. Or perhaps it just grew crazier the more it learned about me.

  Obviously, I selected Silent But Deadly. I was very pleased to see it again, as I planned on sneaking around a lot.

  I had another notification about an achievement and let it pop.

  NEW ACHIEVEMENT!

  STORIED: You completed your first 'dynamic' quest. Unlike prescripted or structured quests, dynamic quests are created naturally by the NPCs of this world. Congratulations on completing your first. This achievement unlocks the PING ability. PING can be used once every three days. When used, a light breeze will direct you toward the nearest available dynamic quest. The breeze will last for three hours.

  I saw how PING would be a useful tool for many Players, but it was practically useless to me. I had Val. I'd have preferred the breeze to her, though.