Simon had a new thing to add to the list of things he really didn't like to do. That would be walking across town in a big ol' bunny suit.

  He sighed as he opened the second airlock door of Brian's lab. As the door slid out of the way and the bubbling contraptions hissed and gurgled around him, he was greeted by a frazzled Brian who walked with a checklist in hand.

  “Simon, I'm glad you're here.” Brian mumbled, then glanced up. “It's gonna be a… a… huh?”

  Brian froze, caught by the sight before him. His jaw moved like a fish as he took it in. Then a loud laugh tore from his lips.

  “Oh my god, what are you wearing?.” He wheezed. “Zerathis, Kaelalin, you have to come see this!” he shouted behind him.

  Simon heard an inaudible muffled reply.

  “I know you're still working, but Simon's here!” Brian called back again.

  Another garbled reply.

  Brian looked annoyed. He stomped up the hallway. “Just take a break! You have to see this!" He yelled then moved back towards Simon, rolling his eyes.

  “How about I just sit d—” Simon began, but was cut off as the padding of footsteps resounded through the lab.

  Kaelalin made her appearance, her robes disheveled and squinted at Brian.

  “Alright Brian, I’m here. I don’t get what's so important for me to come see…” Her eyes moved to Simon.

  Kaelalin blinked, then her hand instantly shot to her face covering her mouth.

  “Good morning… Simon,” She eked out.

  “Kaelalin,” Simon replied.

  From her waist, Zerathis's voice rang out. "Why are you covered in that?"

  “Morning Zerathis.” Simon let out a deep sigh. "It's a bit of a story." He shook his head. “I went to visit Emrick this morning and he gave me a gift." He gestured towards himself in the bunny corpse armor. “It is called the Absurd Guard of the Lagomorph Slayer.”

  Brian grinned “Well that's aptly named. It is a bit absurd.”

  Simon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it is, and it's also probably one of the most powerful pieces of armor I've ever seen. I mean, I don't know a lot about everything in this world, but apparently it's called a masterwork.”

  Brian and Kaelalin’s grinning smiles froze as they both blinked in shock.

  “Oh, a masterwork?” Brian said. “He made a masterwork? He made THAT a masterwork?”

  Simon grinned. “Yeah, he did.”

  Brian rushed forward and ushered Simon into the room. “Well, don't just stand there. Explain. What is it? How is it? What does it do?”

  Simon was pulled along deeper into the lab, to the sitting room where he had tea so many days ago. He sat at the couch and recounted his visit with Emrick that morning to the two overly excited inventors.

  Mid explanation, Brian insisted that he share the armour's information. Simon pulled up the garb’s system page and messed with it for a minute, before attempting to just mentally ‘push’ the page to the others in the room. He felt the system ‘confirm’ his intent. When he tried to push it towards Zerathis, nothing happened.

  “Oh, we haven’t gone to the hub yet.” Brian explained as he stared in awe at the air in front of him.

  “This equipment is just astounding.” Kaelalin said, her eyes wide as she stared into space.

  "It really is," Brian agreed. “We were told creating items like this was possible, but its amazing to see it come to reality.." He cocked his head. "Although I'm a bit confused about some of the options that it has. Some of these things seem contradictory." He nodded at one of them. "Although the rebuke makes sense. I was wondering what Emrick was going to do with the metal from Zerathis's home realm."

  Simon looked over at Kaelalin. "You gave him some of the metal from there?"

  She nodded. "I gave samples to everyone on the council. Emrick had picked through the pieces looking for ones that were longer and thin. Now I know what he wanted them for.."

  Simon looked at the metal orb on her waist. “Sorry I can’t show you Zerathis.”

  His runic rings pulsed. “It’s fine! I would still love to be shown it once I finish the foundations quest.”

  Simon squinted at Kaelalin, but then steadied his gaze on the real perpetrator, Brian.

  "Brian, why hasn't Zerathis finished his quest yet?"

  "Oh, that." Brian rubbed the back of his head. "We may have gotten caught up in a few discussions and– Okay, look. We have gotten so much progress done on the barriers. It's amazing, actually. Zerathis was able to figure out what the–"

  “Oh my god, Brian, I really don't care.” Simon said exasperated. “Just tell me why you haven’t brought him to do the one quest that everybody needs to do?"

  Brian shrugged sheepishly. “You know, I just... It was a night and we... We got carried away. I got excited and so did Zerathis…. Look, we were up all night working on this and we've made some great progress. It was a night filled with theory and progress. It was fantastic!”

  Simon smirked, eyeing Kaelalin. “That does sound amazing… I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a night. How about you Kaelalin?”

  Kaelalin glared at him.

  “I know right!” Brian cut in excitedly. “It was absolutely amazing!”

  Simon watched as the Frost-kin’s glare fell and her shoulders slumped. Simon gave her a shit eating grin.

  Brian’s excited nodding turned thoughtful.

  “But you're right. We should probably bring Zerathis to the hub."

  “You think?” Simon shook his head. “So what’s the plan after he finishes his integration quest?”

  Kaelalin looked up, her glum expression fading. She glanced between Simon and brian.

  “You mean what’s our plan?” She asked.

  Simon looked at her. “Yes? The plan?” He gestured to everyone. “You know, the whole plan with the frozen hills in the snow?” Simon glanced down at his outfit. “I guess this technically counts as getting equipment like we wanted. But what about the remaining places we haven’t gone to yet?”

  Brian's face opened in an O shape. "Oh, that's what you mean. Oh yeah. No, we're not doing any of that."

  "What?" Simon asked. "What do you mean we're not going to do that?" He frowned as he studied the two inventor’s faces. Brian wore a guilty look, while Kaelalin’s face had gone stiff.

  “Would you care to explain why?” He finally asked.

  "Oh. Yeah, about that, Simon. We just think, um..." Brian stammered, seeming lost for the right words. "We just think that..."

  "Simon, we almost fucking died!" Kalalin cut in. "Brian, let me explain this." She steadied her gaze at him. "Look, Simon. I know we said we were going to explore. We did that.” Kaelalin let out a slow breath. “Then you and I almost died. Seriously, I don't think our next course of action should be to charge back out there."

  "But... the rewards," Simon said, his mood falling. "I mean, didn't we get, like, a fantastic reward from that dungeon?"

  Kalalin nodded. "We did. But the horrors that we saw at that place..." She shuddered. "It was awful. It was too much. We already have the realm of the Forger, and you're going to be gaining a percentage of everything that's pulled from that area.”

  She fixed an icy stare at him. “Isn’t that enough?”

  Simon met her gaze, frustration welling up. She had a point, but still. He had finally started to make progress and they were just going to stop? Sure, it had been dangerous… but wasn’t the reward worth it?

  "Besides," Brian added, "we're also not allowed to go back out there. The council had a vote. They don't want anybody else in those dungeons until they figure out a plan that is–” He joined Kaelalin’s intense stare towards Simon. “--safer than someone offering a blood price.”

  Simon blinked. “I wouldn’t call it that.”

  Brian cocked an eyebrow at him. “Oh you wouldn’t? You know Simon, when you said at the bar it was pretty bad, I think you may have undersold it.” Brian glanced at Kaelalin. “She talked to me last night and gave me a full recounting of what happened.” He shook his head at the memory. “Yeah, buddy, that's… Its… I'm just going to have to agree with Kaelalin here. I don't think you two should just wander back out there.”

  He gave Simon an apologetic smile.

  “So then what am I supposed to do?” Simon asked.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Have some downtime? Work on your skills? Get to level ten and get a class?” Brian suggested.

  Simon looked between the two, the silence hanging heavy. He let out a sigh. They were probably right. He knew that. But he was almost afraid of having a quiet moment. So far, he had been running from one thing to the next. To slow down time would give him time to think. To come to grips with everything that had happened. And those thoughts were ones he had been avoiding for days now.

  After a moment, he nodded. "I understand. You guys are right. I just, I don't know. I just don't want to sit back and let the world go charging ahead without me."

  Kaelalin smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I don't think it's possible for the world to go on without you. Even if it does, I'm sure you'll just chase it down and beat it to death with your floppy ears flapping in the wind."

  Simon snapped to her and gave her a withering look. His ears flopped about as he did so.

  Kaelalin snicked, then stopped herself. “I’m sorry.” she grinned unapologetically. “I just can’t get over that thing. It's so ridiculous.”

  Simon groaned. “How do you think I feel.”

  “Dumber than you normally do?” Kaelalin asked. Simon side eyed her, then let out a sigh.

  “So, any ideas on what I should do then?”

  "You could always go talk to Kurta," Brian said. "He has been asking for you to come down and help with the tunnel. I'm sure he could use the extra hands”

  Simon thought about it for a second and then nodded. "Yeah, that might be nice. Just move some stone. You know, do a bit of manual labor."

  He looked at Brian, who was grimacing in thought.

  “Quick tip, if you see maelis digging in a direction that isn’t the tunnel, run far, far away.”

  "I'll keep that in mind.” Simon gestured towards the silent Zerathis. “Hey, magic eight-ball. How about I take you to the hub so you can finish your quest?”

  Simon caught a glimpse of a grin on Brian's face before he steeled his features.

  “Yes! I am very curious what this ‘System’ has in store for me.” Zerathis chimed, a happy glow coming from his runes.

  Brian and Kalalin looked at each other.

  "Well," Brian said, "Why not join him Kaelalin?. I'm just going to keep working on the barrier."

  Kaelalin shot him a glare. “Oh no. You aren’t going to stay here and blow up our current progress.” She wrinkled her nose. “Besides, we are both over due a shower and clean set of clothes before we dive back in. A walk would help us all.”

  "I don't smell that bad," Brian said, holding his multi-pocketed robe to his nose and taking a sniff. He recoiled. "Okay. On second thought, maybe you're right. Shall we clean up and then go to the hub?” He looked down at Zerathis. "And who knows? Finishing that quest may have the added benefit of giving you a skill or something to help with making the barrier."

  "Oh, I hadn't thought of that," Zerathis said. "I'm really curious to access the system functions you all use. It should be fascinating."

  "Yeah, sounds good. All right. Meet you guys outside in ten minutes, lets go Zerathis" Brian said, snatching Zerathis off Kaelalin’s belt then sprinting down the hall.

  Simon watched the goofy guy disappear. “Zerathis isn’t going to explode if he's put in a shower right?” He asked, turning to Kaelalin.

  “Probally not.” She said.

  "So you stayed up all night working with these two, huh?"

  Kaelalin sighed. "Yeah, that’s what happened. But the progress we made on the barrier has been substantial."

  "Oh yeah?" Simon said.

  She nodded. “We've been stuck for weeks now trying to figure out this complex part of the barrier array. Turns out the answer was quite simple. The section that we weren't familiar with–Zerathis pointed out–is most likely built to be attuned to what the system says its purpose is. We discovered that most of the array is built for its specialization and was giving us false positives"

  "Wow, interesting," Simon said with an eye roll.

  “It is!” Kaelalin replied excitedly, missing his sarcasm. “With this, we are going to be able to decipher and get this thing online very soon. We actually already mocked up a small prototype in the other room. When it's done, I'll have to let you try it.”

  Simon imagined running around with his very own force field. Okay, that he could get behind.

  He gave Kaelalin a grin. “I would love to try it.”

  She nodded, then looked down at her clothes with a frown. Her normally spotless lab coat looking attire was covered in grease, dust and other signs of work.

  “This… isn’t me. I’m going to go clean up.” Kaelalin gestured towards him. “You going to stay in here?”

  Simon shifted in his outfit. “Honestly, its a bit warm while dressed like this. I’ll meet you guys outside.” he said as he stood and made his way towards the exit.

  Kaelalin nodded, then stood and walked away, disappearing into the depths of the lab.

  The large metal door hissed in front of Simon as he waited. A few moments later, he was out in the cold air of Varnholt.

  The street was empty except for him, but just in case he moved into the shadows. He had enough stares for one day.

  —— ? ——

  Thirty minutes later, three figures turned down the last alley that led to the System hub.

  "Okay," Simon said. "I have to agree. I thought the concept of mimics was terrifying. But Kalalin, that thing you described? That sounds way fucking worse."

  "Yeah," Brian chimed in. "A frost that clings to your body and then consumes the people you love and care about, secretly absorbing their essence until it feeds on them to the point that it takes over.” He shivered. “Then it takes over their empty husk and inhabits them? No. Thank you.”

  Kalalin nodded, her face grim. “It’s a horrifying myth from our culture. While I'm not sure if it actually exists, many have written of it on my planet.” She rubbed her hands together nervously. “Some of the facts are too consistent across various tribes and kingdoms. Some scholars think that it is truly a creature that exists.”

  Simon shuddered. "That’s terrifying. So, if your world got merged into whatever the hell this world is now, then that means those things could be out there?"

  Kalalin nodded grimly. "Yes, and based on how we've seen other creatures evolve in this world, they would probably be considered a creature by the system and be able to grow in power." She shivered as well. "If these fables of my world were real, I would hate to come across one."

  Simon scanned the frozen streets, now looking seriously at every tuft of snow and icicle.

  Brian let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, but maybe they're just stories, right? You said that it was something that people tell their children to make them be careful out in the snow, right?"

  Kalalin shrugged. "Maybe."

  Brian started studying the snow around him, his eyes wary.

  “Yet another problem with having a world filled with this accursed cold.” Zerathis grumbled from Brian’s belt, his runes sparking. "Even in this form, I can feel the chill radiating through my metal. It's disgusting."

  Simon chuckled at the construct lizardman. He remembered the awkward conversation when they had tried to explain snow to him.

  A gust of wind caused an icicle to fall. It shattered with a tinkling sound, pieces glittering in the sunlight. The trio all leapt away, eyes wide.

  “My, you three are jumpy.” A oily voice emanated from the shadows, causing Brian to release a yeeep sound.

  “Or should I say four?” The voice continued.

  The squad of people turned to see a predatory figure emerge from the shadows.

  “Oh, its you.” Brian said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Hey Dravlen!”

  The Yoreboon nodded at the frazzled inventor. “Good morning, Councillor Brian.” He said, turning toward Kaelalin. “Kaelalin.” he nodded.

  The head of Varnholt security turned next to Simon. “So, Simon Starfall. Would you like to explain to me why I have received multiple reports of a corpse carpet wandering through town?”

  Simon blushed. "Look, look, man, it's not my fault. Emmrick gave it to me this morning and I really haven't had a chance to change. And, you know, I'm planning on going out after we are done here, so..."

  Dravlin blurred and appeared next to Simon, hands touching the fabric. "Quality workmanship."

  Simon jumped back. "Uh, yeah, hey, could you not do that?"

  Dravlin gave him a grin. "What? I just wanted to inspect it. Hear what all the talk was about." He turned to the others. "Headed to the hub to finish off our newest resident’s quest?"

  Kaelalin and Brian nodded.

  “Good!” The Yoreboon clapped his hands, giving them a dangerous grin. “I was beginning to wonder when you two scatter brained geniuses were going to take care of that. I was worried I was going to have to drag you out of your lab.”

  He looked between the three, then focused on Simon. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t walk around wearing that armor Mr Starfall. Makes people a bit nervous, seeing you looking like you came from the pits of hell.”

  Simon sighed.

  Dravlen gave him a wink then turned to the others. “That’s all I had. Anything I should know?”

  Brian looked excited. “Oh! Dravlen! We made a lot of progress on the barrier last night. As head of security, I would love to talk to you about the potential features that we–” He turned to look at Kaelalin, then looked down at the orb. “Discove– uh... Uh, Dravlin, where'd you go?" Brian faltered as he looked around the empty street.

  Simon looked around, scanning the street. “He’s pretty damn good at that.” He muttered.

  Kalalin snorted. "It's just the way he does things. Also, Brian, what did you expect? You talk to him about discussing details and plans. He hates that."

  Brian sighed. "But I do need to talk to him. You would think that man would be more interested in what’s going to protect the whole town."

  “I’m sure he is.” Kaelalin assured him. “He just probably wants it in a short written briefing.”

  Brian slumped his shoulders. “Fine… I’ll just write up a report.” He let out a breath. “I hate those things.”

  “We all do Brian.” Simon nodded sagely. “At least the System doesn’t seem to have PowerPoint.”

  Brian grimaced. “Don’t give it any ideas.”

  Simon grinned at him. “Who knows, maybe I will revive it.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  Simon thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No, you’re right. This world is better off without it.” He looked around the street again, sure he felt eyes on him. “Does Dravlen just do that every time?”

  “You have no idea.” Brian said. “Did you know he's actually part of the Council? Not many people know that. Not because he keeps it a secret. It's just that he's never there. Or..." He paused, stroking his chin. "Well, he’s probably there. Maelis tried to have him removed during a council meeting. Brought it to a vote and everything. He argued that Dravlen should be removed for non-attendence.”

  Brian laughed. “Can you guess what happened?”

  “He was out voted?” Simon replied with a shrug.

  “Nope,” Brian grinned. “Maelis had Councillor Serel start the vote. The smith nearly jumped out of his skin when the first person to vote was none other than Dravlen himself.” Brian chuckled at the memory. “Didn’t help he appeared right next to Maelis’s ear and loudly voted against having himself removed.”

  Kaelalin smiled at Brian's story. “He deserves it. Maelis is a stubborn fool.”

  Brian nodded in agreement. “He is. Now everyone on the Council just assumes Dravlen is somewhere close during meetings.”

  “Seems like a good choice for a head of security.” Simon said. During their discussion they had continued to move toward the hub.

  Simon was once again taken back by the sheer otherworldliness of the system hub. Blue and red fractal images interlaced in the crystal tower that reached into the sky. The ever-shifting patterns were bioluminescent, glowing and seeming both random and yet following a pattern. It was just as stunning and beautiful as the first time he had been here.

  They paused at the threshold.

  “It really is beautiful.” Brian said quietly.

  “And a bit freaky.” Simon added on.

  “As are the best things in life.” Brian replied with a grin.

  Kaelalin harrumphed and pushed past them.

  “What?” Brian said, confused. He looked at Simon. “Was it that bad of a joke?”

  “For how smart you are brian, you really are a moron.” Simon said in disbelief, following Kaelalin into the hub.

  “Huh?” Brian watched them walk away. “Zerathis, was what I said that bad?”

  The orb glowed in thought.

  “I don’t know… Perhaps the worlds those two are from have a different meaning for the word freaky’?”

  Brian stood in confusion, then hurried after the two.

  “But Simon and I come from the same world!”

  —— ? ——