As the team dispersed, Sigrid and Jane asked if I wanted to grab dinner at the same time Morgan came over and asked if I maybe wanted to talk strategy. I could tell Jane wanted to talk to me and I had a pretty good idea about what, but I'd had enough of those kinds of conversations for one day. It wouldn't hurt her to stew a bit, so I took a raincheck on dinner. I'd rather talk strategy any day.

  Jane seemed about to protest but Sigrid grabbed her arm and tugged her toward the street. “Come on, Jane. I have a craving for Sadie’s skewers. My treat.”

  Jane gasped. “You actually want to go for war pig, Siggy? You? Sorry, Daniel, this never happens so I must away before she changes her mind. Adieu!” Then she let Sigrid drag her out onto the street. Just before they left, Sigrid looked back and winked.

  “Sigrid’s pretty amazing, isn’t she?” Morgan said.

  “She's the best,” I said. “As for Jane...”

  “Jane? She’s pretty, um, pretty?”

  “I think Sigrid once said it best: Jane is Jane. I’ve given up trying to figure her out.”

  Morgan laughed. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. Now. Let us strategize.” She started heading toward the zen garden where she usually sketched out her plans in the sand. “Snap me off a willow sprig, would you?”

  “Oh no, we are not using the zen garden, got it?”

  “What do you propose we use then?” Morgan said.

  I gave her a big smile. “Aren’t you the one able to create illusions and physical objects on demand?”

  Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “So dense,” I said, and god it felt good even if it did earn me a playful punch in the gut.

  “Jerk,” Morgan said.

  “I heard you’ve been acting as coach during your fights, coordinating what everyone else is doing.”

  “I don’t have any great attack abilities myself. Do you think that’s a bad idea?”

  “Not necessarily, but that’s not what I meant anyway. I’m just saying I’m sure you’ve been so focused on figuring out how to make the most out of everyone else’s abilities that you neglected your own.”

  Morgan smacked her forehead. “I really am dense,” she said.

  “I think it speaks more to your dedication to supporting the team, and that’s a very good thing. If it makes you feel better, the first time I fought Flint I did it bare handed using only omni-do. Nothing else.”

  “You used nothing else? Not even your knives?”

  I shrugged. “He’d already stolen them by then.”

  “Okay, but what about your other gajillion abilities?”

  “That’s what I’m saying. I was so used to using my knives that after losing them all I could think about was fighting without them and forgot I had other options.”

  She didn’t need to know that I was also a bit befuddled by the power he’d used on me.

  “That kind of explains why he was so confident at the start of your arena duel, or was he not really that tough to begin with?”

  “Oh no, he was tough. Expert and Master level in everything and some pretty good powers. But yeah, I was so pitiful in our first fight he walked into our duel with no idea what I was capable of.”

  “I don’t think anybody could’ve guessed that,” she said, shaking her head. “But if his powers were so hot, why didn’t he use them?”

  “Because I didn’t let him. Remember how I said Akari has been mentoring me? She’s been helping me find the most effective ways to combine my powers during a fight. Going in I had a dozen ways prepared to beat him.”

  “That’s why you weren’t worried about what would happen if you lost,” she said, now nodding.

  “He relied on two powers to ensure his victories, and I’d shut them both down before he took one step toward me. Once he lost his trump cards there was no way I was going to lose.”

  Morgan was looking at me with a strange expression.

  “What?” I said.

  “Nothing,” she said, smiling.

  “That’s what we need to do, figure out the Shadow Dungeon and find as many ways as we can to handle any situation it might throw at you. It’s absolutely possible. And while we’re at it, let’s come up with some ways you can use the abilities you have to contribute more during a fight.”

  She didn’t say anything right away, she just kept looked at me thoughtfully before she spoke again.

  “Tell me, Daniel,” she said. “How does confidence feel?”

  I looked back at her, blinking stupidly. So much had changed for me lately. I still had crazy anxiety about some things, but some of the other things that used to make me break out in cold sweats weren’t as big of a deal anymore. She was right. I was confident now. Me. Who’d a thunk it.

  She must’ve been able to read my thoughts by the expressions on my face because she started to laugh. “You haven’t even considered it until now, have you? That’s hilarious, and awesome. It means I can still call you dense too.”

  “Touché, Morgan.”

  “I’m glad to see you look happy. Actually, scratch that. Not just happy, you look...alive.”

  “The opposite of depression is not happiness, it’s vitality,” I said.

  “I like that,” Morgan said.

  “Wish I could take credit but it’s something I heard on a TED Talk and it really struck home.”

  “Yeah. I have a cousin who’s clinically depressed and he’s...” She bit her lip and looked away.

  “He’s what?”

  She seemed conflicted for a moment, then said, “He’s a lot like how you used to be. Sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I do feel different. You’re right, it is like I feel alive, finally, and am keen to stay that way. I haven’t always.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  I’ve only told very few people about some of my darker periods when I wished I had cancer or some other fatal disease, but cancer is exceptionally evil: it only seems to strike people who want to live.

  And then there were my even darker periods when I didn’t feel like waiting for the disease and thought about taking care of things in my own. There’s rarely a reason to bring this sort of thing up in conversation. It can be a bit of a buzzkill.

  Time for some levity before things get unduly grim.

  “And to think,” I said, “all it took was giving me total cheat-level superpowers in a world of games and surrounded by the best friends I ever had.”

  She laughed. “Hey, whatever works. But for the record, I think confident and full of vitality suits you rather well.”

  “Thanks. Shall we talk strategy now? I know a great place where we can do it.”

  “That sounds intriguing. Where is it?”

  “It’s a surprise. But first, we need to hit up the elf village.”

  “Am I appropriately dressed?” Morgan said, plucking at the sleeve of her shirt. “Do I look okay?”

  “That’s actually why we need to go to the elf village first.”

  The Beastfolk lands were to the Southwest of the city in a wedge of land bordered by the sea on one side, the mountains and desert on the other, and the human farmland region on the top. According to the elves, it was the most fertile land in the area and the Beastfolk themselves were the region’s best farmers.

  My spies had told me that so far only a few other Players had ventured there and they’d all been turned away immediately. Although not quite as insular as the elves had been, nor as aggressive, I was told the Beastfolk were nonetheless borderline hostile to human outsiders. But they liked elves. A lot.

  Their mistrust of humans explained why there weren’t any beastfolk in the city, besides our sweet gardener. Any time we’d asked Shannon about the beastfolk or why she was the only one of them around, she clammed up. No matter how many times I tried to trigger her quest it never happened, but I knew there had to be one. Perhaps it was related to the dungeon in the beastfolk lands.

  I had only been there once before when I was using the teleportation control key to visit the nodes at each affinity dungeon. Thanks to Great Sage I had an innate sense of where all the nodes were, even if I didn’t know exactly where until physically went there, so I knew that one was in the Beastfolk’s territory.

  Given my advanced warning about the Beastfolk’s proclivities, I wisely chose to turn myself into an elf before going there.

  I’d only planned on a quick in-and-out visit to scope things out, I had not expected to arrive bang in the middle of their largest settlement. It reminded me of the one in the elf village. Whatever dungeon was there seemed to have more in common with the Nature Dungeon than the others.

  One important difference was that where the elves’ circle had been hidden inside a ring of bushes, the one with the Beastfolk had been completely exposed at the center of their outdoor marketplace. As a result, my arrival had been witnessed by a lot of people and created a bit of a stir. My quick visit became more of a deal than I’d hoped but it did give me the chance to learn a few things.

  For one, I learned why so many elves had emigrated there: Beastfolk really, really, really liked elves. As a corollary to that, I also discovered that Beastfolk had strong, er, appetites. It explained all the half-elf half-therianthrope people running around, if you catch my drift.

  And, if I am being honest, I could see the appeal for the elves. Up to then, Shannon the pretty catgirl had been the only therianthrope I’d met so I knew sort of what to expect. In appearance, the Beastfolk were much closer to being people than animals, and all manner of animals were represented, too. There were lots of catfolk like Shannon, as well as dogfolk, bearfolk, mousefolk, and a host of others including, yes, bunnyfolk. And, like Shannon, they were all quite attractive.

  You can imagine what the children from those unions looked like. Yowzers.

  I knew immediately that it was going to be best to keep Players away from them. I could only imagine what would happen if those horny nerds were let loose among what was essentially an entire population of real live furries who loved to yiff but didn’t like people. I had no doubt in my mind that stupid Players would only deepen the mistrust and antagonism.

  Players could not under any circumstances be allowed free reign there.

  Besides, there were secrets there I didn’t want to get out. The elves who’d returned from the Beastfolk lands had revealed that there was an abnormally high number of therianthropes with healing talents as well the ability to create potions. Since we’d already established trade with them, we were able to quickly lock down an exclusive agreement with them to buy every healing potion that could brew.

  Even though I hadn’t managed to trigger the quest to see which affinity dungeon was there, these healing talents combined with the incredible vitality of the lands and the Beastfolk’s passion for reproduction made me certain it had to be the Life Dungeon, and I wanted that one.

  I hadn’t spent long in the Beastfolk lands, but it was long enough to learn one more thing: the place was stunningly beautiful. I figured Morgan would love it.

  I took her to the elf village where we obtained some elven clothing for her. I then leant her the Stop Staring At My Ears power. It was the first time I’d used my new Need A Hand? power, and Morgan just shook her head when I explained it all. It was also the first time I’d seen another human become an elf, and I finally understood why people had looked at me so differently when I did it. Morgan was a looker when she was human, but when she became an elf? Whoah, mama.

  It was also the first time she’d had the opportunity to see me as an elf, too. I can only imagine how awkwardly funny it would have looked to anyone watching, the both of us constantly sneaking peeks at each other while trying not to let the other one catch us doing it.

  We did eventually get around to having our strategy session, but not before a gaggle of friendly Beastfolk kids showed off their home to us. After being dragged around to see the settlement for a while, I asked the kids where the prettiest spot was. They took us to a very lovely meadow on a hill overlooking field after field of abundant crops of all manner, with a gorgeous view of the sea in the distance.

  On the way there we passed by a paddock full of those big bird creatures a lot of people used as mounts, where several Beastfolk were busy training them. Morgan veered over to see.

  “I love these guys,” Morgan said. “I’ve got one myself, I wonder if it was trained here.”

  “Probably,” I said. “Want to know a secret?”

  “Does anyone ever say no to that question?”

  “I’m pretty sure every affinity dungeon has a different creature that can be used as a mount.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Seriously?”

  “Well, there’s one for each of the three I control. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t the same for all of them.”

  “So does that mean this is a dungeon?” Morgan said, petting the beak of one of the animals that had come over to investigate us.

  “I’m pretty sure it’s the Life Dungeon.”

  “So what are the mounts for the ones you control?”

  “That’s a secret I’m not telling yet.”

  “Meanie. But doesn’t that mean there’s a type of mount in the Shadow Dungeon?”

  “Probably. I guess we’ll find out when you rip the Shadow Demon a new one, huh Captain?”

  Morgan made a face. “Captain. No pressure, huh?”

  After saying goodbye to Morgan’s new friend, we made our way to the top of the hill. Loaded with gifts of fresh food from the Beastfolk, we sat down on the hill to enjoy them and talk.

  I don’t know how helpful I was in the end, but she seemed grateful for the chance to go over the different formations and tactics they’d practiced and get some feedback and suggestions. I also helped her think up more ways to use her illusion ability tactically.

  Finally, I gave her the elven cloak tuned to blend in with Shadow.

  “This is for Kenji, right? Arthur told me about your idea to have him scout the dungeon.”

  “You mean Sigrid’s idea,” I said.

  “If you insist,” she said, giving me a look that said she knew perfectly well whose idea it was.

  “He can do it, you know. Remember what he did in the labyrinth all by himself?”

  “I know, but...”

  “He’d want to do it. You just need to give him a chance.”

  If Kenji had been only a few years older it would’ve been a no-brainer, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced it was a good idea to send someone so young alone into such a dangerous place, even someone as capable as him.

  “What if someone went with him?” she said.

  “Like who?” I said, and she looked at me without saying anything. “Jane has Shadow affinity so she could do it, but she doesn’t have the sneaky skills. I could loan her a stealth power I have, I suppose.”

  “Or you could just go with him yourself.”

  “I could, but I’m not on the team.”

  “So? Does that matter?”

  “Ask your brother.”

  “I see,” she said, looking pained. “So you are upset about it after all.”

  “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t be?”

  “No, not really. But pretending you were okay with it made me feel less guilty.”