The northeastern complex was a fortress within the fortress, once, one of the two vanguards that had stood against the threat of destructive monster waves from the north. However, since reclaiming the surrounding lands and the creation of the much further northern wall that protected the new city of Los Duellos itself, these walls now served a different purpose. An electric fence surrounding them now, overseen by hundreds of cameras that rose from the ground on poles, lifting, swiveling, and watching every outside movement.

Even in the darkness of times, unfortunately, the worst sides of humanity festered as petulance usually does. Nobody knew how the tutorial selected its participants. It did not seem to differentiate between those with morals and those without. So, when terrorists, serial killers, revolutionaries, and those deemed clinically insane returned from the tutorial with powerful abilities and the world at their fingertips, chaos obviously ensued. These underground players eventually banded together to form their own lawless societies. And, they were always looking to recruit more into their numbers. They searched for budding talent: strong classes, powerful warriors. And then, they sunk in their teeth. Poisoned the young minds. Led the innocent away from right and good and pushed them to live for all the wrong reasons. Leonidas had explained that the US and World Player Associations provided such immense resources to the strongest of players to combat these underground temptations.

Why turn to darkness when all of your desires could be sanctioned by the world and your name could resonate in the mouths of billions?

Jack and Robin followed along the fence. Both of them could leap the wall with ease. The wolves could leap the wall in a single bound. But, today, they’d decided to enter the complex the proper way. Robin had insisted as such. She wanted to enter through the checkpoint. It was about feeling like she belonged. Experiencing all that the humans experienced. And so, Jack happily obliged.

Eventually, the two neared the entrance where a twenty-car train currently unloaded its passengers. Without wanting to make too much of an entrance, Jack unsummoned the wolves, and the two continued. They curved around the train, leapt over the tracks, hopped onto the platform, and melded into the flowing crowd of faces.

Robin glanced around gleefully, looking at the stream of students, teachers, civilians, players, and everyone else who walked from platform to checkpoint, and then to the lines of faces that waited patiently behind a nearby gate, soon to board the train. She closely examined the varying clothing. The students seemed to wear one of several different uniforms, with a name and some sort of identification number patched directly on their shoulders. Some uniforms appeared thicker than others, some more comfort-focused, while others still appeared as more of a battle armor, leaving little skin exposed. Curious, and enjoying the immediacy of the information that the strange number on the cellphone provided, Robin quickly texted, asking for an explanation of the different uniforms. She didn’t read the answer right away, but handed the phone back to Jack, knowing that the information would be available later.

“This is exciting!” Robin exclaimed as they walked down the steps of the platform and through a large set of doors that reminded Jack all too much of entering an airport security line. Barriers directed the flow of people, and guards patrolled with weapons at the ready. More cameras filled the room, ever watchful of every movement. Hanging from the ceiling, there were signs that Robin pointed to.

The uniformed students all flowed to the left, chatting loudly with their friends, and shouting across the room as their eyes met with others. Complex staff followed a smaller line near the center and everyone else was directed toward a shorter line to the right side of the room where only three guards sat behind glass windows, calling each entrant up for an inspection and interview.

Jack and Robin entered the line, listening to the conversations of those around them, and watching the process unfold before them. A guard in the window called forward the next group. They asked to scan an ID. And then, they followed with a series of questions.

Purpose for visiting.

Relationship to students.

Duration of stay.

The line moved quickly, and in a lingering twenty minutes, just a blink of an eye, Jack and Robin were called to their agent who sat behind a thick glass window.

“IDs,” the woman said with sharp eyes that studied both Jack and Robin.

“Are player cards accepted?” Jack asked, realizing neither he nor Robin had other forms of identification. Surprisingly, he hadn’t seen a single entrant use a player card for their identification.

“Of course,” the woman eased her face. “There is a separate line for players,” she added. “Next time, if you find an attendant and tell them who you are, they’ll bring you there.”

“Oh, how convenient!” Robin exclaimed. “We should try that next time,” she looked at Jack with soft eyes that he could never refuse.

Jack smiled and agreed, reaching into his hidden breast pocket to pull out the two diamond player cards.

Before he could fully retrieve the cards, the woman gasped. Her eyes jolted from Jack’s face to Robin’s to the glistening cards. She muttered, “Twelve and thirteen?”

Jack extended the two cards.

The woman tried to hold her composure, her lip shook, her throat gulped, her mouth dried, and her hands trembled. Slowly, she raised an arm, pointing toward the black rectangular scanner built into the counter. “Scan there,” she croaked.

Jack waved his card over the surface.

The woman looked. She doubted anyone would be insane enough to forge a diamond card. But still, she held her breath, waiting for the system’s answer. A chime echoed on her screen, a message appeared.

AUTHORIZATION: DIAMOND+

DO NOT HINDER

The woman swallowed, her breath still empty.

Jack glanced at the glass behind her, eyeing the reflection to read the message.

“Please, go ahead,” the woman said with a voice that trembled somewhere between fear, respect, and disbelief.

“I want to—” Robin tugged on Jack’s arm.

Jack smiled at the woman. “Can we still scan hers?” he asked gently, handing Robin her own card. “First time,” he added.

“Of course,” the woman struck a key on her keyboard to clear the message. “Go—go ahead.”

Robin raised the card to the scanner.

For the entry-officer, time stopped again. And then, another chime and message.

AUTHORIZATION: DIAMOND

“That was fun!” Robin said.

“Please,” the woman said, “enjoy your time here.”

Jack smiled, collecting both of their cards back into the folds of his clothing.

As soon as Jack and Robin had reached the exit, the guard let out a sigh of relief, stood, rushed over to the neighboring guard post, and then rasped, “Saul. Saul. Did you see those two? Did you see them? Tell me you saw them. Fuck. Saul, they were the two new diamonds. Fuck, I nearly peed myself.” Saul looked back at her and grinned. “Yeah right,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Outside, Jack watched the flow of people splitting in all directions. Some climbed onto idling busses, others walked in large groups down a nearly foot-ball-withed rubberized-paved walkway. Some took off running, and some collected bikes from a nearby station and pedaled their way toward the heart of the complex. A select few wandered off to the side, toward a concrete structure where they climbed into cars and sputtered down a smaller access road.

“Bus or walk?” Jack asked Robin, allowing her to pick her own adventure.

Robin thought about it for a moment, still listening and watching all of the people who passed them by.

“Jack?” a hesitant voice said from nearby.

Jack turned toward his name.

“Jack Trades?” the voice said louder this time. “Don’t be crazy,” the voice muttered to itself.

Jack looked for a familiar face.

“Holy fucking shit,” shouted a man with a gaping scar that stretched from his temple, through his eye, across his nose, and down through his mouth. He released a wave of energy. Not a harmful wave, but a powerful one. “Out of the way!” the man boomed as the barrier expanded, physically pushing back all of those whom he had not designated.

The energy washed over Jack like the windy breeze.

Robin remained firm, unmoved by the force that had tried to push her back.

“Jack! Holy shit. Jack!” the man bounded forward, tears racing from his good eye.

Scar or not, Jack recognized the man immediately. It had taken him a moment to place the voice, but now, he was unmistakable.

“What the absolute—”

Jack smiled and opened his arms to receive the incoming man.

“You’re alive. You resilient bastard,” Steven echoed.

Whispers grew. Students gossiped, weaving hundreds of absurd stories. Everyone present knew Steven’s name. He had been called in the first tutorial. He guided his terrified group through the entire experience. He cared for both their bodies and minds. Through it all, he remained strong, charismatic, and empathetic. In every battle, he stood at the vanguard, shielding all he could with his own body, and then watched over them in camp, mending their wounds until his eyes inevitably fell shut. By the tutorial’s end, he’d earned a class which to this day, none other had managed to receive.

“I’m alive,” Jack said.

“Like hell you are,” Steven gripped onto Jack’s nape and pulled. “I was devastated when I heard the news. For months I blamed myself. Why couldn’t I have been in your tutorial. I should’ve been there. You needed someone on your side.”

“Thank you,” Jack said, his emotions swelling, more so now than ever before. Again, he didn’t fully understand his body. Why now did he feel so vulnerable, when before, he felt next to nothing? Perhaps it wasn’t the Half-Celestial or the Celestial Armor. Perhaps there was something else at play. “Greg told me what you did for them. You made sure they didn’t suffer. Supported them.”

“Of course. You’re like a brother to me. I couldn’t not. I just wish I could’ve been there more for them, though. My responsibilities just started piling up. And then I had to go to battle. To fight in the portals. To train the next generations. I’m sorry if I let you down.”

Jack squeezed one final squeeze and then stepped back to look at Steven through teary eyes.

“Couldn’t have asked for more,” Jack said, looking Steven up and down and motioning toward the barrier around them. “Not a doctor, I guess,” he chuckled.

“Not a doctor,” Steven sniffled back. “But, still a healer,” he dug a finger into his own skin, drawing a stream of blood, and then waved a glowing hand over the injury, healing the flesh in an instant.

Jack smiled, “The one and only Paladin, I hear. Just like your old WoW days.”

Steven puffed his chest to make himself large, and then they both let out a laugh.

“Do you want to ride with me? What happened to you? I need to hear everything. You and,” he paused, looking to Robin.

“Robin,” Robin introduced herself.

“Please,” he said.

Jack looked to Robin who nodded excitedly.

“Let’s do it,” Jack agreed. “Most importantly through, what happened to your face?”

“Tragic, isn’t it? My beautiful face, ruined,” Steven joked just as they had always done. “It happened in one of my first battles. Ambushed by a weaver. A poisonous shadow spider. I managed stop the poison from spreading, but I never fully cured it. Still hurts like a bastard whenever I sleep. And during the day too sometimes.”

Jack nodded along.

The crowd began to clog as more and more stopped to stare with gawking curiosity. One by one, phones came out from pockets and cameras pointed toward the three.

“I caused a scene,” Steven said, recalling most of his barrier and waving his hand toward the students. “I just saw an old friend. Nothing to see here. Move along!” he ordered.

A few of the onlookers grumbled and dispersed, however, still, the crowd seemed to grow.

“Do you want me to fix it?” Jack found himself asking. He knew the gripes of living with pain. He had spent countless white-bearded nights laying awake at night as his heart creaked to a halt, sometimes from clotting blood, other times from tumorous growths, and other times from seemingly nothing at all. And each time, his body regenerated, fought off the disease, breathed life back into his dying heart, only to fail again sometimes days, sometimes hours later. While he endured the pain for the sake of advancing his skills, Steven’s pain seemed unnecessarily debilitating.

Steven scrunched his face.

“I don’t have to,” Jack added. “Only if it bothers you.”

“You can do that?”

Jack shrugged. He’d regrown limbs before. He’d reattached severed fingers. He’d detoxified thousands of poisons. And he’d healed billions of wounds. Had he ever removed a weaver’s poison? No, but how hard could it really be?

Steven hesitated. He glanced around at the cameras. Slowly, he raised a hand to his scar, tracing its entire length. His face twitched and flinched at his own touch. And then, he nodded.

Jack lifted his hand.

“Now?” Steven asked, shocked.

“Why not?” Jack said, calling his abilities to work.

“Should I raise my—”

“Done,” Jack said as he lowered his hand back down. The poison had been nothing special. He’d dealt with things significantly more potent.

“What?” Steven said in disbelief. “Now you’re just messing with me.”

Jack grinned.

“That’s fucking dark, man. Even for you.”

Jack shrugged.

Steven lifted his hand back to his face just to check, just to make sure that Jack hadn’t actually been telling the truth.

“Wait,” Steven said. A two-year-long tension lifted from his face. Cheeks lowered. Jaw loosened. Brows drooped. Ears twitched. Neck softened. And then, both of his eyes shot open. His jaw dropped. He waved a hand in front of his left eye and then in front of his right. He closed one and then the other. He yawned his mouth open wide. He pressed his fingers hard into his skin, dragging across the once-wound.

Jack teared as he met Steven’s gaze.

“Oh,” Steven said, falling to his knees. “I forgot how it feels. I forgot what it felt like not to hurt.” Steven basked in the moment for several long breaths before looking up at Jack and Robin and asking with the biggest teary-eyed grin, “Twelve and thirteen?”

Commotion echoed from the crowd.

Jack nodded.

“No fucking way.”

“Twelve and thirteen?” the crowd’s whispers roared and more phones appeared in an instant.

“The newest diamond players?”

“Could it really be?”

“They just healed the Paladin’s scar.”

“In an instant!”

“Holy shit.”

“She is fucking gorgeous.”

“Do you think it’s really them?”

“Look at him.”

“Who else would the Paladin greet so freely?”

“No fucking way,” Steven repeated, still tracing across where the scar once was. “Out healed by the lab gremlin.”

Jack chuckled.

Steven stood, pulling his own phone out to see his new puffy-red face. And then, suddenly, his eyes hardened and he turned to Jack with the most serious of looks.

“Yes,” Jack agreed, knowing exactly what Steven was going to ask. “Take me to her. It shouldn’t be a problem.”