"You're dead, Conrad," Nuru said bluntly. I looked at her face. Her smile was gone and replaced with something far more somber. "I know it's not something that you'd want to hear. And it's going to be hard for you to come to terms with."

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's what I figured."

The lady opened her eyes with surprise. "Really? Usually when I reveal to someone that they've... passed... they have a hard time accepting it."

"Nah. I remember one last thing before waking up here. Honestly, I'd be more surprised if I were alive."

"Ah, I see." Nuru nodded her head for a few seconds as she led me to a big stone building. "Well, at least we saved ourselves a lot of time. No need in trying to calm you about your situation."

"My pleasure," I said snidely. "My old life wasn't really worth living. At least Igitah looks a lot better than what I called home."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Conrad." Nuru headed up the steps. I brushed my hand against one of the marble columns as I looked around. A large archway led into the center of the structure, but it was too far and dark inside for me to get an idea of what the building contained.

My courteous guide stood by the entrance and brushed away some loose strands from the front of her face. "Before we enter, are there any essential questions you have of me? I could probably answer one before we have to get you set up. The Realm Center is only available for about an hour, so we really need to get you set up as soon as possible.

I paused, tapping my foot on the ground. I assumed that she was going to explain everything about whatever I was summoned for once we got the ball rolling. I was more concerned with the 'why' rather than the 'what.'

"Why did you pick me of all people?" I asked. A smile came to her face. "You said you knew all about me. My past. My personality. Of all the dead people you could have plucked from Earth, surely there's gotta be better candidates than me." I even pointed at myself with my thumb to show how confused I was.

Nuru adjusted her glasses before looking at the papers in her hands. "You have a very specific skillset, Conrad. Something that our Guild could really use."

"A skillset?" She couldn't have been talking about my education. Stopped going to school after the first quarter of twelfth grade. I frisked my body and gave myself a quick glance. I wasn't out of shape, but I certainly wasn’t at the peak of physical condition, either. Surely athletes and soldiers die all the time.

"You're slick. Cunning. Stealthy,” she said like a professional motivator. Part of me believed that she was going to tell me that I could do anything as long as I put my mind to it. But then I realized what Nuru was talking about.

"Oh. You mean my... pickpocketing?" I put my hands on my hips, fumbling around as my fingers searched for imaginary pockets.

"Yes. You may not think it's much, but you have the talent to be a very competent thief."

I chuckled on the inside. And to think that my counselor said that snatching wallets from spoiled and distracted brats would do nothing but get me in trouble. Wish I could tell her that my main method of getting food managed to score me a second chance at life.

Although I appreciated the comment, I still couldn't wrap my head around why some fantasy land would need some guy from Cali with a rap sheet longer than his arm. Nuru must have had some plan in mind though. She kept on smiling despite me looking confused as hell.

"Don't worry. It'll all start to make sense once we get through the tutorial."

"A tutorial? You saying I'm employed now?"

"That's one way to look at it." Nuru entered the hallway of the pantheon first. The warm, tingling sensation from the summery sun faded, my body quickly cooling from the air inside the stone walls. She took a sharp turn around the first bend and I stayed close behind her, keeping my eyes open for any other people. So far it was just the two of us until she opened the first door. "These two will be your... coworkers for you first session."

A couple of men were sitting around a wooden table. One of the guys looked a bit dapper despite the medieval setting. His blonde hair was nice and tidy. A bit long and fashioned into a short ponytail. He had his nose buried deep in the pages of a book. Once I stepped into the room, he put his reading material and looked at me with his blues before giving me a friendly wave.

The other man wasn't as presentable. His white shirt was tattered around the collar and sleeves. He leaned back in his seat, kicking his boots up on the table's surface as he scratched his almost shaved head. He was bulky too, built like a football player.

"Finley! Brandon!" Nuru called out. Both of them turned away from what they were doing to look at me with intrigue. "The new recruit to replace Travis is finally here."

"Finally. About time." Brandon put his feet back on the ground and rested his head on his hand while looking me from the bottom up. "Don't know if this one will last much longer than Travis though."

"Don't be so rude, Brandon," Finley replied with a slight Irish accent. "That's no way to treat our Guild's newest combatant."

"I'm just being honest." There was something a bit different about Brandon's voice. Canadian was my guess.

"You know how deceiving looks can be." Finley closed his book and got up from his seat and stood in front of me. He extended one hand and gave a friendly smile. "What's your name, pal?"

I shook it without hesitation. This was my chance to start anew as a different person. People in this world already trusted me, and my reputation wasn’t in the gutter. "The name's Conrad. Conrad Cooper."

"Pleasure to meet you, Conrad. I'm Finley Cunningham. And that over there is Brandon Graham." Despite Brandon's somewhat rude introduction, I decided to give him a friendly wave. You know, so I would come across as genuine to Nuru and Finley. Instead of a wave in return, Brandon flashed me a quick thumbs up before returning to his resting position.

"Pay him no mind," Finley whispered in my ear. "His taste of fame and fortune has already gotten to his head."

"Fame and fortune?" I asked Nuru. She turned a bit nervous when she heard those words. If she really wanted me to be onboard for whatever this was, she would have mentioned that first, especially if her claim that she knew a lot about was true. I've done plenty of stupid things for money and a bit of clout. And if Brandon here can make a name for himself in this world, then it'd be a cinch for me.

"Let's focus on getting you set up for now," Nuru replied nervously. "There's an essential step that we're skipping right now."

"Even more important than knowing my coworkers?" I asked.

"You'd like to know what your job is, correct? No point in getting to know how your teammates operate if you don't know what you're going to be doing in the first place."

I shrugged my shoulders. Nuru made a good point. "All right. I'm down to learn more about what you've got in store for me."

"This one is eager," Finely said with a chuckle. "Usually they're more hesitant and have a lot more questions."

"Let's just say I'm happy to get away from my old life," I replied with a wink.

"Ah, I see. Nuru seems to have a knack for picking people looking for a new lease on life. I think that's a mighty good thing she's doing. Giving people who need a second chance what they deserve. Other managers are always picking out what they consider to be cream of the crop in regards to physical prowess and their skillset rather than if their personality and mindsets are compatible with what we’re doing."

"Thank you, Finley." Nuru's cheeks turned red as she headed towards the door on the other side of the den. "Come, Conrad. I've still got an important bit to show you. You'll get acquainted with these two very soon."

I gave the two fellows one last wave before heading through the rear door behind Nuru. This other room looked the same as the last one but with one key difference: a massive floating crystal ball over the center table. I looked up at the mysterious object; I became lost in my reflection of the swirling blue object. I extended my hand forward but froze right before my finger touched the cloudy object.

"It's harmless, Conrad," Nuru said as she pulled out a chair from underneath the table. She neatly placed some papers on the table and took out a quill pen from an ink well and prepared to jot something down. "Go ahead and have a seat."