"Is the guy ready or what?" I heard Brandon's deep voice boom across the room. "I just want to get this tutorial session over with!"

"Calm yourself, boy," Finley said. "Like everyone, Conrad probably has a million and one questions that he needs answered. Let the lad figure things out a bit before jumping straight into combat."

"He's got us to keep him safe," Brandon said. "And it's not like Dungeon Runners actually die during tutorial sessions."

"Still, it's a bit of a shake to have just died and wake up here. Let the man get his bearings together."

"I'm good now, Finley," I said as I approached the table. I took a seat between the pair and brushed back the long strands of hair that covered my face."

"So that means we can get this show on the road, right?" Brandon asked as he sat up in his seat, his hands pressing against the table's surface. "Because I've got plans tonight. And seeing as how we don't get to keep anything from one of these tutorial sessions, I'm just wasting perfectly good prep time."

"Calm down, Brandon. Like Finley said, Conrad is still trying to grasp his situation. Just do him a favor and make sure his tutorial goes by without a hitch." Nuru placed another sheet of paper in front of me. "Keep that close. It's a handy cheat sheet I give to all new recruits. It'll tell you how equipment, weapons and other items work."

I lifted the page and squinted my eyes. There was a lot of info, far too much for me to just scan over in a few minutes. "Uh-huh. I'll be sure to give it a good read before I head to bed tonight."

"These two will also answer any questions you might have about the Gauntlet itself." Nuru gave Finley a few pats on the back. "Mister Cunningham here was a tutor in his previous life. He's very good at giving simple yet effective explanations."

The Irishman gave me a thumbs up. "Just stick with me and I'll make sure you'll make it out in one piece."

"You two keep Conrad company while I get the portal set and ready." Nuru made her way to the door and turned around to give Brandon a cold glare. "And try not to scare him, Brandon."

"Wouldn't think of it." The burly dude had a smug look on his face as he watched Nuru leave the room. With the three of us left alone, all eyes turned to me.

"What class are you?" Finley asked.

"Bandit."

"Interesting. We haven't had a nimble Dungeon Runner in a while," he said as he tapped his chin.

"Because they're too much of a liability," Brandon interjected, his hand slamming on the table. "You know how many times I missed out on a rare drop just because I had to save the skin of some Ranger or Assassin that got in over their heads?"

"Don't act like you haven't had other people come to your rescue before," Finley said coldly. "I'm a Cleric, remember? How much have I healed you?"

"That's different," Brandon replied with a roll of his eyes. He turned his head to face the door Nuru exited through. "It's your job to save people. I'm a Knight, it's my job to go in and distract the monsters. I can't babysit every wannabe looking to steal the spotlight by scoring the most kills."

"Don't listen to what he's saying, Conrad," Finley whispered to me. "Like I said before, the small bit of fame he's gotten has messed with his head. He's still in the lowest tier of Dungeon Runners yet he acts like he's a Grand Master."

"You act like my success is a fluke!" Brandon shot back. "I've pulled more than my weight in our Gauntlets."

"As much I disagree with the man's disposition, there's no denying Brandon here gets results."

"Exactly.” Brandon slammed both hands on the table. “Name one other Knight in our tier that you'd want to have on your side in a Gauntlet."

Finley lowered his head and hid his grin all while keeping silent.

"Exactly! You can't! I'm the best there is, and you don't want to admit it!" Brandon chuckled as he kicked further back in his seat.

"Can’t deny that he's right. After the few Gauntlets we've gone through, there are very few Knights that can do what he does. In our tier, at least."

"I only need a few more games and I should be able to rank up." He pinched his fingers together. "I can almost taste it. The money. The attention. The women."

I leaned forward over the table, grabbing both of their attention. "Hey, I'd hate to interrupt your chat, but would you be fine with answering a few of my questions before we head out to the tutorial? Sounds like there's a lot at stake and uh... I don't want to die again."

Finley nodded his head. "Go ahead and ask away. I'll answer to the best of my abilities. And I'm sure Brandon will be sure to inject his special brand of humor into the equation."

The Irishman seemed genuine. That helped to ease my worry, albeit just a bit. I tried my best to pay Brandon no mind and looked at Finley right in his eyes. "I'm still not sure what exactly it is I'm doing. Nuru helped a bit, but she was so focused on getting the 'paperwork' out the way that she glossed over the really important details."

"That's because it's a bit complicated to explain to someone that's never experienced it. Gauntlets are one of those things that you'll have to go through firsthand to get a grasp on how it works."

"I know we'll be watched. So that doesn't help me stay focused when I know there's people watching my every move."

I saw Brandon shrug his shoulders from the corner of my eye. "Bah, but that's the best part. That's how you get recognition. You really want to be one of those lowly Dungeon Runners that's risking their life only for a handful of watchers? Trust me, it's the easiest way to make a name for yourself, both in this world and even back on Earth."

"I never really craved attention," I replied, giving Brandon a mean look. The guy was too focused on biting his nails to even notice me. "I preferred a more introverted lifestyle."

"Well, you're a Dungeon Runner now. Not like you got much of a choice in the matter." Finley jabbed me in the shoulder in a friendly manner. "Trust me, it's not all bad once you get used to it. After some successful runs, you'll start to get excited for the next one."

"And are they really called… dungeons?" I asked nervously. I leaned forward in my seat a bit as I squinted at the Irishman. "What kind of game is this?"

"It's not the kind of dungeon you're thinking of lad. There's no political prisoners or torture chambers inside," Finley said, following his reply with a chuckle. "It's more of a catch-all term. Think of it more like a maze. Other guilds have a Dungeon Operator. They're the ones that organize and arrange the dungeons as well as training the monsters we have to fight inside them."

"Or hire the mercenaries at higher ranks," Brandon blurted after spitting on the ground.

"True, but Conrad doesn't need to worry about that right now. He's just going through the tutorial. So let's focus on what's going to go up against."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Okay, I think I get what you're saying." I sighed once I realized what I got sucked into. It was like one of the role-playing sessions that some other students would do after class. They had a club after school, right across from the detention room. Spent a lot of time there, so I got to hear a lot of adventures about slaying goblins and rescuing elvish princesses. "We go in, kill some monsters and come out with loot?"

Finley smiled and nodded. "That's the core of it, yeah. There's more rules, but let that analogy be your guide. Better yet, it's like a level in an old arcade game. You get put in at Point A, you have to fight to find keys to open doors until you reach the big bad boss. Once you beat 'em and grab their treasure, you get to leave through Point B."

When I wasn't getting into trouble, I spent a lot of my time hanging out at the arcade. Had to find a good way to spend all those quarters from the purses I looted. I've played a few games that would fit Finley's description. Even manage to get a few hi scores here and there. If this really was just like one of the hi-tech virtual reality games that everyone was talking about, then maybe this new career might be a bit of fun.

"I think I can manage that."

"But it's not that simple, buddy." Brandon wiped his wet fingertips on his shirt and turned to join in on our conversation. "There's a lot of variables thrown in to keep things interesting. Hope you got a decent number in your luck stat."

I glanced at the sheet Nuru gave me. Three. "I don’t think I do."

Brandon huffed through his nose. "Well, your luck will determine whether or not the Gauntlet will be a struggle or a cakewalk. You see, there's all sorts of items you can pick up. And I'm not talking about just weapons and equipment. There's Trinkets, too. Not to mention Blessings and Curses."

"Is the fact that I always skipped church going to hurt me in that department?" Wasn't much of a religious person. But after getting thrown into another dimension, maybe I should have been.

"Nah, it's just gonna be your Luck stat that's going to determine that," Finley said. "Trinkets are items you'll carry in your bag." He turned to his side and pointed at an empty leather pouch strapped to his waist. "Our bags are magic, and so are the trinkets. That's why you can theoretically hold an infinite amount of them in here." Finley gave the pouch a gentle tap before crossing his arms. "They're the difference between survival and death. They provide all manner of bonuses to your stats, so you'll want to collect as many you can."

"Yeah," Brandon leaned over the table to look at my sheet with my stats. I pulled it closer out of reaction, kind of like how other students would whenever I tried copying their test answers. "Those are just your base stats. If the Gauntlet goes on long enough and with a bit of luck, you could be ten times stronger than when you first entered."

"Like a superhero or something?" I asked.

"Yeah. And you know how much ladies love a strong, brave guy." Brandon's smirked remained as he tilted his seat on the rear legs.

There was a knock at the door. Nuru poked her head through and waved at us. "Have you given Conrad a description of what to expect?"

"We got the basics down," Finley replied. "But I'm sure he'll get the idea once we go through the tutorial."

"Excellent! Because the portal is ready, so whenever you three are ready to start, just meet me in the other room so we can send you on your way. But... the sooner the better."