“Yeah,” I said. “We get it.”
But Rocky the Robot wasn’t finished. “In the end, you will leave the game just as you entered it. And bonus! The bodies you have here are a hundred percent regenerable. Meaning if you die in the game, you’ll respawn in a nearby graveyard. Good as new!”
Well, that was good at least. I still remembered the anxiety I’d felt at Dragon Ops when the game malfunctioned. We had no idea there what would happen if we died. Thankfully, none of us had to find out.
“Number two,” Rocky continued cheerfully. “This game contains the latest in time compression technology. Meaning you can spend days in the game world—while spending no more than mere hours in real life. But beware! Some players have been shown to become too immersed in the game, forgetting real life altogether. We recommend you set an alarm for yourselves. To remind you to log off now and then. Go back to the real world. Eat, drink, rest, repeat.” He grinned madly. “And… use the facilities, please. Waking up in a pool of urine is never awesome.”
Okay, I couldn’t argue with him there.
“Great!” I tried. “We got it! So, can we go now?” After all, this was wasting time. We needed to get out there, get started. The last thing we needed was to get stuck in some hour-long tutorial like so many games forced you to go through before letting you actually play.
Rocky’s smile dipped, as if I’d hurt his feelings. “Don’t you want your first quest?”
Oh, right. I forgot. We were supposed to be actually playing through the beta. Rocky had no idea of our real mission. “Um, yeah. Sure. Lay it on us,” I told him with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.
“Great! This warehouse is full of cyber-rats. We need you to catch ten of these cyber-rats and—”
I groaned, tuning him out. Of course. A rat-collecting quest. What a shock.
“We’ll get on the rat thing ASAP,” Lilli broke in. “But in the meantime, can you open the gates for us?”
“Absolutely!” Rocky beamed. “And remember, if you need me, simply press the Help command in your game menu. I can’t solve quests or attack monsters, but I can offer helpful hints or provide assistance if you get stuck somewhere. Most of this level is finished, but there are a few places where you might possibly glitch out and fall through this world into an unfinished level. If that happens, call me immediately.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What would happen if we tried to play in an unfinished level?” I asked.
Rocky frowned. “I do not understand the question. Why would you play an unfinished level?”
“I don’t know. I mean, just say we did. What would happen?”
“I am not programmed to answer that question. Would you like me to put in a help ticket to HQ?”
“No!” Lilli and I shouted at once. We glanced at each other. Yeah, no need to call HQ, that was for sure.
“Very well,” Rocky replied, still looking suspicious, if a virtual robot could look suspicious. “I can tell you’re eager to get started. I wish you the best of luck and the most pleasant gaming experience.” He pressed a button on his chest plate, and the warehouse door began to slowly creak open.
“Gear up, Mech Heads,” he chimed, the grin back on his face. “And welcome to tomorrow.”
And with that, he blinked off the game grid. As if he’d never been standing there at all.
“Finally,” Lilli declared. “I thought he’d never leave.”
“I know, right?” I agreed. I turned to look at her, noticing her outfit for the first time. She was dressed in what could only be described as a silver space dress, short and swingy and, well, not exactly the best outfit to fight deadly robots and zombies in. On her feet, she wore matching silver boots that came up to her knees. “Nice outfit,” I teased, wondering if she’d noticed it yet.
She looked down, wrinkling her nose in distaste. Evidently she hadn’t.
“Seriously?” she moaned. “This is worse than the mage robes from Dragon Ops! I’m supposed to be saving the world from the apocalypse! Who saves the world in a cute party dress and heels?”
I couldn’t help a small laugh. Poor Lilli. As I did, I looked down at my own outfit. It wasn’t the best, either. No cool lion helmet like I’d had for the test. Just a ripped leather vest and a pair of raggedy pants. Guess this was the kind of game where you started from nothing and worked your way up, gearwise.
“At least you got a crossbow,” I said, pointing out the weapon attached to her back. “That’s pretty cool.” I glanced down at myself to note I had a sword attached to my belt. Guess I’d be playing melee again. I realized my sister was still talking. “I should report this,” she was saying. “They want our opinions, right? I am so giving my opinion on the female starter wear. It is not cool at all!”
“Also not cool?” I added. “I don’t see Yano anywhere.”
Lilli frowned. “Did he say where he would meet us?”
“No. I sent him the log-in info. I was hoping he’d be able to find us from that.”
“I can and I already did,” interrupted a voice. “Now, hurry up and let me out of here! My wings are cramping!”
I whirled around. To my surprise, the big metal shipping crate in the center of the room appeared to be shaking, as if there was something very large inside. I ran over, heart leaping in my chest as I swung open the door and found Yano standing there, a cocky grin on his face.
At least I was pretty sure it was Yano. The dragon had changed his look again. He was still three-headed and huge, but instead of the shimmery silver scales of a living,
