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down and wiped his hand across his mouth. There was a look in his eye that was a mixture of condescension and good humor.
    It can’t be that surprising that I don’t know about this stuff, can it?
    “The whole point of the game is to push out from Kantor and Stark Town and claim the zones for either yourself or your guild,” said Silverstrike. “There are still quests in Yvvaros, and you can level up through combat with monsters, but the real focus is on the interactions between players. Trading, wars, politics, that sort of thing.”
    Luke nodded.
    “Just like the TV show,” he said. Silverstrike winked at him.
    “Now you’re getting it. Tomorrow, I think our focus should be on taking advantage of the fact that we have most of the basics down and trying to claim one of the closer zones for ourselves.”
    Luke took another sip of his ale and smiled. He hadn’t really known what to expect when he first decided to try out the game, but he had to admit that he was having fun.
    “Hey.” A familiar voice came from behind him and to the left. “Did the potion end up working out for you?”
    Luke turned to look at Tess. She wasn’t wearing the starting equipment he’d seen her in before, but rather, a slim fitting, eye-catching purple dress.
    “I didn’t make it in time to use it, unfortunately,” said Luke. “This is the friend I was headed to resurrect. Silverstrike, meet Tess.”
    The two shook hands, and then Tess sat down next to Luke. He was happy that she was there, but at the same time, he felt almost like he’d been put on the spot.
    She’s cute, or I guess I should say her character is. I wonder what she looks like in real life?
    “I am still expecting you to pay me back, you know.” Tess’s tone was playful and made Luke suddenly feel as though he’d known her for much longer than he actually had. She smiled at him and flicked a couple of strands of hair out of her face. Luke smiled back.
    “Well, it’s not exactly as though I’m drowning in money at the moment,” he said. “Maybe I can find another way to repay you?”
    “Yeah, I guess,” she replied. “You were one of the few players brave enough to head outside of Stark Town, today, you know.”
    Luke nodded, feeling as though she’d just given him a compliment.
    “I think the intro may have put a lot of them off,” he said. “It’s different playing this game. You don’t feel quite as insulated from the action.”
    “My point is,” said Tess. “If you want to pay me back, but don’t have the gold, there are other ways in which you could do it. I could use somebody to show me the ropes of combat.”
    Luke’s back straightened at her suggestion. He looked at Silverstrike out of the corner of his eye. His friend was waving the bartender over to refill his mug.
    “Uh, yeah, why not?” said Luke. “It might have to wait until tomorrow, but I’d be more than happy to. Especially if it means saving me from having to pay you back the gold!”
    He felt stupid immediately after the words had left his mouth, but Tess just giggled and set one of her hands on his shoulder.
    “Tomorrow, then,” she said. “I’ll send you a message in the afternoon when I’m in-game.”
    “Yeah, tomorrow,” said Luke.
    For a moment, neither of them said anything else. Luke was aware that he was only looking into the eyes of her avatar, and the voice he was hearing was only an approximation of hers. He also knew that the room they were in was just a three-dimensionally rendered set, but there was something underneath it that made it all feel real.

CHAPTER 5
     
    The inn eventually began to empty, and the trio wound down along with it. Luke said goodbye to Tess and watched her character disappear into nothingness as she logged out.
    “What was that all about?” asked Silverstrike, gesturing to where she had sat. Luke shook his head.
    “She helped me get the potion,” said Luke, “she’s… really nice. That’s all.”
    Silverstrike raised