When I woke up, I was standing face to face with a tall thin figure wearing a patchy, green sweater and a large, black hat. My heart raced, thinking it was an enemy and I reflexively punched it, trying to knock it backward, but it didn't budge and it felt strange to my fist. Shielding my eyes from the bright sun, I realized what the thing was: a scarecrow. I took a deep breath, the smell of damp earth flooding my senses and I looked at my surroundings. I was in a field of yellow plants; wheat, probably, but I'm not a crop expert. The fields stretched for quite a while, but I could see a row of trees standing on the edge of the field to my left and a gap hinted at a road to my right.

It was hot and I wore a leather jacket. I always warp somewhere new with it on but despite the fact that I would have it again in the next cycle, I didn't want to take it off. It was sentimental to me. So, instead of focusing on the weather, I turned my attention to what I needed to do and looked around. A red barn stood out in the distance and I headed towards it, trying to step between the plants, so as not to crush them. The sun was high and the sky was clear, not that I expected it to be different. It was always sunny during the game; until the snow arrives.

After the short walk to and around the barn, I turned towards a house on the other side of the street, probably belonging to the owners of the barn. Down the road, to the left, was more farmland, but the right showed several buildings, so that's the direction I went.

Eventually, I came across a few stores and houses. I could see people walking around inside and I mentally took note of anywhere that I thought might be a good place to set as a sort of base. There were few ideal candidates. The location wasn't great to begin with. There were a lot of cross streets that would make it hard to stay unnoticed. Once an enemy got within range, both them and I would get chills and we'd know that someone was around. My ideal place would be somewhere outside normal pathways. The barn might have been a better location, or the house next to the barn, but even that was out in the open and easy to spot.

This was my typical routine when a new cycle started. I used the first day or two to see the map and make mental notes on where I could go if I need to stay somewhere. If I meet anyone on my search and they're alone, I might try to team up with them. If they aren't alone, I tend to avoid them. Sometimes, searching around isn't practical. You can easily run into others before you're ready, there might not be an ideal place to set up as a base, or the map might be too large to search it adequately in only a couple of days. You also run the risk of falling behind in the game. Others might be forming allies or will take the location you want to settle on before you can circle back to it. However, I believe that scouting out the area is the best way to play the game. You know where you are and you know where you're going. That's why I took note of everything I saw. Every restaurant, store and home was carefully stored in my memory so I would be able to find it again if I needed to return. It was an important skill and I had used it while working as an assassin before my time in the game began. Knowing your surroundings meant having an advantage against targets. If they run, you'll know where they're going and if you need to escape, it's easier for you to get away.

When I reached the library, an old-looking, brick building with glass doors and a large black plaque near the front, I got chills. I had a feeling that the culprit was inside and I decided I would take a look. They would be aware of my presence too. If I left, I would risk them following me. Worst case scenario is that they would already have allies and they would attack me. But being this early in the game, it was unlikely that they'd have one. The best case scenario would be that I find mine. Having a teammate this early would be a great start to this cycle.

The library smelled of leather and paper and looked exactly like I would have expected. Most of the bookshelves were lined around the room to make it easy for someone to browse without needing to backtrack. Closer to the center of the room, the bookshelves took on a different pattern, arranged in an octagon with gaps for people to move through. A circular table was placed in the very center of the room surrounded by several chairs aligned with an equal amount of computers. A few more computers lined along the wall to the left and a check-out desk on the right, near the entrance. When the door opened, I heard a soft beep and I was greeted by a young girl with short, dark hair and thick glasses. I nodded back and began my search. There were not many people in the building. The few that were here had huddled together near the back, probably students preparing for a project or exam. I kept searching but found little else; a thin man reading a book to his child, a teenage couple giggling near an empty corner and an older woman inspecting a bookshelf filled with large books. The teens looked too comfortable together to be newly formed allies and I've never seen kids or the elderly in this game, so it was unlikely that these were the people giving me the chills.

I decided to make another round. Maybe I missed something, or maybe the person sending me chills was hiding from me and moving out of sight when I got too close. This time when I searched, I was more sporadic. I would quickly turn or backtrack, trying to throw off anyone who might be avoiding me. As I was nearing the end of my route, I noticed movement. The set of people that I assumed were college students were getting up and leaving. Most of them were talking to one another, but one of them stood out. There were six of them. Three boys, three girls. The boys were in the front, one took the lead but they were all talking with one another. The girls were walking side by side, also talking with one another. The difference was that the girl on the far left didn't appear to be in the conversation. Neither of the other two looked at her and it seemed like she spoke at the same time as one of the other girls. Then I saw her eyes dart toward me, but snap back in position when she realized I was watching. It was her.

Casually, I made my way near the entrance, keeping the girl in my peripherals. Before she had a chance to run, I took two quick steps and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her behind a bookshelf. She was so nervous she was shaking and I thought she might cry. I tried to calm her down by letting go of her and putting my hands up defensively. She just looked at me with light green eyes and moved some of her red hair from her face with a trembling hand. I could see the goosebumps on her arm and felt confident that I had been right. She was a part of the game.

"Relax," I said, trying to calm her down, "I'm not looking to hurt you."

"Not yet," she whispered.

"Right," I amended. "Look. It's early game. I don't have any allies and I assume you don't either, right?" She shook her head in confirmation. "Would you want me for an ally?"

Her eyes widened slightly but she took little time to answer, "Y-yes."

"Great. Try to relax." I gestured to a chair, "Let's talk a bit."

We sat down facing each other, leaving two of the computers chairless. I didn't expect her to start our conversation. She looked too nervous and so far, had only given short replies. But to my surprise, she did speak first. "How did you know where I was?"

I smiled, "You had a great idea, blend into the crowd. You did it well, but the people you were with forgot you were there. I could tell they weren't talking to you. Then you sort of gave it away when you looked at me." Her face fell and she looked at her shoes. "It's a great tactic, it just didn't work on me. I'm Saris. What's your name?"

"Allison."

"Alright Allison, what can you do?"

She held out both of her hands and a pair of long, thin daggers appeared. "I'm not very good." The daggers vanished and she reddened, "My power isn't that great either."

She really wasn't trying to sell me herself as an ally. "What is it?"

"I can make... like a storage space."

"A storage space? Like, you can make a cabinet appear or something?"

She shook her head, "Like a pocket dimension." She gestured to her right and a swirling, black hole appeared. A thick fog seemed to leak out of the hole but would dissipate a moment after reaching the air. "I didn't know it would be so useless."

This time I shook my head, "It's not useless. Can you store food?" She nodded. "Then it's great for survival."

"Maybe, but I have no real fighting skill."

I smiled, "We can work on that."

She seemed to brighten a little after that. "I've heard a little about you. They say you're some kind of machine or something."

"A machine, huh?"

"Well. I dunno, you just come across as less human. Sorry, that's rude."

I waved a hand, "Don't worry about it."

"What can you do?" She asked nervously.

Just as she had done, I showed her my weapon first. A long sword appeared in my hand. It was thick and resembled a crude version of a chef's knife; if a chef's knife was several feet long. The flat of the blade had a rose petal design on it, which often reminded me of my life before the game. I set the tip on the ground and rested my hands on the handle, "As for my power, I can copy abilities or attributes. For example," I used my ability to copy Allison's, then made the same pocket dimension she had done, "I can only copy it for a little while, so I don't think I'll be able to keep anything in there long term, but we can test it." I took a random book off of the shelf and tossed it into the dark hole, "Hopefully, no one will need that one."

Allison smiled, her shaking had stopped and I wondered how many cycles she had been in. Judging from the way she hid, I thought she might have been a part of the game for a while. But based on the confidence she had in her own ability, I was now thinking that she was relatively new. However, I didn't think it was important to ask. I didn't like being asked how long I've been here. It just serves as a reminder of how long it feels like it's been.

This was my eleventh cycle. I just needed one more win. The thought excited me and terrified me. If I won, what would happen? If I really got to go home, what would I do? Everything I once knew would be different and I was sure that I would never fit into my world like I once had. I held hope that if I did return, I wouldn't be alone, but what's the likelihood of that? This game had consumed my thoughts since I had become a part of it. Eight deaths; in a way, eight lifetimes. Even if I escaped, a part of me knew that I would never truly leave. The memory of it would always remain.

I shook the thought from my mind and refocused on Allison, "Ready to go?" She nodded and we headed for the exit. "I have a thought for your ability that I'd like to test."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Let's find a good place outside."

We exited the building and I looked around for a good spot to test my theory. Behind the library was a small playground for children. No kids were on it right now, so it seemed like a good place to try it out. I guided the redhead to a tree next to the sandpit and broke off a limb, holding it out, in front of me.

"Umm. What are we doing?" she asked.

"Make a pocket dimension." She did and I inserted the stick so it was halfway in the foggy hole and halfway out. "Close it."

The hole vanished and the stick broke and splintered where it had met the portal. Allison gasped. Then I broke another stick and held it out again, telling her to make another storage space. This time, I went around the hole to look at its back. No fog was coming out of this end, but I could clearly see the hole. I pressed the stick towards it. There was no resistance, but when I pulled it back, it came out twisted and mangled. Allison confirmed that it looked frayed and bent when it was poking out the other side.

"This is good," I said. "Your ability isn't just a storage space. It's a weapon. It can also be a deadly defense." She looked confused, so I elaborated. "If you're attacked, you can make a portal between them and you. If you have it face them, you might be able to trap them inside or kill them off by closing the portal on top of them. You can also have it face away from your enemy and, based on what the stick did, it looks like they'll end up getting killed, or at least mangled, just walking through it."

"I never thought my ability would work this way!" Allison cheered.

"Sometimes, you need to get creative with abilities. Let's try it one more time, but this time, try to make the portal on top of the stick."

I didn't feel comfortable holding the stick this time. I didn't know how accurate she was or what would happen if something already occupied the space for her ability. So, I stuck a new stick into the sand and made a mound to hold it in place, then stood by Allison's side. She focused on the small stick and a new portal appeared halfway through the stick. But this time, the portal warped, swirling around until it popped. The stick was still intact and I took it out of the sand and broke it. I didn't see any oddities with the stick so I guessed that it didn't have any effect.

"Nothing," I stated.

"That's okay. This is great!" Allison said. "Thank you!"

"You bet. But let's move on. I've been looking for a decent place to use as a base, but I've had no luck yet."

Allison brightened, "I might've found one. It's not far from here. Follow me."

We rounded several corners and found a street that seemed to go out of town. Allison pulled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from her pocket dimension that we ate while we walked. She said little on the trip but I got the impression that she was still a bit shy around me, so I didn't press her to talk. Eventually, we ran into a path leading off the main road and around towards a cluster of trees. The cement road had changed into a dirt one and I saw a large house sitting between a row of pine trees.

Once we arrived at the door to the house, Allison pointed north, "That way's the graveyard and the church. That's where I started."

The players in this game aren't summoned to the new location all at the same time. Maybe the Traveller can't do that much at once, but they are summoned within a close time frame. If I had to guess, I'd say that the last one to spawn arrives within a day of the first. "You covered a lot of distance."

"I had to run. Someone saw me and started to chase me."

"At the graveyard?"

"No. I was a ways out from it, I just saw the sign. I think it's called Hangman's Cemetery.

"That's an awful name," I remarked.

"Yeah, it is."

I turned my attention to the house. It was a large, white house with a black roof. Large windows faced the dirt road but most of the house was covered by the trees. It was not easy to spot unless you went looking for it or stumbled upon it. It was larger than what we would need, but it would make a good base.

Allison read the satisfaction on my face, "I found it on my way to town and it's where I got the food we ate. You know what the best part is? I don't think anyone lives here. It's empty."

I took a closer look. I saw no cars and no lights on. I knocked on the door and rang the doorbell. No one came. That didn't mean that no one lived here. The owners could be at work and might be back soon. But it was getting dark and they would be shades soon, so we wouldn't have to worry about them for long. Things were looking up and I couldn't help but smile at our luck.