As the world rushed back into focus, Rori's senses were overwhelmed. Cool air brushed against her face, carrying the sounds of rustling grass, distant birds, and the faint ctter of metal somewhere far away. The smell of earth, stone, and old wood filled her nostrils, with a faint undertone of blood. Her eyes snapped open, and she stared up at the bright blue sky, blinking rapidly as her brain caught up with the sudden return of gravity and sensation.

  "Okay..." she muttered, pushing herself upright. "That was weird." Her voice sounded completely normal again, solid and real. She flexed her fingers experimentally, and everything responded perfectly. Too perfectly. Full sensory dive, she realized. This is insane. Then she stood up, and grass brushed against her bare feet. Rori looked down, and there was a long pause. "...Oh." She turned slowly, taking in her surroundings. "...Oh wow." She was wearing a loincloth, just a loincloth, and nothing else. She pced her hands on her hips and looked down at herself again. "Well, this feels illegal."

  A fsh of light appeared beside her, and Lira materialized mid-step, nearly losing her bance. "Whoa—!" She caught herself and blinked rapidly as the world stabilized around her. Her gaze dropped, then immediately shot back up again, and her face turned bright red. "...Why are we naked?" Rori raised a finger, gesturing downward. "Technically... Loincloth." Lira covered her face with both hands. "That's worse." Behind them, another figure stood calmly in the grass, fully dressed in dark robes and boots, with a spellbook strapped to his belt. Kainen looked exactly as he had when he logged out the previous day.

  Rori slowly turned, her eyes moving from Kainen's boots to his robes to his face, then back down at herself. Her finger shot forward accusingly. "Why do you have clothes?" Kainen blinked once. "Because I logged out wearing them." Rori's eye twitched. "That feels unfair." Internally, Kainen was already reviewing the environment, checking for hostile creatures, NPC guards, and any other potential threats. Everything looked normal, which only made the strange loading sequence earlier bother him more. Dormant soul cores... That message should not exist.

  Lira slowly lowered her hands, still blushing furiously. "This is humiliating." Rori, on the other hand, stretched her arms overhead without the slightest bit of concern. "Well, obviously, this is just the default avatar." She struck a pose. "What do you think?" Kainen immediately looked away, his eyes scanning the horizon, the sky, the castle walls – anything except the problem in front of him.

  "Acceptable." Internally, he was chanting, "Do not look." Do not look. Do not look. Rori leaned closer, a mischievous glint in her eye. "You looked." "I did not." "You absolutely did." "Unverified allegation." Lira groaned. "You two are impossible."

  Then she finally looked past them, and her breath caught in her throat. "...Whoa." Rori turned and froze. The ruins of Eldoria stretched before them, massive stone walls towering above the grassy field, their surfaces weathered by time and battle. Broken towers leaned at impossible angles, and ancient battlements cast long shadows across the valley. At the center of it all stood the castle, enormous and powerful, its towering spires cwing toward the sky like the bones of some long-dead giant. Despite the damage, the structure radiated an overwhelming sense of power. Rori's grin returned instantly. "Okay." She pointed dramatically at the castle. "I love this game."

  Around them, fshes of light continued to appear across the field, as other pyers spawned. Dozens of them, every single one looking identical, with blond hair, the same face, and the same tiny loincloth. One of them shouted immediately, "WHY ARE WE NAKED?!" Another pyer spun around in a panic, "Bro, stop looking at me!" Rori burst out ughing. "Oh my god, this is amazing." Kainen folded his arms, his eyes fixed on the city gates in the distance. Somewhere beyond those walls waited quests, dungeons, and power. He gnced briefly toward the two girls beside him, then toward the massive ruined castle. This time, he thought quietly, things might get interesting.

  A cheerful chime rang in their ears, and three windows appeared simultaneously.

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  WELCOME TO AVARICE ONLINE.

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  New Pyer Detected

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  Initializing Character Creation

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  Rori's eyes lit up. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

  Kainen sighed softly. This is going to be a disaster.