The party is making their way through the maze-like innards of the pirates' ship, expertly navigating and dodging other enemies thanks to Elisa's intrusion. Along the way, they get to talking, starting off with an introduction. They all decided to use their real names for the first campaign. Both to make it less confusing while they get the hang of it, and because they are pretty much playing a version of themselves. Mostly the second one.

Erysis excitedly says, already dropping the broody part of her character, "Nex and I are here to strike it rich! There's been rumors of a great discovery out there in the beyond."

Nexen chuckles softly, turning to her out of character. "Remember that we just met them."

Erysis backtracks, "Rumors are probably wrong, though."

Khi scoffs. "I don't care for some trinket."

Erysis asks her, "What are you doing here, then?"

"I'm like most people that find themselves at the Last Light—nowhere else to go."

Erysis continues her questioning, "What about you, Elisa?"

"I have a suspicion that we're walking right to it."

Khi glances at me. I give her a nod. She rolls. I say, "You take a closer look at the partially augmented woman calling herself 'Elisa'. For some reason, curiosity jogs your memory. She's a Ghost."

Khi whistles, somewhat impressed. "Mess with the wrong bigwig?"

Elisa succinctly replies, "No."

Khi winces, turning to Erysis and Nexen. "That's probably worse, kids. If they sent someone competent, we are super fucked." Instead of bothered by what might await their characters, the two look excited at the new information.

A door whooshes open, revealing a modest armory.

"Really? Two guns?" Erysis asks me. "And is that a pile of loose bullets? What a stupid way to store ammo."

I defend my NPCs, "This is Bobby One-Leg's workshop. He likes to tinker with the decommissioned weaponry to keep the memory of his late stepfather alive."

"If I find him, I'm blowing him up," Erysis says. Everyone else nods approvingly. I'm playing with a bunch of psychopaths...

The party swiftly arms themselves. Elisa gets a slim pistol, Erysis picks up some janky grenades that are probably predisposed to going off early, and Khi shoulders a rifle, checking its questionable combat readiness.

Erysis then forgets her murderous inclinations and addresses Elisa with a saccharine voice, "What are you here for, Miss Ghost?"

Elisa snubs the inquisitive demolitionist, "Classified."

"Aww, come on. Please. How can we work together if we don't know what we are working toward." Erysis finishes off the pleading by batting her eyelashes at her dear teacher. So not in character.

The elf is close to breaking, but my timely assist is a nice distraction. Elisa perks up and says, "We've got incoming."

Nexen speaks up, "I place the bartender down on the table." When that is done, he turns to Khi. "You go left." Khi nods.

The two characters ready their weapons and stand by the door. Elisa gives them a signal. As the door whooshes open and they burst out in the corridor, I say, "Roll for initiative."

With the surprise factor and their new toys, the poor pirates I sent stand no chance, sporting a few too many holes after the first round of combat. The players loot some more ammo, collect the unconscious bartender again, and continue their trek.

Stolen story; please report.

Along the way, I harass them with the occasional pirate party, more to keep them on their toes and familiarize them with the mechanics than force them to do anything differently. But soon enough, they reach the coveted room, hesitantly approaching the single opening in or out.

"How do we do this?" Khi asks.

Elisa shakes her head, her face conveying disappointment. "Nothing from me. Whatever's in there, it's blocking me."

Khi quirks a brow at the odd turn of phrase. She requests a private conversation with me. Her insight roll succeeds. Both brows shoot up.

The princess turns to Erysis. "Extreme prejudice." She receives a wide grin back.

Erysis says, "I unclip my belt and put three of the pirate grenades in my pocket. Elisa, open the door and after I throw this little present in, close it immediately. Better stand back, everyone."

They get in position. Nexen and Khi keeping the door in their sights from a bit away, Elisa behind them. Erysis says when. The door slides. A ticking belt flies in. The door slides back. Erysis' character books it. The floor heaves.

"Roll for initiative," I say.

"What!" Erysis immediately protests. "What are we even fighting?" I shrug my shoulders and lift my hands up, trying to look not smug. "Jerk."

Elisa is first. "Can I feel anything new?" the elf asks.

"Your power swells. The delicate threads of reality brush against your mind. You see the gentle waves they make around you and your new companions. But your ethereal gaze does not linger for long, turning to the possible reason you've been sent here. To your mission. You see violent waves crashing against a steep cliff, a cliff you can't see the top of. It stares back."

Elisa does not think for even a second. "Psionic Shield." The ability settles over everyone. "A traitor," she adds. "Kill them."

Then it's their enemy's turn. There's a pop as the thick door tears itself out of the wall. But the nearly cubical piece of metal does not fall to the ground immediately. Instead, it hovers in the air for a second, then shoots for Elisa's character. In its flight, the projectile encounters Khi first, striking against a blue shield that flickers into existence only for a moment, and rebounding with a muted clang. Through the smoky aftermath of Erysis' explosion, a figure floats out into the corridor. A bipedal being with shiny black skin. Two big swirling eyes, containing infinity. Lipless seam of a mouth. No hair, no visible ears. Spindly arms and legs, almost looking vestigial. Carefully crafted garments, adorned with undecipherable symbols, hug its lithe form.

A fluid voice fills the gaming room. "A fitting greeting for an inferior species. Can't even manage the chaff from the harvest."

Erysis says, "That's not a traitor."

The enemy replies to her, "Don't liken me to your paltry practitioners of Psi."

Erysis freaks out, but in a good way. Khi looks impressed. And Nexen gives me a simple 'cool'. Elisa probably predicted how immersive the campaign was going to be, not at all surprised by the interaction.

"Nexen, your turn," I say.

"I try to talk to it," he says. I nod, giving him the go ahead. Nexen continues with a string of question, "What do you mean by 'harvest'? Are you harvesting people? What do you need them for? Are you going to hurt them?"

"Hurt?" the alien being asks. "We merely offer salvation."

"For whom?" Nexen asks.

The enemy cackles happily, the sound grotesque and oppressive. "Sharp for cattle."

"You suffer a psionic mind attack," I say. "Elisa's shield prevented some of the effects, but your turn comes to an end." His character growls softly. "Erysis?"

"Ah..." she says and starts thinking, her fingers drumming against the wooden table. "Do I know what's above and below the alien?"

"No."

"Can I ask Elisa?"

"Certainly."

Without Erysis having to do so, the in-game Ghost sends a packet of data, containing the requested information.

Erysis takes her action, "I throw a grenade right above it." Her character chucks the janky explosive at the relatively short ceiling, but before the grenade can reach its target, the enemy freezes it with a purple glow and flings it to one side. A shockwave washes over the alien harmlessly, and a few pieces of shrapnel plink off of a purple shield.

Not letting the failure of her teammate—or the grumbling—bring her down, Khi confidently says, "I move to the alien and attack it." As her character dashes for it, a blue glow snakes around her augmented limbs. When she reaches the alien and impacts the purple psionic barrier, she passes through, throwing blue and purple sparks. A metal fist slams against its head, bringing the floating invader down. With that successfully executed, the beastfolk curiously asks, "How close was I to failing?"

"No comment. Elisa?"

"Psionic Blade." A two-dimensional rectangle of blue energy pierces through the downed alien's head.

Immediately after, a purple wave throws Khi's character several steps back. And then a purple plane bisects her at the waist. The princess wails in terrible pain, "Ow." Her character looks like she just locked the front door but then noticed that she forgot something inside, only mildly inconvenienced by the whole experience.

"I shoot at its head," Nexen says.

"Hmm... Oh, lucky," I comment. "You manage to hit the enemy." His character places a well-aimed bullet right through the downed alien's temple. "You suffer psionic backlash."

He furiously starts reading the effects, frowning slightly.

"You know what I wanna do," Erysis says.

I wait for someone to protest, but when no one does, I proceed. The demolitionist flicks a primed grenade. It impacts a purple shield and weakly bounces back. It detonates. A slanted hole in the floor consumes the alien and the top half of Khi's character.

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