The gate stands behind me. To my knowledge, no one has actually seen it open, even though we all supposedly enter through the gate. It soars into the sky, ten floors tall, all black, wrought iron, twisting together in a dense vine work obscuring the other side. Held captive within those vines are images of the tormented dead, clawing their way upward, seeking a Heaven that will never accept them. Yeah, it’s super cheerful.

The Queue is a sort of shantytown that’s formed around the entrance with dusty, foot trodden streets. Most are tents belonging to vendors who will sell anything for the price of experience points or levels. Some are Non-Player Characters, but most are other players who have set up shop to try and gain some quick levels without having to do the hard work of missions. Generally, the players’ prices are way too expensive.

We all enter the Queue, the new, the returning, and the respawned. Agitation, awe, frustration, and anger all mix to create a dense and oppressive atmosphere.

“Hey kid,” I overhear a familiar voice say. “You look new here. Me and my associates like to, uh, help the newer players out by offering them a position within our prestigious clan.”

The player being spoken to has all the hallmarks of a noob. His avatar is a straight-out-of-the-box default, his eyes are wide, and he never stops scanning left to right, forward, and back. He might even have the noob-stimulation-overload shakes.

I stroll over and clamp my hand on the shoulder belonging to the voice’s owner.

“Don’t listen to him,” I say. “This is Rot. He’ll get you to sign up for his glorious clan and then use you as cannon fodder while he and his buddies ninja all the loot and XP.”

“You sunnova...” He twists to look at me. “Oh, haha, Shamshiel. Nice to see you.”

I sigh. Rot, his full username is CoffinRot, is what more experienced players would call a vulture.

“It’s hard to get out of a clan once you sign up,” I say to the new player. “Be really careful. Do some research before you join one.”

He nods. “Yeah, ok. Thanks.”

“Rot?” I let go of his shoulder with a little shove to encourage him to move on. “Leave the noobs alone until they’re at least level five, geez.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He growls at me, walking away, calling me things I don’t even recognize.

“Rot’s an asshole, and there’re lots like him. Watch your back.” I wave to the noob as I walk away.

He catches up with me before I can bring up my menu and get away from this place.

“Hey, uh, are you in a clan?” he asks.

“Nope.” I shake my head. “If you’re just starting out, it’s not a bad idea to join one now. I started playing early on and have a bunch of allies. Besides, my level’s pretty good, so I don’t worry about it.”

“Is that why that guy didn’t fight you? What level are you?”

I shrug. “Rot’s a coward. He knows I can kill him, so he won’t risk losing any XP by pissing me off.” I purposely avoid the question about my level. Unlike some MMORPGs, Revelations keeps your levels secret. “But if his buddies were here, things would’ve gotten ugly. If you want a clan, start by checking out the Ninth Circle Denizens. I’ve done some missions with them and they’re ok.”

“Thanks.”

He wanders away, eyes still wide at how real everything looks. Ha. Wait until he sees the lowers circles.

I bring up my menu. Since I logged out intentionally, I have the option to fast travel to where I’d been last. I click and feel the tingling sensation rush over my skin. I blink and find myself standing in front of FuknDemon1.

“Sheeit, I thought you’d wussed out on me,” he says.

“Sorry. My computer’s a little slow. It took a while to install.”

“You ready?”

I nod.

“Cool. I’ll send you the team-up request.”

A second later, a pop-up window flashes in front of me.

FuknDemon1 wishes to enlist your aid in a quest. Accept Y/N

I stab the air where the Y is displayed.

The mission details display. It’s a pretty simple influence mission--prod some kid into stealing some money from his mother’s purse. Not exactly fire and brimstone, damn his soul to Hell, kind of stuff. The experience points should be enough to push me to the next level. Thank god. I’ve been grinding out missions for a month trying to level up.

“So far, so good. No glitches in accepting the mission,” I say.

FuknDemon1 smiles. “OK! Let’s get going!”

We teleport to the portal.