“This is it,” Grayson told me. “The Labyrinth exit.”

I stared at the strange sight, a tear in reality itself. It was like a rip in space that shimmered and gleamed. I’d seen several similar tears nearby, smaller ones that Grayson called ‘echoes’, but this… The real exit was definitely more impressive.

“Is it all you hoped it would be?” Lenore asked me.

“It’s…different,” I answered, not sure what else I could say.

“At least we’re out of here,” Jag said, glancing to her own friends. “Or at least, we will be in a few seconds.”

“Yes,” Frank said, pausing to stare at me for a few seconds. She had a thoughtful look on her face, one that made me just a little nervous. “It will be nice to get back to civilization.”

And with that, Frank turned and stepped through the tear in space, vanishing as she did so. Jag followed right behind her, not even bothering to look at us. Stine, however, looked at us, gave me a faint smile and nod, then went through as well.

“They didn’t even say goodbye,” Grayson said in an annoyed tone.

“They are right on the other side, Mister Grayson,” Giles reminded him. “We’ll see them again as soon as we step through, and we’ll probably all be staying in the same hotel.”

“He’s got a point,” Lenore said.

Giles nodded at that, then stepped through the exit himself. He vanished as soon as he did, just like our traveling companions had. Lenore gave me a gentle push, so I stepped forward and through the gate. It was like stepping through a doorway from one room to the next. One second, I was standing in what looked like a rocky desert, and the next, I was in a small town.

Grayson and Lenore emerged just a couple seconds after I had, then stopped behind me as I looked around. Neither of them said a word, nor did Giles, at least not at first.

“Welcome to Moose Tow Canada, Miss Donna,” Giles told me.

“Moose toe?” I asked blankly. “I didn’t think those things had toes.”

“Tow,” Grayson corrected me. “As in pulling something. I think they named it that because when the entrance first appeared here, some people tried training moose to pull carts through the Labyrinth zone.”

“That sounds fucking stupid,” Lenore said with a snort.

“Yep,” Grayson cheerfully agreed. “It didn’t work, but the name kind of stuck anyway.”

“So, we’re still in Canada,” I said, thinking about that area we’d explored.

“This is the second closest entrance from where we were at,” Giles said. “The only exit that would have gotten us out of the Labyrinth faster, would have led us to Africa.”

“What?” I asked. “That makes no damn sense.”

“Distance doesn’t always work the same way in the Labyrinth,” Grayson pointed out.

“No shit,” Lenore agreed. “I mean, you can spend a couple days walking through that place, then come out in a completely different continent.”

“Miss Donna,” Giles said, turning to look at me. “Now that we’re out of the Labyrinth, you should report to the local Warden office. They can arrange for some basic identification, as well as temporary room and board.”

“Take em up on that,” Grayson told me. “It isn’t much, but it really helps.”

“I need to go there myself,” Giles told me, “so I can lead the way.”

Grayson nodded at that. “Yeah. I guess you’ve got a report to turn in.”

“Yes, Mister Grayson,” Giles responded with a grim expression. “I do. And unfortunately, also need to tell them about Agent Pham.” He paused at that and shook his head sadly. “I dread having to tell his family.”

I winced as I thought about Pham, realizing that I knew absolutely nothing about his family. I’d never even thought about the possibility of him having one.

“I’ll take you up on the escort,” I said, hoping that having Giles along would make things go a little easier for me.

“While you two take care of that,” Lenore announced with a broad grin. “I’m gonna go get myself a room and a shower.”

“Don’t expect too much of the accommodations,” Grayson reminded us. “We’re in a Labyrinth zone, so there’s no power here.”

“No shit,” Lenore responded with a roll of her eyes. “I’d head to the hotel just outside the zone, but I’m too fucking lazy to walk the extra distance right now, and too broke to spend the extra money before we’ve been paid.”

Grayson chuckled at that while Giles merely nodded to them. He adjusted his grip on the halberd, then began walking away. I hesitated for a second, then shrugged and followed after him.

I looked around as we walked, seeing that there were probably only a dozen buildings in Moose Tow. Most of them were one or two stories tall, and more than half of them were log cabins. The one that really caught my attention though was a large cabin in the middle of ‘town’, one that was three times the size of the second largest building, and which looked like some kind of hunting lodge. And that was where Giles led me.

“The local Warden office is in here,” Giles explained as we went into the building. “This also doubles as the local hotel and cafeteria for people who are passing through.”

A minute later, we stepped into an office with wood panel walls. There were two desks, a couple filing cabinets, and not a single computer or electrical device inside. Instead, there were actual typewriters for each of the desks.

One desk was empty at the moment, but the other one had a man in a grey uniform sitting behind it. He was middle-aged, probably in his late forties to early fifties, with dark hair and a beard that were greying. His features and naturally tanned skin tone indicated that he was probably indigenous.

As soon as we stepped into the office, the man behind the desk looked up, his eyes locking on Giles. He glanced briefly at me before turning his attention right back to the invoker.

“I am Agent Dan Giles,” Giles introduced himself. “I just got out of the Labyrinth for a mission, and I need to log my return.”

“David Riel,” the man answered. “Head Warden for the Moose Tow entrance.” He stepped out from the desk and shook Giles’ hand. “I can log your return.” He then gestured to the other desk and added, “And give you a spot to fill out your report.”

“Thank you, Agent Riel,” Giles told him. “I appreciate the offer, but I need to call some people right away.”

“Ah,” Riel said, nodding in understanding. “Then you’ll need to visit our other office in Moose Tow proper, just outside the Labyrinth zone. My trainee is currently working there, so she can help set you up with whatever you need.”

“Good,” Giles told him with a nod of approval. “But before I make that walk…” He paused for a moment then sighed, “I would appreciate it if I could get a shower and a clean uniform. I’ve been in the Labyrinth for too long without a shower, and I’d prefer to be presentable when I head into civilization.”

Riel chuckled at that. “I understand completely.” He went back to the desk, grabbed a key from a drawer and handed it to Giles. “Room two. I’ll bring up a spare uniform from storage.”

“Good,” Giles said again, looking relieved. “And this,” he said, finally gesturing to me, “is Miss Donna. She’s a recent respawn that my team encountered, and she’s been working with us ever since. She’ll need the official introduction and some assistance getting set up.”

“Understood,” Riel told him before turning his attention to me.

The Warden had given me several looks before, and it was obvious that he was trying hard not to look at my chest. This time, he took his time as he looked me over, obviously forcing himself not to stare at my obvious assets.

“First, some paperwork,” Riel told me. “Then I’ll get you get up with a place to stay for a few weeks.” He quicky pointed out. “It’s temporary but should give you time to figure something out.”

“Thank you,” I told him, feeling just a little apprehensive.

“I’ll leave you in Agent Riel’s hands,” Giles told me. “I hope to see you later, Miss Donna.”

Once Giles was gone, Riel went back to his seat behind the desk and gestured for me to take a seat in front of it. He began by giving me the same spiel that Pham and Giles had already given me, the one about my new position as being a legally different person from who I used to be. I just nodded along, having already gotten all that before.

When Riel was finished with the lecture, he opened a thick notebook and then put a sheet of paper into the typewriter. He asked me a few questions and began filling out my paperwork.

“Your chosen name is Donna,” Riel said as he read off the form that he’d just filled out. “You are an enchanter that emerged from the Labyrinth at the Moose Tow entrance, on this date.”

I nodded at that. “Yes.”

Riel set the completed form aside, then typed up something else. It took a few more minutes, then he handed me a card. “This is your temporary ID as a player. You’ll need to go to our main station outside the Labyrinth Zone to get your picture taken and to update to a permanent ID. You should do that within the next week or so.”

“All right,” I said, accepting the ID and being a little surprised that he hadn’t asked a single question about who I’d been in my past life. I was definitely relieved at that, though I’d also been prepared to lie my ass off if he had asked. “Sounds good to me.”

“Now then,” Riel told me. “Here is a key to room four.” He handed over a key that looked identical to the one he’d given Giles. “You will be added to the list for complimentary meals in the cafeteria for the next month. We will also provide some basic clothes and a one-time stipend.”

I just stared at him in disbelief and a bit of suspicion. “That seems…pretty generous.” This sounded too damn good to be true, which made me wonder what the catch was.

“We like to help new players,” Riel told me. “At least, enough to let you get your feet under you. It’s a lot cheaper and easier than having to deal with hungry and desperate players causing trouble.”

I considered that for a few seconds before nodding. “Yeah, I can see that.”

Ten minutes later, I stepped into room four, the one that had been assigned to me. Most people would have said that it was a small room, but it was more than twice the size of my old cell, and from the single bed, it looked like I wouldn’t even have to share the space with anyone else.

There were no light fixtures or power outlets, but the room was relatively light anyway. There were some nice sized windows and even a sunlight above. Several candles were placed around the room, along with a couple lighters.

There was a small bathroom that the room shared with the room beside it, but again, this was way better than what I’d become used to. I quickly looked it over, made sure that there were no surprises in my temporary living space, and then I locked the door.

“Imagine that,” I joked as I set down the clothes that Riel had given me and leaned my staff against the wall. “The lock is on the inside.”

I returned to the bathroom and made sure the door to the other room was locked as well so that nobody accidentally walked in on me. And then, I finally turned my attention to the bathroom mirror.

This was the first time that I’d seen my reflection since I’d looked into the respawning pool right after waking up like this. That meant, this was also only the second time that I’d seen what I looked like.

A beautiful and busty young woman stared back at me from the mirror, though her face and red hair were dirty and matted. That was what happened when you fought a bunch of monsters without being able to take a shower afterwards. This also stood out all the more because my armor was perfectly clean and spotless.

I felt self-conscious about looking so dirty and messy, so quickly turned away from the mirror. It wasn’t until then that I realized, I was a lot more uncomfortable about looking dirty than I was about looking like a woman.

Then I clicked the mental switch on my armor and it suddenly vanished, going back to wherever it was when it wasn’t active. I felt vaguely amused by how easy it was to dress and undress from the armor, as well as how convenient it was to store when I wasn’t using it.

“Lenore’s armor is about the same,” I thought aloud.

Of course, her armor was conjured, just like her arrows, and wasn’t a real artifact the way mine was. When she got rid of her armor, it stopped existing and she had to create it all over again each and every time.

I turned on the shower and stepped inside, pleased to discover that the water was actually hot. I didn’t know how they were warming it up, but I was grateful that they had. This was the first hot shower I’ve had since… Well, since before I got locked up.

When I stepped out of the shower, I felt a lot better. I felt cleaner, and somehow…lighter. It was as though some of my past sins had washed away with the grime. I knew that wasn’t true, but it was nice to feel that way at least for a little while.

I turned back to the mirror, nodding in approval. I definitely looked a lot better. Then I ran my hands through my hair, trying to brush it as well as I could without an actual brush. I needed to get one of those, and maybe even some makeup. After all, I wanted to look my best.

As I stared at the mirror, at the hot chick who stared back, I was struck by the realization of just how strange this really was. What felt strange wasn’t the fact that I was now a woman, but that it felt so…comfortable. So…normal.

“This is who I am now,” I said. And for some reason, that just felt right.