Erik opened his eyes, finding himself back in his room in the outside world. Turning his head to look at this clock it was 7:00 pm of that same Friday. But...Erik felt different, he felt older? As if he had experienced more in this few hours then he has in the past 10 years. From a certain perspective he had, Lash was a successful Artist with a good job, home, and friends. Who was more confident, strong, and handsome..Many thing's he was not. Then the adventure of being something more. Something Super! Meeting different people, and seeing different places. He understood why the Dream Engine had a game time limit. We needed to limit how much we play or we would lose our selves in a life that isn't ours. But Erik understood why people become shut ins.

Erik, stood up and went to his kitchen and made something simple along with some coffee. While he waited he looked at the floor in his front room and decided to do some push-ups. Shouldn't be hard, right?

“...eeeehhh......yaaaa.....C...Come on!......O.....ONE!” Erik collapsed onto the floor. His arms shaking with muscle tremors. Some part of him just wanted to die. DING! Oooo! Coffee is done, Erik slowly stood up and moved to get his much needed energy boost. Moving back to his computer, he logged onto Dream Engine forum. Looking at the swarm of new posts. Scrolling through he had a momentary expression of surprise as he clicked on the thread. DEATH!

Hey everyone this is User #00245 on the D.C. Comics story iteration. So, what happens when you die? Well it's pretty simple.... You die! I've discovered in this game, or at least the D.C. Game does not use a save point, check point system. So, you can't save before you go into the gangs' hide out, then reload your game to prevent yourself from going in that one window. The game is essentially Iron Man mode the whole way through. Speaking to several Beta Testers and their experience we have learned that certain specific Backgrounds and Origins have access to a life-death system.

Example: They had an Alien Origin, they were part of an Envoy mission from another planet visiting Earth to enlist the Justice League's help. The User had a transponder implanted in their body. If they were gravely injured? With in a less then 5% of their total health the interstellar ship would transport them back to the ship for medical attention. But this didn't always work as they said that if they were in an interference area. Such as a half a mile underground the transponder couldn't get a lock and they died.

But all is not lost! We have discovered that the Dream Engine System keeps a tally of all your exploits, adventures, and missions. When you die the system will tally all of the Achievement Points you've collected. Then when you go to make a new avatar, you can use the points from your previous game to make a new game +. So, myself have died several times! My starting Super rank on my 3rd try was F+ instead of the standard G-. I had more skills, abilities, as well as a wider range of where I could spawn in. I.E. I could choose to use my points so I would have wealth for my background!

You can even reload your original Character. Each time you create a character the system saves it into drafts. So if you fail with your first try. Re-load! Now how is this different before a check point system? Well its because you are starting completely from the beginning! You can also choose to use points to alter your background now with this new information! As well as alter your starting point collection! But!...There is always a but! If you alter your point collection when you first start then you will not have the same start. What this means is your first try we are all G- Supers. But if you restart and you have the points to be F- Super then the system will adjust accordingly. It may end up skipping the tutorial, start you off with actual missions. (If you have a mission system) You actually have to specifically ask the System V.I. To keep the original start but keep your new point total. I hope everyone has fun! Sincerely User #00245.

Erik stopped scrolling through the thread after he read a few comments. Reading other stories of when they died. One of the Magical Origin Users actually could die, then reform in the world. But the penalty was one year would pass in the game world. They had died 5 times, and was now 5 years forward. He was enjoying it! Because he would meet up with all of the old background characters they would freak out that he was alive. Hilarity would ensue!

Another surprise was he found out that not everyone started in the same time. He was at the time when Superman, and Batman were considered an Urban myth. Hearsay. Rumors! But another User was spawned into at the Height of the Justice League when they were doing open recruiting for heroes and side-kicks. But ended up using their point total when they died to reload their saved draft. But arrive 10 years ahead of their original spawn time.

Erik scrolled through a few threads reading through them. Leaving comments about his own experience. Discovered a thread about the 'Warden' for Magical Origins. Well turns out you don't have to have Magical Origin to join the super-natural society. The User pointed out that Batman in the comics has several run in's with the super-natural. Another note was that a Warden can specifically choose to represent one of the Fae Courts, they will continue to protect and serve all super-natural denizens. But off the books your loyalty resides with a Court. Another point was that The Dream Engine System was using ALL of D.C. Comics as a reference for the game. NOT just super heroes. The User linked a few obscure stories, graphic novels that are actually part of D.C.

Example: The graphic novel, and T.V. Show Lucifer? The Devil that takes a vacation in the City of Angels in California? That is part of D.C. Comics. So its possible to actually meet the Devil in Dream Engine.

Erik was surprised about that bit of information. Now discovering why the Fae Courts may not actually be a part of the Superman, Batman universe. But thanks to the Engine, it is now! Wow, that made the overall possibilities of the game pretty....Outlandish! More then it already was. He continued to read through the thread. Leaving a comment about Jessabell, and Li'Ana. A few other Users had met them. Some others got different people. Several women Users got men 'Sylvans' Is what they are called. Not elves, they look similar but are considered a different race. It would seem the Fae Courts sent what ever the Applicant Warden found sexually appealing. Primarily used as a test, they wanted to see if the Warden's could look past the Glamour and spell charms that they would often encounter in their line of work. Not everyone passed the test and failed to become a Warden. Several the Users had never heard of David Skaleg, or the fact that you could join the Wardens by the Neighborhood Watch.

Finding a new thread about 'Dissemination of Information.' This User discovered that you could not out right find Bruce Wayne, or Superman, or The Flash, then scream their identity at them. The system would prevent you from meta-gaming or breaking the fourth wall. They went on to tell how you can still physically move your character to locations, and have interactions. But, you have to LEARN the information in the generated world before the system will let you say it out loud. At the very least you have to gain a basic insight into them to even create a working theory. Once you have a plausible theory you can talk about it. This made several Users frustrated, but if you really thought about it. That would make sense.

One User had chosen the Alien Origin, he was from a nearby system of planets that was near Earth, he was tasked along with many other agents to move to Earth and learn all they could about the Meta-Gene, and more specifically the one they called Superman. So the User when he first lands heads straight to Smallville and finds the Kents. But....Cant open his mouth to ask them what it was like raising a god among men. So the User had his V.I. Model move to Smallville and volunteer to work on the Kent farm to learn. The User told his superiors he was working an angle. Over time both the User and his model became friends with the Kent's and eventually met Clark. But, Clark being who he was used his vision to see that the User was not human, fearing the worse Clark confronted him....Away from his parents. The User was free to say 'Certain' things. But told Clark that he was sent to monitor and record information about Meta-Gene's as well as Superman. Not attack Earth...But to ask for help. Now, the User has a working relationship with Superman, and does three days a week at the Kent Farm, the rest he is in Metropolis working as a Side-kick for Superman.

Erik was stunned once more at the complexity of the Dream Engine and what it was capable of. He found a comment on this thread about how they believe the different Users generated worlds are akin to what you would normally see to Alter Earths. They all start the same, but thanks to the Users we have butterfly effects.

Then one user shouted on the thread. “WAIT, YOU CAN LEAVE GOTHAM!?” Erik completely missed that point. Yes, you can leave Gotham. Gotham is the spawn location for the Beta Test. But nothing keeps you there. Another User had already flown down to Brazil. That's where he is from in the outside world. He wanted to be a super hero there. The Dream Engine did a good job re-creating the world, the User claimed the city was a near perfect replica. The User was having a blast being the only hero in his city. But he said that the system was beginning to adapt and troubles, or procedural generated events were cropping up.

If Erik didn't know better he would feel like this was one of those Light Novel's where the machine transports your soul to an actual world and the Users are just mucking up in an alternate Universe! But Erik laughed at that and kept scrolling through the Forum. He took a few minutes to write up another report on the system and how he enjoyed how it would grow and change its personality. He really enjoyed Dawn. Then went back to the Forum. He found several Users that went the Villain route. Many of them had gone to jail! But, thanks to the V.I. Model system they just went to the black room, or logged out. The Engine just skipped through time till they were bailed, paroled, or escaped! But many of the Users told everyone to try and live the day to day lives as much as possible because you would learn skills, traits, abilities. As well as play an active part. While you are active in the game the system generates events for you. While you are logged out? The system doesn't, except for specific background choices, or timed events. So even if you work a 9 to 5 job at a corporate head quarters. Go and learn Management, empathy, Or even Connections. The Dream Engine rewards you for your active participation. Yes, you can skip ahead to the good stuff, but you can also learn, and get a good grip on your foundation if your willing to put in the time. Thanks to the Dream Engine time difference, several Users had spent over a year in their worlds.

Erik read through the comments, learning the system gave the Users what can be described as the Protagonist or Antagonist luck glow. Things seem to just happen around the User, good and bad. Nothing wrong with that! But a User who was a bike messenger in Gotham must have been involved in drug runners, muggings, and sexual tension in the work place. On a side note! A user learned that yes...Yes you can have sexual interactions with characters. No, it is not blacked out, yes they firmly validated that it was almost as good as the real thing! There were many hoot's, jeering, comments. Some congratulating them, others telling them he was a pig. Only to discover the User was a women. A few more less then savory comments were said only for the thread to be 'locked' by the monitor of the forum.

Then a quick announcement on the forum was made. A new version was added to game by the developers but the game automatically downloaded the patch. If you were playing that it was done in the background. Skills and abilities that your V.I. Model has obtained either through game play, background, or origin. The black room will now have a list of those after your initial game tutorial, as well as a neat little bullet point on how the User can learn them. Also, if you die? You can only buy skills with your point value that you had encountered in your game play experience. This was meant to encourage replay, and tease others to try new things. With that all said and read, Erik logged off the forum. Moved back the cube and start up to play. Let's see where Lash is now...

Like waking up in the middle of a good dream, only to find a better reality. Erik was greeted by Dawn! Telling him about the patch, essentially everything he had just read. Because it had been awhile Erik called up his Rank Status.

Name: Erik Lash, often referred to as 'Lash'.

Origin: Magical

Rank: G+

Skills: Material Shaping, Shape shift (Saurian), Acting, Martial Arts, Magical Perception, Beast Speak, Sensory Awareness (3 meters)

The User has begun to leave their mark on the world. Though they still have yet to choose to be a force for good or evil. They have made some enemies, and some friends. They have grown as a Super, but can still be considered an average man or in their case a Lizard. They had discovered that the world is far larger, and stranger then they anticipated. But if they let that stop them then they wouldn't be back for more!

Erik did a small cheer at his advancement. Then brought up the V.I. Model of Lash and his recent activities from the soft progression. To Lash it had been two weeks, he had become a deputized Warden of Gotham. Erik, recalled that his quest required him to be an official Warden, not a deputy so he still had time. During these two weeks, he had met with Skaleg the old soldier was surprised and happy to discover that Lash was capable of beast speak, the societies added three more zero's to his retirement pension! This meant he could send his daughter to any college he wanted as long as she got in. Lash found out that Skaleg's wife, Marie's mother was a mundane and made Skaleg promise to protect their daughter from the super-natural life, on her death bed. So, Marie knowing full well what lies beneath has been following that promise as well. Skaleg got a magical glyph that is thankfully invisible to Mundane eyes inscribed on his daughter. This mark literally tells all Super-Natural denizens that Marie is protected by the Fae Court's under Warden law.

Erik continued to read the report Dawn had filed. One of the elders of the Blood-Kindred house that kid Bobby was a part of met with Skaleg and Lash. Apologized for the behavior of their young one and informed them that he was being punished. Not only had he been forbidden from going to public affairs until he had proven himself. He had broken curfew when they had found him. Skaleg seemed satisfied by the apology until the elder left then he proceeded to smash a few things. Skaleg hated the Blood-Kindred house in Gotham. Lash went to a Warden get together where he met his other Wardens and their deputies. There he discovered the hard truth. G.P.D. Has thousands if not hundreds of thousands of emergency response, service, and protection in place. In all of Gotham City...There are a little under one hundred Wardens. Now, the Wardens work in conjunction with the Societies people to help keep the peace so there is that. But the Wardens are primarily a 'neutral' faction. Some unofficially join a specific faction. But overall they are meant to keep the peace and punish those that break it. Lash met the three Wardens that were assigned to help patrol Skaleg's area. Despite the extra work they were happy to do it. Because Lash would be helping all of Gotham with the beasts of the city. They told him dozens of stories about how they lost mundane and super-natural natural people alike to a monster. Now with him they have a chance to save both people and monster alike. But they also warned him that not everyone would be happy. Several of the factions in the city had beast talkers, and were not happy that the Wardens had one. They would often use this unique skill as a political chip, so they gave Lash several factions and names with in those factions to watch out for.

On the mundane side of things, the Collins dropped the investigation into Lash and Shaw's Art industry credibility. One of Lash's clients came to his defense and publicly denounced the Collins. Using a video recording of Collins declaring behind closed doors that they were using this little stunt to force Lash to let them see his artistic process. After that the Collins not only lost reputation, they also lost the set piece that the Shaw's sold to them, since the Collins refused to pay for it in the first place. But then there was an auction for the piece, and it sold for a whopping 120,000$ the blue bloods of Gotham loved a good scandal, and the art piece was exceptional. Lizzy was incredibly happy as was her family. This put a new found of respect and reputation on them. As well as Lash.

Erik was scrolling through the last of the information. Reading that at the end of this week. Lash was invited to the ceremony of Wardens to take his official oath. Which was rather fast from what Skaleg told him. He would still be working under Skaleg for the time being, but the Fae Courts wanted him officially as soon as possibly, why? Because they didn't want any other faction to pop up and throw money, and rewards at Lash. Once you swear the oath, you're a Warden for ten years no discussion. Erik thanked Dawn for the information and gave his best impression of an air-hug in the Black room. He still didn't have a physical body there. She giggled at him, and said thank you for the attempt then with a prompt.

WOOSH!