A day had passed, a tumultuous day of fear and uncertainty. One of our own had fled, breaking every rule and vow of the system clerks. He had done this, committed heinous acts of treason, blasphemy to some, and then fled to parts unknown. None of us knew where he had escaped to; perhaps upper management had an idea. But I doubt they cared for such a single rogue employee. Unless of course he made some waves.

  "Where do you think Joey went?" A voice spoke beside me.

  "I don't know..." I answered honestly, "but no doubt he is embarking on quite the adventure."

  "I am so jelly." The voice exclaimed, high-pitched and sarcastic.

  I glanced at the middle-aged woman beside me. Her short-cropped purple hair was the first thing any would notice; the second was her bronze complexion, catching the fluorescent lights of the break room.

  "Jealousy is unbecoming my lady Jane." I grinned, putting on an act as we always had.

  "Sir Samuel, a lady may express herself however she pleases." She replied in a faux-British accent.

  We had both watched several television shows from Joey's collection; British television was a favourite of ours. We hadn't kept up on our shows lately, been quite busy with work and with the announcement that our entire department and many others were getting downsized. Well, let's just say work had become a little tense.

  "Yes, a lady's prerogative should be respected. Please accept this gentleman's humble apologies. I shall give a gift to your father."

  "My father is a swine. He dares try to marry me off to lesser nobility, far beneath my station." She declared imperiously before we both erupted into laughter.

  We watched way too many British dramas; they were just so addictive the moment Joey downloaded them onto our computers. We had lost track of how many episodes we had consumed in our voracious appetite for entertainment.

  "Hey guys, did you hear the news?" A young man's voice assaulted our ears.

  The cadence of his voice was slightly off, like a piano playing off-key, but still producing sufficiently understood music. We both turned to him, the bespectacled youth with the fake glasses he wore for his own ascetics since poor eyesight didn't exist here. He dropped into the empty seat, ripped open a packet of salt and vinegar chips and began to gingerly pop them in his mouth.

  "You're talking about the downsizing; everybody heard that, Pete." Jane scoffed.

  "No, no, I'm talking about the retirement packages." Pete was excited, jubilant even, as he withdrew a piece of paper. "Look here." He said.

  His finger tapping on a particular section of the paper, littered with jargon and buzzwords, at least at a glance. We both leaned over to get a better look, really reading the page instead of skimming. Our eyes widened as we read, and I couldn't speak, just like Jane. Pete was just staring back at us, a goofy grin stretched across his face.

  "Retirement Avatar?" I queried.

  "We get a retirement avatar, our choice of race, class and whatever world we wish to retire to... I mean, we have to be at level one, but we would be integrated and able to level up!"

  "Levelling? Us?" Jane was flabbergasted, her gaze quickly falling away into deep thought.

  I read over the document; the fine print had to be scrutinised. But as the chattering youths descended into their discussions, I kept reading. And as every single word became known to me, the more likely this opportunity was worth it. I may not have been as excited as my companions. But who hadn't dreamed of adventure? Especially the one who had sent countless mortals on grand quests, finely crafted.

  Only just today had I crafted one of my last quests, for a revenant no less. To lay a weary soul to rest, in the homeland of his people. It was quite enjoyable, and I couldn't help but bury my name in the text. This old man has difficulty breaking an old habit, not that any of the higher-ups ever cared to check on me. It was skirting the rules, bending them to a degree but not outright communication.

  "What race do you think we should go for? You going for an elf?" Pete asked.

  "What, because I'm a girl, that I want to be a pretty elf prancing around flower fields and talking to raccoons?" Her tone suggested he wanted the exact opposite.

  "I think that's princesses." Pete said, completely missing the sarcasm.

  "Elves can be princesses! And no, I don't want to become an elf." She declared with finality.

  "So many options, I can't decide." Pete said, frustrated as the two scrutinised the tablet.

  I hadn't noticed them bringing out the device, so engrossed in the document, I hadn't even glanced at the tablet. It was such an oddity for the company to still use paper when they had access to incredibly advanced magology. That something as mundane as trees turned to paper sounded positively medieval. But some higher-ups were old-fashioned, so the old ways endured the turning of the tide.

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  "I will not be some basic human." Pete complained.

  "We are humanoid, are we not?" Jane shot back.

  "Yeah, but this is a new life; we should choose something exciting."

  Something exciting? That thought rang in my mind, like a bell slowly clinking behind my eyes. Exciting. When that word entered my mind, it returned me to the past, to one of those half-remembered, mundane conversations. An excited junior clerk, talking faster than anyone could keep up. Going on and on about his latest discovery. The treasures of the earth. I didn't see the appeal of such a low-mana world. But it was the homeland of Ludus himself, the God of Games.

  The young clerk spoke of video games, anime and movies. Of the many genres and tales that could populate the skies with a star for each. But one story he couldn't help but extol. I never watched it, not my particular taste. I preferred tales of heroes, but over the years I will admit they had grown rather stale. So one day I listened to his tale, as he animatedly explained such an odd story.

  A tale of a great guild of monsters that embodied the word villain. They were not malicious at heart; it was all merely theatre. As a group, they went on marvellous adventures, fought fickle heroes and defended their realm from any invader. However, over time they abandoned this glory in favour of another life. And so, within the depths of a great tomb, a single member remained. He remained to lead what was left.

  I didn't really get into the rest of the story. The idea of being monsters and building a dungeon to defend against all enemies. Somehow, that resonated with me. It was new, a fresh perspective. So far from the heroic tales I helped bring to fruition. Instead of being the knight, why not be the dragon?

  "Maybe we could be an Azuran, they are like dragon people, right?"

  Snapped out of my reverie, ironically it was the mentioning of dragons that pulled me back to reality. Eyeing my two companions, I grinned at the young ones bickering, trying to come up with the best choice. I couldn't help but sigh as my next words would be rather odd.

  "What about monsters?" I asked.

  "Monsters? Like orcs and goblins?" Jane frowned at me.

  "No, something higher on the food chain, like elder liches, demons and vampires."

  "Oh, being a demon sounds cool." Pete was practically jumping out of his seat.

  "You are already a demon." Jane proclaimed, sticking out her tongue as Pete made fake demon horns with his fingers. "Why do you ask?" Jane turned to me, finishing up their juvenile ways.

  "It's just a tale Joey once told me, and I thought it could be an interesting life, beyond the norm."

  "You talking about that anime with the Lich that rules over a dungeon?" Pete asked.

  "You know it?"

  "Yeah totally, Joey even gave me the audiobooks. I smashed through all of them." He said excitedly.

  "Being a Dungeon Lord sounds cool, but we would need to pick the best monster races, powerful ones, immortal ones. With the best stats and abilities." Jane began listing off.

  "Do not forget the coolness factor," Pete interjected, to which Jane slightly nodded.

  "Are you talking about Overlord?" A shrill voice echoed from the side.

  Turning to face the figure coming over us, the familiar appearance of pale skin and the obvious lack of breathing told everyone this man was dead.

  "Hey Greg! Yeah, we are discussing pulling an Overlord and becoming dungeon lords." Pete grinned, trying to act menacing.

  As if prompted by the junior clerk's jubilation, the stoic undead sat in the empty chair, eyes affixed to the paper and then to the tablet. He read its contents in a matter of seconds and without preamble; he spoke.

  "I wish to be a lich."

  It was said with no noticeable change in expression, merely an honest wish, a request to be something more. I had no clue what undead he was, but if he believed there was a position higher than himself, who were we to stand in his way?

  "Guess that's a perfect segue into discussing our race selections." Jane grabbed the tablet and began casually scrolling through the options.

  Mumbling to herself, I could hear her dismissing races such as beastman, insectoids, undead and Azuran. As she kept up the consisted scrolling, I considered what I wanted. Thinking about the subject, I couldn't help but recall the tales of the angels. Earth had many mythology but the tale of Lucifer was fascinating. Celestial creatures that fell from the heveans to serve their own interests.

  "Is there an angelic race?" I inquired.

  Jane frowned at me, her eyes searching my face for something before she shrugged and turned to the screen. Muttering to herself as she deftly swiped the screen repeatedly. Eventually, she made an aha sound and presented her findings to the group.

  "We don't have an angel per se, but we have a Nephilim race."

  Written in neat bold text was the namesake of the mythological creature and the future I envision. I was pleased with my selection after looking over the description; apparently, Nephilim are over three metres tall, giants indeed. Half angel, half mortal offspring of the divine. Very fitting, I think.

  "Okay, if you are going full angelic, I have to choose demon, anything like that?" Pete swiped the tablet and furiously started swiping. "No demon but there is a fiend race, sounds like a starter demon."

  "It must evolve to a demon at some point, too bad they don't outline the race evolution." Jane shrugged.

  "Yeah, what gives? They should have a full list of the evolution. But I suppose that's cheating, and some worlds have different systems set up."

  Pete and Jane devolved into a discussion about potential evolutions for the fiend and Nephilim races. Greg was sitting in silence, eyes unfocused, the piece of paper in his hand. I got up, asked if anyone wanted a coffee, I got three negatives and so a single espresso for me. The coffee machine wasn't that far away, just a few paces from our table.

  I always liked our espresso machine; every time and without fail, it produced the perfect coffee. It was like... magic. Chuckling at that, I pressed my favourite. An elvish blend from the planet Avaloras, one of the technomagical realms that achieved space flight. I recalled they had recently encountered the Imperium and established a peace treaty. I got only the overview from a friend of mine who managed that sector.

  As the drip poured the desired brew into a paper cup, I pondered my future and the future of all of us Clerks. We serve, manage, and maintain. But now... we were obsolete. My face dropped a little. The eternal calm I had cultivated over the centuries I had lived fell just slightly. It returned a moment later as the dripping stopped.

  "I want to be a djinn! To be fire! That is powerful!" Jane exclaimed to the group, and I sighed.

  They were my friends; only one was missing, and he was the most peculiar of them all. I hoped he was well in his exile. I imagined him sitting on a beach, drinking whatever stereotypical cocktail he could drum up. Probably the one a certain British spy would drink. Free of responsibilities and enjoying his freedom. Soon, that would be us.

  Frowning, I shook my head, taking a sip of the delectable brew. No, that is not what Joey would seek. Like us, he was a clerk of adventure. Perhaps we would see each other again as our new lives began. I returned to the table, smiling at the animated discussion.

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