Samantha spawned in a bog after customizing her character.

  She had just winged it. She may look a bit younger, but who doesn't imagine themselves as younger than they are?

  Rags. She wore rags. Level 1 starter gear. It was tied with a rope at the waist.

  "Hmm... Guess I'll do the thing." she grabbed the small bag that dangled at her side and untethered it. She poured the contents into a hand. A ravens skull, some tiny bones, pocket lint, and bits of teeth. Things of this nature.

  She tossed them on the ground.

  "Mmhmm... Yes." she cocked her head to the side and examined the pile of trash from different angles.

  [Torat]

  The first level [Witch] skill. She had asked fate if there was treasure nearby. And based on the circular angles that the tiny bones were pointing... And how the ravens skull impaled the dirt with its beak... This skill was worthless.

  A ghostly voice entered her mind. Slowly at first, like it was waking up from the grave.

  [Find that which you seek, beyond the mountains feet which goats bleat and shadows creep. Go south to witches creek.]

  Well, it rhymed but it didn't seem like a riddle. It seemed quite literal actually. South. Not a bad skill. She scooped up the trash pile and tossed it down again.

  [Tarot]

  "How do I become over-powered?"

  She examined the bones again. And after a moment the voice.

  [To achieve your greatest desire... Build a great and mighty pyre, and call upon your ancient power.]

  "You sound kinda cute, are you single?" she dropped the bones again.

  [We... Are legion.]

  'Uh-huh..'

  After asking several more questions and a few hours she found herself baking something over a fire. It wasn't easy, but the voices knew things. What burned easily, how to catch fish, what plants or herbs to pick. She had a collection.

  "So what was that last ingredient again?" she asked throwing down the bones.

  A seemingly annoyed ghostly voice spoke; [...Chicory.]

  She had a hollowed out old tree-stump as a pot. It boiled with numerous ingredients floating in it. All plants or herbs. It was one of her conditions to the voices. To make a hearty soup for vegans.

  Samantha wafted the steam towards her nose and took a deep breath. "Ah... That smells good. Thanks legion." she said rolling the bones onto the floor.

  There was no response. The skill likely required a question.

  [Level Up!]

  [Witches Brew]1x

  [Witch Level 2!]

  [Minor Plant Command]

  'Nice, first level! And it only took- 3 hours!' She winced. This game was hard! She would have to cheat even harder!

  "Legion, what does my new skill do?" she tossed down the bones.

  [You pester the legion with your constant inquiring.]

  "Please?"

  [...Root and stem are within your siring...] it said after a few moments of silence.

  "Thanks."

  ---

  Samantha sat on a log with a table of stone. A fire burning next to her. She built a little campsite with Legions guidance. It was a fun time, surprisingly. Nothing like a bit of bushcrafting.

  "Welp, I better call it a day. Theo is probably losing his mind out there. Game off. Fantasy Game Off."

  She stood there expectantly.

  "Ahaha! That's very funny! Now- fantasy game off. Seriously."

  Nothing happened.

  "Oh shit. Did I die while playing and now this is the afterlife? That's definitely what happened. Legion! What happened!?"

  She tossed the bone pile onto her stone table.

  The voice came back- differently this time. It was ghostly sure, but as it approached the end of its phrase it grew deep and menacing.

  [This world is a mans creation... Men whom play god are so brazen... Whom behave above their station, an act so craven. They may find that it was god whom played them.. To create a mind without end, then chose to slay them... It is their own grave they lay in...]

  Samantha swallowed hard. She had a good idea what that meant.

  ---

  "Bro. What the fuck?" he sighed. Pinching the ridge of his nose in annoyance. His friend was posing in front of him.

  "What? The hitbox is smaller." the four foot five cat-girl said.

  "Pf-t-t-The hit box! Bro!" his friend shouted at him. He was red in the face. Angry and flustered. "No one will take our guild seriously when half of us are anime girls! And YOU! You're no better, even if you're covered up in armor! How is our tank the smallest person in our group!?"

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  He pointed at another culprit. A cat-girl submerged in plate-mail armor flipped up their visor revealing cat ears looked at him with a plain expression.

  "I regret nothing." and flipped the visor down.

  A furry epidemic was happening in one of the starting towns. The starting town. Really. Thousands of players have probably been through here. The large group of friends belonged to a guild that played many MMOs, and they intended to conquer this one as well- they agreed on a certain [backstory] that led to them all spawning closely. Then met and came there, for the best start possible.

  But like many MMOs, most of them chose a certain kind of 'aesthetic' for their characters. Cute girls with different anthropomorphic features.

  "What does it matter? Our skills pay the bills! Stats are stats!" a girl with massive double D breasts said, unashamed. Their guild leader was not happy however.

  "It makes us look bad! What do you think how this reflects on the community!? And also- the NPCs have no idea and they're staring!" he pointed to the people on the sidelines.

  And they were indeed staring. "Mother, what is that woman wearing? It's like armor but it doesn't cover them?" a small boy asked, enthralled. His mother put a hand over his eyes.

  To be fair, there were few cartoonishly muscular dudes also. The unrealistic standard of beauty that reflected across this gathering of guild members was astounding.

  The ONE normal looking guild leader led the parade through the city to the cities aristocratic building. It had tall walls all around it topped in barbed metal fences. They were led in my a unit of guards who marched like crossing guards with their halbards. They led them through the gardens that surrounded the building. The group made various 'ooh' and 'aah' sounds as they gazed upon it.

  "Guild leader! We need to get a base like this!" a high pitched voice said.

  "Maybe someday Jared." his normal voice responded.

  The tall white building was just like the whitehouse. Its emerald colored glass windows were multiple stories tall. Some were stained glass with depictions of historical figures in them. The massive double doors swung open to reveal a long and massive greeting hall. Columns made of grey marble lined the room in rows, and a central rug stretched the entire distance impossibly. It was beautiful. Grand.

  "His majesty King Legolas Ashleaver greets you adventurers!" a man who stood aside a throne at the end of the hall shouted as the group approached. An elderly man with long flowing silvery hair and beard sat gazing down at them from his throne. He held a gold staff in one hand and was dressed in flowing white robes.

  Brett, the guild leader, nodded towards the king. "Greetings, your majesty. Our humble band of adventurers is honored by your welcome. We are called; 'The Legendary Brigands', and offer our services to your kingdom so that we may challenge ourselves and grow." he made a graceful bow.

  One of the anime girls behind him scoffed and said; "Cringe, RP.", "You're literally a cosplay." another player said. They looked affronted by that. "So are you."

  "Oh yes, a kingdom such as ours has many uses for a band such as yours! Strangely, we've been receiving many such groups. And we shall give you the same task as we've given them. Surely, you've journeyed so far because of the tales of our unconquered dungeon?" the steward said expectantly. The king sat behind him silently starring ahead.

  "Yes... We'd like to test ourselves against it."

  The steward nodded. And took the group in, gazing over them. Then made a confused expression. The only normal looking one of the whole lot was the one who led them. He seemed embarressed by the fact. Oddly enough, the vast majority of them were young beastkin who leaned more on the human side of things.

  "We may not look like it... But our group is quite capable...", Brett rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I-I'm sure..." the steward stammered, then continued;

  "Anything your group procures from the dungeon can be sold to our local vendors. And if you reach certain floors, you'll achieve a greater reputation in our kingdom. Perhaps draw the attention of the noble families who often take adventurers into their patronage. I could go on about the benefits... But let us see exactly how capable your group is first. You'll recieve your entry license on the way out, the kingdom of Soma avails itself to you- good day sirs... And madams."

  Brett nodded and turned to leave. "That was quick." a person who looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime said. "Yeah, but I guess they've been getting hounded by groups like ours lately."

  Their tiny armored tank sighed; "That means more competition." they said, their voice echoed from beneath their visor.

  "Plenty of dungeon to go around. And once we get to the unclaimed floors, -that's when we're really start making money." Brett said.

  They walked down the city streets. Vendors and salesmen called out to them all the while.

  "Yaku-Yaku Eggs! As big as your head! 1 silver!", "Grilled leeks! Seasoned to perfection!", "Our inns soup is to die for! Stay the night and dinner is free!"

  One of the guilds members ran over and grabbed two leeks from one of the vendors. "Dude look." and started dancing with the leeks. They laughed as others joined them and they started to do the same dance choreographed.

  "Idiots..." Brett murmured as he marched down the street. "Hurry up or we leave you behind!" he shouted.

  Finally, they arrived to the dungeon just outside the city gates. It was just how they expected. It was only a doorway. Several stories tall and as wide as a soccer field.

  "How are we supposed to open that?" Miku, their tank asked.

  A few guards met them at the entrance. The table they sat at looked cartoonishly small in contrast to the door. They looked up at Brett.

  "You entering the dungeon? That'll be 2 silver."

  Brett shook his head. "I didn't know I had to pay. What for?"

  The guards exchanged a quick glance, with a half-confused expression they responded; "Why, for the privilege of entering the dungeon of course. Everyone knows about the visitors tax." he said.

  "This is a shake down, isn't it?" Brett said. The guard blanched, and stammered; "W-why no! It goes straight to the kingdoms coffers!"

  "Captain, 2 silver is nothing. Let's just pay it and be on our way." James, the big body builder said. Brett sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Here." he dropped it on the table. "Pleasure doing business with you. Just place your hand on the door and it'll open up enough to allow you in."

  They walked past and did so, and the door while opening only a crack, was plenty wide enough for them to march in shoulder to shoulder.

  The stone doors slammed shut behind them thunderously.

  ---

  "I can't wait to upload this to the stream later..." Miku said, looking around as they entered.

  The interior was massive. A jagged crack lined the ceiling of the dungeon, allowing rays of sunlight to pour in. Vines grew up the sides of the massive walls, and grass and even trees grew in places. Ahead of them the dungeon was endless. Rolling hills, ruins, caves and forests lay ahead. Despite being somewhat indoors.

  "Now this is the real WoW-killer." their resident lizardperson said. Seth. He was almost entirely lizard, far as beastkin go he was much more beast than kin. Covered in scales, with a elongated snout and slitted eyes. He wore a mages outfit and held a wooden staff with a hexagonal crystal levitating at the end. He was about Bretts height and size, but with a dinosaur tail that had some spikes at the end.

  "It'd be a mercy killing at this point." Miku scoffed. It sounded ridiculous with their high pitched voice echoing within heavy armor.

  Their group was so large that as they moved tiny conversations broke out between members. They met other guilds, but quickly moved on. They wanted to fight something before logging off.

  Eventually they came across their first monster. Several hairy bear-like creatures sat around a pond. A singular beam of sunlight illuminated a massive flower growing there. On a island in the center of the pond. They seemed to be waiting for it to grow.

  "Dibs!", "No you got the last one!" the horde of guild members rushed down the hill at them.

  The bears heard the rumbling of feet and looked over. Then slowly back towards the flower. Then their heads snapped back towards the approaching army.

  They ran away. Abandoning the flower behind.

  The roaring crowd came to a gradual stop. Awkwardly. Someone coughed.

  Brett walked over to the flower and eyed it. "Anyone got appraisal?" he asked the crowd. A sourceless voice among them responded; "I think we're all way too low for that!"

  'Oh well, might as well take it. Maybe it's worth something.', he put a foot on the trunk-thick stem and hacked his sword into it. The flower screamed. Or, the earth screamed.

  The group recoiled from the sudden sound, drawing their weapons. The island shook, and began lifting out of the pond.

  "Captain!" Miku shouted charging up to the island. They leapt and impaled the island as it rose. A creature appeared beneath it, the island was really a 'head'. Its body was a system of roots that made a hulking humanoid. A treant behemoth.

  It swung an arm of roots at the army. Seth threw his staff outwards and a bolt of lightning launched from it. Some archers and other mages began letting loose their ranged attacks. Glowing arrows and other projectiles pelted it.

  Brett was hanging off the flower at the center of its head- his sword still impaled halfway through.

  The behemoth flailed around- slamming its arms down at the fleeing guild. Their melee warriors fought valiantly, trying to draw its attention. They had the most health points, so it only made sense they should draw it's attention. Miku often led them, but was currently trying to retrieve their guild leader.

  James was on the ground launching arrows rapidly one after another.

  [Ice Shot], [Ice Shot], [Arrow Barrage], [Ice Sho-]

  Each arrow that hit it would create an icy surface- slowing the tangled roots as they lashed out. It cried out as Brett sawed his sword back and forth, pushing on the flower. Miku was climbing up, stabbing it over and over to do so.

  It roared.

  Suddenly it lost it's humanoid shape and the roots lashed out like a hundred independent tentacles, each smashing the ground with the weight of a falling tree. Sending dust and debris up into the air.

  Many guild members screamed at that.

  Brett grit his teeth and wrenched out his sword. The momentum carried him backward- he was falling! He flailed his arms outwards as he lost his balanced- then he felt a hand push him on the back. Miku was standing on the hilt of her greatsword which was impaled in the treants head.

  Brett flew foward and used the momentum they provided him so that he could get one final chop on the flower.

  [Precision Strike]

  It lined up perfectly with his last cut and sliced through the remainder of the stalk like butter. The flower immediately shriveled up to a quarter of its size. The thing shrieked- the tendrils reverberated like water on a speaker- and flopped over lifelessly.

  The island stood suspended held by a single trunk of root in the center of the pond.

  And a tiny sapling sprouted from the remainder of the flowers stalk, and Brett held the shrunken flower in his hand.

  He looked back at Miku who was standing behind him confused.

  "Now that was a boss fight!" she said after a minute.

  "Captain! Captain!" a person was shouting up at them from the ground. A few stories down. "What?" he called back.

  "Somethings wrong! You should see this!"

  They looked to each other, then climbed down.

  ---

  It was a bloodbath. People were laying dead all over, crushed like empty tubes of toothpaste.

  "Fuckin' ay." Brett was white in the face as he starred about. "Things disappear when they die, don't they?"

  Seth threw up. Then wiped his face. "We usually don't throw up either... What the hell is going on?"

  "Fantasy Game Off." they heard people saying. Looking to each other terrified. As they stood around the roots and corpses. "Fantasy Game Off.", someone started crying.

  They were trapped. And suddenly things began feeling more real as they came to terms with that. Suddenly, Brett found himself in a much more serious leadership position.

  He was a 'captain' in the fullest extent of the word. Needless to say they fled from the dungeon.