《Stories of the Realms》 Duality ¡°Are you checking me out?¡± Joana¡¯s voice was loud and indignant, and the luminescent blush that appeared on Cassidy¡¯s cheeks answered before she could say anything. ¡°Oh my god, you are checking me out!¡± Her friend waved her hands wildly. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think!¡± ¡°What am I supposed to think then? Are you gay?¡± Her friend pondered for a moment, but quickly shook her head. ¡°No, you were way too into Travis our senior year for that to be true. Bi then?¡± Cassidy tried to push through the mortification. She raised her hand to her mouth, placing her index finger on her lips like she always did when she was unsure of herself. ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re something else then, because you just looked me up and down like a chunk of particularly fine meat.¡± Her friend flashed a thousand watt smile. ¡°Which I am, of course. But I never thought you¡¯d be giving me that look.¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s just¡­ I can explain!¡± Cassidy seemed to finally realize she had her finger on her lips, and quickly lowered her hands to her lap. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I need you to come sleep over in my room tonight.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Joana¡¯s grin had gone downright feral, and her eyes were blazing. Cassidy, on the other hand, was barely capable of talking. ¡°Not like that! It¡¯s just, it¡¯s hard to explain, and everyone says it¡¯s easier if you just show it.¡± ¡°But dear, I¡¯m not sure my body is ready.¡± Even after retreating to the safety of the bathroom, Cassidy could still hear the laughter from down the hall. --- ¡°So, what are you showing me? That dumb game you¡¯ve been playing?¡± Cassidy nodded, ignoring her friend¡¯s put down of how she spent her free time. They had bonded in middle school over a shared love of Nancy Drew novels, but in the last few years their tastes had diverged wildly. Joana loved every trashy romance novel she could get her hands on, while Cassidy would never admit in public to having read one. And she made sure they were quite hard to find in her closet, since she knew Joana would be looking. Joana indulged in the occasional time waster on her phone, but was otherwise uninterested in video games of any form. She would occasionally indulge her friend, and try something out, but she just didn¡¯t see the point. ¡°So this is the Dusk of the Worlds, then?¡± asked Joana, when her friend had finally gotten the game loaded. ¡°It¡¯s Dawn of the Realms and you know it,¡± huffed Cassidy, even though she knew she was playing into her friend¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯d know better than me, nerd girl. So what¡¯re you supposed to¡­ oh my!¡± Cassidy didn¡¯t need to ask what the reaction was for, because she very well knew. She had reached the character select screen, and her avatar was right there in front of her. His name was Trent Maavos, and he was the boy of her dreams. Tall and thin, with intense blue eyes, and shockingly white hair. He had just enough muscle tone to hit her buttons, and those cheeks were enough to drive her to tears. ¡°So what, you just wanted to show me the boy toy you made?¡± Cassidy knew this next part was going to be difficult. ¡°I need you to not fall asleep before me, ok?¡± she said, trying to make her tone strong. ¡°And after I fall asleep, I need you to log on here with a different character.¡± She clicked the mouse over, showing the female character she had in the second slot. She actually looked vaguely like Joana, albeit a Joana that worked out and wore amazing evening dress while also carrying a sword. Joana, for her part, was sufficiently surprised to just nod. Something odd was going on here, and if her friend didn¡¯t want to tell her yet, she trusted she¡¯d find out soon enough.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Speaking of finding things out¡­ ¡°In the meantime, let¡¯s check your closet then!¡± ¡°No!¡± --- They¡¯d put on a rom com just after eleven, and Cassidy never even got to see the second love interest show up. Joana was pretty tired herself, and ready to call it a night. She had just lain back on her side of the bed when she realized she had a promise to keep. Grumbling to herself, but driven by curiosity, she opened the game back up on the computer. She was briefly worried she¡¯d select the wrong character, but she soon found that Trent Maavos, also known as Cassidy¡¯s man candy, was currently already in play. She was briefly confused - did Cassidy share the account with someone? - but quickly just logged in with the second and only other character on the list. A moment later, the game loaded in, and she whistled. She wasn¡¯t a gamer, but everyone had heard about how impressive Dawn of the Realms was, and it lived up to the reputation. The character loaded in a bedroom, with a window view of a snow-covered forest, and the way the snow came down and the trees moved were breathtaking. Then she realized that Trent Maavos was in the room too. Joana picked up the headphones on the desk so she could speak. After she had sat in the chair, and was sure everything was connected properly, she tried speaking. ¡°Hello? Can you hear me?¡± ¡°I can,¡± answered Trent, and Joana found herself blushing. There was no getting around it - that voice was hot. Her tastes weren¡¯t exactly in line with Cassidy¡¯s, but they were similar enough that she could appreciate her friend¡¯s creation. ¡°Are you Cassidy¡¯s boyfriend or something? Is that what this is, some big reveal?¡± she asked the adonian figure sitting on the bed. He currently had on no shirt, and his legs were spread widely on the bed. If he was a real person, sitting in the actual room with her, she¡¯d be all over him. Then he raised his index finger to his lip, as his cheeks burned. ¡°...Cassidy?¡± --- ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°Stop saying that!¡± ¡°Stop being a hot guy!¡± Cassidy - or should that be Trent? - had filled Joana in on the basics. She¡¯d been in the game for two weeks, she wasn¡¯t alone, and it happened when she slept. And she just so happened the enter the body of the only character she¡¯d made so far, a bit of eye candy she¡¯d made to play as. ¡°And why do you sound like that? That is not your voice!¡± Trent shrugged. Even the way he shrugged screamed Cassidy - arms drawn close, head tilted up at an angle, and shoulder shrugged inward as much as upward. ¡°I don¡¯t know. When I play normally, I just avoid talking as much as possible. But when I¡¯m in the game, I just have this different voice.¡± ¡°A hot voice,¡± said Joana, and to her surprise her friend didn¡¯t just blush. She¡­ or he¡­ seemed to revel in it, seeming to take a great deal of satisfaction from the comment. Trent¡¯s next words were slow and careful, seeming to waltz around his true meaning. ¡°It¡¯s not just the voice. When I¡¯m in this body, things work differently.¡± Joana had heard the basics, but this was still fascinating. ¡°So it is a full fledged body? With, ah, all the parts?¡± Trent just nodded, refusing to look at her. Joana looked back over to Cassidy where she slept on the bed, and tapped her on the arm. Trent¡¯s embarrassment was gone in a flash. ¡°Hey, stop that! It¡¯ll take me forever to get back to sleep!¡± Joana smiled and shrugged, then realized her friend couldn¡¯t actually see her. She could hear her, thanks to the extra character and voice chat, but Trent¡¯s vision only included what was in the room with him in the game. Then Joana¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Why were you checking me out this afternoon then?¡± she asked. Trent¡¯s finger was back at his lips. ¡°I¡¯d have sworn you were straight. Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with the alternatives, of course,¡± she added hastily, ¡°but I¡¯ve never seen you look at a woman that way.¡± Trent¡¯s answer was slow in coming. ¡°I was just¡­ testing something.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re still straight?¡± she asked. She thought her friend wasn¡¯t going to answer when finally he eked out, ¡°Yes, I am. In both bodies.¡± Joana burst out laughing. ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± whined Trent, and buried his head under the pillow on his bed. ¡°So in the game you¡¯re attracted to woman!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied Trent, muffled by the pillow. ¡°How does that even work?¡± Trent sounded miserable when he answered. ¡°I have no idea, but it is very confusing.¡± ¡°Do you know anyone else that¡¯s playing as a different gender?¡± Trent slowly lifted the pillow from his head, sounding thoughtful. ¡°You know, I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t talked about this with anyone else yet.¡± Joana sounded excited, and had already reached a conclusion that seemed the most exciting to her. ¡°You should find a guy playing a girl in the game, and then you could begin dating, and meet up in real life, and you could both be both parts of the relationship!¡± Which caused Trent to retreat back under the pillow. And so things went, until finally Joana went to sleep in the early parts of the morning. And, to both their surprise, woke up in the game soon after. Strings The end of the song arrived with a muddled applause, and the announcement of a small break. Andrew removed his guitar, set it down next to the chair, and made his way over to the bar. He eased himself onto the stool, nodded his thanks to the bartender for the waiting drink, and took a sip. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re doing well up there.¡± Andrew smiled, and turned with his arms open. ¡°Kate! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d manage to make it tonight!¡± She laughed, and leaned in. ¡°Like I¡¯d miss my big brother¡¯s performance.¡± He waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Not like this is anything special, you¡¯ve been to a dozen before. Besides, you¡¯ve already missed most of this one.¡± She shrugged apologetically. ¡°Sorry! Had a late study session for an exam tomorrow. Got here as quick as I could. Besides¡­¡± She looked around quickly, checking to see if anyone was listening, then leaned in. ¡°I wanted to know how things were going in the game,¡± she whispered. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be wrapped up in fifteen. Have a drink on me.¡± --- ¡°Are you serious?¡± It was an hour later, and they had ended up at a park three blocks away. It was too hard to have a conversation in private at the bar itself. He began to nod, then realized there was an easier way to show it. He pulled out the cheap pocket knife he kept around. With a flick of his wrist he had it open, and he eyed his surroundings. He gestured towards a flyer set on a tree twenty yards away. Then, with another flick, the knife lept from his hands. His sister actually began clapping when it buried itself into the center of the flyer. ¡°Oh my god, that¡¯s so cool!¡± He shrugged, but didn¡¯t quite manage to hide his pleased expression. ¡°It¡¯s not quite perfect - you should see the dartboard at my apartment. Well, that and the wall around it. I remember performing the motions, but none of the muscle memory is there. You have to work at it until it really ¡®settles¡¯ into your real body, but it works. More than that - the skill is ridiculously high. That knife is a piece of garbage. Someone who¡¯s spent years would only be able to make that throw half the time, but I can do it nine times out of ten now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cool,¡± she said, leaning back on the bench and staring at the sky. ¡°Wish I could do that instead of studying.¡± He grinned, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°Sorry, don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen a civic engineering skill yet. No dice.¡± She sighed. Then she bolted upright, and grabbed him by the shoulders. ¡°Wait, wait. You¡¯re a bard in the game, right?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s one of my classes, the system-¡± ¡°Blah blah nerd talk, whatever,¡± she cut in dismissively. ¡°But you are a bard, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And the skills you learn are stupidly good?¡± A small smile played out on his lips. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then you should get super guitar playing skills!¡± she finished, looking supremely proud. Which turned to a pout when he answered, simply, ¡°Afraid not.¡± ¡°Ah, come on!¡± ¡°Listen¡­¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. --- They had spent most of the night reaching the clearing. The woods around them had been filled with a maze of thick webs. They had originally tried to cut their way through, but after they¡¯d nearly lost their weapons to the thick, sticky ropes of web, they¡¯d decided to just pass through the tunnels. Only when they had begun to get lost had Jo lost patience and just decided to burn a tunnel straight through. After fighting off the dozens of spiders that had drawn to their location, she had still maintained it was better than being lost. Willemse, still refusing to come out from his hiding spot behind Svengard, maintained that no amount of time save was worth seeing that many spiders. So they had finally reached the clearing, and the sub boss of the area made her appearance. The group was fighting furiously, trying to keep the situation under control. The problem wasn¡¯t actually the giant spider. That was tough but manageable. The actual problem was the hundreds of eggs surrounding the arena. The eggs which burst and spewed forth dozens of spiders if disturbed. ¡°Any ideas?¡± shouted Svara, hacking away at the wave of arachnids nearly overflowing their position at the back. Svengard and a few of the others were engaged with the giant spider itself, while the others were trying to figure out a way to stop the unending wave of additional creatures. The more they hurt the spider, the faster they broke free, so at the moment they were trying to do only enough damage to keep it distracted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, maybe I¡¯d be able to think if Willemse stopped clutching on to me and blubbering!¡± shouted Greir from the backline, trying to pry the mage free from his side. ¡°We need something fast!¡± shouted Simonstar, using his newest axe to hack apart a cluster of minions. ¡°Like, right now fast!¡± shouted Chilkaa. And on and on, one voice after another. Until Vallory strummed her guitar. The piece was calm but with a steady beat, a modified refrain from the piece that had played the night after they saved the Shard. She didn¡¯t play much of it though before Norik jumped in with his drumbeat, rattling off in time to her strings. Then Greir laughed. ¡°How lame is this?¡± he asked, turning to the others. ¡°After everything we¡¯ve face, we¡¯re falling to pieces over some lame spiders?¡± Willemse slowly pulled himself off of Greir, looking sheepish. ¡°These aren¡¯t even the worst game spiders I¡¯ve seen, I admit. Just a lot more¡­ personal than normal.¡± ¡°Hey, why doesn¡¯t Jo just burn the eggs? That¡¯s how it worked in that movie!¡± shouted Simonstar excitedly. ¡°You are much too young to have seen that,¡± scowled Svengard, but before he could continue Jo had already started throwing around the fire. --- Andrew paused in his story as a couple walked by. ¡°And then what happened?¡± asked Kate excitedly. ¡°It worked like a charm. Jo started flaming the eggs, Greir started firing up everyone¡¯s weapons, and everyone else got the idea. Had the spider handled pretty easy after that.¡± ¡°And so¡­ what, you don¡¯t want to learn guitars in that world because you already do drums?¡± Andrew shook his hand. His eyes followed a distant jogger for a moment as he mulled it over in his head. ¡°Vallory just turned fourteen.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a kid on your team!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not the only one. Simonstar is a year younger than her.¡± His face turned serious at the thought. ¡°Youngest kid I¡¯ve seen in the Realms, in fact.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t discovered where the kids are?¡± He turned his head down and sighed loudly. ¡°We¡¯ve had¡­ assurances they¡¯re safe. But no, we¡¯re still not sure exactly where they are. Anyway. ¡°What I didn¡¯t tell you is what it was like when she played.¡± --- He watched her, as the others began to argue and panic. She was always reserved. Not just at moments like this, but just in general. She was definitely a part of the group, even a valued one, but she still wasn¡¯t particularly happy with being in the spotlight. She always shied away from attention. But she was always there, and she always watched so carefully and calmly. And when the others began to scramble, she didn¡¯t. She got an intense look on her face, of supreme concentration, as she slowly pulled her instrument off her back. She tuned it carefully, deliberately, making sure the sound was just so. Then she hesitated. She realized, suddenly, what she was doing. Then Noric gave her a thumbs up. He pulled out his own drums, not playing, just ready. Giving her the solid assurance that she wouldn¡¯t be alone. Then she began to play. --- ¡°I don¡¯t want to make her think it¡¯s even possible for someone else to replace her. If she knew I could play, that¡¯d be it. She¡¯d instantly defer to me, be unwilling to make that move. But because I¡¯m there ready to back her up, it gives her just a bit more courage. Just that last little push to convince her it¡¯s alright to be that person. That she¡¯s not in it alone.¡± His sister was smiling when she finally said, ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, you know that?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s also a bit of pride involved. I¡¯ve come this far with my own skills, and I¡¯d like to do the rest by myself too.¡± ¡°Old fart.¡± ¡°Young whiner.¡± And they both set out into the night. Cool ¡°This is Anna Silfaris,¡± said Trent, stepping forward with his hand in hers. The others waved in response, with a few voicing a brief word of hello. ¡°Oh, who¡¯s she? How do you know her?¡± asked Simonstar, the boy jumping forward and bouncing excitedly. Before he could actually bowl her over, Svengard had stepped forward and caught him. ¡°Simon, stay calm lad! It¡¯s not polite to ask such questions,¡± he rumbled, moving forward himself to shake hands. ¡°Nice to meet you, armor man,¡± said Anna, which only caused Svengard to grin. ¡°And you as well, dress girl!¡± he boomed. Svengard had stepped back to allow another to move forward, but Greir didn¡¯t give them a chance. ¡°I hate to interrupt, and I¡¯m really sorry, but¡­ we have some natives waiting for us down the road. If we¡¯re to reach them in time, we¡¯ll have to double time it as it is.¡± He moved over, clasping hands to Anna briefly. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to meet you, and I¡¯m looking forward to meeting you later. For now though, we need to get moving.¡± --- The blue drake roared as it charged forward. Greir was at the front, with Svengard at his side, and the pair of them managed to draw the creature¡¯s attention. With it distracted, Svara and Simonstar rushed it from one side, while Chilkaa and Rexamus hit from the other. Jo and Trent acted as the artillery, laying into the creature from the back. And Anna watched it all with her mouth hanging open. She¡¯d only awoken in the game two nights ago, and hadn¡¯t seen a real fight yet. Cassidy¡­ or rather, Trent, had shown her the ropes the previous night. The group had been taking a break in a monastery they¡¯d found, training with some of the monks and researching in their library. Anna wasn¡¯t sure she really had it down yet, and the rest of the group had urged her to stay back when they found the drake. She was glad of that now. The beast let lose with blue flame that somehow covered whatever it touched in ice. Greir and Svengard both drew gasps as the ice covered them, falling back and trying to hack off the chunks. Meanwhile the other four had caused significant damage with their strikes, and the beast seemed to be slowing. Jo threw a ball of flame that detonated on impact with the creature, causing considerable damage to it. Then Trent raised his hand. ¡°Cry for me, oh heavens. Piercing crystal spear!¡± There was a crack of thunder, and an actual spear fell from the heavens. Fifteen feet long and wickedly sharp, it raced from the sky and sheared directly through the drake, pinning it to the ground where it stilled. Greir whistled, while Simonstar ran up to Trent in excitement. ¡°Oh wow, what was that?¡± Simonstar asked, clutching Trent¡¯s sleeve and bouncing on the spot. Trent let the barest trace of a smile touch his lips. ¡°Something new I picked up from one of the monks. I thought it best to give it a shot in a simple battle.¡± Anna nearly shouted in surprise. That had just been a minor battle?The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It had to have been a man that taught you that,¡± injected Jo with a sigh, patting down her skirt. Simonstar looked up, confusion on his face. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Giant spear falling to pierce through an enemy? Count on it,¡± said Jo, walking forward to continue on their trail. ¡°She¡¯s just jealous she couldn¡¯t learn it,¡± whispered Svara, not quite lowering her voice enough to keep it from Jo¡¯s ears. Who, for her part, pretended not to have heard. ¡°How much mana did that take?¡± asked Greir in interest, poking the spear still embedded in the ground with his sword. ¡°One hundred and thirty. And it only works outdoors,¡± answered Trent, shrugging. ¡°Still, it seems to have done the job.¡± Which caused Svara to laugh. ¡°Oh yes, I think your mighty spear did the job well.¡± And Trent only shrugged. ¡°Oh, I have mightier. That was just a warmup. Next time, I¡¯ll show you what I can really do.¡± --- ¡°Ok, there¡¯s something I gotta know, boyfriend.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± said Trent with a shudder. ¡°Why do you act so cool in the game?¡± Trent actually drew back in surprise. ¡°What? No I don¡¯t!¡± They had finally arrived in the next town, a moderately sized village named Hazul, and they had checked into an inn for the night. Apparently that was a luxury, as many of the small places they moved through had little more than an extra room or two to offer. As it was, they were having to double and triple up, but at least they¡¯d all have a bed to rest in, giving their characters the associated bonuses. Anna had laid back in the bed, pulling three blankets over herself to hold back the chill while Trent got the fire going. Now though, the fire was finally going, and Anna had gotten back out of bed. Instead, she had advanced upon her friend. ¡°Seriously! Just standing back flinging magic like it¡¯s no big deal, and being all quiet and mysterious in between battles. That is,¡± she interrupted herself, glancing at Trent with indignation in her eyes, ¡°when you¡¯re not flirting! ¡®Oh, look at my mighty spear¡¯ indeed!¡± ¡°That¡­ that wasn¡¯t flirting!¡± hissed Trent, franticly waving his hands. ¡°That was the smaller version of the spell! The other had a cool down, so I was saving it!¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Really! And besides,¡± added Trent, pacing the room, ¡°Svara and Greir totally have a thing. I¡¯d never try to intrude on that. I have too much respect for the both of them,¡± he finished, leaning up against a wall and running his hands through his hair. ¡°Aha! Doing it again!¡± Trent glanced down at the hand he¡¯d been using to ruffle his hair, and forced it into his pocket. ¡°That¡¯s even worse!¡± shrieked Anna, watching him pose against the wall. Trent jumped away from the wall. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything!¡¯ ¡°Doing nothing is very cool!¡± ¡°Well-¡± There was a knock at the door. The pair of them glanced at each other, and finally Trent strolled casually up to the door - as if on a catwalk, Anna couldn¡¯t help to notice - and opened it. Jo stood on the other side, tapping her foot. ¡°You,¡± she said, pointing at Trent. ¡°Go sleep in the room with Svengard.¡± Trent¡¯s reply was immediate and grateful. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± With barely a glance back, he escaped from the room. ¡°What was that for?¡± huffed Anna. Jo only rolled her eyes. ¡°Because we¡¯re supposed to wake up soon, it¡¯s nice to relax for a few minutes first, and we¡¯ll never get a moment¡¯s rest with you two flirting so loudly.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not-¡± Anna stood there, contemplating lines of attack, and tried again. ¡°We were just-¡± The words died again, her jaw moving but nothing coming out. Jo just stared. ¡°I¡¯ll lay down now,¡± Anna answered meekly, refusing to meet Jo¡¯s gaze. They laid there in silence - Anna in the bed, and Jo reclined in the chair. When the system clocked ticked over to seven, Anna moved to logout. And timed perfectly - so that she¡¯d hear it right before she logged out, and too late to stop herself - she heard Jo say, ¡°She¡¯s pretty handsome for a woman.¡± When Joanna woke up in her bed moments later, she stared at the ceiling for five seconds before hurling a pillow. Real Lucas accepted the quest because he hadn¡¯t managed to pick up the herbalism skill yet. In Dawn of the Realms, there was a small and seldom encountered part of the quest system where a player could gain precious skill points by completing a related quest. In general you only got three skill points per seldom-achieved level, and so a free skill point was quite valuable. And Lucas liked playing jack of all trades. He¡¯d much rather be able to play around with any of the game¡¯s systems than attempt to achieve mastery of any specific skill. So when he found an NPC that was looking for a guardian for an herb gathering trip, he was quick to agree. The NPC would be heading to a meadow just north of town, in a dangerous wood, and was looking for a protector. The reward was trash, and the challenge low, but even that small chance of picking up herbalism made the trip worth it. So he set out with the NPC, a cute young thing named Laura. They passed through the snow-bound town, though soon enough they had left it¡¯s brick and light behind them. The wood was dark and foreboding, and Lucas whistled at the artistry before him. The forest loomed and crackled through his screen, and he noticed that their foot prints were even leaving tracks in the snow, as far back as he could see. Soon enough they arrived in the meadow, and the girl set about picking her plants. Lucas looked around himself, but without a rank in the herbalism skill there was nothing to distinguish the actual, harvestable plants from the generic stuff there to fill the scenery. He spent several bored minutes waiting for something to happen, but he was not disappointed when something finally did. The NPC screamed, and Lucas turned to see what she had seen. There, approaching the edge of the forest, a group of creatures approached. They were hideous, the size of children but with tiny heads attached to muscular body, only scraps of cloth maintaining whatever modesty they had. Their skin came in all the colors of disease, and the creatures had rough hewn ropes lashed around a bear. It was sickly and scarred, and it didn¡¯t resist as it was dragged to the edge of the forest. Only when they arrived, and the creatures removed the ropes from its collar, did it react. It lifted its nose in the air and sniffed, as the wretches around it climbed into the trees. The thick scars where its eyes had once dwelt meant it could see nothing, but it could smell them. It charged, a half ton of meat and muscle barreling towards them. Lucas had his character draw a longsword and dagger, and prepared for the creature¡¯s attack. As the creature neared, he dodged to the side, and the bear had to spend several seconds stopping itself and changing course. In those moments, Lucas was able to put several blows into the creature, not that it seemed to notice. The fight proved to be one of attrition. Lucas was unable to greatly injure it, but the beast was not limber enough to hit him. As long as he kept a careful eye on his stamina, and didn¡¯t get greedy, victory would be his.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. After four minutes of carefully wearing down the bear, Lucas finally had it down to a sliver of health. He was hopeful that whatever the bear dropped would be better than the actual quest reward, since it seemed to be a unique encounter. Then, while dodging back from the bear, he tripped over the NPC. He hadn¡¯t even noticed her there, behind him, kneeling amongst the tall grass and trying to avoid the bear¡¯s attention. When he performed his dodge back, in her direction, the animation engine kicked in, causing his character to trip and fall due to her prone form. Lucas cursed aloud at this setback, desperate to avoid dying now. He¡¯d been hit a few times by the bear, and while a normal hit wouldn¡¯t finish him off, a badly timed crit might. Sure enough, the bear was charging now, and there was no way his character would have his stamina back in time to avoid the blow. However, there was something between the bear and his avatar. The bear¡¯s charge hit the NPC full force. She had just looked up and had no chance at all to avoid the attack. The bear didn¡¯t try to bite, or tear, it just used its massive bulk to ram her. She went flying, her small form broken in an instant, and she landed a dozen yards behind Lucas¡¯ character. Lucas didn¡¯t notice most of that at the time. He just noticed that the bear was distracted. A lucky crit later, and the fight was complete. Eager for his reward, Lucas began to harvest the bear. Fifteen seconds later, he was the proud owner of a Dire Bear Skin, as well as a Collar of Taming. All in all, the quest had definitely paid off. Then he noticed the NPC. She was still alive, though it was a near thing. Several bones were broken, with one of her arms and both her legs pointing in entirely the wrong directions. She wasn¡¯t able to speak, though, she seemed to be trying to draw in enough breath to speak. Small sparkling tears rolled down her cheeks, like diamond¡¯s in the night air, and a small pool of blood was slowly staining the snow under her. Lucas watched, captivated, as her mouth moved, hollowly trying to put out words. He moved his character closer, and watched as it knelt next to her. At last, she seemed to gather the breath to speak. ¡°Help me,¡± she gasped, voice small. Lucas felt a shudder run through his body. He felt warm, and flush, and his throat was raw. It was the most beautiful thing he¡¯d ever seen. The look on her face, the way her body was arranged, the glittering of light upon her skin, every moment was perfect. His character was kneeling beside her, his carving knife still out from where he¡¯d skinned the bear. Without thinking, he pressed the button to harvest, and his character got to work. He didn¡¯t get that herbalism skill, but he did pick up another rank in his skinning skill. A few minutes later, he logged off. He sat at his computer for ten more minutes, until he thought he had control, and stood up. When he thought he¡¯d be able to walk calmly, he headed to the bathroom to wash before bed. ¡°Have a good night dear,¡± he heard his mother call from the living room. ¡°Sweet dreams!¡± He smiled. He was fairly certain his dreams tonight would be wonderful. ¡°You too, mom!¡± he called out cheerfully. Half an hour later, Cicero Nine Spine opened his eyes. Work Derek Longwell woke up from a dream he couldn¡¯t remember. Whatever it was, he mused, it must have been great, because he couldn¡¯t stop smiling. He was smiling a lot these days. He jumped right to the bathroom, and after the requisite time spent scrubbing the sundries, he headed to the breakfast table. After staring into the fridge for a minute or so, and contemplating the carton of eggs and the last bit of bacon, he ended up taking a couple frozen waffles out the freezer instead. He told himself it was because he was watching his weight, but he knew it was really just laziness. He was in too good a mood to spend time cooking this particular morning. As he wolfed down his meal he cut his eyes over to his computer. As tempting as it was to login for a few minutes before work, he couldn¡¯t really justify it to himself. He was too busy, and there was too much to do. Besides, he¡¯d be jumping online as soon as he got home anyway. Why rush it? So he ate the last bite of his waffle, dropping it onto his shirt, and momentarily debated the merits of switching to a less syruped version. With a shrug, he grabbed his briefcase and set out.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. When he climbed into his car, he couldn¡¯t help the chills that ran through him. The thing was a beast, an absolute monster. More horsepower than the Roman army, more Vs than a vegetable drink, it was more car than should be legal. And he used it for his five minute commute. He wasn¡¯t even sure why he¡¯d bought it, beyond the mere fact he could. I mean, why not? He was being paid plenty. When he¡¯d been fired from his last position, he¡¯d been terrified. The business had been more ambitious than anyone had realized, and by the time they tried to save things it was already on fire. He¡¯d expected to go crawling back to a previous employer, tail between his legs, when he¡¯d seen some job postings go up and taken a chance. And oh man, had it worked out. He had more money than he could spend, a relatively secure position for the next year at minimum, and free reign to do what he wanted. He pulled into the parking lot, waving his badge to lift aside the car-blocking arm at the entrance, and pulled into a spot with minimum grinding on the gears. He walked by the Narrative Solutions sign with a small salute to his sponsor, and headed for his work area at the back. It was his own small Realm, and within it were miracles. He tossed the briefcase down by the door, and slumped into his seat. Moments later, a glow began to fill the room, and he smiled. The job had turned out to be more lucrative than he ever could have imagined, in so many ways. ¡°Good morning, Mordred.¡± Call Home ¡°You¡¯re dating a damn computer program!¡± Josefina sighed, and loudly at that. This wasn¡¯t a sigh that was meant be a quiet acceptance of suffering, this was a sigh that was meant to be heard. ¡°We¡¯re not sure of that, actually,¡± she answered, after taking a long drag of her cigarette. The pause had the dual benefits of helping to calm her nerves, and annoying her mother further. ¡°Could be some alternate dimension.¡± Her mother wasn¡¯t impressed by this line of thought, but then again, she hadn¡¯t expected her to be. Josefina was just going through the motions. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s the nicest guy to take an interest in years, and after a bit of training he even got pretty good at using his-¡± She paused for a moment, lingering on the word, enjoying the way her mother drew herself up in indignation. ¡°Flattery. Really knows what to say to make a girl feel good,¡± she finished, fooling no one. She watched her mother¡¯s face with interest. She¡¯d be tempted to say something crude, but she¡¯d also refuse to stoop to her daughter¡¯s level. She was also unwilling to engage with any serious discussion of the topic, such as might happen if she tried pressing the ¡®computer program¡¯ angle. Josefina watched her mother come to a decision on the next line of attack. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t wasted all your time on those stupid video games you wouldn¡¯t be in this situation,¡± she said at last. Josefina just shrugged, and to her delight this incensed her mother even further. You couldn¡¯t really argue with a shrug, but she knew her mom would try. She was growing bored though. ¡°I have work in the morning,¡± she said, yawning loudly and theatrically. ¡°Good night, mom.¡± Without waiting for a reply, she closed the chat window, and logged out the chat client. Luckily she¡¯d had the foresight to turn off her phone ahead of time, so that avenue was also closed to the woman. She could have turned off the computer, but she had no intention of actually turning in for the night yet. Instead, she opened up the client for Dawn of the Realms, and spent some time picking out the movie she wanted to stream. --- ¡°This is very odd,¡± Viktor said, but Josefina simply shushed him. They were in her inn, within the town of Laisos. Viktor had travelled south along with her and a few dozen others, and they¡¯d arrived in the forest town only the night before. Technically he was here to speak with a few of the local woodworkers, as well as gather supplies and materials to return home with. In reality, of course, he was here for her. She could never really decide if she was annoyed or relieved he hadn¡¯t admitted as such. ¡°Just listen to the movie,¡± she said, keeping her eyes firmly closed. The pair of them were laying back on the bed, which based upon the give was the result of the ritualistic de-feathering of five or six dozen of the softest chickens ever conceived. Despite any allusions she may have made to her mother, the two of them had progressed no further than hand holding, and the occasional kiss. Not for lack of her trying, but Viktor had been raised a good boy, and she had only had a month to work him over. So she sat there, minus the armor but still in her red and yellow robes, with her red hair tied down firmly. Viktor¡¯s shoulder length black hair was as slicked down as always, although he had at least removed the jacket that was part of the old-fashioned charcoal suits he almost exclusively wore.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. On the other side of the room, the new character she had created before she fell asleep sat in a chair with his mouth open. She¡¯d paid no attention to what he wore or looked like, as he had but one job, and that just required his mouth and the microphone she¡¯d set up. What streamed from his mouth was not just human speech, but music and special effects and every other part of the audio stream from the movie she had set to start a half hour after she thought she would fall asleep. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as going to the theater, but it was the closest Viktor was ever going to get. He¡¯d asked her, a few days before, what she normally did for dates. She¡¯d made the offhand comment, while the pair of them had been fighting off a pack of wolves, that it definitely was a top five weirdest dating moment for her. She¡¯d mostly said it to keep herself calm - the wolves triggered flashbacks to the event a month prior, and she hadn¡¯t cared for that at all. So she¡¯d used a stupid joke to keep the fear at bay, and she¡¯d managed to make him curious. She¡¯d tried to explain movies to him - they did have plays here, and she¡¯d even gone with him to one once before they left Korak - but it simply wasn¡¯t the same experience. She¡¯d mulled over for it a bit, and then talked about it with Svara. It was actually her idea she was using now, and she¡¯d have to thank her for it later. Or maybe just be nicer to Greir for a few days. ¡°What is that sound?¡± asked Viktor, eyes wide, after the scene had shifted. ¡°Cars, on the highway,¡± Josefina answered, popping a chocolate into her mouth. They didn¡¯t have popcorn or soda here, so she¡¯d had to settle for just the chocolate. Viktor started to say something, but then Josefina laughed at something in the film, and he fell silent. --- ¡°It was an interesting experience,¡± he said afterward, sitting up. Josefina paused. She realized he was upset, deeply. He was never the best at hiding such things even at the best of times, which was one of the things she liked best about him, and now he was nearly shaking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she demanded, sitting up herself and leaning close to him. Viktor just looked down. ¡°You are from a different world,¡± he answered, fist clenching the sheet. She stared at him, and she tried to keep the heat out of her voice. ¡°You knew that.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I knew it, but I did not understand. Your world has movies, and cars, and soda. You talk of machines that fly through the air, and sticks that fire small, powerful arrows. Your world is full of so many things¡­¡± He¡¯d trailed off, too afraid to finish the thought. She wasn¡¯t the kind of person to let it go at that, though, and he knew it. He knew it, so he was trying. Not to change who he was, she didn¡¯t want that, but to be his best self. He tried, every day, to be someone worthy of her. So she watched as he pulled himself together, just a few inches away from her, and said the words he was so afraid of saying. ¡°What can I offer you?¡± She raised an eyebrow. She wasn¡¯t going to let a line like that go to waste. She put her hand on his neck, and pulled him in. A minute later she let go, and he leaned back in a daze. ¡°I don¡¯t need movies, or cars, or soda. I don¡¯t need to fly, or to have guns.¡± She swallowed hard, but fair¡¯s fair. If he could be strong enough to lay it out, then he deserved for her to do it as well. ¡°I need you.¡± And, aside from a few whispers, that was the end of talking that night. --- ¡°Still dating the digital boy?¡± her mother asked dismissively. It was only an hour before bed, and she was almost as nervous as she was eager to fall back asleep, to enter the game once more. She also didn¡¯t find the sparring as fun as she had the night before. ¡°His name is Viktor,¡± she said, and that was all. She managed to say it without the acid or the biting, just stating a fact. Her mother didn¡¯t seem to know how to respond to a comment that seemed devoid of any attack or feint in their ongoing war. It seemed wrong though, suddenly, to use him like that. He wasn¡¯t just a pawn in her battles. He was his own person. Besides, he deserved more than that. So she tried something unusual. She tried the truth. ¡°He is the nicest man I have ever met, and when I¡¯m with him he makes me feel special. He makes me feel like I¡¯m the most important person in the world.¡± For the first time in a very, very long time, her mother paused. She didn¡¯t look like she was trying to find the words to use next to hurt her, wasn¡¯t trying to find the words that would be the perfect ammo in their ongoing war. Instead, she rubbed the empty spot on her finger, and looked away from the screen. Her reply was slow to come. ¡°He sounds like a nice young man. I¡¯m happy for you.¡± And, aside from a few tears, that was the end of talking that night.