The first thing I noticed was the dry rustling of the grass in the wind. So familiar, and also so strange after the noise of the battle, crashing of the waves and the moist sea salt air.
The stones were a familiar warmth against my shoulders. But my shoulders felt unfamiliar. They were too small, and my skin was telling me I was too light. Which was maybe a good thing, I thought as I absently dug a rock out from under my shoulder blade.
Eyes still closed, the sun made my vision red through my eyelids. I took a deep breath and just enjoyed the feeling of the wind playing along my skin.
Something was different.
What was it?
It wasn’t just the lack of battle. I had died fighting before.
Every other time I woke up here, I felt as if I had to go. Had to get up and get going. Now.
Now I was in no hurry.
I could hear Dekka prowling around looking for lanperanas. Could I nap here? I bet this game would give me a sunburn.
Sighing, I sat up and opened my eyes. Everything was brilliantly white until my eyes adjusted. I yawned.
The grass was swaying where my dog was rooting around. Standing, I wobbled slightly, not used to being this short. I took a step to steady myself, and my legs felt like sticks. Had I really been this weak before?
Behind me, standing in the grass, handle pointing up like a dead branchless weird plant, was my war hammer. There was something in the grass beside it.
The yellow straw like grass was pressed down in a circle. There was a leather strap arching up from whatever it was. Picking up the item by the strap, it banged into my shins.
I hopped around cursing. Dekka ran over and then sat and watched, grinning at me. “That hurt!” I told her. My leg had less padding and durability than it had before.
Glaring at my dog, who was clearly laughing at me, I picked up the item again. It was a shield!
Round, slightly domed wooden circle rimmed with iron. Where did that come from?
The hidden quest! I must have gotten a soul bound item as a reward. This was going to come in handy.
“Want to go see Wendle?” I asked Dekka. She gave a little snort of agreement and a brief wag of her tail. I waited to see what she was feeling, but nothing came.
Right. I didn’t have that skill anymore. Who knew I would be missing being a barbarian so much.
I went to grab my war hammer and missed it even more.
My arms were fucking noodles. I could barely lift it. There was no way I was going to be able to swing it. Even without the skill, I could feel a terrier laughing behind my back.
“Not funny.”
I raised my head and looked off to the treeline. Should I leave the hammer and shield here and come back for it later? Then I remembered the lanperanas and how they ate everything they came across. The metal would survive, but I bet they could turn the wood of the handle and shield into sawdust and eat the leather straps.
Heaving a huge sigh, I put the shield over my back with the long strap and began dragging the hammer through the dusty plains. I messaged Rose but got no reply. She must have logged out.
Dekka took care of all the lanperanas for me with terrier glee and enthusiasm. Progress was slow due to my frequent stops to catch my breath. By the time I was halfway across the plain to the rocky hills, the boob sweat was back. Along with back and butt sweat. I really hated this fucking game. My mouth was as dry as the dust I was walking over.
I couldn’t climb the small out croppings with the hammer, so we wove our way through as the sun began to set. Looking behind me, I could see exactly where we had been as the hammer had created a furrow as I dragged it along.
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Dekka scouted ahead and was getting frustrated with the pace. She trotted over as I was taking a break, stretching and wishing again for an ice cold bottle of water, and grabbed the hammer. She tried to lift it, but even in her hellhound form she struggled. Dekka put it down and picked it up again, the hammer end right up against her mouth. With her head tilted to the side, she trotted off unevenly toward the path.
“You are the bestest dog ever.” I called to her retreating shadowy butt.
Her tail gave two quick wags, which told me she knew just how special she was.
Even with her help, it was dark by the time we made the path, and she was flagging. Her hellhound form flicked. This was the first time she was starting to feel her limits. Or was it the first time that I noticed?
The path was so familiar. The odd branches folding back on themselves were comforting instead of creepy. Dekka gave a short bark, and I looked back down.
The Ruath. There were four of them lined up watching us. I hadn’t heard their approach. They didn’t startle me; I had been expecting them. I smiled, only a little nervous as Dekka left the path to greet them. Five tails wagged, and they sniffed each other.
They didn’t go running. Dekka looked over her shoulder at me expectantly. Was it safe? She wouldn’t lead me astray, but should I trust the judgement of a dog who had always felt she was invincible and had looked at me like I was some sort of magical being.
If I didn’t follow her, she would know I didn’t trust her.
Making a decision, I walked through the barrier, dragging the hammer behind me. My skin tingled as I stepped through the shield and into the sparse grass. If I died, I was going to make Dekka carry the hammer all the way from the stones to Wendel’s cottage.
The Ruath surrounded me. One of them sniffed the hammer and raised its lips at me when I tried to pull it away, so I let go. The largest one was sniffing me. It burried its nose in my hair and then sneezed.
I almost peed myself.
Dekka sat and lolled her tongue, as did the other Ruath.
“Thanks,” I told her flatly.
The largest Ruath reached down and easily picked up the hammer. Was it the same Ruath every time?
Wait, where were they going with my hammer? I tried running after them, but the large shield banged painfully against my too narrow too body back. The smallest one circled back and nosed my back trying to hurry me along. This didn’t make me move faster. In fact, it made me trip and fall on my face.
The Ruath growled softly. It shoved at my legs with its nose.
“Stop that!” I said, swatting at the large silver blue muzzle. “I am trying to get up.”
The shield slid up my back as I was trying to get up, and the edge hit me in the back of the head.
Fuck!
I felt the shield lift. “Hey! What are you doing?” I spun around and stood.
My new shield was dangling by the arm straps from the Ruath’s mouth. Its eyes sparkled, and I would swear it winked at me. Then it ran off into the woods, tail held high. Unencumbered, I chased after them.
We ran through the moonlit patches and under silver gilt branches. The grass tickled my bare feet as I ran, much softer than the rocks of the path. As much as I was missing the stats I had before, not having to carry the shield made my body feel light, and it was exhilarating to run through the night with a pack of huge dragon wolves.
We ended up out behind Wendel’s garden. The Ruath stopped right at the edge and dropped my hammer and the shield right at the edge. “What, you couldn’t carry those the rest of the way?” I teased.
The Ruath stopped grinning, and the large one looked at me seriously. It moved its muzzle in a slight back-and-forth gesture.
“Oh. Ok. Well thank you.” I gave a small bow to the enormous wolf like creature.
It reached down and pressed its nose to the centre of the shield. The surface of the wood shimmered and … glitched … and I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but I felt a tingle flash across my skin. When it lifted its nose, there was an image on the shield.
A heraldic version of the Ruath itself. It was stunning, and I wondered what it meant. The Ruath sniffed Dekka, and they all did a little dash and run. Then they disappeared like smoke into the trees. Even with their help, the faint light of dawn was filtering through the morning fog.
Dekka dashed ahead to the cottage door, leaving me to drag my equipment alone. I dropped them outside his door and knocked.
Wendel’s wide, simple face appeared in the doorway framed by warm candlelight. “Welcome, Traveller.” He smiled at me and took a double take at my dog.
“Hi,” I smiled up at him. I wasn’t used to being this short. “My name is Elizabeth, and this is my dog, Dekka.”
Just like every other time he invited me, gave me tea and bade me rest. I watched him move around his space. Was he a real person? I know he was an NPC, but did that make him less real? Now that I had met so many other NPCs, his simplicity seemed less a function of his nature and more just who he was.
“I am not tired. Can we sit and chat a while?” I asked him.
His eyebrows rose and stopped mid-step on his way to show me the way to the guest rooms. “Of course.” he turned back and sat back down by the fire.
I poured us more tea, and we sipped in silence. Dekka sat blinking into the flames. This was so peaceful. Why had I not stayed?
Or, more importantly, why was I feeling different this time? Was it all the trauma from playing the game?
“Wendel,” I said, making a decision, “can I tell you something?”
“Or course, Miss Elizabeth,” he said solemnly.
I took a deep breath. Would this cause him to glitch? This wasn’t exactly playing the game. But I looked at my friend. My first friend in this game, and I couldn’t not tell him.
“Wendel,” I looked into his gentle brown eyes. “We have met before.”
I have gone back to school! Started today. And I have other stories in the works. How do you all feel if I went down to 2 chapters a week with a third dropped when I can? Promise 2 but sometimes over deliver ;)
