by John Gold
The 300-level difference seemed enormous to Millie. Changes were going to be made.
The light breeze, the smell of the sea, and the glistening ocean all seemed so familiar. LJ couldn’t sleep, so he spent the whole night catching fish and other sea creatures. One of the fishermen saw him pulling himself up onto the ship with a large, shining fish in his hands, so he offered to trade it for a fisherman’s bag with exceptional capacity for fish. The cat had no issues catching the local fish, while a bag just for them… He grabbed it and ran off. Of course, he was a good cat, so he left the fish there. He even had time to catch a glimpse of the fisherman’s happy face before he dove back into the ocean. They were both happy with the deal.
Milisandra logged out of the game, but for some reason, LJ couldn’t. He even knew that functionality couldn’t be turned off. His inner voice remained silent, so he spent the night catching the shining fish before heading to Radaam the next morning. Millie had friends somewhere over there that she wanted to see.
Friends? LJ remembered a blood knight and felt a warm, fuzzy feeling. But the more he tried to remember, the more his head hurt, so he decided it wasn’t worth it. Thinking those thoughts meant venturing too close to the pain.
After a week of traveling with six-hour breaks for Millie to rest, the pair got to Radaam. Millie was on edge the whole time—LJ could tell she was trying to make up her mind about something. It was only on the fifth day that she relaxed and made peace with her decision.
It was a rocky shore with steep slopes and powerful tidal waves. Along it ran light sailboats and fishing boats, though nobody paid any attention to the odd pair running along the water.
A torrential downpour broke out as soon as they stepped out onto the bank. They needed to get to the city, which was a day’s journey away on the other side of Hesha Forest. The rain forced them to run in the mud. Millie was slow, constantly falling—she hated the weather, though she bided her time until they could find a tavern, get some good food, and relax.
At one of the intersections, a small group of people stood invisible by a road sign. Two were waiting farther up and one behind. When LJ stopped suddenly and stared at the sign, Millie quickly realized what was going on and assumed her combat stance.
“Moon and crow. Activation.”
The girl no longer looked human. Instead, she took on a demonic or monstrous form, her last word bringing an enormous, man-like crow stepping out from her shadow.
Her outfit molded onto her pale skin; a tall collar unfurled around her neck. Her eyes turned completely red, her pupils, hair, nose, and mouth disappearing. All the ground around her was soaked in her blood. Next to her stood a crow two and a half meters tall with a gigantic beak and powerful feathered armor. He awaited her command.
The outfit significantly boosted his survivability and armor ratings, and it also scared away quite a few enemies. Milisandra could only use her strongest pet by healing herself at the same time. Its health was five times her own.
“Ah, I’ve missed you, boys.” The PKers didn’t respond to the threat in time, an oversight they paid for dearly. Milisandra threw herself at the two waiting by the sign, while LJ attacked the third one. He had already crept up behind the girl’s back.
Millie’s hip burst open to release a snake, the same one that had crushed the bones of the rapist the last time. It dropped into a puddle before slithering off toward one of their assailants, and the crow went after the second one. Their enemies no longer had the element of surprise on their side.
At the same time, LJ swung his foot as hard as he could at the spot where his invisible opponent was hiding. The kick was aimed at the marauder’s shin, though the latter was able to parry the blow with his dagger and even graze LJ. His invisibility disappeared, and the next four strikes, all aimed at vital spots, killed him. The cat took three wounds, none of them serious.
Millie needed more time, and LJ saw yet another of her pets: an enormous cat. It was as dark as darkness itself. It was three meters tall, and bloody saliva dripped from its mouth. One of the marauders had been able to kill the snake, but he was chased down and gnawed to death in a matter of seconds.
Where do they all fit inside her?!
The familiar, intoxicating feeling of battle rushed over LJ…the power, the rewards, the mastery wielded by strong opponents. Tears welled up in his eyes, he felt the urge to kill, he wanted to outdo himself, and sadness descended on his soul… Everything happened together. He felt no pity for his assailant, though he did feel like he’d forgotten something incredible important. The emptiness inside was overwhelming. But the harder he tried to remember, the more intense the pain became, and voices even started shouting in his ear. Rage and the desire to kill was all they talked about. Only LJ was the one crying and suffering.
Milisandra hugged the tearful cat until he calmed down. LJ felt completely alone in the world, with just the girl who had adopted him. Everything around him was a little less mean when she was there.
As soon as LJ had relaxed, they kept going. They had a couple hours of running to go before they got to the city. It was a usual forest, and there weren’t many carts or other players out in the rain. Fall was encroaching—everyone wore light clothing and felt the warm breeze. There were lots of herbs going around, so LJ picked and ate them immediately. The fact that the internal interface highlighted them, he figured, meant that they were useful. Millie was much slower than him, so he had plenty of time to collect them.
Millie had a home in Vilarin, in the empire of Darin. They needed to spend some time relaxing, so they decided to stop at a tavern in the Kurg slums.
The city was located at the confluence of two rivers, which had carved a space out of the cliff. Forming the border between the lands of the trolls and the orcs, there were also goblins living in the mountains. The city grew quickly, player levels also grew, and that meant more demand for the valuable resources mined nearby. The slums Millie and her cat stopped at had previously been a village for workers until the city swallowed it up. The subsequent layer of city fortifications was built around it.
The tavern opened up on a vacant lot right at the edge of the slums. That was where they were building the wall to delineate the border between the city and the troll lands. The only thing in the vacant lot was a small sapling that managed to grow right in the center, and it was what gave the field its name: Lone Tree Field.
Milisandra paid for two rooms for a week and headed out into the city, asking LJ to wait for her there. LJ didn’t want to sleep in his room—the cramped quarters and closed door made him nervous. With that in mind, he went down to wait for Millie at the bar.
As he sat there, he kept a close eye on the tavern owner as well as its patrons.
It was a two-story building. On the first floor were the service rooms, while the second was for guests. And it was just your average tavern…if you didn’t count the owner. His agility and the precise way he moved unwittingly drew attention. As he helped the cook prepare meat, the appetizing smell wafted through the room and elicited a stomach rumble. LJ pulled out a fish he had with him and ate it. The owner threw a quick glance at the shining creature before stepping toward the utility room without saying a word.
Evening had fallen, and workers started filling the tavern to wet their whistles after a tough day. It got noisy, the bar was crowded, and it smelled of beer and roasted meat.
Milisandra still had not returned when it got dark. LJ continued waiting at the bar, in no need of sleep and with enough fish to last him a couple of weeks. Midnight was rolling around when everyone started to leave. A couple of newcomers showed up to join the people staying there. The whole room was cleaned, the dishes were cleared away, and the dishwasher got to work in the kitchen after accepting a quest to take care of the job in exchange for a night’s room and board. The owner was a fan—one more room was filled, and he didn’t have to deal with the dishes.
“My good man,” he said to LJ, “you can head up to your room. Everybody’s going to bed,
including me. You’ll be a lot cozier there than here.”
LJ pointed silently at the door before tapping a finger on the bar.
“Got it. You can wait for her here. If you need anything, I’ll be in the room under the stairs.”
Everybody left. Just two candles lit the tavern room, one by the door and another clutched in LJ’s hand. The hot wax and fire gave off a pleasant heat. He couldn’t sleep, and when he dozed off, he had nightmares. Now, not only were there the ten red people chasing him, he was covered in blood. His pursuers were pale giants with bare skulls and vacant eye sockets, too. It was eleven people covered in blood, the giants and their army trying to kill him.
Some corner of his subconscious told LJ that there were rats scratching around under the floor as they ran. The innkeeper snored. A bed creaked in the far room. It was occupied by a couple that had shown up late that night.
Just for fun, LJ decided to count the rats running around. One, two… There were six, and they were all large specimens. Their paws were loud.
The candle in his hand suddenly went out, and a second later, six coal-black blobs had shot out of his palm. In another five seconds, the rats were silent. The cat had no idea what he’d just done, but he was happy the noise was gone.
The same thing happened another few times before the innkeeper showed up. When he did, it hadn’t been long enough for the last set to disappear, so the first thing he saw was the bodies of the rats and the loot scattered all over the floor. LJ hadn’t collected any of it. In fact, he hadn’t moved from his spot all night.
As thanks for taking care of the rats, LJ got himself a free breakfast of grilled boar ribs and hot porridge. Milisandra still hadn’t shown up. Maybe, today’s the day. LJ assumed she’d been held up by something important.
When the clock struck noon, LJ was still sitting there. Traders taking caravans south dropped by in the morning; locals looking for fresh produce walked in during the afternoon. Still, LJ waited for the girl.
The tavern owner walked over to him.
“Good afternoon. I realize you’re waiting for the person you came with, so I have a suggestion for you. When she gets here, I’ll tell her to wait for you. In the meantime, you can take care of your own business or get some sleep in your room.
The innkeeper didn’t want to have one of his bar stools constantly occupied. LJ wasn’t the best conversationalist, either, and that was why he’d offered the mutually beneficial deal.
LJ nodded—he’d already understood that he was getting in the tavern owner’s way.
The tree growing in the vacant lot was a much better spot for a nap than his room. It also offered a great view of the tavern, so he knew he wouldn’t miss Millie.
It was a small tree, and its branches practically cracked under LJ’s weight. The cat felt truly grateful for the shelter it offered, however, so he gave it his warmth. Heat spread from the spots he touched. They even began to flower. His inner voice was happy, though LJ had no idea what was going on. All he really cared about was that he could sit quietly in the tree and watch the tavern door.
LJ spent the whole day there. Drifting off into a kind of sleep, he started to sense small, transparent creatures flying around in the air. He still kept an eye on the door to the tavern as he dozed though, as alert as ever.
That evening, he walked back over to the tavern and went to see the owner, who immediately understood what he wanted.
“Neither I nor my staff have seen your companion. If she shows up, I’ll let you know.”
LJ went back to his spot. After burying the largest fish he had with him under the roots of the tree, he climbed back up. It was probably just his imagination, but the tree seemed bigger, and it didn’t seem to creak so much under his weight.
The cat continued to doze as he watched the door, doing his best not to miss Milisandra.
A week went by, and LJ went over to the owner every morning and evening to see if Milisandra was back. On the seventh day, the innkeeper asked him to leave or pay for the rooms. LJ gave him enough to cover another month, though he still spent his days sleeping in the tree.
With each new morning, he buried a fish under the roots, then going back up into the branches and thanking the tree by gifting it his warmth. His inner voice was particularly pleased by the latter part—LJ could tell on an emotional level.
A week went by, the tree grew to impressive proportions, and the locals started pointing at it and using it as a landmark. LJ continued thanking it for the shelter it provided and for passing the time with him in comfort and ease. The place where the cat slept became even and cozy. The tree liked having someone there, so it replied in kind to the cat’s appreciation.
Stray animals from all over the slums started showing up in the evenings. None of them wanted a spot on one of the branches—they all just felt lonely. They were tired, hungry, hurting, and they came there to feel better. The poor cat gave them all warmth because he sensed their emotions. He healed their wounds and diseases, treated their injuries, cheered them up. In time, they started bringing mouthfuls, scraps, and even items to thank him. LJ buried everything under the tree in appreciation for the shelter it provided.
His food ended on the tenth day, and LJ headed into the tavern.
“Young man, I remember. As soon as she shows up, I’ll be sure to tell her to wait for you. Don’t worry, I know you’re out there every day watching the door.”
The tavern owner watched LJ walk away, his heart overwhelmed with sympathy and grief. LJ turned and saw him wipe away a tear. But why? It was okay—the cat didn’t mind waiting for Milisandra. She had just been held up.
Construction was going on across the vacant lot. They were building six houses all at once, and they always needed workers. LJ heard one of them ask another to help him carry a beam, so he jumped in to help—one ton was nothing for him.
After a couple times of that happening, the brigadier offered him a job. LJ was able to earn money for food at the same time as he kept an eye on the tavern. The crew had him hauling construction materials and doing other dirty work, all of which seemed very familiar. He didn’t want to remember, however—his head started hurting. The image of a blood knight floated in front him all day long… A girl… Memories of her movements, stances, strikes, blocks, counterattacks. Each move was perfect, and LJ could remember difficult battles he’d never fought in. It could have all been written off as his imagination if it weren’t for the fact that all the movements the knight girl pulled off worked. LJ tried them all. Each was flawless, saving energy and doing maximum damage.
While at work, the cat found a vine that he decided to use as a tail. A little warmth, and it was covered in lovely-smelling flowers. LJ thought for a while about how he was going to attach his new tail. It definitely wasn’t going to grow out of his body. Ultimately, he tied one end to his belt, while the other end grew into a fluffy, flowering tail that moved at the will of its master. LJ was the most unusual cat in the world.
After each day on the job, he bought food at the tavern and asked about Milisandra. The owner always told him that she still hadn’t shown up.
The tree grew a little larger every day, and LJ couldn’t have been happier. The crown was lush and a juicy green; three grown men couldn’t have reached around the perfectly smooth trunk. LJ slept ten meters above the ground.
Every night, sick and injured forest animals came from the side of the unfinished wall. They were all there looking for LJ’s care and help, and he gave it to them. Freeloaders were tossed out in a heap—he only helped those who really needed it. LJ continued to thank the tree for its shelter by burying everything he was given under it. All he needed was food and a place to stay, and he could get his own food.
The month passed, and LJ paid for the rooms once again. The houses were built, with construction moving on to infrastructure. Buildings stood on three sides of the field. Sewers and other pipes had to be dug, so a trench appeared to cut across it. LJ was offered and accepted the job.
There were plenty of players in the city, but none of them wanted to do such heavy work for such little pay. It was perfect for LJ, on the other hand—he could stay nearby and wait for Milisandra. Since he couldn’t see the entrance from down in the trench he was digging, he strained his ears in an attempt to catch the sound of her voice. He had plenty of strength, and digging was almost too easy. They brought an especially large shovel just for LJ the next day. Using it was harder, but that made his inner voice happy. It turned out that he was getting stronger and stronger every day. A week later, LJ was handed an even larger shovel. His inner voice liked that too.
In his free time, during the evenings, LJ laid in the tree and watched the tavern door. The world wasn’t quite as dark despite the fact that the crescent moon couldn’t break through the overcast sky. LJ could see people walking along the road as well as those creeping along outside the city walls at night. His memory kept kicking up the battles the blood knight fought, and they got slower and more detailed. Sometimes, LJ thought he could feel which muscles worked during certain strikes. He spent two or three hours every night practicing the attacks and stances. Slowly, with time, he gauged his movements and understood how to fight. He was quiet and precise in the dark, relying completely on his senses. But even in those moments, he never lost sight of the tavern door. Milisandra was going to come back, and he was going to be there waiting.
Thanks to LJ’s help, the pipes were laid in just three weeks. LJ didn’t leave the field, so he turned down offers to work elsewhere. But then, on the second day after work on the pipes wrapped up, a new brigadier arrived and asked him if he wanted to help with some service buildings that would be used by the people living in the houses surrounding the field. LJ agreed—you never know what’s going to happen in life, so you should always work. Winter was coming, and that area got awfully cold.
LJ spent his days building bathhouses, sheds, and barns; laying roads; setting up fences; and digging wells. There was lots of work to do. He was offered the hardest jobs, and he always accepted. Another week went by, and LJ handed over enough money to cover the rooms for yet another month. He had enough to spend the whole winter there, though he didn’t mind the cold. His plan was to spend the winter in his tree.