Which was why it had been such a blow when he had run off.
As I watched Mona move through the softly filtered morning light in the kitchen windows, her flaming red hair flowing behind her as she swayed to a song that only she could hear and felt like this was enough. I loved her. In my own way, and that was enough—right?
She turned her gaze on me, the soft amber glow of the light in the window, making her green eyes glow a moment just right. She smiled, and for the barest second, I could swear I saw the pink aura once more, and my hand seemed fumbled for my fork, knocking my mug of coffee over.
“Careful, Seth!” She called, and I snapped out of whatever had distracted me from my surroundings. She rushed forward with a hand towel as I blinked at her, realization dawning on me and making me blush even as the more-than warm liquid soiled my PJ bottoms.
She went to towel me off, and I howled. “Nope! I got it.” I stood, more of my wasted coffee dribbling onto the floor and snatched the towel from her grasp and covered myself. “I’ll go change, you wanna grab the worst of that? Be right back.”
I sprinted back to my room and threw the soiled clothing into the hamper and changed into some boxers and put a pair of sweatpants on.
What the bloody he—why is this happening? I was panicking. I knew I was panicking. But this was the third time I had seen that aura about her and that guy last night? Something weird was going on, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
I took a few steadying breaths before I marched back out to find Mona bent down to clean up the coffee with some paper towels, and I had to look anywhere else.
“You okay?” She glanced back and looked at me oddly, then sighed. “I knew it.”
“What?” I was close to hyperventilating.
“You just want me to leave so you can hop in early, is that it?” She gave me a knowing look and the perfect alibi.
I did my best to look pathetically coy as I said, “Me? Noooo… why would I wanna do that with one of the best games ever?”
She snorted, then openly laughed, her light voice sounded like music, and I wanted to bang my head on a wall. What the hell is going on with me?!
“Okay, I’ll take the hint, and we can hop on before the others do and try to run a little groundwork, okay?” She stood and threw the trash into the bin before waving to the plates. “I grabbed the coffee, and cooked so…”
“I’ll clean up. No worries.” I waved her out of the kitchen, and she skipped past me toward the bedroom with a laugh that made me grin stupidly. It took all I had not to turn and watch her like all the guys in school had. I took another breath, cleaning up and putting the dishes into the dishwasher swiftly with a practiced hand.
I wiped down the counter, then the stove, and turned to find Mona watching me with a soft smile. “What?”
Her dimples flashed as she spoke, “Just thinking about what a good live-in husband you’ll make someday.”
“Hey—I’m the trophy husband type.” I snorted indignantly; my discomfort almost forgotten as I crossed the distance between us. “I may not be able to do a whole lot without my state-of-the-art kitchen, but I know these instruments, and I play them well. Plus, with my personality and sense of style, anyone would be lucky to have me.”
She adopted an indulgent uh-huh look and muttered, “Yes, you will, you blessed little thing. All these brand-new appliances do have you a little spoiled, where would you be without them?”
Her index finger bopped my nose, and I growled at her before sweeping her into a hug with a chuckle, she stiffened a bit, but relaxed and hugged me back. “Probably have to marry some rich lady to take care of me, so I don’t ruin anything or die of starvation? Drive safe, and I’ll see you on the other side.”
She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek, making my whole body freeze instantly. She stared at me a moment longer before she nodded and headed out of the house, the door locking behind her.
I sighed, more aware of where her lips had been than I had ever been in my life but decided that it was time to try and put it behind me. It was a fluke. It had to be.
Better to get some gaming done.
***
Welcome back, wanderer.
The portal greeted me as I sat naked inside, and the launch sequence of the game went through the same process. It hadn’t been as scary as it had the night before, and that was good.
I blinked and opened my eyes to the same alley where we had logged out the day before, my hands found my horns and I smiled, that was nice. I looked down at my tanned skin and sharp nails. It would take getting used to, but this body, even the second time using it, felt like my own body.
I left the alley, glad that I hadn’t spawned on top of some poor person walking through, or scaring someone else, and wandered into Codgy’s shop. It was nearing midday, and it looked like he was still doing what he had been doing when last we had met. I could have waited for Mona, but the thought just made me feel all awkward, and I had to do something as just me to get back to myself. As I should be.
“Hey there, Codgy!” I called as I walked into the shop.
He looked up at me and squinted. “Mr. Kyvir, good day. How are you today?”
I motioned to the clothes I wore thanks to him. “Feeling much more presentable, my friend. I wanted to ask for some clarification and some forgiveness if I could.”
He smiled, some of his crooked teeth flashing in his ogre mouth. “Clarification? Certainly. Forgiveness? There’s nothing to forgive, Mr. Kyvir. You had a request I couldn’t fill, so I was at fault, knowingly or not.”
“Thank you again for that, and I really did mean no disrespect.” He smiled and waved the thought away. “The clarification was for where to go, I know you had said to look for Alvor, but I was wondering if you could point us in the direction of the place?”
“Well, you walk outside here.” Codgy stood up and walked me outside, then pointed north, a side street about fifteen-feet away where some folks walked together chatting. “Follow that road there, and you’ll hear the forges, that leads to the Fire Square.”
“Are there other squares?” It was hard to hide my curiosity. “I know about the Wave Square already. I met the mermaid there too, her name’s Trickle.”
A look of respect passed over the weaver’s face. “You met one of the guardians?”
“Well yeah, she seemed really nice.” I frowned, craning my neck to look up at him.
“They don’t make their presence known to many people.” He rubbed his chin, then shrugged. “You wanderers are a special lot, after all. Yes, there are four squares, one for each of the prime elements. There’s fire, water, earth, and wind that we have here in the city. Then within those four sections are corresponding types of magics that break down and fall within them. Metal for earth, light for fire, lightning for wind—so on and so forth. There really are different kinds of magic out there, sometimes the magic a person can use manifests in two of the larger elements with one form. But, regardless, those who work the forges deal and craft in the Fire Square.”
I lifted two coppers out of my coin inventory, and he shook his head. “You’ll pay for this information a different way, if you’re amenable?” I nodded at him quietly, and he continued. “I take great pride in my work, but you brought up a valid point with your request yesterday, and I feel I should make a change. I don’t have an eye for colors, mind, but it seems that you do. If you will find a dye maker for me, I would broker a deal with them to supply me with different base colors to sell here with my wares.”
I thought for a moment, only base colors? There were so many different shades to be had, I was sure of it… why… ah-ha!
“You mean to send the customers with specific color requests to the dye maker directly so that they can profit from the endorsement of your sales.” I smiled at him, thinking I had cracked it.
“Well, no.” His cheeks reddened slightly. “I had thought that they would be the cheapest and most easily made. How
ever, if that is the deal you wish to propose, then by all means, please.”
Optional Quest Received – Codgy would like you to broker a deal with a dye maker for reasonably priced dyes to sell at his establishment. The more favorable the deal is for him, the better the reward. Failure: Codgy won’t sell dyes, and prices may be a bit steeper for you and your party.
Do you accept? Yes / No?
“We, my friends and I, would be happy to help you out, Codgy!” I reached out and clasped his hulking hand with mine as I accepted the quest.
“Excellent.” He grinned down and patted my shoulder. “If you don’t mind, I have a bit more work to do before I take my lunch. As soon as you’re done, let me know.”
I nodded and left him to his work before I started on my way toward the Fire Square. The quest to find a dye vendor or maker for him hadn’t given me an area, so I figured I could ask around or explore later, but first? Time to get gear and weapons taken care of.
The buildings along the way took on a subtle orange hue to the materials that was fascinating, then I heard hammering. I followed the sound as if I were blindfolded, difficult with all the sights around me, but I managed and finally found one of the forges.
Forges in a lot of games these days were more the “hear and don’t see type,” and by that, I meant that you heard the sound of hammering but never actually saw someone doing it. Right now? I saw four men gathered around a large anvil working a single piece.
One man held the item with two sets of long tongs while two of the others hammered the metal into shape. The last, an older, grizzled man, supervised the hammering, pointing energetically to certain spots on the metal for the others to hammer.
“Heat!” The senior smith bellowed, and the man holding the tongs stood and rushed the item to the forge. It was a long brazier with a hood over the top that collected the smoke and fumes and took it up through the roof so that the open area around the forge stayed clear.
“Once more in 7 seconds!” The man barked as the others rolled shoulders, stretched their backs, and sweat drenched their faces. “Alvor, at the ready… now!”
The man with the tongs, Alvor, grasped the weapon and pulled it out with one smooth motion the cherry-red metal with the other set of tongs. He set it onto the anvil, and the others began to beat the metal once more. This time the master, because he had to be the master to be in charge of this whole thing, ordered the weapon to be twisted, turned, and pulled as the strikes landed where they would.
When the weapon seemed to have been beaten enough, the master barked, “Heat!”
The apprentice smith shoved the metal into the flames once more, the metal slowly changing color again. The master smith eyed the process. “Ready now, Alvor… Quench!”
Alvor took the weapon over to a long trough and dunked it into the reddish-brown liquid, a small flame bursting from where it touched, making me gasp.
He turned toward me, his face easy on the eyes, and bright blue eyes friendly as he smiled. “Hello friend, how can I help you?”
“Hey, Codgy sent me and my friends your way for some equipment.” I blinked, and he grinned wider.
“The ol’ weaving ogre sent you to see me?” He seemed disbelieving but took another gander at my clothes then nodded. “Well, since you’re wearing his weave, I reckon he likely did. My name’s Alvor, but you likely knew that, what can I do for you, friend?”
I held my hand out, and he grasped it gently. “I’m Kyvir, and I was wondering if you knew of a simple, cheap way to fix some gear, and how we might be able to acquire some more?”
“I know several ways, sir, but ain’t one of ‘em easy.” He scratched his head and peered back at his master. “Master Ori! Did you still need me to go and fetch that ore for you from the West Mine?”
The older man lumbered over; his muscled bulk plainly visible now that he didn’t have three other large men in front of him. His body was a solid slab of muscle, though a little worn with age. His long, hook-shaped nose lowered as he eyed me, then shook his head. “Not the type for smithin’ sorry.”
I blinked, then Alvor held a hand out. “No Master Ori, I didn’t think so either, but did we still need that delivery from the mines?”
The older man blinked. “We do, do you think yourself ready to go and collect it?”
“No, sir, but if I had someone with me when I go, maybe they scratch our back, we scratch theirs?” Alvor suggested, then to sweeten the deal. “Seems like ol’ Codgy has taken enough of a shine as to send them to the best smith in the city.”
“Flattery like that don’t work here, boy.” Master Ori growled as he pointed a finger in his apprentice’s face, then smiled. “But we pay back our favors.”
He looked over at me and held out a hand. “Master smith Ori Loriander, and if you’ll help my apprentice here with this delivery run, I’ll be more than happy to assist you where we can. Now, he’s only just started out, but he’s quick with his wit and picks things up swift-like. If you need repairs, he will do them for a pittance over what the other smiths here would charge, and this is because he needs the training. After this task is done, mind you.”
I nodded, clearly, he was a discerning man, but I had to offer a rebuttal, “I would happily offer my party’s aid; however, our weapons are of low quality and flagging durability. If I were to agree to assist you now and come back with my party, could we perhaps take on repairs to our gear first, then take the task on?”
Ori thumped Alvor on the shoulder. “This is haggling and fine haggling at that. Notice how he offers you assistance in trade, but mentions not paying for the repairs? If I were to leave this to you, how would you counteroffer?”
“I wouldn’t.” Alvor shrugged, and Ori patiently waited for an explanation. “If I were to need to go on my own, I would be risking my life, whereas if I were to go with one of the other, stronger smiths, it would eat into our productivity. If a repair can be done swiftly in return for aid in a matter as important as this, then my time learning the craft by doing so is both well spent and secures us a guard. Likely an exclusive business partner, as well.”
“Excellent.” Master Ori nodded, then looked back to the other smiths who nodded knowingly. “Offer the man this quest then and see how you can repair his weapon. You have my blessing, and—” Ori eyed me for a second, reached under the counter they stood behind and pulled out a rusted pickaxe. “Fix this for him too. Looks strong enough to swing a pick, and if they can bring us materials from time to time, I’ll sell it to him cheaply.”
I grinned at the older man who winked at me, then nodded, and shuffled back off to talk to another smith.
“Well, sound like a good deal to you, Kyvir?” Alvor held his hands out and a notification popped up in front of me.
Optional Quest Received – Assist Alvor in collecting the material delivery from the West Mine. Your duties would be to protect him and ensure that he and the delivery return safely to the city. Reward: Improved standing with Ori’s Forge, cheaper goods, and minimal cost repairs for weapons.
Do you accept? Yes / No?
I accepted his offer, then held my hand out to him to shake on it. “Why the need of the guard?”
“The creatures out there on past the western portion of the city are a little more combative than the sheep and rams that you might be used to, and I’m just a simple smith. They’ll kill me sure as I stand here if I’m alone.” He shrugged and looked back to his master. “They’re all strong enough to fight, but I’m not quite there yet.”
Seemed simple enough, escort missions were typically annoying and tedious, but they could pay off well. This was one of those times, I reckoned.
“Let’s see this weapon, and I’ll see if I can repair it.” He tapped the counter with a smile, and I pulled out my glaive.
“A glaive user?” His eyes widened a little. “It’s a good weapon; seems here that the majority of your durability took the largest hit to the haft. Luckily, we have just the thing.”
He reac
hed under the counter and pulled a large sack that looked like a grain sack from most games and reached inside. He took out a little bit of the powder from inside, sprinkled it over the haft, then held it together. I watched with unabashed fascination as the splintered section of wood melded back together as if it were new once the light green powder hit it.
“Repair powder does wonders.” Alvor picked the weapon up and checked the balance and looked over the metal portion. “I’ll file these kinks out of the edge here, then hone it, and that should be it.”
He took the weapon to a stone shaped like a wheel and pumping his feet on a set of pedals that started it spinning. He held the blade to it with a practiced hand, then sparks flew, and he swayed it back and forth.
—I’m online, where are you?— Mona’s whispered message made me jump.
I opened my mini-map, enlarging it, and checked to see if some of the functions of other games in the past worked here. I found the arrow for where I was standing and tapped it with my finger. A small drop-down menu opened up.
Log location – bookmark this location for further use.
Share location – share this location with a friend, or with a party member.
Bar location – set a block on this location for your party.
Why would anyone want to bar a location? I shared my location with Mona since we were still in our party and then toggled through a few more things, chief among them being my friends’ list. I immediately sent a friend request to Mona, and she accepted it. Interesting that our party hadn’t disbanded. Another nice facet to the game.
I tried to converse with Alvor, but he seemed engrossed in his work, so asking about the powder was a no go for the time being.
I waited ten minutes or so while she walked towards my location, and Alvor worked on sharpening my glaive. It took her about five minutes to find me in the square, so I had to call out to her, but when she arrived, she smiled and waved happily. It was all I could do not to try and hide my face at everything I had been feeling earlier and how I had reacted to her.
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