by D Wolfin
I find Fen and Verde waiting outside of Iceridge, both ignoring each other.
"Well, now that that's over, I feel relieved." I try to sound cheerful, but failing the effect the dreary atmosphere bearing down between the two.
"Yes," Verde's lips draw a thin line under her hood, "but I doubt they will give up, they have been known to hold grudges."
"That, does indeed sound like it could be a pain." The thought of that egotistical man chasing me around is most certainly not pleasant.
"I would recommend leaving the Kingdom of Glace for a while. That should not be a problem now that you're over level fifty."
"What about you, will you be leaving?"
"There is no need, they did not hear my name so they cannot use any locate spells to find me."
"Well, if we need to leave, why don't you come with us?"
Verde stops moving for a minute and seems to be thinking about her answer. I have a feeling in my gut that it is her trying to work out the best way to turn my offer down.
'Maybe she is still angry about the kiss...'
"Okay, I suppose I can do that."
'Huh, why would she say yes?'
"I’m glad. Although I have a few things I need to do first."
After our partings, Fen waited while we all split up. I don't know where Verde went, but I went directly to the magic shop and bought a scroll of shrinking for Fen.
With the wolf now in the town, we first have to secure her some clothing. I lead a happy Fen into what appears to be an ordinary clothier, but turns out to be top end clothing with massive price tags on them.
Fen ran off before I could get her out of the shop and into a less expensive one. She stops while looking at a particular dress hanging on the wall all by itself.
"I suppose I did promise to give you whatever you wanted." Letting out a sigh, I took it down from the wall.
Exquisite Halter Dress (Red)
A stunning halter styled dress made by the famous designer Paziosco.
This short piece will expose enough of the thighs to cause all the men to be entranced.
It is made from Cotton
Requirements
- Female
Defence: 1
Durability: 16/16
Abilities:
- Charm and Taming skills will gain a 20% bonus.
- Male pets: Loyalty +50%
One look at the price tag causes me to tear up. There is not much to the dress, and the bonus effect isn't even useful for Fen. But, I suppose clothing having any bonus effects dramatically increases the value.
Price: 39 gold
That is an enormous sum for a single simple dress. With such an expensive taste, could this wolf smell the price tag?
Purchasing the dress I lead the wolf outside the shop before it sees anything else it wants. In an alley behind the shop I leave Fen with the dress to transform change into. I was a little afraid at first she would transform into a human at one tenth the size thanks to the scroll, but that wasn't the case.
From the alley, Fen walks out, revealing her human form to me for the very first time.
Her hair is as white has snow, cut just above her shoulders at the back, and flowing down past her collarbone at the front. Under her straight cut fringe I can see her crystal blue eyes, her narrow lips drawn in a straight line, and her cheeks that are tinged rose.
She gives me a nervous and bashful glance. The dress clings to her figure at the top, yet at the bottom it is much looser, a few layers of frills decorating the hem. Just under the bust a large white ribbon wrapps around her, tied into a bow on the back of the dress.
"You look fantastic Fen," I sincerely mean it. Even with her pale skin, the dress looks stunning on her. Despite the low cut, it clung to her modest chest, revealing the shapes underneath.
After paying so much for it, at least I did not have to worry about the durability of the dress. The dress was classified as clothing and not armour, meaning that while it did have durability it would only drop with modifications. My cloak was technically classed as clothing as well.
I am completely at odds as to how I should define her. Do I call her a wolf, or a person? She is definitely a wolf, but right now she is a person. There aren’t even animal ears or a wolf tail to still be able to call her a wolf.
She looks at the ground, nervously playing with her bare feet at my words.
'Now that I think of it... She probably still isn't wearing any underwear!'
The thought completely sobers up my mind for a moment. One careless moment in the wind and everyone is going to get a grand view of Hail Mary.
Surely the game must have some sort of censoring, but Fen isn't exactly your typical NPC or Player. Plus, if I recall, there is a requirement that players must be at least eighteen years old.
She is only my companion, but I still do not want others to see her like that. I would like to buy her some underwear, but I have no clue what I should get. I need to call in someone who would know.
"Verde, where are you now?"
"Oh, Lost. I am just buying some food for the journey. Have you finished with what you needed to do?"
"Mostly, there is just one thing I need your help with. Can you come to... Mmm, let me check what it's called... Bernardo's?"
"I know that place, that's where I got my cloak from! I will be right there!"
She shortly arrives at where I am waiting. The instant she sees us however she stops dead in her tracks. Or should I say, the instant she sees Fen.
"T-Thank you for coming so quickly!" I stammer a little at the start, a little nervous now that she is in front of me.
"The th-thing is, Fen doesn't currently have any underwear, and I am not very good with clothes shopping. I-I have actually never bought... Any of that stuff." I indicate to the girl next to me.
Verde is still staring at Fen, her face completely pale. She does not even register my words.
"Verde..." Fen spoke up, showing a smile across her face, "Please... Help me buy some... Underwear..."
Verde still didn't say anything, but she gave a few short nods of her head.
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-Verde-
After the kiss, I had logged out and locked myself in my bedroom. My father had come knocking on the door quite often, bringing me food and demanding to know what was wrong.
If he knew the truth, I have no doubt he would find out where the boy lived and pay him a visit.
I wasn't particularly angry or upset at him stealing a kiss. It is just that every time I recall it, I get these butterflies in my chest and my head feels dizzy.
I was afraid to log back on.
Afraid that he would kiss me again.
Afraid I would let him.
I could feel heat rising to my face. I try burying myself in my pillow, but nothing seems to be able to hide me.
***************************************************
A week passed and I had finally collected my thoughts to be able to think rationally. It had happened, and I should just forget about it.
When I logged on however I returned to the dungeon where I logged off. I thought of calling Sir Laurence for help, but something inside of me decided to call Lost instead.
Fortunately, he was nearby and got to me in no time at all. Yet when he faced me and offered me his hand, the turmoil inside of me started up again. I took his hand and, once I was standing up, did not want to let go of it again.
It did not take long for us to escape the dungeon. Lost asked me to log out while he moved the wolf up to the next floor for some reason he did not want me to know about. It was definitely suspicious, but I couldn't find it inside of me to raise the question.
Outside of the dungeon we encountered the Swords of Light guild. They are absolutely terrifying.
I already knew the face of the leader Chronix, he was one of the players chasing after Gladox, trying to g
et to a higher level than him.
Speaking of which, during my week away I read that Gladox is already nearly level two hundred and fifty. Surely there must be some secret to how fast he gains levels.
Chronix was just into extortion, as it was well known to anyone who knew of him. The issue was he generally targeted players a lot lower levelled than he was, killing anyone who refused his demands or tried to escape.
Fortunately I was a player with a high agility stat, so I should be able to get away from him. I am a little worried I would hold Lost back, but we needed to run away from this spot.
The signal I gave to run was a bit sudden, but we all managed to get away from the Swords of Light guild. At least, until we entered the forest that is.
Two of the guild members were already there, people boasting speed much faster than mine. I started to feel hopelessness about escaping from them but Lost had Fen pick me up and escape with me.
The wolf was incredible. I could feel the wind pressure against my face as we flew through the trees. Only, did the wolf have to pick me up with its jaws? For some reason its breath was ice cold, causing me to feel frozen down to my bones.
The wolf dumped me face first in the ground as soon as we arrived at Iceridge.
I had previously come to the conclusion that the companion was lent to him by the person who murdered me in the inn a while back. It would make sense, especially if its affinity of ice originated from its owner. It was a frightening thought, but next time I would be the one doing the ambushing.
That all changed however when Lost called for me in a private message to come help him out with something. It turned out had no clue how to pick out underwear for a girl.
A girl standing right next to him he called Fen.
The same girl I remembered from the inn that night.
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Walking through the shops, Fen was following closely behind me. Fortunately Lost had lent me an extra coin bag he had to buy the girl some underwear, as I have little money of my own.
Sweat trickles down the back of my neck, I can almost feel the eyes of this girls drilling holes into my back. She was all smiles at first, but ever since leaving Lost she has been giving off a freezing aura.
All of a sudden a hand grabs my elbow and pulls me into a gap between two buildings. I get spun around and two hands pin my shoulders against the wall.
With my heart feeling like it's about to bounce right out of my chest. Fen is standing in front of me. Her eyes seem to pierce right through my body, spikes of ice form in the air around us.
"What... Do you think... You are doing..." It is the same voice from that night. A quiet voice, yet crystal clear.
I open and close my mouth a few times, but no words would come out.
"I warned... You... To stay away... You, will not be coming to the... Kingdom of... Forste."
Her face is about two inches from mine, her words piercing through me like nails. If she is trying to be intimidating, she is succeeding.
The memory of the unnatural pain I felt last time is coming back to me, causing my chest to further constrict in fear.
"I am... All Lost needs... Don't forget that..." The ice spikes embed themselves in the wall around me. I hurriedly nod my head to her, letting her know I understand.
'I-I really wanted to travel with him more. B-but I guess there is no way.'
My thoughts reveal my feelings, but my fear of this wolf outweighs them. I can almost feel her hand stabbing into my chest again, it hurts so much.
"I can... Buy my own... Underwear... Go home..." I feel the coin bag Lost lent me being removed, but I could not do anything to stop it.
Fen then turns and walks away with the dignity of a prideful wolf. With her gone, my legs finally give way and I end up on the ground, shaking all over.
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-Lost-
It is a relief for Verde to take Fen to find underwear. I honestly have neither experience nor confidence in dealing with such an issue.
First on my list is selling all of my loot. Racing around town, I manage to gain back the money I spent on Fen's dress and the last scroll of shrinking to get her back into town. But I also accumulated another fifty points of infamy in the process
Next, however, is what I am especially interested in.
Travelling through the eastern side of Iceridge, I arrive at the Auction House, more commonly referred to as the AH.
The building looks like some gothic styled cathedral from the 1400's. The architecture is amazing, I remember learning about them in my history class back when I was at school.
Inside, the walls have intricate bronze carvings reaching all the way up to the ceiling, which hangs colourful banners and candle lit chandeliers.
I find an incredibly friendly NPC at the information desk that happens to be more than happy to assist me.
"Good afternoon! What can I help you with today!" Seriously though, she seems like she is on a sugar high. Either she must love her job, or she seriously loathes it.
"I have two items I would like to put into the auction."
"No problem! Here is the key to stall number thirty seven! Do you need an explanation on how it works!?"
"Mmm. Yes, please."
"It's really simple! Once in the stall, all you need to do is place the item on the table! Then you choose the starting bid and how long the auction goes for!"
"Items are listed not just in our catalogue! But also on the official End Online website! All auctions run across all servers too so you will never have a problem finding a buyer! If the item is good that is!"
"You can also use our stalls for placing bids! Any items you have bid on can also be viewed from your main menu! You can even place more bids!"
"Fine, fine. I got it. Thank you for the explanation."
This person is similar to PeachStar in many ways, but mainly in the fact that she is giving me a headache. Could the developers of this game consider developing a volume control?
I did, however, feel a great relief come over me when I did not gain any extra infamy points. This place must be an exception to certain parts of the game
I leave the attendant behind me and walk down the hall. Turning a key on the door labelled '37'."
The stall is of a reasonable size, a small round table in the centre and six chairs circling it appear to be the only furniture in here.
'Looks like I could bring in more people if I like. There are only six chairs but I'm sure more people could come in here, there isn't a rule against it after all.'
Sitting down, a menu opens in front of me, asking if I am buying or selling. Selecting 'Selling', I am prompted to put the items on the table in front of me.
Extracting both the Old Bronyx Plate Armour and Meridium Boots of Haste, I place them on the plain table in front of me.
The menu splits into two windows, one for each item. Each window displays one of the items I am putting up for sale, along with the bidding information.
Playing around with the options, I set the time for both of them to be two weeks, plus a small starting bid of twenty dollars. There are also choices to choose the minimum bid increase, reserve price and such, but I leave them blank.
I confirm the auction and the items disappear with a flash of light. If I am to describe the whole process in one word, it would be, "Convenient."
Returning the key to the noisy attendant at the entrance to the AH, I exit the building. Considering I will be leaving, there is only one place left to visit.
"Hiiiiii! Have you got anymorrre apples for meee?!" PeachStar seems to get more irritating every time I see her. Perhaps I should find another merchant to sell my apples.
"Hey, PeachStar. Sorry, but I don't have any apples today."
"Awwww! I reallllly wanted to eat some!"
"Well," muffling a sigh, I lean in and whisper in h
er ear, "How about I tell you where to get all the apples from."
"WHAAAT!! Whyyy would you do thaaat??" Her voice causes everyone to look over while I try to massage my temples, my headache increasing.
"I will tell you where they are, because I plan on leaving to the Kingdom of Forste shortly. I thought you may like to go collect them yourself and we will split the money in half between us."
"I would loooove that! I could eat allll the apples I like!"
'You know, that really isn't the point here. But if it's apples to eat you want...'
"I'm glad you accept," A greedy smile lit my hidden face, thinking about earning money without doing anything. "Do you have a map that I can put the location down on?"
PeachStar pulls out a map and I indicate the location of the cave. There are only wolves on the way and inside so she should be capable of doing it herself. I do tell her not to speak to anyone else about the cave. I am quite protective of my secret little spot in the end.
Although, I am not entirely confident in PeachStar's secret keeping. She is after all what I would call... A loudmouth.
I would like to say goodbye to Mouse before I leave, but he doesn't appear to be operating his business today.
Leaving the bazaar, a pair of pale arms wrap around me from behind.
The person quickly releases me and skips around in front of me, delight filling their face.
It is Fen. She gives me a coin purse with some coins in it. It is clearly change from buying her undergarments, but why did she have it?
"It's good to see you Fen. Did you get what you needed?"
"Yep!... I did." With a few quick nods of her head, coupled with her perforating voice, most of the players were looking our way.
All the woman in the vicinity are giving surprised looks at Fen, while most of the men seem to be glaring at me.
"Umm. What about your shoes?"
"Don't need them... They will only... Slow me down." She is bouncing around full of energy, but her movements are incredible, it's like she is simply gliding through the air.
"Okay, okay. Where is Verde?"
She bites her lip and looks away, mumbling that Verde left to go somewhere else. Interestingly she keeps looking away from me, avoiding meeting my gaze.