by Rick Scott
That darn message. “Right! I know. I’m sorry! Look, let me finish up here and I’ll expl—”
“You don’t need to explain anything to me, Reece. What I saw just now explains it all.”
“What you saw?”
“Don’t take me for an idiot, okay? If you wanted to ditch me for her and her guild, you could have just manned up and said so. There was no need for you to send me that cruel message about you quitting the game, and then ignoring all my replies and voice chat requests. Then you try to blow me off when I message you in-game? And lo and behold, when I come looking for you, this is what I find.”
What the heck? “Gilly, what are you talking about?”
“Have a fun life, Reece. I hope she’s as awesome as you think she is.”
And then she fast-travels away.
I’m left feeling numb and speechless. I didn’t even get a chance to explain myself!
I hear Val Helena let out a huff above me. “Whoa. Lots of fire in that one. You’d better be careful there, buckaroo.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I say, scratching my head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. I did leave her a message earlier, before I ran into you, when I was feeling depressed about the game and planned to quit. But I didn’t think she’d get this bent out of shape over it. Usually, we’re pretty good friends.”
“Friends, you say?”
“Yeah.”
Val Helena leans her head back and lets out one of her huge goddess laughs. “This is too much!”
“What?”
She stops laughing and says, “The girl is obviously in love with you, you idiot.”
“What?” In love with me? “No way!”
“I get the attraction, though.” She gives me a sultry smile that has my hormones jumping with confusion. “You are rather cute, in a clueless sort of way. I just hope you’re not this clueless on the battlefield.”
“Huh?”
“Anyway, this is the kind of stuff I was talking about. I can’t tell you what to do, but if you go after her, make sure she’s not dead weight. Else you’re probably better off just letting her go.”
What the heck does that mean?
Val Helena changes back to Paladin again. “Let me know when you’re ready to unlock Ninja. I’ll get something for you that might help you with the quest. Good luck, lover boy.”
* * *
I try distracting myself from my churning thoughts by leveling up some more. I take out a few more bunnies with my practice sword, and even get a couple of skill ups. Then a burst of light surrounds me.
Congratulations! You gained a Level!
You are now Level 2.
You have gained 1 attribute point.
You learn the ability: “Rush”
Rush
You rush your enemy, stunning them for 1 second.
Activation: 0.2 Seconds
Cool-down: 30 seconds
Cost: 5 TP
I should feel excited to gain a level and a new ability. But instead, I feel sort of hollow. I try fighting a few more bunnies, but my heart just isn’t in it. Instead, I try to send a message to Gilly.
Player Gilly has added you to their ignore list and can no longer receive private messages from you.
She’s still ignoring me.
I check my messages to see if maybe she’s sent me a message instead.
I see a bunch more from people I don’t know, courtesy of Aiko’s live stream. And then I find a couple from Gilly. My heart beats faster until I see they were from over 5 hours ago.
From: Gilly
Reece! What happened? Are you really going to leave the game? DDDDD:
Please don’t do that! Message me ASAP! I don’t want you to go! ;_;
-Gilly
From: Gilly
Are you back yet? OMG, did something happen with your mom? D: I’m really worried about you!! ;_; Please message me as soon as you get on this morning. Remember, I’m always here for you. You can talk to me about anything. In-game or out.
*hugs*
-Love, Gilly
I sigh and feel my stomach sink. “Love, Gilly.” Maybe Val Helena was right. Maybe Gilly is in love with me, though the idea sounds stupid and crazy to me. But then again, Val Helena has been right about a lot of stuff recently. I read the messages again and feel like a complete tool. Gilly was really worried about me, and I never even gave her a second thought.
Thinking of Gilly as anything more than a friend is completely new to me. Sure, I think her avatar is kind of hot, but that’s just something in-game. It’s not like we could actually hook up in real life. I mean, I’m a gimp, what would she see in—
I stop in my thoughts.
I’m no longer a gimp.
The possibility of a real-life relationship is both thrilling and terrifying to me. But maybe it isn’t for Gilly. Could she really like me in that way? The idea has my heart beating a bit faster. But then I shake the thought from my head. She doesn’t even want to talk to me anymore. I sigh. Maybe Val Helena was right again. Maybe I should just leave things as they are. Move on without her.
But I can’t just leave things like this.
Whether Gilly likes me like that or not is irrelevant. She’s still my friend. And by ignoring her, by not even stopping to tell her what was going on, I’ve been a really crappy friend to her. I didn’t even check to see if she’d messaged me back when I logged in.
What an incredible dirt bag I am. No matter how important leveling has become to me, I can’t do it by stepping over the one person who has been there for me from the very beginning . . . no matter what.
I need to make this right.
I bring up my world map and prepare to fast-travel.
I don’t even need to use the search function to find out where she is.
Knowing Gilly, there’s only one place she would be.
* * *
I materialize in the copper mines of Griffon’s Gulch. It’s a Level 15 area that’s not too far from the human starting city of Timberdale and the elven starting city of E’lon, where Gilly’s from. It’s where we first met about six months ago. I pass a few low-level Miners as I make my way toward Gilly’s favorite shaft, an abandoned leg near the bottom that sometimes drops emeralds as well as copper and iron ores.
I spot her hammering away at a rock face.
She spots me in between swings and regards me with a scowl. “I don’t want to talk to you, Reece.”
“Wait! Don’t go!” I say, as I see her about to fast-travel. “Just hear me out, okay?”
She huffs and places her hands on her hips. “Go on. But it better be good.”
“I really meant that message when I sent it,” I say. “Honestly. I really was planning to quit the game.”
Gilly’s face is still hard, but her voice softens a bit when she says, “But why? You’d just gotten that amazing scroll. Was it something I said in my messages to you?”
“No. It was nothing like that,” I say quickly to reassure her.
I take a deep breath and just let it all spill out. I tell her about the situation with my mom and her six-month prognosis. I tell her about my legs. About how worthless that scroll was to me until Val Helena offered me that deal. How I used the money to fix myself, gave myself a chance to afford the nano treatment and save my mom for good.
By the time I finish, I have tears in my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I should have told you all this sooner. I just didn’t want to burden you with any more of my problems.”
“Oh, Reece, you could never do that.” Gilly wraps her arms around me in a hug. “I meant every word I said in my messages to you. I’m here for you. In-game and out.”
I return her embrace and feel a new warmth grow between us. “Thanks, Gilly.”
Is this what love is? I wonder.
It feels so good to stand here with her arms around me, and mine around her. I’ve never kissed anyone before—certainly not in real life—but I have the tremendous urg
e to kiss Gilly right now. My heart races as I look into her deep green eyes and wonder if Gilly feels the same way. I nudge closer.
But then I chicken out. Maybe she doesn’t.
I give her another quick squeeze instead, and then step back.
She’s still beaming at me, so maybe I did the right thing.
This was about friendship, after all. Not getting to first base.
If what Val Helena said was true, then the opportunity will materialize again—if I actually try to make it happen, that is. I steel myself and let out a nervous breath. “Gilly . . . how about we go on a date?”
Her eyes go super wide, and I fear I’ve just made a terrible blunder. “A date? Like a date-date? Like, in real life?”
Ack! I didn’t mean for it to go that far. “Well, ah . . . I was thinking more in-game first?”
“Oh, like at a tavern?”
She’s still looking at me funny, and I’m starting to lose my nerve. Maybe I’ve read everything all wrong. Maybe Val Helena has, too. “How about . . . a dungeon date?”
“A dungeon date?” Her eyes squint in confusion, but then light up with understanding. “Oh! To help you level, right?”
“Yeah,” I say, scrambling for poise. I didn’t really come up with that on purpose, but maybe adventuring together would be a good way for us to stay together through my leveling. “I know you’re more into mining, though, so if you’d rather not, then . . .”
“Hey, you know me,” Gilly says, throwing her pickaxe onto her shoulder. “Mining is life. But for you?” She grins and gives me a wink. “I can be flexible. On one condition.”
I laugh. “Name it.”
“You have to take me on a real date someday.”
My heart does a quick double beat. Hot damn! Maybe I am still in the game. I laugh nervously as she swoops in and lands a peck on my cheek. “Okay, meet me in Timberdale in about thirty minutes. I’m going to do some research. We’re going to get you leveled up in no time, Reece.”
“Cool!”
She then gives me a quick up and down. “But seriously, buy yourself some decent gear first.”
“Huh?”
She laughs. “Because there’s no way I’m going on a dungeon date with a dude who looks like that!”
Chapter 14: Dungeon Date
I take Gilly’s wardrobe advice and hit the markets in Timberdale.
I’m still Level 2, so I don’t have too much to pick from. Neither do I want to waste my money on gear that will not only be out-leveled soon, but also obsolete when I get to my proper class. Still, there are a couple of items that catch my eye.
Hard Leather Armor 150 Cr
+4 Armor
Not very comfortable, but it’s better than an arrow in the chest!
Short Sword 300 Cr
+1 Strength +5 Damage
Short-ranged, but very quick and effective versus soft armor.
I buy the two items and get a pair of cheap leather pants for style. The Short Sword is Level 3, so I can’t equip it yet, but I’m also halfway to leveling. I head back out to the forest and take on a few more hares until I hit level.
Congratulations! You gained a Level!
You are now Level 3.
You have gained 2 attribute points.
Cool. I equip the sword and armor and immediately feel better. I spot a young black bear not too far away and wonder if I can take it.
Young Black Bear
Level: 7
This bear may be young, but it’s still a bear! Better take care!
Affinity: Earth
I dash in with a hit from my new sword and take off a quarter of its health. Not bad!
It then riles up and rakes me with a claw. The hit is powerful. I feel it in my chest. Not the pain, per se, but definitely enough feedback to let me know I just took a big hit.
My HP confirms it. I’m down by half!
I need to kill this thing quick!
I give the bear another chop with my short sword and take another quarter chunk of its health.
Your Sword skill has increased by 0.5
Skill up! Sword skill is now 4.
The bear goes for another attack, and I use Rush at the last second to slam into its flank with my shoulder.
You use Rush!
The Young Black Bear is stunned!
I get another chance to attack and do so, taking the bear down to a quarter.
I try to Rush it again, but the ability is on cool-down now. My heart jumps into my throat as the bear rears up to attack again. I’m not going to survive another hit!
I manage to attack at the same time and receive a walloping slam as my sword hits.
You defeated the Young Black Bear!
You gain 150 experience points!
You find a Hunk of Bear Meat.
You find a Hunk of Bear Meat.
I killed it! My heart is pumping with adrenaline. I can’t believe I survived. I’ve never felt so alive in the game before. My XP bar gets a healthy jump, but then I look at my health.
2/42 HP.
Down to 2 HP?!
Man, that was too close. If it wasn’t for the armor and the couple extra hit points I’d gotten from leveling, I would have died for sure. That reminds me. I still haven’t spent my bonus attribute points yet. I bring up my stats.
Reece
Class: Warrior
Level: 3
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 4
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 4
Mind: 6
Vitality: 8
HP: 2/42
Stamina: 2/28
TP: 10/15
Wow, I was nearly out of stamina, too. But I have 10 bonus points to spend! I forgot I had some left over from leveling as Miner that I still haven’t placed. Decision time. Val Helena said to pump them all into Agility and Dex, but man, a few more HP and Stamina would be great, too. Maybe I should throw in a point of Vitality or two. Or some more Strength so I can hit harder and kill faster.
But Val hasn’t steered me wrong yet—latest development with Gilly being no exception. I dump 6 points into Agility to bring it up to 10, since she mentioned there was some kind of threshold there, and put the remaining 4 into Dex to bring it up to 8.
After I spend the points, I’m not really sure if my performance has increased or not.
But there is one surefire way to find out.
I rest up to full health and spot another young black bear.
I run in and attack, feeling my blade move quicker in my hand. Like the water resistance is now gone. I strike for the same quarter damage again, and then use Rush to stun its next attack.
I attack again, taking it down to 50% health.
And then again, taking it to 25%.
The bear finally gets an attack off and does a huge half-a-health-bar’s worth of claw damage. I attack right after, though, and the bear is dead.
You defeated the Young Black Bear!
You gain 150 experience points!
Kill chain x 1! You gain 75 bonus experience points!
Congratulations! You have unlocked a kill chain! When two monsters of higher level are defeated within one minute of each other, a kill chain will occur, resulting in a 50% experience point bonus. The kill chain can continue indefinitely, but the time limit for each successive chain will be reduced by 10 seconds.
Wow, cool. So there’s a reward for killing things fast? And I was definitely able to kill that bear faster with the higher Agility. I guess doing more hits with the same damage can be just as effective as doing more damage with the same number of hits. I’m starting to see the logic for investing in Agility.
I hear clapping from behind me and look over to see Gilly giving me applause. “Not bad Mr. Level Three! And the duds aren’t bad, either.”
I grin at her as I approach. “Thanks. I could say the same about you. I think.”
She’s switched to a Mage class, and is wearing a simple white robe that stops just above her knees. She
has a small wooden wand in her hand, and on her legs are a pair of white leggings. On her feet are some . . .
“Pink bunny slippers?” I laugh.
She laughs as well and does a spin for me. “Awesome noob gear, huh? I went Celestial Mage, since the best duo teams seem to be melee and healer.”
I send her a party request, and she joins.
Gilly Level 1 Celestial Mage
HP 18/18
STAM: 20/20
TP: 35/35
“Whoa, nice hit points!” I joke.
“I know, right?” She laughs some more. “And this is with my bonus Vitality points from Miner. You better not let me get hit!”
“Never!”
“Okay,” she says. “So I did some research, found this great page with a speed leveling guide. The best dungeon to hit is a place called the Murky Swamps. It’s a Level 15 dungeon.”
“15?” Yikes! “You sure we can survive in there?”
“If we’re around Level 5 or 6, it says we can. Come on, we can level on the way. Let’s try one of those bears as practice.”
“Okay,” I say. We venture through the forest a bit until we find one.
“Ready?” I ask.
“Yuppers!”
I laugh. Man, she’s so cute.
I charge the bear and take it down much like before, using Rush to block its first attack.
I still take nearly half my health in damage on its second hit, however. But Gilly is able to heal me up by swishing her little wand and casting a spell.
Gilly casts Heal!
You recover +25 HP.
It’s enough to take me back up to full, and I finish off the bear taking no further damage.
You defeated the Young Black Bear!
You gain 75 experience points!