Manny continued eating, probably happy to not be included in the conversation.
Vardis watched the Beholder slurping his food. “Yes, this will be my first meal with humans. I am very excited to partake. And then we will retrieve the weapon from your moon, correct?”
“Yep, that’s the whole reason we’re here. That and to give everyone an idea about how great Earth is. Maybe they’ll fight even harder to keep this place from blowing up.”
“The Dark One does not blow planets up. He eats them from the inside until there is nothing left and they collapse in on themselves, killing everyone who was sustained by their place of birth.”
Alex and Manny exchanged glances in the dead quiet that followed his statement. “Uh, it was just a phrase,” the rider murmured. “Try not to say that at dinner if you can help it.”
Vardis blinked in surprise, looking like a giant insect. “Say what?”
“Never mind. I take it back. Just be yourself. Let’s hope it works out.”
It didn’t take long for Team Boundless to be ready to leave. Alex explained to her team that they didn’t have to adhere to any specific customs for the visit. That was a relief for everyone involved, but despite Alex’s constant reassurances, Jollies, Brath, and Gill wore their best formal clothes to meet Alex’s parents.
Gill’s formal drow suit was far too proper for a small get-together of friends. The suit was hand-stitched by one of the finest tailors in Gill’s community. Each thread could be seen individually and glimmered like a polished jewel. The narrow outline of the suit gave way to a flowing robe past the waist. It was a very flattering outfit.
Brath, on the other hand, had chosen a rough suit of dwarfish chainmail armor. He explained that it was mostly ceremonial. His father had passed it on to him, and his father before him. It had never seen battle, which was good since the armor was old enough to fall apart under the weakest of plasma blasts.
Jollies hadn’t worn anything special but whispered to Alex that pixies as well as fairies attended all major social events in the nude. She had thought it better to ask Alex ahead of time and joked, “It’s not hard to dress down.”
Once everyone had changed into something more comfortable, Boundless headed out to meet Alex’s parents.
For the first time in months, Alex stood at her front door. The last time she’d been here was when Manny and Myrddin had come to recruit her. Now she was about to knock with a host of other races in tow. Hopefully, her parents wouldn’t freak out too much.
The door was opened almost instantly. Her mother and father crowded the threshold. Liza and George were all smiles, both of them trying to blink back tears. George leaned forward, scooped Alex up in his arms, and squeezed her tightly. “It’s so good to finally see you again, kiddo.” He laughed as he tightened his grip.
Alex managed a weak hello with the little bit of air she had in her lungs before her father dropped her. She gave her mom a kiss, and Liza promptly burst into tears and rushed to wipe them away.
George stepped back, motioning for the rest of the guests to come in. “Please, don’t stand outside. It’s time we got to know each other.”
Alex walked into the house, surprised her parents weren’t caught off guard by a gnome, a dark elf, and a pixie. Why her parents didn’t notice the alien standing at the rear was beyond Alex’s understanding. Even Jim seemed to think it was weird. He leaned over and said, “My parents would be losing their minds right now.”
George and Liza stood in the living room as the rest of the group awkwardly glanced at Alex, waiting for her to take the lead on the introductions.
After the introductions were over, she asked, “So, you guys aren’t weirded out by this?”
Liza laughed as she waved away Alex’s question. “Of course not, honey. After you left, your dad and I decided we had to check out Middang3ard VR. It didn’t make sense to be completely in the dark about what you were getting involved in. We each got our own set. Spending date nights in Middang3ard has made them a lot more interesting.”
George took a seat in his recliner. “Not to toot our own horns too loudly, but we’ve become kind of a big deal in there,” he said lazily, trying to downplay how happy he was with himself.
Jollies flitted over to Alex’s shoulder and whispered, “Your parents seem really cool.”
Alex wasn’t expecting that to be her friends’ reaction. “Wait until they talk more.”
George, who hadn’t heard Alex, leaned forward in his chair and said, “You might have heard of us. KillerStud313 and HotMammaBlood.”
Jollies’ skin shifted from its formerly calming blue to bright, excited pink. “Wait! That’s you guys? Oh, my gods! You guys are legends!”
Alex couldn’t believe what she was hearing come out of Jollies’ mouth. “Are you serious?”
Jollies flew in front of Alex’s face and grabbed her by the cheeks. “These two single-handedly beat the end-game raid that takes eighteen people to finish! The only party to ever finish it faster was the Mundanes, and we all know how good they are.”
Alex stared at her parents. Liza didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, but George was smiling smugly, obviously proud of himself. “Well, I mean, we hold other records,” he said as well. “But we can talk about that over dinner. Now, which of you is giving me a hand in the kitchen? Gill? Fancy helping me butcher a hog?”
Gill’s eyes lit up in a way Alex had only seen once before. “Oh yes, I would like that a lot,” he blurted excitedly.
Gill and George rushed off. Jim, Brath, and Vardis continued standing in the living room, looking at their hands and trying to figure out what
