It was easy to see the wisdom in Alysand’s choices, further treasures buried or now. Our party was burdened with enough scales as it was. They were hard like steel but lighter than leather. I wondered at the gear it might be turned into if we found an armorer skilled enough. Besides, I’d found an amazing weapon, one that if repurposed, might become a boon to my character. I cut the halberd down to axe size and walked with it strapped to my back.
My bear companion had exploded in size, no doubt in response to the levels I had gained. As we marched out, the crest of his back came up to my shoulder. The silly guy must have gained a couple hundred pounds as well.
I noted that Pachi had grown, too. She stood as tall as a horse now, though her body was lithe in comparison.
The other tunnel led to a few more skirmishes with guards, but they were fewer in number, and none wore plate armor. Hana and I cut them down, Alysand only watching us, as if all strength to fight had fled from him. We took the coin they held and released the sane miners. Only a handful more of the zealots had to be put down.
Sunlight was just beginning to rise over the horizon when we left the cave and stumbled back to our campsite. We ate a bit then passed out in a pile of gear and wyvern parts.
When I woke a few hours later, I realized that even though I enjoyed the company of my companions, I wanted to sleep in the comfort of my pod.
I saw Alysand and Hana rousing as well, and I told them I’d be back before nightfall. “I want to check on the auctions and sleep some more. Meet you guys again soon?”
Hana nodded, and Alysand smiled. The gentleman still looked too refined, too rich, to be thrown in such a dirt-clogged world. Yet I recognized now that he was genuine. I nodded to him and regarded Hana. He pale cheeks were clean now, her lips the precise color between pink and purple. She caught me looking at her mouth and blushed. I took the image with me and logged out.
As I woke, the familiar weight and pain of my body slammed down on me like a sledgehammer.
I groaned for a time, then called out, “Gita! I need a little help!”
The assistant droid had been an extra cost for me but was worth every YD I had spent on it. It looked much like the Gita model but was larger and excessively strong.
Its polymer arms reached out and lifted me up from the bed, pulling me against its body. My thin legs dangled limply before I was set down in my chair.
I drank the tonic that he gave me, and felt the dizziness slowly begin to fade. I wheeled my chair over to the corner of my room and came to rest before the extended monitor. My arms were sore, but despite the unease of immersion sickness, I insisted on pushing myself about. How else was I supposed to keep my guns?
I cleared my throat and spit out a ball of yuck in the cup Gita had handed me. He took it away as I called out to my house AI. “Elendil, any news?”
“Good day, Madrigal. I hope your time adventuring was worthwhile. And as to your question, yes, there is very good news indeed. Only a single item has sold so far, but take a look at the numbers and see for yourself.”
A figure appeared on my screen, showing me exactly how much an overcommitted gamer would pay for the gallbladder of a god.
My face spread into a greedy, shameless grin. Hana was gonna flip.
5: “Much have I traveled in the realms of gold, and many goodly states and kingdoms seen.”
— The Nightingale Prince
HANA
When I got back from training, I stripped down and showered. The water here was still one of the best parts of living in the EO facility.
It burned down my body, hot enough to make my skin bright pink. The water was also treated, which had already left my hair and skin softer in the course of my short stay.
“Elendil, how is my dual-wielding?” I asked, hopeful for some sort of encouragement. Using both of the swords at once was completely foreign.
“Much improved, Hana. You are at least twenty-two percent less likely to injure yourself in combat!”
I laughed and thought of the battle with the ratkin lord guards in the bottom of the mines. I’d given in to the urge to use both swords at once, and to good effect. I was able to deflect attacks while striking at the same time, and even used both swords at once to absorb or deflect stronger attacks. Still, my own attacks still felt sluggish and weak in comparison to the two-handed approach I was used to. Despite my relative success, one of my blocked attacks had careened to the side, glancing off my thigh. Had it been a direct hit, I could have killed myself, saving the ratkin a lot of trouble.
“Well, that’s great,” I said. “I’m gonna log back in soon and see if I can finish leveling up my fishing skill before Madi gets back in the game.”
Before I finished my sentence, a new message pinged in my inbox. Speak of the six-foot barbarian devil!
I opened it and I nearly vomited. A brief message filled my screen.
From @Morena_BadAxe: But you can give all that to the birds and bees!
At first, I was confused, but before I could look up the vague reference, I noticed a link below.
Interworld Exchange Vendor: Will you accept funds from @Morena_BadAxe? Total sum of 22,584 gold dragons awaiting confirmation. Confirm transfer?
I stared at the number before me. So
