72: Breathless Return

I logged out of Rell the day after I finished my part with the plumbing. I was tired, and the very act of logging out was something I hadn't been able to do for a long while. So yeah, I logged out and spent the day exploring the neighbourhood in Exodus City. It was such a scenic place. Down near the thin beach, I found a quay where people were walking or sitting to watch the water. There weren't too many people, mind you, but enough to make the place feel inhabited.

Opposite the sea on the quay was a row of four or five story buildings, the lowest story of which held shop fronts. Only two of the two dozen shops were occupied, however. One was a cafe, while the other sold ice cream. Using my stipend of Exodus Financial Units—that everyone got— I bought an ice cream. It was pretty damn good.

The next morning, I logged back into Rell feeling refreshed and ready to tackle a solo dungeon.

Matching Exodus City, it was morning in the game world, so I wandered down and out of the tower to get breakfast in the tavern room. The Willow had pulled up a mile or so outside of the biggest town in the large valley, which we were apparently using to stock up on anything and everything we might need.

The tavern was really beginning to bustle by the time I left, with the smell of newly acquired ale permeating the air. There was a roast being prepared for lunch in the kitchen too, adding to the lovely inn aroma. I almost stuck around for some of the roast, but with a heavy heart and a disappointed belly I decided to get moving. There would be more roasts when I got back. The dungeon I had in mind for my little excursion was a fun one, with the potential for some interesting loot.

I mean, if the gross, soggy dungeon that Ethan and I had cleared dropped Faerym Seeker specific gear, then this place, being so close to the border and fae themed, must have some really good shit, right? I hoped so.

Stepping onto the lift, I also found myself wondering how or when I'd next upgrade my racial ascension. Did I need to try flying really far or something? Would that trigger the game to bestow a point? Maybe.

The lift creaked gently as I was lowered, and swayed slightly as a gust of wind caught it. Reaching out, I took hold of a support and waited as the boxy lift bumped against the muddy ground.

Hopping over a puddle formed by countless footprints, I glanced up at the town. Did I need anything? It was a pretty place, with low, thick walls and cobbled buildings. Everything had moss growing on it, even the rooftops. Nothing jumped out at me as being urgent, so I turned and began to follow the road.

I had a few motives for this particular trip, besides the promise of a challenge and some loot. Okay, there was only one other motive, but it was a good one. The boss of the dungeon was undead.

So much had happened recently that I'd left my Spirit Forging by the wayside, and it was kinda sad because it was so interesting. Actually, in fairness to myself, I'd also needed to get good at normal smithing before I could do Whisperwill and their experiments justice.

Gah, and there was also that library that needed—

“Keiko!” A voice called, and it was a voice that lightened my step and set my heart to pounding.

I was turning and rushing back towards Paisley before I even realised I’d moved. My whole body felt like it’d been lightened by a couple of kilos. Fuck, I had missed her.

She was standing on the road, hands on knees catching her breath like she’d been running after me. Well, not like—she had been. Her face wore a huge smile, though, despite the exertion.

“Moving—” she gasped. “Didn’t take as much time as I thought it would. Dad had everything worked out, because he’s freaky with his plans sometimes. We're all settled— oof.”

My high velocity hug knocked the breath out of her, and she coughed out a laugh. If I'd been thinking, I might've held back a bit, but she caught me by surprise and so here I was, pressing my whole body to hers. Jangly bits of her outfit pressed into me, and my sword hilt got trapped between us, but a little wiggle dislodged both from their spots of irritation.

Paisley's laugh softened into silence, and her arms came up to wrap around my waist. “Hey… what's wrong?”

I shrugged, and laid my cheek down on her shoulder. My long ear started being tickled by her hair. “Missed you. Getting pipes was an ordeal.”

“Getting… oh yeah, I saw some plumbing happening,” she said. Her thumbs were kneading my shoulder blades and it felt really nice. “Uh… do you want to tell me about the ‘ordeal’ while we walk… where were you going?”

“To the Isolated Valley Fort dungeon,” I said, reluctantly letting go of her.

As I retreated, her fingertips trailed down my arm, and a brief expression of longing came over her features. Then she laughed and blushed. “U-uh, what? Oh, the dungeon— which dungeon? You were going to solo it?”

“Isolated Valley Fort,” I repeated, laughing at her with my eyes. “I was going to solo it, yeah.”

She licked her lips and nodded, then haltingly began to walk. I turned and followed her, still amused. I'd been on rails, following my feelings into that hug, but now I had my senses back—somewhat—and it was so goofy to see her metaphorically run face first into the barriers she'd put up.

“I’ll walk there with you,” she said, then glanced back as I took a few hurried steps to catch up. “Is that okay?”

“Sure,” I said, smiling up into the cold blue sky.

“So, um— ordeal?”

I sighed. “I had to get copper so I could make pipes, and on the way, I was accosted by my trainer NPC. Except, the SAI who was apparently running the NPC is completely uninterested in the RP and straight up broke the fourth wall. She was a total asshole.”

“That's… wouldn't her bosses get pissed at her?” Paisley asked, wide eyed.

“I don't think she's a dev,” I said, hopping over a puddle. “She definitely wasn't scared of them.”

Paisley was quiet for a second, then she shrugged, “Maybe you can report her?”

“Maybe, but that wasn't the worst thing.”

She glanced at me, concern in her big brown eyes. “Oh?”

“I didn't have a way to get all the ore home, so I logged into my old character to buy a crafting satchel for myself…” The memory of that brief trip into hell threatened to crash over me again in a wave. “It, um, it definitely clarified my gender.”

Soft, warm fingers reached out to squeeze my hand. “Oh, Keiko. That was… you can't brute force your way through that one.”

I snorted a laugh and sucked in a breath of sharp highlands air. “Yup. I hit my DH panic button. It threw me back into the void— They call it a frame, and it's like if closing your eyes actually removed you from reality… anyway, yeah I hit the panic button.”

“I can't… I mean, that sounds awful, but I…” she winced as she tripped over her words. “I don't know much about what being trans means, or being a digital human for that matter, so…”

“No frame of reference?” I smiled.

“Ha ha,” she laughed.

Getting her to laugh at my stupid pun buoyed my spirits a little, and I continued, “Anyway, I hopped back into— gah, I can't say that stuff. Well, long story short, a dev gender bent my old character…”

Paisley listened as I recounted the confrontation with our old guildies, her eyes growing wider and wider as I spoke.

“Wow…” she breathed, when I was done. Then she frowned and kicked at a pebble. “Sounds like Arca, too. I don't like talking shit normally, but the way she twists things— it's like she can bend reality until she's the victim. It's scary.”

“Even when someone unrelated to her was actually the victim, yeah,” I agreed.

Paisley kicked the rock again. “Like, she had nothing to do with any of the stuff that went down, and yet she acts like it all happened to her. Gah, I hate that. It's so… so…”

“Manipulative,” I supplied.

Paisley let out a long breath, as the pebble jinked sideways and disappeared into the tall grass beside the road. Her tone was full of distaste. “Yeah. That.”

“I hope Tysian gets out.”

“Yeah,” she said. Then she let out a groan. “What a depressing conversation.”

“Sorry,” I said, then laughed gently. “At least we're going to have hot showers soon.”

“Oh my god, I forgot all of that was just to get plumbing,” Paisley exclaimed with a horrified laugh. “Wow, that really was an ordeal.”

Then she skipped a step and said in an overly cheerful tone, “But I'm here now! No more dreary, terrible things. We're going to have fun!”

“Okay,” I said, grinning at her enthusiasm. “Is this going to be a duo dungeon now, or…?”

“Oh, no!” She said quickly. “I guess I'll wait outside? Is it a long one? I can't remember if it's one where you stay the night.”

I had to drudge the memory up, so it took me a moment to respond. “It's like… a five, six hour one.”

“Okay. I'll wait outside,” she said happily. “Maybe I'll go looking for enchanting materials, since the inn will probably need a lot of enchanting done.”

“Like, for the hot water,” I nodded.

“Exactly!”

Oh, Paisley. Her bright personality was so endearing—it made my heart bounce happily.