by Rick Scott
“Ditto,” she says, squeezing me tight. She looks up at me with her big green eyes and plants a sweet kiss on my lips. But then she withdraws from me quickly, wringing her hands in mock disgust. “Ew, you’re all sweaty, though!”
I laugh. “I know, right!”
“Did you get my letter?” she says with a grin.
“Sure did. Helped us find you guys real quick!”
“You can say that again, mate.” Rembrandt ambles over to me. “Wasn’t expecting to see you till a few days at least.”
I clasp Rembrandt’s outstretched hand in a firm shake that ends in a bro hug. “I had great motivation to get here, trust me.”
“Yeah, I bet,” my big brother Maxis says with a grin. He then leans in to give me a bro hug as well. “I don’t even want to know what she wrote in that letter.”
“Hey!” Gilly says in protest. “It was nothing like that!”
That gives everyone a laugh.
“Oh, stop teasing her, Max,” Val Helena chides my brother as she steps towards me. She gives me a huge smile and then scoops me up into her big arms for a massive bear hug. “Glad you’re safe, Reece!”
I laugh and manage to squeeze out a reply as she crushes my ribcage, “Me…too!”
She lets me go while letting out a goddess laugh and then peers out into the darkness. “Where’s Aiko?”
“Right here,” the elf says, stepping from behind the half giant. “Never were the observant one, were you, Val?”
The temperature drops about 50 degrees. Smiles disappear as uncertainly and mistrust arise. Aiko gives a wicked grin as she transforms from the woman I’ve been talking to for the last two days and into this caricature of herself again. It’s a false bravado, I realize now. A protection mechanism she uses because she probably thinks everyone already hates her.
And she’s probably not wrong.
“Although I do like that you’ve switched back to Warrior,” Aiko continues her unsolicited critique of Val Helena as she steps around her. “You look more like yourself. With your bulk that paladin armor was making you look way too fat.”
She lets out one of her cackle laughs, which I think was meant to break the ice, but all it does is cause Val Helena to set her jaw in a scowl.
“I think me and you need to talk,” Val says no-nonsense.
“I actually think that’s a really good idea,” I say jumping in. “There’s some really big misunderstandings between you two. Believe me.”
Aiko gives me a sly grin and a wink. “Guess we’ll find out, huh, pretty boy?” She steps away a few paces before looking back over her shoulder. “You coming, Val?”
The big woman fumes again, her irritation palpable.
I send her a PM.
Me: Val, please don’t go all crazy on her. She’s here to help.
Val Helena shoots me an icy glare.
Val Helena: What do you mean go crazy? What did she tell you? Are you on her side now?
Yikes! Not the response I was hoping for.
Me: No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. Just talk to her, okay? She loves you a lot. She’s just scared to show her true emotions, I think. She was only trying to stop you from coming here to protect you. She didn’t want to see you die.
Val Helena frowns but I see a small break in her armor too.
Val Helena: I still find that a little hard to believe, but for your sake, okay. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.
The two women venture off a ways and then stop at the shore of the moonlit lake at the edge of the farm. The moonlight shimmers on choppy waves, giving form to their silhouettes as they stand off against one another, their muted words going back and forth between them. I can’t understand what they’re saying but by the aggressive body language it looks like an argument has started already.
“You think they’ll be all right?” Gilly asks as she stands next to me.
“Yeah, I think so,” I say. “They have a lot to talk about, but once Val understands the truth, they should be fine.”
“Seems like you’ve really taken to her,” Gilly says folding her arms. “Aiko, I mean.”
By her tone, I’m not sure if there’s a hint of jealousy there or not, but I’m for sure not going to mention that kiss now. “Aiko’s pretty solid, you guys. She has a tough exterior, but she means well. Plus I owe her a lot.”
I’m tempted to say that she saved my life, but I’m not sure if I want to go into telling that story just yet. Especially since I haven’t even revealed what I saw down in the mines to everyone. I guess it will all have to wait until we get through with saving Becky.
Maxis sucks his teeth. “Seems like the same Aiko to me. Pretentious and cocky.”
Gilly rolls her eyes up at my big brother. “Whoa…that is like soooo the pot calling the kettle black, Max.”
He does a double take at her. “What? You think I’m like her?”
“It’s true, mate,” Rembrandt says. “You can be a bit cocky, yeah?”
“What the heck, man?” Maxis grumbles which gives us all a laugh. “I know I’m not pretentious though. You can’t hold that one on me.”
That gets even more laughs, until a resounding SMACK! echoes through the air and we all fall silent. Our eyes dart toward Aiko and Val Helena, who are now face to face, fuming at one another.
I’m pretty sure that was a slap, but I’m not sure who slapped who.
Oh crap…
It becomes a bit more obvious when Val Helena touches her cheek as if in disbelief. She then straightens and inhales a deep breath before releasing an enraged cry: “I HATE YOU!!”
She lunges at Aiko with a closed fist. I expect Aiko to dodge but she flies right back at her with a punch of her own. The two collide in a tangle of flailing limbs, yelling and screaming until they both fall to the ground.
“Val!” Maxis shouts and starts to run toward them.
“Wait!” Rembrandt throws an arm across his chest, holding him back. “Leave them be!”
Maxis looks back at him with hostility in his eyes. “What?”
“Val said they’re like sisters, yeah?”
“What the heck’s that got to do with it?” He glares at Rembrandt.
“You got a brother, don’t you? They just need to work some stuff out. They’ll be okay.”
I look back to where Aiko and Val are now rolling on the ground, elbows and fists flying. They’re both screaming and cursing at one another, punching each other in the face. It’s painful to watch, but their HP bars don’t seem to be going down too much. Maybe Rembrandt is right.
“Trust me, mate,” Rembrandt says folding his arms. “I’m sure it’s not the first time they’ve done this.”
It goes on for a couple of minutes, the two women resorting to even pulling each other’s hair. Finally Val Helena rolls onto her back and gets Aiko into a scissor lock, crushing Aiko’s waist between her thighs while her massive arms wrap around Aiko’s torso. They grunt and strain face to face, Aiko vainly trying to break free from the wrestling hold with pelvic thrusts.
My mouth literally hangs open as I watch them.
“Tell me something, Max,” Rembrandt says removing his shades. “Is it wrong that I’m enjoying this?”
Maxis releases a guffaw. “Dude, I wish I had a freaking camera.”
Whew. Glad I’m not the only one!
“Ew! Gross!” Gilly says with a roll of her eyes. “Get your minds out of the gutter, you guys!”
I wish I could agree with her, but seeing two of the hottest women I know in such a compromising position has me thinking all the wrong things. I play it off, though, and give Gilly a hopefully convincing frown of disapproval. Val Helena then grabs the wrist of her other hand, tightening her grip until Aiko is gasping and straining to breathe.
“I’m going to kill you!!” Val Helena hisses between her clenched teeth as Aiko’s health bar begins to rapidly deplete.
Uh oh…
“This doesn’t look good!” I say, already dashing towards t
hem. “Val!”
We rush to them as a group, yelling and screaming.
“Val! Stop!”
“Val!”
We reach in time to see the giantess finally let go and for Aiko to choke in a gulp of air with a sputtering cough. They lay on top of one another, breathing heavily for a while and again my mind goes to places it shouldn’t.
“You nearly killed me, stupid,” Aiko says in between pants.
“I know,” Val Helena says still panting. “I’m sorry…”
The pants slowly turn into chuckles and then outright laughs. Val Helena wraps her arms around Aiko again, but in a hug this time, squeezing her lovingly as they rock back and forth on the ground.
“I’m missed you, Aiko,” Val Helena says in a sob. “I missed you so much.”
Aiko leans her head into Val Helena chest. “I missed you too, you big idiot.”
The laughs become sobs as both women weep and laugh in each other’s arms. The sight warms my stomach and I’m happy to see them reconciled, but at the same time, it’s a bit difficult to watch. Especially after what I was just thinking.
“Okay this is just getting embarrassing now,” Gilly says putting my emotions into words. “Can you say ‘cringe’?”
“Tell me about it,” Maxis says sounding disappointed. “I think I just lost my boner.”
* * *
The next couple of hours go by in a blur. I break out a portion of the Lakota meat and Val Helena roasts it over the open fire. Under the stars we have a mini banquet to celebrate our reunion, but even more so that of Aiko and Val. There’s not much for sides, but the meat itself is tasty and when Aiko materializes a couple of bottles of elven wine she must have snagged in Eldor, the party really kicks off.
I’ve never seen Val Helena happier and it warms my heart to see her talking and laughing with Aiko like a real sister again. It seems to break the ice for everyone else as well. As the night goes on, I see even Aiko let down her guard and become the more open version of herself that I’ve come to know.
“Sorry you had to all witness that, by the way,” Aiko says after taking a swig straight from the bottle. “If you hadn’t noticed, we’re kind of dysfunctional.”
“No problem at all,” Rembrandt says peering over the top of his shades. “Was one heck of a good show, mind you.”
We all laugh and Val Helena lets out a groan. “Gah, don’t remind me… Geez I feel so embarrassed now.”
“Totally should be!” Gilly says tossing a pebble at her. “How are you supposed to be a role model for me now?”
That one gets a goddess laugh.
“So you two good now?” Maxis says looking between them.
Val Helena looks at Aiko and the two share a little smile. “We still got a lot to catch up on. But, yeah we’re good. Until the rematch.”
Everyone laughs at that.
The night goes on and I finally get a few moments alone with Gilly. I take her for a seat by the edge of the lake and tell her all about the Witch Spider and what happened to me when I died. I also tell her how Aiko ran a marathon with me on her back to save me and Gilly’s face goes stark white.
She covers her mouth with both hands and looks like she’s about to cry.
Oh crap… did I just say something wrong?
“I’m sorry,” I say. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you. That’s why I didn’t mention it in my letter. I didn’t want to upset you.”
Gilly shakes her head quickly and then pulls me into a hug. “No, no… I’m just happy you’re still here.” She sniffs back a tear. “That’s so scary though… that place…what do you think it was?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, but it must be connected to what I saw down in the mines.”
“Do you think we should tell everyone else about all this now?”
I look back to the campfire, where the four ‘adults’ are now dancing like little kids around the flames; Aiko with Rembrandt and Maxis with Val Helena, the giantess’s big laugh echoing across the distance as she and Aiko sing some chant-like song. I shake my head. “Nah. Not right now. I don’t want to spoil tonight.”
Gilly nods back at me.
“After we save Val and Aiko’s sister,” I say. “That’s still top priority. I don’t want to detract from that. Speaking of which, what level are you now?”
I could have just checked her character, but it was way better to see Gilly’s eyes light up with pride as she tells me: “78!”
“Awesome! You can almost use that bow now.”
“Yup! And whoa…!” She pauses as her eyes light up again, but literally this time as she scans me with her HUD. “You’re 84!?”
“One more to go,” I say with a grin. “You’re going to have to show me those catfish tomorrow.”
“You betcha,” she says. “But I got something to ask you first.”
I furrow my brow at the oddly timed question. “What’s that?”
She then grins. “May I have this dance?”
I burst out laughing.
“Gilly, you’re too much,” I say and hook my arm in hers as we stand together. We head back towards the campfire and join our friends in their crazy little song and dance. It feels so good to be together again, laughing and playing, like a family almost. After what I’ve been through in the last few days, it feels like an almost perfect night.
And if not for my Mom and Citadel, it probably would be.
Chapter 35: Level Up
I stab the giant catfish with my kunai, my heart racing with anticipation. Its HP bar drops to zero and the dolphin sized fish rolls belly up in the muddy water as a wall of text scrolls onto my HUD.
You defeated the Giant Goonch!
You gain 35000 experience points!
Congratulations! You have gained a level!
You are now level 85!
You gained 2 attribute points!
Congratulations! You have unlocked Veteran Points!
Congratulations! You have unlocked Ability Enhancement!
Congratulations! You have unlocked Ability Slots!
Congratulations! You have unlocked a new ability: Perfect Dodge
Hollers and cheers arise from my friends on the lake shore. The whole gang is gathered together, now clapping and cheering for me on obtaining my final level. It feels great. Like a massive journey finally completed, although I know there is still a long way to go in regards to the actual journey that lay ahead of us.
Gilly, now level 80, raises her new bow in triumph. “Grats Reece! You did it, babe!”
“Well done, mate!” Rembrandt claps.
“Not bad, little bro.” Maxis gives me a nod.
“Indeed,” Aiko says coolly with a smile. “But now the real leveling begins.”
“Huh?” I say looking at her from across the water.
“She means the end game,” Val Helena says, taking a seat on the trunk of an overturned tree near the edge of the lake shore. “Specialization and Vet points.”
I saw the unlocks but I have no idea what they all mean or how to navigate the new system. I check them out and see a new screen appear on my HUD.
At level 85, all experience points gained will now be used toward the awarding of veteran points. Veteran points can be spent to further enhance and customize your character.
You have earned 0/20 veteran points.
You have 0 Veteran Points to allocate.
You are 11,245/250,000 experience points from earning your next Veteran Point
Veteran Awards
Attribute Point 2 VP
Ability Upgrade 3 VP
Cross Class Ability Slot[0/4]5 VP
Non Class Ability Slot[0/2]10 VP
“Guess I got a lot to learn,” I say, trying to make heads and tails of it all. “What’s cross class and non-class ability slots?”
“Remember I told you that you can unlock new abilities at 85?” Rembrandt says. “That’s how you do it.”
I think back and do recall Rem saying that, right after we
cleared the mines of the Goblin Queen. “Oh right! So if I unlock a slot I could use Power Attack as a ninja, right?”
Aiko nods. “Right. That’s a cross class ability, since you need Warrior to unlock Ninja. A Non class slots would be for… I dunno… slotting in a mage ability if you have it. Like Celestial Magic.”
“Wait, so I could learn healing spells as a ninja?”
“Wouldn’t recommend it since you’d suck and it’d be a total waste of your points,” Aiko says. “But technically, yes.”
“Wow…” I say. “That’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, I’m totally jealous,” Gilly says. “I still got five more levels to go before I can get all that stuff. But I’m sick of killing fish!”
That gives us all a laugh.
I trudge through the muddy water back to the lake shore and get slaps on the back from the guys and hugs from the girls. All save for Aiko, who gives me a trade request instead.
“Here,” Aiko say. “Time to give you these.”
I expect to see the lightning and poison katana blades appear in the trade, but instead I see something else.
Aiko wishes to trade with you.
Aiko offers you:
Anju: +80 AGL +50 TP +50 Katana Skill
Zushio: +80 DEX +50 STAM +50 Enmity
Holy crap! “Legendary weapons?”
“If you’re going to be the main tank then you better have the right tools for the job.” She flicks the ornate silver kunai over in her palms. “These are my tanking blades. Even if you can’t land too many hits, these will definitely make you hold hate. And the added katana skill will help you lands hits on monsters way higher level than your accuracy cap will allow.”
“Aiko…wow… Are you sure?”
She shrugs. “The Lightning and Poison set is for damage, so I might as well us them instead, since I’ll be DPSing most of the time.”
“I guess you have a point there.”
“Of course I do. Now come on, make the trade, pretty boy.” She grins at me. “Or do I need to kiss you again?”
