by A. M. Sohma
Habakkuk, who appeared to be maybe in his early 20s and sported an X-shaped scar on his cheek, grinned. “I am an unusual hermit. Now, how can I help you?”
Kit was about to relay the message from the merchant when a twig cracked. Kit dropped to the ground on instinct, making her a harder target to hit, and scooted around until she faced the source of the noise.
Solus Miles, the top player on the server, exited the treeline and strode toward Kit and Habakkuk the Hermit. He wasn’t wearing his cloak today, which meant Kit could see his artfully mussed black hair that matched his striking eyebrows.
“Welcome, hero!” Habakkuk said to Solus.
Solus only nodded and glanced at Kit, who was still splayed out in the dirt, with a raised eyebrow.
Slightly disgruntled, Kit brushed herself off and stood. Of course I would meet Solus in my new armor.
The armor set she had received from the merchant was slightly belittling, as it stuffed Kit in a blue silk skirt that was accented with long strips of white gauze material edged with gold embroidery. As it seemed a full shirt went against Retha’s moral code, she was still in a belly shirt—this one a blue that matched her skirt—that was edged with gold tassels. Her new sandals strapped all the way to her knees, and for headgear, she had been given a white veil that trailed behind her and seemed to work as a target marker for elvish scouts.
The ridiculous armor set, though possessing better stats, did not precisely fill Kit with confidence (particularly as she had been shot in the stomach at least three times now) and did not make her feel any better about facing down Solus Miles AKA Intimidating Eyebrows.
Kit flatly stared at Solus Miles—or at least at his eyebrows that were slightly hitched in judgment.
Fantastic. The one time I’m in a foul mood, I happen to act slightly snarky to the best player on the server…and now I’m alone in a forest with him. She picked a leaf out of one of the many tassels her armor set boasted before flipping her veil over her shoulder. But if he’s such a big deal, chances are he probably doesn’t remember me, particularly given how newb-ish my character looks. Yep, I think I’m safe.
As Solus continued to stride toward her and the hermit, Kit sucked a breath of air in and focused on emitting a serene feeling. I am a still lake, she told herself. Intimidating Eyebrows cannot stir me. She shuffled until she faced Habakkuk the Hermit again and smiled.
Habakkuk looked back and forth between her and Solus. “How lovely! Are the two of you together?” He pulled a bouquet of red flowers from the sleeves of his robe.
Kit’s eyebrow twitched against her will, but she forced her smile even as Solus joined her. “We are no—” she paused, and she realized Solus was staring down at her, one of his thick black eyebrows arching sarcastically. Kit made her smile so wide she was afraid it might break her face. “Can I help you?” she asked with falsified sincerity.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Solus said.
“How perfect. It’s been a while since I’ve had a pair approach me,” Habakkuk said. He continued to rattle on, but Kit and Solus ignored him.
Kit’s smile turned brittle as she stared up at Solus. “I beg your pardon?”
“You should not be in these woods. You are severely under-leveled.”
Kit fidgeted with one of her gold charm bracelets. “I assure you I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to be.”
Intimidating Eyebrow’s other eyebrow joined its twin in looking judgmentally down at her. “You cannot have a valid reason for coming into an area over twenty levels above you, alone.”
Yep. He totally thinks I’m a newbie. Not that I blame him. “As it happens, I am not alone. My party and I are here to retrieve one of the four seals that locks Malignus’s castle.”
Habakkuk droned on in the background as Solus shifted slightly, revealing the metallic glint of his armor when he brushed his cloak aside. “If that is your aim, it will only end in failure.”
Kit’s mask of serenity cracked. “You must have a lot of people beating down your door trying to be your friend.”
“I only speak the truth.” Solus gazed out at the silvery ferns that swayed in the breeze. “A shadow reaper will attack you every time you retrieve a new seal. If he ever beats you, he will steal the seal, and each time you tackle a new part of the quest, his level is drastically increased.”
Kit stared at Solus’ chestplate in shock. She knew retrieving the seals would be difficult, and they would probably wipe several times when tackling the quest...but she had never added the shadow reaper and its possible complications into her plan.
“If you agree, Solus Miles, give your agreements,” Habakkuk said.
Solus gave Kit a slight nod—which Kit couldn’t help but read as being high-handed—then began to turn back to Habakkuk.
Kit interrupted him before he could speak. “Thanks for sharing about the shadow reaper, but I still have to say it really is no business of yours what I do or even why I’m in the area.”
“I beg to differ,” Solus said as Habakkuk launched into another monologue in the background. “Under-leveled characters roaming an area always impact it—whether it be through upsetting monsters’ spawns by dragging an abnormal amount of mobs after them, or just by generally causing a scene.”
“I may be under-leveled, but you know nothing about my party.”
“I don’t, but I can make many inferences based on your character type and appearance, and I assume that anyone with a higher-level character is not likely to associate with you.”
Kit’s jaw dropped. This guy! I hope his eyebrows fall off!
“And you, Kitten Lovemuch,” Habakkuk said. “If you take Solus Miles to be your pledged, give your agreement.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kit froze, then spun toward the hermit. “Wait, what?”
The young hermit beamed and threw a handful of rice in the air, then gave Kit the bouquet as a bell tolled.
“Then it is my pleasure to bless your pledge. May you be forever intertwined!”
Kit looked from the flowers to the hermit with horror and was immediately barraged with multiple game messages.
Congratulations! You have pledged yourself to: Solus Miles!
May your love last forever.
Congratulations! You have received the skill: Love’s Call.
Your heart can cry out leagues away to summon your sweet honey to your side.
Skill effect: Summon your pledged
Congratulations! You have received the skill: Love’s Blessing.
Your fierce love for your pledged lends them your strength!
Skill effect: Grants your pledged a quarter of your status points.
Kit stared at the announcements—too stunned to read the rest of the new skills she had acquired with this unexpected relationship. “What just happened?”
“It seems we have become pledged,” Solus Miles said.
“Obviously!” Kit snarled. “But how? You can only receive the blessing to become pledged at cathedrals by priests!”
“Normally, yes!” Habakkuk said brightly. “But I happen to be the Hermit of Love. As my heart is moved by the affection heroes have for each other, I freely give the blessing to become pledged to anyone who seeks me out!”
Solus still looked at Kit with narrowed eyes, but now they were more questioning than judgmental. “He was the elopement hermit they added with the Gray Wraith expansion. Some players were unable to pay the fee cathedral pledge ceremonies require, so EC added him with the caveat that there was no official ceremony or party afterwards, so the vast majority still go to cathedrals. He is used in several other questlines, as well.”
Stunned, Kit could only stare blankly ahead. This never would have happened five years ago. I didn’t think things had changed much…but all the old classes have fallen out of favor, and now this? I was horribly wrong. Kit tried to breathe deeply. Enough. I have to stop being dramatic. This isn’t that bad. It’s nothing that can’t be broken off, and I think Solus wants to associate wit
h me even less than I want to associate with him. Think on the bright side: at least I haven’t been shot by an elf scout recently.
Feeling a smidge calmer, Kit was better able to sift through the facts. “But don’t you need rings to exchange the pledge promise?” She gestured at Habakkuk with her left hand, then froze when she realized a gold band was fitted over her ring finger.
Silence stretched out in the clearing for several long, uncomfortable moments. “Solus Miles. Please don’t tell me you just randomly carry a set of gold rings around,” Kit said. “Because I sure as chicken feathers did not have any rings on me!”
Solus flattened his lips and looked away.
“Seriously?” Kit groaned. “Why would you carry rings around? What quest could possibly require them?”
Solus ignored her and spoke to the hermit. “We wish to break our pledge off.”
Habakkuk scratched the back of his neck. “Already? That’s unfortunate. But it makes no difference. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”
Kit moved in until she was approximately three inches away from the man. “Why not?”
“I’m the Hermit of Love,” Habakkuk said brightly. “It goes against my nature.”
Solus pinched the bridge of his nose. “So, we’ll have to visit a cathedral to submit our breakup.”
“No, I’m afraid that won’t work either,” Habakkuk said. “It’s as you said, as the Hermit of Love, I usually only give my blessing to heroes who have fewer funds on them, and while your pledge will be recognized by the church, it isn’t exactly pleased that I bless couples without requiring the usual fee, so they refused to notify the break ups.”
Kit felt her eyes bulge in their sockets. “This is permanent?”
“No, you just have to search out my associate: Jehoshaphat, the Hermit of Singleness.”
“Sometimes Retha has a twisted sense of humor,” Kit grumbled.
“Where is Jehoshaphat?” Solus asked.
Habakkuk grinned and shook a finger at Solus. “Nope! Not going to tell you. The two of you can search him out, and perhaps by the time you find him, you will have repaired your relationship and discovered true love!” He knitted his fingers together and smiled happily.
“The Hermit of Singleness? He’ll be easy to find if we just look him up in the community tab...Or not...” Kit trailed off as she recalled that the reason why she was stuck as a dancer was because of the corrupted server.
“Kit, are you alive?” Vic asked via the raid chat.
Kit quickly switched to the raid channel so she could respond. “Yeah, give me a moment. I’m in the middle of something.” She scrunched her eyes together, weighing out the guilt of being borderline rude and continuing with the seal quest against delaying the quest to sort this mess out. Sorry, Solus. This quest is looking more and more like a life-or-death matter, so breaking up an accidental relationship takes the back seat. “Look. I’ve got to go. If you go find Jehoshaphat and summon me once you track him down, I will happily agree to break up.”
Intimidating Eyebrows was back to disdainfully judging her. “You believe I should be the one to track him down?”
“Yeah, I don’t have very much time right now.”
“And you believe your time is more valuable than mine?”
“I wasn’t the one walking around the forest with rings in my inventory.... Unless,” Kit froze. Solus Miles was the best player on the server. It was very likely he actually did have girls beating down his door trying to get hitched to his character…which made it very unlikely that he had just happened to be carrying the rings. “Were you coming here to get the blessing for a pledge with someone else? Do I have to be concerned about a jealous girlfriend?”
Down came the eyebrows. “No.”
Kit relaxed fractionally. “Thank goodness. The last thing I need is to be killed due to some misunderstanding. But yeah, I have some seals to find. So, if you would track down Jehoshaphat, that would be great.”
“I don’t know that it will be possible to find Jehoshaphat with the community tab down.”
“Go to Luminos and ask in the global player channel. Someone has to know,” Kit said.
“Do you know who I am?”
Kit scratched the top of her head. “Sort of.”
“I’m not going to raise server speculation by asking where the Hermit of Singleness is.”
Kit squinted. “I guess I do see your point. Well, then just deal with it. I’ve got things to do, and I need to run. Habakkuk, here’s a message for you from a merchant.” She passed him an envelope. “Thank you for teaching me the importance of attentively listening. Though I wish you could have taught it to me with a less drastic outcome.”
Habakkuk took the envelope from Kit. “I am always pleased to be of service!”
“Uh-huh. Thanks.” Kit waved to Habakkuk, nodded to Solus, and then trotted down the hillside. Wow. Kitten Lovemuch is pledged. That’s something I never accomplished as Azarel. She winced slightly. I do have to say I feel sorry for Solus. Having a character like his tied to my elf dancer? But once we’re out of here, I’ll never be logging back on as her again, which means he will be able to file for separation with the Hermit of Singleness once I’ve been off the game for two weeks.
“Is everything okay?” Riko asked over the raid chat.
“Yeah, there’s just an unexpected issue that popped up. How’s everything going for you guys?” Kit asked.
“Good!” Cookie chirped.
“If we add in the reputation items you received from your quests, we believe we have enough items for both Riko and Prowl to have kindred,” Vic announced.
“That’s great! Wow, you work faster than I thought you would.”
“Axel died a lot in the beginning because he kept pulling too many bobokins, but the cat does strengthen my magic. Thank you for giving it to me,” Vic said.
“I’m glad you find it useful! So how about we meet up near the city outskirts so I can give Riko and Prowl the items?”
“That will work for us,” Riko said. “I think we’re maybe five to ten minutes away from it. We’ll see you there?”
“Yep! You betcha.” Kit switched out of the raid chat and glanced up at her character name. Two inter-joined rings appeared by her name, notating that she was now pledged. She shook her head in disbelief. Yep, sorry Solus. It might be humiliating, but I have bigger monsters to chase.
15
The Ultimate Sacrifice
By the time Kit made her way to the wall surrounding Lèas, the rest of the party was waiting for her.
She looked cautiously around for any elf scouts, then slipped out of the underbrush. “Hi everyone!”
“Hello, Kit,” Cookie greeted.
Vic peered around Kit. “Where’s Chester?”
“I haven’t been using him,” Kit said.
Prowl scratched his chin and leaned against his horse. “You walked here?”
“Yeah. Chester whinnied when we were going past a scout outpost and got me shot. I wanted to be safe rather than sorry this time. Here—I have the reputation items.”
Kit initiated a trade with Prowl and handed over her cache of items.
Gil clipped his shield to his horse’s rump. “Do you think they’ll send you, Miss Riko, outside of the city to retrieve the seal, like the dwarves did?”
Riko—mounted on her beautiful palomino mare that had an elaborate fire-bird blanket and little ribbons woven into her hair—furrowed her brow. “I’m not certain. I would say it is likely, but I also don’t believe the elves would misplace the seal or keep it anywhere unsafe. Do you remember what you had to do, Prowl, to earn the seal?”
Prowl shook his head. “I can’t recall the details, but I remember you stay inside the city to snag it. The elves are fussy, so I doubt they would keep it anyplace besides in a guarded library.”
“I would say they’re more careful and have a higher appreciation for history,” Riko said.
Cookie gazed reflectively at the sky. “If t
hey kept it in the city and you could locate it, would it be possible to steal?”
Prowl gave her a half-grin. “There’s always one way to find out.”
“We have not grinded our reputation for days just to bring their wrath down on our heads by attempted thievery,” Riko said sharply.
Vic frowned slightly. “You say that, but you were the one who drew the dragons’ attention by swiping a coin.”
“That was different,” Riko protested. “We hadn’t spent days gathering items to make friends with the dragons!”
“Uh-huh,” Vic said, clearly unconvinced.
Cookie batted her long eyelashes at Riko. “What if there is no other way?”
“Yeah, Riko,” Prowl said. “What if there is no other way?”
Riko scowled at her guildmate, then turned to Kit. “Could you try and talk some sense into them?”
“Stealing will not be necessary.” Kit said. “As Riko and Prowl now have the max reputation level, the elves will be extremely welcoming. But they’ll still have to sit through several meetings about the seal, I’m sure, so we’ll be kicking up our heels while we wait for them.”
“Was that a high-handed hint that we should get moving?” Prowl asked.
Axel’s eyes were bright as he threw himself on his horse. “We could level while they’re busy!”
“Aren’t we too low-leveled to do anything by ourselves?” Vic asked as she cradled her cat.
“If we fight one bobokin or goblin at a time, I don’t believe so,” Gil said. “We’ve gotten several more levels between fighting our way here and then grinding drops. Plus, Miss Kit will be on hand to lead us.”
“…And now you’re ignoring me?” Prowl said.
Riko nodded at the entryway—the very one where Kit had been shot. “We should get going.”
Prowl sighed and rubbed his face. “Right. Time to face the tree-huggers.”
“Good luck,” Cookie said with a bright smile.
Prowl nodded to her, but Vic grabbed her by the sleeve. “Come on. Let’s get going,” the wizard said.
