by Brent Roth
Pulling into port, the one made of sand and polished river rocks otherwise known as the river bank, we beached the ship and quickly hopped overboard. A few warriors came over to give a hand, as we hoisted the boat above our heads and carried it to the dry dock near the shipyard.
A standard port wasn't necessary for a Longship.
Yeah, the beach was our port.
"Alright guys, good work," I said to the departing NPCs as they all filtered out one by one, returning to whatever duties they may have had. Katherine was front and center, waiting for me as always. Selene though, was still missing in action.
Something was up with her.
"Sigurd! You're back so soon!" she yelled out as she ran over and gave me a hug.
"Er, yeah I'm back," I replied, a bit confused with the sudden skinship. Not bothering to fight it, I simply enjoyed the contact as she seemed awfully flirtatious.
Maybe, she was in heat, or something.
"What have you been up to, Katherine?" I asked.
"Selene and I have been training the kittens!" she enthusiastically let out as she wrapped her arms around mine and began to follow me. "They're so big now, Selene has them listening to commands and they can hunt now too!"
"They can hunt, can they… rabbits, I imagine?"
"Foxes too!" she followed up with another smile.
I wanted to pat her head, like a child, at times like these.
She was an odd one, with a clearly different development through her artificial childhood. Well, it was unique I suppose, she did stand out.
"And what of Selene, what is she up to?" I asked kindly, not wanting to give Kate any sense of my doubt and suspicion. "Is she with the kittens and Barkley?"
"Oh, um, no she went hunting by herself," she answered dejectedly.
So, Kate was aware too.
She struck me as an airhead half the time but it was more her personality than her lack of intelligence. It figures she would know if Selene was acting up, they had known each other for a while, according to their backstory at least.
"Hey Kate, do you think it's guilt, that bothers her?"
Katherine loosened her grip on my arm for a second as she seemed to be deep in thought, then with a sudden flick of her hair she grabbed tighter and looked away.
Talking while hiding her face from me, "Selene is tormented by her desire to protect, to be dependable… and if she feels she has failed in that regard, she retreats and secludes herself, attempting to fix her imagined faults. I've told her before, not to worry about it… but she won't stop. I'm scared she's going to do something crazy in the future, and put herself in harm's way."
"I agree with you," I said as I returned a hug. "I'll have a talk with her."
Departing at the cabin, I made my way out into the forest in order to find Selene. Supposedly, she would take the creek that led towards the Rattanorv cave and would hunt until she could no longer, and then return to base.
Finding her would be easy if I messaged her, but I wanted to surprise her.
Looking up at the tallest tree in the vicinity, I gave a quick thought to my magic words. In a flash, my body was deconstructed and turned into raw energy as I soared through the air only to rematerialize on a tree branch some thirty feet off the ground. Looking ahead to another branch and waiting the few seconds for the cooldown to reset, I repeated the process. Three [Flash Steps] later and I was at the top of the tallest tree, overlooking the entire area from a vantage point that was hard to beat.
Manually activating my [Keen Sight] that I had picked up from my Archery Proficiency, every target within range glimmered for a second as a slight luminescence. Most targets were small, inconsequential creatures, but there were a few larger blips.
Jumping off the top of the tree, the nearly hundred foot drop caused me to hold my breath for a moment as I used a [Flash Step] right before hitting the ground to alter my course. I hit the ground with a roll, kicking dirt up and tripping over a root as I stumbled to regain my traction. After a few more haphazard movements, I ultimately came down face first into a cluster of overly wet moss.
Too wet, for the time of day.
And it smelled funny.
Wonderful, I thought to myself as I stood up and walked over towards the creek that was a bit off to the side. At least, there was fresh water everywhere around here. After washing my face off, I gave some thought to practicing with [Flash Step].
If I mastered it, there was a distinct possibility that I could pull off a few tricks.
Air-to-ground combat seemed interesting.
Another time, though.
Thirty minutes passed me by before I finally caught sight of Selene, fighting with a bear by her lonesome. Leaning against a tree and watching the fight unfold, she started with a few well-placed arrows that hit near the heart but were too shallow to pierce through. Her accuracy was amazing and with her actual level being much higher than mine, I figured she would be relatively safe.
The bear stood up on its hind legs for a split-second as it turned to face Selene and roared, to threaten and voice its anger all in one. Dropping to all fours the bear charged, covering the distance between them with an unbelievable quickness that didn't seem to register with its size. Selene stood her ground and fired off three more arrows as they harmlessly sunk into the thick neck of the white bear as it neared upon her.
Then a leap and a lunge followed by a swipe of a claw and a bite from the mouth of the bear as Selene retreated nimbly between the trees. She dodged and evaded the bear's ferocious attacks as she bounced around, firing arrow after arrow without breaking a step. The white bear became a pincushion in quick succession as wooden shafts and fletching marred the creature's chest.
It roared again, charging blindly as if it had nothing to lose while arrows continued to pelt it. The bear's movements began to appear sluggish, as the gradual damage brought on by the nearly thirty arrows had accumulated.
Dragging its feet, the bear's chest started to heave as it struggled to breathe. A few more steps and it then collapsed to the soft grassy ground below. Still alive but in a critical state, Selene slowly walked over and stood by as she watched it bleed out.
She had a small dagger at her side, except it wasn't of much use against the thick hide and muscles of the bear. The far safer approach, was to watch it bleed it out, rather than risk imminent bodily harm.
"You did well," I said with a light clap and a slight smile, as I stepped out from behind a tree. Having watched the entire fight, I was able to witness her development firsthand. She wasn't sitting idly by while I hunted goblins in a dungeon, no, she was obviously quite a busy-body.
Startled, she turned back twice to check if her vision was playing tricks on her before realizing that I was, indeed, standing in front of her. As if she were a child caught red-handed, she blushed and seemed embarrassed.
"Saw it all, did you," she asked as she looked away and started to cut up the bear.
"You've improved considerably since the days of the Earl," I stated clearly as I crouched down beside her. "You know, I can't help but wonder if you're mad at me."
The last line was misdirection, though I knew there could be a faint possibility that it held some truth, the likelihood of that being the case struck me as slim to none. Kate and I had both come to the conclusion, ages ago, that Selene suffered from some sort of survivor's guilt and felt, if she wasn't the most reliable person in the group, she was doing something wrong.
Sure, she was a bit useless the last time… that was the reality.
Yet even so, she was too hard on herself.
Selene didn't reply to me for a while as I sat within arm's reach, staying silent as she worked on the bear's hide. What seemed like fifteen minutes had passed before she finally started to talk, slowly at first, then eventually fully opening up.
"I'm tired of being the one that relies on others, while everyone carries their weight and more," she explained as she stabbed her dagger into the bear's hind-muscles. "Everyone
looks at me as if I'm the one to lead, there is always expectation from me, and then when the hunts start, I'm the one looking from behind.
"We led the warriors on an expedition while you were gone, to learn to hunt in teams and gain familiarity with each other. At the start, they came to me to ask questions, by the end, they only asked Katherine."
She continued on for a little longer, as I contemplated what she was saying.
Only nodding and saying little one word phrases to let her know I was paying attention, I mainly stayed silent. Preferring to listen rather than talk when someone was having a heart-to-heart. Though, her problems sounded… as if she were struggling slightly with jealousy, and maybe a combination of failing to reach her ideals.
I was familiar with the latter part.
"You know, I often failed a lot when I was younger, still do really," I said with a soft, calming voice. "Personally, it always bothers me as I don't forget those failures but I've learned to live with it. It's bound to happen, where you won't succeed. The important part is not letting it detract from who you are."
That was the truth… though to say I could always follow through with it, would be a lie in itself. Preaching to the choir or the blind leading the blind, whichever case it was, knowing what to do and actually sticking to it were two different things.
Yeah, I was escaping from my reality in this very game.
My whole existence here was a lie.
"You make it all sound so easy," she countered as she sat down and faced me.
"I'm guilty of it too," I stated with a shallow laugh at myself. "At least, I'm aware of the lapses and the mistakes, that's what I tell myself afterwards."
"I've yet to see you fail, so how can you compare?" she asked seriously, with a fierce look in her eyes. Those solid titanium gray eyes of hers, with a hint of bronze in the sunlight, seemed to pierce right through me.
"I died in the Rattanorv cave, didn't I?" I countered.
"That was your decision, so that we could escape, it was noble of you… even if you don't die," she lamented with a snicker. "Things would be different if we didn't die."
"Then why cut yourself off from the rest of us?" I inquired with a raise of my brow.
"What does that have to do with dying?" she answered, somewhat confused by my statement as she crossed her arms and leaned back. She was getting a little angry with me however it was necessary to keep pushing.
"It's precisely because you can die at any point," I started to explain before holding my tongue to gather my thoughts. What I wanted to say was different from what I could say. I was at a loss, but I decided to give it my best try.
"You and Katherine, and all the other members of Dragon's Breach get one life, if you lose it, all is forfeit. That's why it's important to take advantage of the situation that's given, and work to improve. It's natural for everyone to struggle with some inner turmoil, an inner demon or two or three.
"Kate has her issues too, and you help her with those, do you not? So, why when the situation is flipped, do you deny Kate the opportunity to return the favor? Is she not good enough to help? Is she inadequate as a person, or as a friend?
"All I'm trying to say is, it's fine to seclude yourself when you need the space, but don't deny us the ability to help where we can. You've offered and aided both of us in the past, and I'm sure you have helped many a man or woman in the village. Allow us at least an opportunity, to do the same."
Having finished my long-winded explanation, I broke eye contact and stared off into the distance as I let it sink in. Selene took her time to wrap her mind around it, before finally clapping her hands on her knees and sitting up.
"I make no promises," she said as she briefly looked away. "But it's a fair point… thanks, for coming out and finding me. I needed that."
"If you ever have a problem you can always come to me," I said with a smile.
"Thank you, that means a lot Sigurd," she replied with a weak smile.
"Anytime, Selene."
Chapter 61: Stranger, Danger?
(Saturday, September 11th Game Day / Friday, March 26th Real Day)
A few days had passed as Selene appeared to have returned to normal, with her behavior more consistent with how it had been in the past. Between her and Katherine, the two of them seemed to be getting along just fine as they managed their own affairs apart from me.
The Loyalty Bar had received a slight bump from both women, as Selene's Affection for me rose slightly after talking things out while Katherine's went up in both. Her Trust Bar raised due to the Rattanorv incident and Affection saw a boost from general discourse. All in all, I was making good progress with my Companions.
Unfortunately, I had yet to reach the threshold for Soul Link with Katherine, though it actually wasn't too far away. A few more adventures, a little more Trust building, and maybe some flirtatious behavior, and it was within reach.
Well, that was for another time.
Without anything in particular needing to be done at the village, I had taken the day off and decided to go on a hunt. In search of new creatures roughly fifty miles to the southeast of Dragon's Breach, my travels had thus far proved fruitless with only a wolf to show for it. One lousy wolf in fifty miles, and it was a mangy one, at that.
In the midst of skinning a hide, I was suddenly startled when a wild beauty appeared through the bush! She had stumbled forward and fell to the ground in an awkward display of coordination, or lack thereof. Brushing the leaves off her clothes and plucking the ones stuck in her hair afterwards, she then patted her knees and stood up.
Watching the scene unfold before me while kneeling down next to the corpse of the wolf, with hands halfway through the process of carving the carcass into something usable, I was completely thrown off guard. My hands and arms dripping with blood, all I could muster was a weak smile as I realized the graphic nature of the scene.
It took her a second to realize I was there, as her eyes traced the ground up to the carcass and then up towards me. Shocked with what she saw, she took a step back before realizing I had already seen her.
"Uhh hi?" she said awkwardly, in an attempt to break the ice.
"Hello," I replied as I turned away and went back to work.
Continuing to carve up the carcass, I ignored the girl that was standing a few feet away. The only problem was, she didn't move or say anything else. Ah, where are my manners, I thought to myself.
"Welcome to the North," I added onto my previous greeting with no shame felt.
Returning to my work with the hopes that she would turn around and head in the opposite direction, I was soon disappointed when she continued to stand there silently.
Separating the meat from the hide caused a small piece of fat to flick off into the distance as the girl jumped back in disgust, clearly too close for her comfort. "Um, I'm kind of lost," she explained with slight hesitation as she slowly backed away from me, clearly unsure of what to make of the entire situation. "Do you think you could, when you're done with your work that is, uh, like show me the way to the nearest town?"
After finishing her statement she made a cutesy pose and winked, trying a bit too hard for my tastes. Not bothering to stop slicing, I simply turned my head slightly so as to eye her better. Wild beauties didn't randomly appear in the depths of a forest, especially one this far north.
I was a bit suspicious of her, as I was of all strangers that traveled out here.
Her gear was suspect, too.
Trendy brown leather boots that flared out with lace boot cuffs at the edge, leather short-shorts dyed blue, and a white linen halter top shirt to complete the look. Sleeveless with an abundance of cleavage being shown, along with the bare midsection, all screamed foreigner. Foreign, to the North that is… she had a modern style, more appropriate in the Central Kingdoms.
Suspicious, this one is, I said silently while nodding to myself in agreement.
"Ah, straight west of here there is a village but you won't find much that way," I b
egan to explain as I looked for the position of the sun. "You won't make it before nightfall, not to any village honestly. Did you have a place in mind?"
Standing up and walking over to a small stream, I cleaned my tools and hands and turned my attention back towards the fashionable beauty that had mysteriously appeared. A redhead with a large chest, ample curves, and a barely-there six-pack while retaining some more exotic features, especially the eyes… yeah, she was heavily altered.
There was no doubt in my mind about that.
That wasn't her real appearance, not by a longshot.
"Oh, is that like, how it is?" she stated more than asked as she started to tap her chin repeatedly with her index finger. Then, as if she had come to a conclusion, she placed a closed-fist into an open hand with a sort of ah-hah! feeling to it. "So like… if the nearest town is that far, where are you going to spend the night?"
Letting out a singular muffled ha, I smiled at her while thinking of her angle.
She wanted to tag along, and I guess that wasn't terrible.
"Well, I was in the middle of a hunt," I replied honestly while rolling up the fresh hide. "I don't mind you tagging along, but I'll have to ask again, where are you going?"
"Secret! hehe," she giggled out, oblivious to the fact that I wasn't buying it.
"Yeah, well head west for about thirty miles and you'll run into the village of Andal, it's a small one but the largest of its kind around here. Further north are the Triangle Villages, I don't suggest wasting your time going there though. You won't find anything except a handful of shacks and poor villagers."
"Can't I just uhm, tag along with you? You said that was okay, right?" she asked seriously, while locking eyes with me. "You aren't from those villages, right?"
She was either a conniving individual or sharper than she appeared, or both.
I wasn't sure, but I didn't trust her.
"I was from one of the Triangle Villages, actually," I answered honestly yet again, if not a bit misleading in practice though. "That's why, as a fellow player, save your time."
