I held the door again for Rachel, when we got to the inn, and once again she seemed to smile. I directed her upstairs, and I unlocked the door to the room, and sat on my bed, while Rachel carried her underthings inside and started putting them away.
“Your new clothes look amazing, Rachel. They really bring out the girl look, a lot.”
“Thanks, Jeff. I really mean it.” She said. “I really love them, too. I’m sorry it cost you so much money.”
“Hey – it’s no big deal. Besides, it’s time I gave you your share of Grandma’s money… and I won’t take no for an answer, okay? This is the money I expect you to use to buy a house with, and get settled into a life – or at least find a place to live with. It’s your money to pay for magical training, and all that other stuff you want. It’s so if I decide I can’t stay, you’ll be taken care of, Rachel.”
“Is it selfish that I want you to stay?” She asked, quietly.
“No, considering your feelings.” I replied. “But I don’t know if I can decide to never see my mom and dad again. Not yet.”
Rachel sat on her bed, facing me, but looked down at her feet. “I’ll miss you.”
To my ears, it sounded a lot like ‘Please don’t go.’ “If I go, I’ll miss you too. But I haven’t decided yet, and I won’t until its time, and I’ve made up my mind. Back home its Monday – which means I’ve easily got five days to decide – before I need to head home – assuming I don’t want to overstay our allotted vacation time. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to make that deadline, Rache – but I haven’t decided about forever or not. I’m sorry I can’t give you an answer yet.”
“I know. I am too.” She sniffed a bit, a little upset. “What’s you big news?”
“I… I decided to pray to the angel that visited me in the ruin – and they answered… except it wasn’t an angel. It was the Twins, Feana and Hathor.”
“Holy crap!”
“I know, right?” I sighed, and ran my fingers through my hair. I wasn’t fond of its brown shade, but it was all I had to work with. “Anyway, I spoke with them – and you were right. They wanted me to be their Paladin – but they call it a Vigilant. To me they seem like basically the same thing, but I suppose there could be differences. I said yes – and then I felt an energy enter me. It’s still there, like a weight – but it makes me feel strong, too.”
“You said yes?! Cool! Does that mean you have a bunch of holy powers now?”
“I haven’t looked yet. I’m supposed to get a tutor soon, who can help teach me how to be a proper vigilant.”
“Awesome! I told you I could totally see you as a holy warrior!” She said, grinning in triumph.
I smiled back. “Yeah, you totally did.” We sat there, just sharing each other’s presence for a few moments.
“I still want you to take the money.” I reminded her.
“I will, and thank you, Jeff. If I do buy a house, will you at least help me pick it out if there’s more than one choice?”
“Sure thing.” I went to my pack, and retrieved the zippered bag I’d kept Rachel’s share of the money in – a collection of gold, silver, and various gemstones. I double checked to make sure it looked untouched, and handed it to Rachel, who took it and locked it in her trunk.
“Thanks, Jeff. Are you going to check and see what your powers are? I am – my HUD is showing a notification.”
“Mine too. I guess I was so overwhelmed from my divine visitors that I really didn’t pay it any attention. I’ll take a look right now.”
Name: Jeffery Fowler
Sex: Male
Height: 6’ 0”
Race: Human
Age: 19
Weight: 175lbs
Advancements: 2 (Novice)
Attributes
Derived Stats
Skills
Strength d8
Dodge: 6
Academics (Sm) d4
Agility d8
Parry: 5 (6 with Arm Guards)
*Athletics (Str) d6
Vigor d8
Toughness: 6 (7 w/Heavy Clothing)
Battle (Sm) d4
Smarts d6
Move: 12 yards/18 yards run
Boating (Ag) d4
Spirit d6
Charisma: +2
*Common Knowledge (Sm) d4
Driving (Ag) d4
Edges
Hindrances
Faith (Sp) d4
- Charisma
- Overconfident
Fighting (Ag) d6
- Brave
- Heroic
*Notice (Sm) d6
- Rich
- Mild Mannered
*Persuasion (Sp) d4
- Arcane Background: Vigilant
- Loyal
Repair (Sm) d4
- Secret (Noble Bloodline – Scion of
Shooting (Ag) d6
You have 1 Unspent Stat/Edge Pick
Clan Mac Tavish)
*Stealth (Ag) d4
- Clueless**
Survival (Sm) d6
You are not Encumbered
** This Hindrance cannot be bought off.
14 Skill picks spent
It must be removed through experience.
1 Skill picks unspent
Vigilant Abilities
Detect Evil < Locked >
Lay on Hands < Locked >
Ceremony < Locked >
Smite < Locked >
Aim < Locked >
Blessing < Locked >
“Hey, cool! I leveled up again! I have an arcane background – Vigilant, so no surprise there, but I also have a new skill, called Faith. That’s probably a casting skill, like your Magic skill I can’t see.”
“Probably!” Rachel agreed. “Is anything else different?”
“Yeah – I’ve got a whole bunch of holy warrior powers like smite, detect evil, and lay on hands – but all of them are locked – probably until my tutor shows me how to use them.”
“That is super cool, Jeffrey! I’m really proud of you.”
“Proud? Why?” I asked.
“In every story I’ve ever read it’s really hard to be a Paladin or a Vigilant or whatever they call it. It takes dedication, and sacrifice. It’s a big deal, Jeff.”
“I guess it is.” I said, thinking. “Anyway, that was my huge news. What’s up with you?”
“I was going to wait and see if Alyssa and Tika come by to see my new clothes. You?”
“I think I need a nap – ever since I talked to the gods, I’ve been exhausted. Could you get me up around six or seven for dinner?”
“Sure thing. Get some sleep, Jeff.”
“I will. You do look nice in those clothes, though.”
“Thanks.” Rachel smiling was the last thing I saw as my head hit the pillow. Sleep took me faster than I expected, and everything went dark.
* * *
I saw Jeffrey lay down – he looked drowsy, even at the tailor’s shop – and he pretty much fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. I smiled as he lay down… his last compliment made me feel really good – really feminine in my new clothes. I hope in time, he’ll be able to accept me for who I am, I thought. If he could return my feelings, that would be even better. I’d settle for him staying, so we don’t have to say goodbye.
I quietly got up, and let myself out, closing the door behind me. Jeff needed sleep – I could only imagine what it was like to talk to two gods. If the bible, people who did that were often changed, dramatically. I hoped he would be okay. Going downstairs, the dining room of the tavern was mostly empty – it wasn’t quite dinner time, and it was well after lunch – but the bar had a few locals sitting at it, having a pint after a hard day’s work. Alyssa and Tika were sitting in a booth, and Tika waved me over.
“Oh my gods, you are so pretty!” Tika exclaimed. “Isn’t she, Alyssa?!”
Alyssa turned around in her seat, and stared, her jaw dropping a little before she could control herself. “Oh my gods! You look amazing!” She said, getting up to get a better look at her. She really did look happy for me, but I could see a little jealousy over the decorations and embellishments on my clothes that she lacked.
“Thank you! I think they’re amazing too! Ser Eldermoon was very good!”
“I’m jealous.” Alyssa stated bluntly. “Those clothes are so pretty!”
Oddly enough, her jealousy made me feel better… I smiled. “You’ll get some pretty clothes in time, I bet.”
“Aye. How much did they cost? They must have been expensive.”
“Thirty five gold knights, for this and three other outfits, plus underthings and a nightgown.”
“Askeline’s bow, that’s a lot of money.” Alyssa replied. “Where on Mercia did you get the money?”
“May I sit?”
“Of course, Rachel. Join us.”
After I sat down, I continued. “Well, it’s a bit of a long story. A few weeks ago – gee, I guess it’s been about a month now – Jeffrey’s grandmother Janet passed away, and his father put her house up for sale, and it fell to Jeff to clean out his grandmother’s possessions so that the house could be sold. Jeff asked me to help – and promised me a third of anything he made from the situation. Jeff’s dad never got along with his mother, Jeff’s grandmother, and told Jeff he could keep anything of value and sell it to put towards college or whatever he wanted.”
My voice was getting tired, so I waved down one of the serving girls, and ordered a honeyed ale… I’d kind of taken a liking to it in the last day and a half. “Anyway, we went through all her stuff, and found a lot of cool stuff – including some stuff from here – Mercia. We learned that Janet Fowler, Jeff’s grandmother, had found a way to this world about forty or fifty years ago, and had an adventure. In fact, she had been engaged to Colin Mac Tavish, but he stood her up at the altar, so she returned home, with a broken heart. Seven or eight months later, she gave birth to Jeffrey’s father.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“So Jeffrey’s grandma is actually King Colin’s Wayward Bride, like the legend! Oh my! Oh wow!” Tika chattered excitedly. “That’s so exciting. Does that mean Jeffrey is a lord? Are you going to Callenden to see the king? Oh my gosh!”
“Calm down, Tika… I haven’t talked to Jeff about it yet, but I think he’s probably going to want to go visit. It might be dangerous – because the heirs of the King might think Jeff is trying to steal their birthright. We have to be cautious, so that it all ends well.”
“Oh… Okay. Sorry Rachel. I don’t want you or Jeffrey to be hurt.”
“Neither do I, Tika.” I said, solemnly.
“Rachel, may I ask you a personal question?” Alyssa began.
“Of course.”
“Do you fancy Geoffrey?”
I knew it… She did like Jeff. “Yes, Alyssa. He’s been my best friend for almost a decade. I fancy him.”
“Do you think he fancies you?”
I tried to keep my smile up, but in the end I couldn’t. “I don’t know. I think he still sees me as the boy I was born as, and not as a woman.”
Alyssa put a friendly hand on mine, and gave it a squeeze. “Only he can decide his own heart. It is no fault of yours. Would you like me to stop pursuing him? I fancy him, but I have not known him long enough to have given him my heart. I feel that maybe you have.”
“I have.” I said, a few tears rolling down my cheeks. “Would you mind, at least until he lets me know if he and I can be something more than friends, or not?”
“No, I don’t mind. I will wait until he decides how he feels. Can we still be friends?”
“Of course we can!” I replied, squeezing her hand back. “You and Tika, both.”
I continued my story. “We found inside a locked trunk the journal of Jeffrey’s grandmother, as well as her chain armor, her sword and dagger, and some bracers and a cloak. We also found a lockbox, which we discovered held a fortune in gold, silver, and gemstones. We were both shocked and surprised, but he kept his promise, and gave me a third of everything he found. I’m honored to have him as a friend.”
“You must be a good friend indeed for him to give you a third of his inheritance. I hope he see’s you for the woman you are inside, in time. He sounds like a great man.”
“I think so.”
We sat quietly a while, and Tika and Alyssa talked pleasantries, and shared some local gossip. I took a drink from my ale, feeling a drink would help steady my nerves and my feelings.
“I talked to Cheerit, my teacher today.” Tika interjected, slightly changing the subject. “She said she’d like to meet you to see if she would be willing to take you as a student.”
“That’s awesome! Does it cost a lot?”
“I don’t know. Cheerit talked to my mom and dad about that – they give her some money a few times a year, and she teaches me magic. I’m pretty close to finishing my training… Pretty soon I’ll be a journeyman and I’ll be able to open a business. Yay!”
“That’s really cool, Tika. Could you meet me tomorrow and introduce me?”
“Sure. My lessons start after lunch, so we should go just before lunch.”
“Great.”
“Rachel, please do not take this the wrong way, but there are hairs – whiskers – growing on your face.”
I blanched in fright… I was already nervous being in these new clothes – and now I had five o clock shadow? God dammit! I cringed, and pulled up my hood, not wanting anyone to see. “I’m sorry. I’ll go shave them off in a moment.”
“Shave!?” Alyssa swore. “Why? Here – come with me to the Alchemists shop. He has some ointments that kill hair on your face and body, so that you don’t ever need to shave. Many women use them, and some men too. It takes maybe three applications over a week to make the hair loss permanent, but it does work. I’ve used it myself. He even has crèmes and potions to make your hair grow longer. I could show you!”
“Really? Does it sting, or burn?” I asked, thinking of the depilatories at home.
“Yes, but it works really well, and you only need it perhaps three or four times before the effects are permanent.”
“It’s pricey.” Alyssa warned, “But it’s actually not too bad, especially since you never have to shave or wax again.”
“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about shaving or waxing.” Tika said, laughing. “I just have to worry about people stepping on me or closing a door on my tail. My tail is very delicate!”
“I’m sure it is, Tika. Do you think the alchemy shop will still be open?”
“Probably. Hammy usually works late. If we hurry, we might be able to get some of that ointment today!”
“Sweet!” I finished off what remained of my mug of ale. “Let’s go.”
Tika ran up onto Alyssa’s shoulders, and we headed outside. I still had my silver coins from this morning, but I had left my bag of spices upstairs, and taken out a few more coins to add to my purse from the funds Jeffrey had given me, So I was pretty sure I’d have enough to buy this ointment – and maybe the hair growth formula too.
The shop they took me to was a decent size, with two floors – one field stone and mortar, and the other plaster and wooden beams. The sign looked like a bubbling potion bottle being poured into some sort of strange beaker.
“This is Hammy’s shop!” Tika chattered. “He’s super nice, but he forgets stuff sometimes.”
“Is he really old?” I asked.
“No… Just absent minded sometimes.” Tika said. “He’s the person Seoni likes.”
“Does he like her?”
“I don’t know. She’s always bringing him pies, and helping him tidy his apartment upstairs. She hangs out with him a lot. If he doesn’t like her, he’s using her – and I don’t think she’d stand for that. She is a Harvon, and they’re very touchy about their honor.”
“Ah… Well, why don’t we go in, and see if the shop is still open?”
“Good idea!” Alyssa replied, and entered the shop, holding the door for Rachel.
The shop’s interior looked rather plain – there were a number of shelves full of unmarked jars, potions, oils, and other things – and a counter, where Hammy (as Tika called him) could sell his goods. It looked like there was a workshop behind the counter, through an archway. Inside I could see a man in his late twenties or early thirties mixing a greenish liquid with a small dropper. He had a stained white smock covering his clothes, and the room smelled strongly of chemicals that were mildly unpleasant. He had some goggles on his face – I guessed a medieval version of safety glasses to protect his eyes.
The girls waited until Hammy stopped dripping chemicals and stirring, and then called out. “Hey, Ser Moller! Are you still open for business?”
“Wha? Who? Oh! Tika, Alyssa! How are you? Who is your new friend?”
“We’re doing well, Ser Moller. This is Rachel. She was hoping to get some hair removal crème and maybe a hair growth potion.” Alyssa replied, looking at me. I gave Alyssa the thumbs up sign in agreement.
“Oh, that’s no problem. I have some on the shelf. Thank you for waiting until I was done mixing, when you came in, by the way. It’s most unpleasant when I get startled. I just repainted the laboratory again.”
“Are accident’s common, Ser Moller?” I asked.
“No – but the chemicals I was working with today are volatile and might have made a stinky mess that I’d have to scrub for hours to clean off. I’m making a mixture that rapidly rusts metal and renders it useless. I’m not sure what to call it – it’s not acid – it’s something that crumbles metal like old rust, but it doesn’t harm flesh or stone or wood. If it sells well, I may make more of it.”
“It sounds kind of cool. Like a Crumble-iron potion, or Snap-steel oil.”
“Those sound like wonderful names, Serra Rachel! May I use them, if I cannot come up with a better one?” Hammy asked.
“Of course!”
Hammy came out of the lab and removed his goggles. His face was handsome, with some five o clock shadow on it making him look a little rugged. I could see what Seoni saw in him – he was cute. A little spacey – he kind of reminded me of Doc Brown from “Back to the Future” – but still, he seemed like a nice guy.
Hammy selected a jar of brown glass with a rubber sealed lid and a little mechanical clasp to keep it sealed, and placed it on the counter. “This is the hair removal crème. It’s a topical ointment, so it removed hair where you apply it. It stinks – and only keep it on your skin for about 12 or 15 minutes, then wipe it off and have a bath. The hair shouldn’t grow back for two months or so – and after the third treatment, it should be gone for good.”
Before I could say anything, he crossed over to another shelf, and grabbed a bottle of tonic – it was a liquid, rather than a crème, and he placed it next to the hair remover. “This is a hair growth tonic. Apply it to the area that needs more hair growth, and let it sit on the area for about an hour. Your scalp, or wherever, will tingle. When it starts to burn, wash your hair or the affected area out and rinse. You’ll see results very soon. The tonic has about three uses before its emptied, and so does the hair removal crème.”
“How much for both, Ser Moller?” I asked, sweetly
“Six gold knights, Serra.”
“Well worth the price, and thank you!” I took out some gold coins the size of quarters, and paid the man.
He gave me the two jars and bottles, and waved goodbye. “I think I’ll be closing up now. Thanks for stopping by, girls!”
“Let us know if your new formula works, Hammy!” Tika called.
“I will, little one! See you later.”
We left the shop with my goods, and headed outside. “Does he always try new formulas?”
“Yeah. He’s always making new stuff in his lab. One time he made an ointment that hardened any wax it touched to be as hard as concrete, but it could still be melted and cast into candles. Another time he tried making an ointment to keep away insects, and it really worked – but it made livestock very… amorous. It didn’t sell well.”
I laughed, imagining some people wearing bug spray that attracted amorous cows. It was so ludicrous, it was funny.
Tika giggled. “We thought it was funny too.”
“Baird Candlow didn’t think so.” Alyssa smirked, and Tika giggled at the memory.
“Oh – Alyssa, that reminds me of something. I have to go see Miera Candlow about some girl lessons – and I’m supposed to accompany you to your next meeting. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No, not at all. It will be fun! My next meeting is tomorrow evening, after supper. How about I meet you at the inn and we walk over together?”
“Sounds great!”
“Tomorrow is game night with mom and dad, so I’ll be busy anyway.” Tika replied. “Have fun at your lessons, girls.”
“We will.” Alyssa answered. “I’m sorry I have to cut our time short, Rachel, but I have to get home for dinner.”
“Me too.” Tike chattered. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“You’ll see me, right before lunch!” Tika replied. “I’ll be here before you know it!”
“And you’ll see me after supper.”
“All right. See you later, girls.”
“Bye!”
Alyssa and Tika head off for home, and I, left to my own devices, headed off to the inn. There was still an hour or so to kill before I was supposed to wake Jeffrey. Maybe this would be a good time to sit down and do some thinking? I also still had that notification on my character sheet I should look at.
I went into the dining room and took a seat at a booth, and waved over one of the serving maids… “Hello, Serra. Could I get something to drink, please?”
“Of course! I’m Natalia Driscoll – and I think you’re… Rachel, right?” She asked. Natalia was short-ish – about 5’4” tall and 110 pounds soaking wet, with short auburn-red hair in a lovely style. She had bright green eyes – and it didn’t take a rocket science degree to tell she was probably very popular with the male patrons.
“Yes, exactly! Did you hear it from Kaylee?”
“Actually, I heard Gideon and Unther talking about you and your friend Geoffrey. Is Geoffrey a lord? Gideon seems to think he looks very similar to the Prince of Callenden… Oh, not identical, mind you, but close enough that they could be related.”
“Well, as far as I know, Jeffrey does not have any noble titles. We’re from far away – and until recently, we’ve never heard of Callenden.”
“It must be a coincidence then, fair enough. I’ll fetch your drink. Honeyed light ale?”
“Unless you can suggest something better?”
“If you’re cold, I’d suggest some mulled wine or hot cider, and if you’re hot and want to cool down, Gudrun has some nice iced tea in the afternoons, but its often gone by evening. Gideon has a small supply of dwarven spirits, for the dwarves in town and for the serious drinkers, and there is some Sweetberry wine from last year still in the wine cellar. Sweetberries are a red berry with small seeds, and taste rather tart if picked early. They make a lovely jam, or a sweet juice, but we also make it into wine.”
“I’d like some iced tea while it lasts, please.”
“Coming up, Rachel.” Natalia rushed off, and a few moments later, retrieved her drink. The iced tea came with pieces of chipped ice in a large pint mug, with a healthy serving of iced tea. It smelled faintly of raspberries. It smelled delicious. I took a sip and the sweet and bitter taste combined on my tongue, and I sighed with bliss. This was amazing!
Taking a moment to enjoy some more iced tea, I summoned up my HUD and took a look at my finances and my character sheet.
Name: Rachel Wilson
Sex: Trans-Female
Height: 5’ 10”
Race: Human
Age: 19
Weight: 158lbs
Advancements: 2 (Novice)
Attributes
Derived Stats
Skills
Strength d6
Dodge: 6
Academics (Sm) d4
Agility d8
Parry: 5
*Athletics (Str) d6
Vigor d6
Toughness: 5 (7 with Chain Shirt)
Boating (Ag) d4
Smarts d8
Move: 12 yards/18 yards run
*Common Knowledge (Sm) d4
Spirit d8
Charisma: +2
Driving (Ag) d4
Fighting (Ag) d6
Edges
Hindrances
*Notice (Sm) d6
- Attractive
- Heroic
*Persuasion (Sp) d4
- Arcane Background (Sorcerer)
- Loyal
Repair (Sm) d4
- Strong Willed
- Mild Mannered
Shooting (Ag) d6
- Stubborn
*Stealth (Ag) d4
You have 2 unspent Stat/Edge Picks
- Quirk (In love with her best friend)
Survival (Sm) d4
- Quirk (Transgender)
Spellcasting (Sp) d4
- Clueless**
12 Skill picks spent
You are not Encumbered
** This Hindrance cannot be bought off.
3 Skill picks unspent
It must be removed through experience.
Magical Words
< None >
Huh? I leveled up again! I’ll have to check my quest log to see what I did to earn it. I had another stat or edge, and another skill pick… It seemed every level you got one stat or edge, and one skill. That’s good – it’ll let Jeff and I plan how we learn new things. I decided to save my unspent edges until I had some training in magic, in case I wanted to rapidly improve my skills. I looked over my skills, and decided there wasn’t anything there that I desperately needed to increase at the moment, so I saved them too. I took a look at my money next, and was pleasantly surprised.
Type of Coin
Value
Amount
Platinum Imperial Dragons
5000$
Platinum Imperials
1000$
Gold Crowns
500$
25
Gold Knights
100$
50
Silver Orbs
50$
50
Silver Crescents
10$
247
Copper Stars
5$
Copper Suns
1$
25
Copper Farthings
25¢
2
Copper Pennies
10¢
3
Various Gemstones
100 Gold Crowns
2lbs of Salt
10 Gold Knights
2lbs of Pepper
4 Gold Knights
2lbs of mixed Spices
27 Gold Knights
That’s a lot of coins. Looking at the amount, I strongly suspected Jeffrey gave me far more than one third of his treasure, but I wasn’t going to call him on it. He obviously wanted me to have it – and to be taken care of. I didn’t like the idea of maybe saying goodbye forever, but I didn’t want to force him to choose between his parents and me. That would be a really shitty thing to do, and I cared about him enough to never even consider that. I did feel lonely, though. All those years we were friends, when all I wanted to do was hug him, or … or even kiss him. How many times I dreamed he’d ask me out on a date, or how many times I dreamt I told him I was trans, and he kissed me anyway?
I wondered if there was any hope for us, or if I was wasting my time trying? I stared into my iced tea, and didn’t find the answers I was looking for. I thought tea leaf reading was a thing? Oh well. And now, Jeff was a Vigilant. I don’t know if that means he can’t go home – or if he does go home, whether he keeps his cool holy warrior powers? I hope he doesn’t go home… My dad would probably hunt him down and shoot him. Or the police would arrest him for my murder and disappearance, since he’d be the last person who saw me. Holy shit! They might even put him in a mental hospital, since all he could say was the same crazy shit his grandma said. His dad would probably see to that. Oh no! Unless Jeff goes back in just a few days, he might not be able to, and even then there will be trouble with the law!
Should I tell him? I wondered. I don’t think he’s thought it through. If I ‘forget’ to tell him long enough, he might decide to not go back to avoid all the problems! I sighed, and was ashamed with myself for thinking that. Jeff was my friend, and even if I loved him, and wanted him here with me, if I REALLY loved him, I wouldn’t manipulate him or pull stupid bullshit to keep him here. A good girlfriend wouldn’t do that, and neither would a best friend. One day I kind of hoped to be both.
I sighed again, and looked at my Quest log… Maybe it would have a clue on what to do?
* Wait to see Jeffrey’s reaction to you revealing your secret.
* Learn of the many types of magic on Mercia
* Attend Church in 6 days and receive a healing spell
* Speak to Miera Candlow and take lessons on womanhood
* Receive the Twin-Soul Transformation and become female in body (55 days)
* Explore Ender’s Hollow - (50% completed)
* Look for Information on “King Colin’s Wayward Bride.”
* Meet Tika’s Magic Teacher, Cheerit
* Try to find a Magic Teacher
* Don’t forget Jeffery’s Birthday - Sept 1st ; 5 days or 55 days, depending (Earth time vs Mercia time)
* Make friends with Alyssa and Tika – Completed!
* Show off your new clothes to Alyssa and Tika – Completed!
* Get some local clothing and blend in – Completed!
* Confess your true feelings to Jeffrey – Completed!
* Learn how to get the Twin-Soul Transformation from Seoni Haines – Completed!
* Learn more about the Gods and Goddesses of Mercia – Completed!
* Learn the basics of Magic – Completed!
* Meet Alyssa and Tika – Completed!
* Search the Spider Lair – Completed!
* < The rest was Truncated >
Wow! A lot of little quests had popped up and been finished. It seemed weird – I mean, the quests were little vignettes – there was no combat, no risk – why did I gain a level? Maybe this place didn’t work like a game, even though we had a game-like screen and interface to interact with. I tried to think of it in another way… all of the quests seemed important to me at the time – so maybe advancements are based on achieving goals that are important to you, rather than say, killing monsters or finding treasure in an RPG game? I suppose if monsters and treasure were important for you, you could get some XP from them, but here it seemed advancement was more based on the story Jeff and I were creating together. Our adventure tale. I smiled. That sounded really cool. You could be a normal person, who never saw a single battle, and you could still advance and grow. A lot like life.
As I thought the last part, it struck me that for the last few days I had been thinking of all this like a game, and I needed to realize it wasn’t a game… it WAS real life. Despite the video game trappings our HUD gave us, we were still real people, living in a real world, with real world consequences, and real world disasters that could happen at any moment. I needed to remember that, and I think I should remind Jeff, just in case he fell into the same trap I did.
I looked around, and saw the taproom and dining room filling up. Maybe it was time to wake sleeping beauty? I day-dreamed a bit about going up to wake him, and kissing him on the lips – and him returning the kiss. It was stupid, but I didn’t care. Maybe one day it would be real, and not a dream. I could hope. I took my drink, and headed upstairs to wake Jeff.