"—de it out…"

Carl blinked. He raised his hand in an attempt to block out the too-bright sun and tried to orient himself to his surroundings, feeling again the hot, sandy-dirt ground beneath his bare feet.

"Carl, I have triumphed."

He squinted, turning his head to the right before he started. What the heck…

A tall, armored figure stood in the dry dirt nearby, grinning at him. The figure was covered in its entirety in gore and blood, with what appeared to even be human teeth embedded in a chunk of flesh that was stuck to one of the shoulder fins. The soft green light given off covered him and the rear of the car, and it also gave the severed head in the armored figure's hand a ghoulish glow.

"Uh…" Carl stared a moment longer, still trying to get his bearings. This almost feels like I never even left? "Ir'alith?"

She hoisted the head up by its short hair. "Normannus is dead."

Carl stared again at the head which looked like the abuser until a quiet whimper drew his attention to the car in front of him.

Mina fell out of the car and scrambled around to hide behind him. She clutched at his left hand with both of hers, visibly quaking.

"What's wrong?" Carl asked, looking down at the terrified blonde girl.

The girl looked as though all her muscles had tensed up, and her lips were pressed together so hard they were turning white. She clasped his hand tightly, afraid to let go.

Carl gave Ir'alith a confused look for a moment before he figured it out. Oh, right. She's never been out of that starter city, so she's probably never seen this kind of realistic-looking blood. "Hey, uh, great work," he began before he realized the import of what she'd accomplished. "I mean, I'm really happy for you," he tried, attempting to convey how glad he was that she'd apparently been the one to kill the abuser. The memories were coming back now, and he felt his jaw clench.

Ir'alith's eyes shone a dazzling shade of green, and she plunged the spear she'd borrowed into the ground so she could take her helmet off and set it on top of the car. "This has long been my deepest desire." Her head and purple hair under the helmet were free of blood, and she grinned widely at him, holding the head out farther in front of her.

Mina abruptly shuddered and collapsed onto the ground.

"Mina?" Carl hastily knelt down at the side of the girl he'd spent considerable time worrying about, who was now laying spread-eagle on the ground with her eyes wide open. "Hey, what's wrong?" He tapped her shoulder gently, and she let out another soft whimper.

"She is Isemeine Charus, is she not?" Ir'alith asked, moving closer.

"Yeah…" Ir'alith knows her? Huh, maybe Mina's even more famous than I thought. I guess being a princess has to give her some cred. He looked down into Mina's terrified, unfocused green eyes. Never seen someone this scared before though.

"I believe I know what ails her," Ir'alith said after another moment, crouching on the other side of the continuously-whimpering girl. She set the head on the ground next to her. "Isemeine Charus. Normannus is dead. I personally tore his head from his body. He cannot torment you any longer."

Mina took a quick breath, and her trembling head turned slowly to her left. "T-t-tru-truly?"

Ir'alith nodded, her gaze compassionate. "Yes."

Carl held back, feeling this was something he shouldn't interrupt.

"He… He won't return?" Mina asked, a tear emerging from one eye.

"Never."

Mina stared at the head for a while as her shaking stilled. Then she surged to her feet. "FUCK YOU!" she screamed, stomping on the head with her boot. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" She punctuated each statement with another stomp of her boot, but the head seemed remarkably resilient. Her chest heaved as she glared down at the head, her hands balled into fists at her side. She let out another guttural shriek and kicked the head, sending it bouncing along the ground for some distance, then she chased after it, kicking it again. In the distance, she fell to her knees, her fists raining down on the object.

Carl nodded approvingly. Not enough though. Someone who would do something that to a cute kid like her deserves much—

"He suffered greatly," Ir'alith said, watching as Mina lifted the head over her own head and smashed it down on a rock over and over. "Shall I tell her of it?"

The forty nine year-old father considered the question as the girl he hadn't seen in what felt like weeks cast some sort of spell that lit the head on fire briefly until the hair was burned off before going out. "If you think it'll help."

Ir'alith's tail waved back and forth. "Perhaps," she said after enough time had passed that Mina had again returned to kicking and stomping at the durable head. A sudden ball of fire shot out of the armored woman's hand to strike at a point near the frenzied girl, and a reptilian hiss sounded out as a giant salamander-looking thing appeared out of its camouflage and scuttled away.

Carl blinked.

"Never have I seen such a creature," Ir'alith said, sounding pensive.

Mina came running back a little while later, dribbling the head on the ground. "Destroy it!" she pleaded to the much taller, blue-skinned woman. "Please!"

"How?" Ir'alith asked.

"Violently," Mina said, her fists still balled at her sides and caked with small amounts of blood.

Ir'alith nodded a single time. "We are of the same mind."

The head jumped up off the ground and hovered in midair before flying off a short distance. Then, as though suddenly crushed by a hydraulic press, it flattened, with chunks of realistic-looking brain matter shooting out the sides.

Mina let out a long sigh and closed her eyes.

"I had no wish to keep such a disgusting trophy," Ir'alith remarked.

"Nice," said Carl, nodding with his arms crossed over his chest. Still not enough, but that was pretty satisfying.

They stood together like that in silence for a short while.

Mina opened her eyes and turned to Ir'alith. "My apologies, I've been quite rude," she said, tilting her head upwards. "I once was Isemeine Charus, but now I am simply Mina."

Ir'alith nodded. "I greet you, Mina. I am Ir'alith, protector of the southern forests. I have heard of you from Valgud Flintbrow."

Ooh, that's a pretty cool name.

Mina stepped back towards Carl until she was close enough that he put his hands on her shoulders out of reflex to reassure her. "You're…Ir'alith? The Ir'alith? The d…"

Ir'alith grinned, showing again a mouthful of pristine, needle-like teeth.

"Oh."

She must be pretty notorious for Mina to sound nervous like that. "She's a friend of mine," Carl added helpfully. He recalled the fun, safe drive they'd gone on the previous day and smiled at the memory. "A close friend." Maybe my closest friend given how long it's been since I've talked to any of the guys. Ugh, that's kinda depressing to think about.

Ir'alith's skin turned a light shade of purple in what Carl now recognized as a blush, almost certainly from being suddenly introduced with such familiarity, and her eyes flickered pink so quickly that he figured he must have imagined it. "Y-yes, I am!" Her tail came up and rested over her shoulder.

Mina slowly turned around, forcing him to drop his hands. "You know her?" she asked with raised eyebrows, just as Sammy had done when she'd asked whether he really went to college with Santa.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"I do," he confirmed, feeling that the resulting incredulous stare he was receiving was nearly identical to his eldest daughter's. How famous is Ir'alith anyway? This is the kinda look I'd expect to get from Sammy if Santa randomly dropped by the house to say hi.

Mina turned back to look up at Ir'alith. "I…" She sighed. "I've been rude once again. It's a pleasure to meet you, um, Your Majesty?"

"Ir'alith is my name," said Ir'alith, seeming amused. "We have no such titles."

Carl frowned slightly. She some kinda royalty too in whatever city she hangs out in? Feels like I've seen something about that… Nope, no idea.

"Ir'alith, then" Mina said slowly. "You… You seem much more friendly than I'd heard."

"I am never otherwise without cause," Ir'alith said, still appearing amused.

"That… " Mina trailed off, and she turned back to Carl while rubbing her chin in the endearing manner that he'd forgotten about. "Yes, it makes sense," she murmured.

"Carl," Ir'alith broke in, "I thank you for watching over my father. And he…" She frowned, and her tail tapped against her shoulder. "He wishes for me to say that he has enjoyed your companionship, and he, too, would call you a friend. Also…" Her tail began to sway slowly from side to side behind her head. "No, that was all."

Axe-dad wasn't so bad once I got to know him. Wait, he did have that really weird courtship—Ohhh no, I forgot about that… Carl grimaced, then tried to salvage his expression into something more affable. "Yeah, I enjoyed his company," he said, trying to figure out what the heck he was supposed to say now that he'd recalled the old man trying to pawn his daughter off onto him.

Ir'alith looked over to the axe that her father was playing as, a concept that hurt Carl's brain to even consider the logistics of, because what was he even seeing while playing as a weapon that could be swung around—like, was it a free-floating third person camera kinda thing, or was he actually seeing out of that eye, because that's gotta be really disorie—

"I must depart," Ir'alith announced, sounding vaguely annoyed. She looked back to Carl, and her expression turned more pleased, her tail waving energetically over her shoulder at him. "If you have need of me, reach out, and I will answer your call." She paused, her gaze flicking down to Mina. "We will still go for a drive once more?"

Carl grinned and nodded. "Yeah, def…" Then he looked down also. "I mean, if it's okay with Mina, of course."

Mina seemed to recognize her car for the first time at that moment and started moving around it, checking for damage. "What… What's happened to the glyphs?!" she demanded, her voice rising in pitch.

"I repaired them," Ir'alith said.

Mina stared across the car at her. "You've what?! But…" She stopped speaking as the car slowly rose up off the ground and then flipped over.

Ir'alith had begun walking around the vehicle and reached her side just as it finished turning upside down.

Huh, that's how it looked at the end of the drive yesterday, I guess. Gah, I'm getting really distracted here. Still gotta figure out some way to get all this info packaged up in the right way. I threw together a quick presentation, but Gab didn't seem like she was that type of exec. Carl rubbed his beard as he fully considered the various stimuli he'd encountered since logging in. Maybe if I turn the data upside down… And kick it a lot…

"I've been such a fool!" Mina exclaimed, breaking his focus and running her hands up into her hair. "Of course!"

The car set down once more on its wheels.

"Perhaps at another time we could combine our thoughts," Ir'alith suggested, looking down at the girl. "Your car has brought me great joy, and with our skills joined—"

"Yes! I feel now that ideas are positively bursting out of my head," Mina said, her hands still pressed to the sides of her hair.

"Collect them," Ir'alith said. "When next we meet, we will further the improvements."

"Okay, yes…" Mina said, seeming distracted.

Ir'alith strolled back around the car with another amused grin, her tail again waving back and forth. "She is like a dwarf," she said quietly.

"She's not that short," Carl said, feeling some need to defend her. She's probably like five-six or five-seven? Not even close to being a dwarf. Also is that even… Yeah, that's probably offensive.

Ir'alith chuckled. "I suppose she is not." She raised her head slightly to look up at him. "I regret parting so soon, but…" Her skin again turned to a shade of purple. "I will show my sincerity with this task."

I forgot how nice her voice is to listen to. Not even sure how to describe it. Carl shook himself out of his brief state of distraction. What was she saying? Task? "Sounds good," he said, feeling like he'd missed an important nuance. "And, uh, if you need help or want to talk, you can always message me, too."

Ir'alith looked back past the rear of the car, and her tail began curling back on itself. "Yes, of course," she said, seeming unusually subdued from her normally confident self. "I… I hope I will succeed."

Shoot, that was definitely something serious I missed. "Me too," Carl tried.

Ir'alith's helmet zoomed up from its spot on the car's rear and dropped over the top of her head as she fully turned towards the spot she'd portaled in from. "Until next we meet," she called back, still sounding a little off. Purple lightning flickered, and a portal opened, showing a similar, barren landscape. Her right hand came up to a practiced position, and her axe warped into it, resting over her shoulder as she walked through the portal, which immediately closed once she was through.

Carl stared at the place she'd departed from. She almost sounded… He frowned. What would that be? Maybe shy? Nervous? Really feeling like I missed something big here. He sighed. Whatever, she's a pretty cool, very platonic friend. I wonder if she could teach me that portal magic. That'd be handy since I'm not gonna be messing with DB stuff like an idiot anymore.

"Did she just create a portal?" Mina asked, staring at the same spot with her eyebrows raised in shock.

"Yes?" Carl said.

"I'm going to sit," Mina said, sagging into the passenger seat of her car.

Carl walked over to pick up his spear and throw it into his inventory. Good to have you back, buddy. Now I can definitely go fishing. An idea occurred to him. "Hey, we're pretty far out of the city," he said while he headed back towards the front seat on the passenger side. "Good place to drive and test out your car's upgrades!"

Mina grimaced up at him. "Carl… Have you revived me?"

She's way too observant. First there was that thing with the coins, now this, where she logged out just before her character got blown up and still figures out that she… Oh, I wonder if you lose XP when you die or something? He shrugged, then nodded. "Yeah, but don't tell anyone, okay?" Really feels like the company should make this up to her somehow. How can a flimsy waiver like that hold up in court? Guess that's why I'm not a lawyer.

"Would you mind driving?" Mina asked with a yawn. "Excuse me. I'm feeling exhausted at the moment, and I've been trying to be more aware of safety."

Carl frowned down at her. People sleep in-game? Actually, wasn't I supposedly in here for a while the last couple times? Don't really recall getting tired though. He started around towards the driver's seat. "You, uh," he started, not quite sure how to ask. "Things any better with you now? I mean, with family stuff?"

The troubled eighteen year-old girl, who was playing an eighteen year-old girl character in New Era, gave him a sleepy smile. "Yes, Carl," she said, fighting off another adorable yawn. "I believe my life is finally changing for the better. I've put my family behind me, my betrothed is gone—"

Carl's jaw clenched, and he found himself wishing he could've seen the kid's head explode in real life.

"—and now I can behave as I wish," she finished, closing her eyes in a smile that reminded him of time spent tucking Bobby in for bed when she'd been younger.

He took a breath. "That's great, Mina," he said, feeling at last some relief from the small worries that had harried him for the past few days. He sat down in the driver's seat.

Mina leaned against him and then slowly, tentatively, gave him a hug with her face resting against his arm. "Thank you for caring, Carl," she said quietly.

Carl felt his eyes growing a little misty. He disentangled his right arm and placed it around her, patting her shoulder. He felt a lump in his throat when he considered exactly what he'd just been thanked for as well as the ramifications of it. "Yeah, no problem," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

A moment passed that Carl was afraid to interrupt.

"Were you driving to anywhere in particular?" Mina asked.

"Not really."

"What do you think of traveling to Onyxfell?" she asked, her tone reminiscent of when Sammy was trying to casually ask for something she thought she wanted more than anything. "I've heard there's tracks for," she yawned again, "racing…"

Carl squeezed her shoulder a little. "You got it. In fact…"

In fact, Carl had anticipated that, should he end up logging back into the game in the next couple days and find Mina still nearby, she was likely to want to go to Onyxfell for the racing track she'd mentioned.

Of course he remembered this small detail.

He was Carl Weathers, and his daughters…

Well, Mina wasn't his daughter, but he was still feeling pretty protective of her, and it was clear to him that she really needed someone.

That's why he'd taken the coordinates he'd saved to a file the previous day up to the dev map to see where the heck he was and what direction he'd need to drive in order to get to Onyxfell. Only…

Why the heck isn't there a freaking compass in the HUD? This thing is totally useless. So barebones. "Mina, any idea what direction is northwest?"

Mina grumbled sleepily, sounding exactly like Sammy. She brought her arms up and shielded her face with her hands. "West," she murmured, pointing towards the smaller sun. "North," she said, pointing away from the big sun. Then she snuggled back in under his arm.

Carl held her shoulder, hoping that it would be enough to prevent her from flying out of the car as it began to accelerate and turn. He felt a shifting at his side and looked down in time to see Mina taking the scarf-thing from around her neck and wrapping it over her face. "What's that scarf-thing called, anyway?" he asked.

"Neckerchief," she mumbled, settling back in. A minute later, her breathing evened out, and she was fast asleep. Then she burrowed her face deeper into his side.

He grinned. She's really, really adorable.

Carl began to ruminate as he drove towards the northwest. He had a lot of time to think now, just as he'd wanted.

Surely he would be able to figure things out by the time he reached his destination. Or before the auto-logout timer expired, at least.