The sun has long since disappeared on the horizon and the stars are shining brightly in the night sky. Neither Gem nor I feel like staying out any longer than we have to on this night. Those player killers ruined our date and left an uncomfortable taste in our mouths. Both our minds are still in a state of shock after the adrenaline rush wore off, but we are at least not alone in this. Having someone to rely on, someone I can trust with my life, makes a world of difference in this hostile territory.
As my thoughts drift, I happen to notice the obnoxious red symbols above our heads. These signify that we ourselves are player killers, that we have taken the life of another. We cannot return to Fairhaven in this state; however, we can still return to the small village nearby. It's not that red players cannot enter cities, because that would make them unable to use portals in NPC run cities. Players are only restricted from entering for 24 hours after their last kill. The other aspect of the red name, the kill count, is a cumulative number. My kill count is now three, while Gem's is two. Both of us killed a yellow named player; therefore, we got penalized for it, but killing a red named player does not result in further penalty.
We decided to head for the village, and soon made our way out of the woods. The village was illuminated against the backdrop of hills and people could be seen walking amongst the houses and buildings. "We should find a place to stay the night." Gem states as we get within the boundaries of the village. Her voice is slightly hoarse and shaky.
"Mhmm," I reply, "Hopefully we'll be able to find a place with a couple of free beds at this hour.” I sweep my gaze over the buildings. In such a small village, we would be lucky to find a single room; however, sleeping outside is not an option due to what happened earlier.
With my hand wrapped around hers, we make our way to a nearby building with a "bed 'n' breakfast" sign. The lights are on in the windows and there is a vacancy sign on the door, so it is looking promising. A quick glance to other buildings shows no other vacancies. The door to the building consists of large wooden panels with a simple coating. It matches with the wooden construction of the building. "After you," As I open the door for Gem and follow her inside, a light bell rings above the doorframe.
Directly inside is a small common area with a couple tables. The tables are vacant, but soon a voice comes from the back room. "I'll be right with you!" It is an elderly voice, and following it is the sound of shuffling on the floor. Looking up, I see an old man with greying hair and a crooked back. He has a cane in his hand, but that doesn't seem to slow down his movement.
"Ahh, a young couple!" The old man smiles to show his few remaining teeth, "How may I help you?"
"We saw the vacancy sign on the door, and are looking for a room for the night." I look over at Gem, "Do you have a room with two beds?”
"Two beds?" The old man looks at us with a questioning expression, "Umm, the best I can offer you is a double bed." He scratches his head in embarrassment, "Sorry, but I don't think you'll find anything else in town either."
"Uh," I look over at Gem. Although we are used to sharing a room, sharing a bed so soon is on a completely different level. "What do you think?"
"We'll take it!" She says with absolute confidence. I had expected more hesitation, but deep down I am glad she agreed.
"Wonderful!" The old man wears a pleased expression on his face, "It will be 100 Tor for the room, and breakfast is included. Now, breakfast will be between 7 and 9 in the morning and will be made by my wife. Follow me, I'll show you to your room." The old man then starts taking off towards the back without making sure we are following.
Gem is the first to go, while I follow behind her. We are led into a narrow hallway and up a staircase to the second floor. The old man doesn't seem his age as he motors up the steps. At this top is a small landing with four doors leading to bedrooms, which I assume must all be rooms for renting. The price of 100 Tor a night is more expensive than our room at the Prancing Mare, but we only get a special price due to Gem's relationship with Lady Alenia.
"Alright, yours is the one on the right. Here's the key." The old man passes us a large old fashion iron key, which turns into a digitalized access code in our UI's. This helps prevent unauthorized access to the room, which greatly improves security. "Enjoy your night, and I will see you in the morning." He gives me a subtle wink before hobbling back down the stairs.
Gem opens the door and we both enter the room. Inside there is a small double bed, a bedside table, wardrobe, a table, and a chair. There is very little space, so for two people to fit in here, they need to be very comfortable being in close proximity to each other.
"It's a bit cozy, but it will do." Gem says as if speaking to herself. She turns to face me and then falls backwards onto the bed with her arms spread out. She looks so innocent right now with her sparkling eyes and brilliant, inviting smile. She motions for me to join her on the bed, so I quickly close the door and make my way to her.
We simultaneously remove our combat gear in exchange for more comfortable clothes. “Mmm.” I stare at Gem who is now wearing a very light see through black negligee over top of silky black undergarments. Her curves are clearly accentuated and are a feast for my eyes.
"Well," Gem looks at me with her enchanting eyes, "Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to join me?"
Without even answering, I join her on the bed and sweep her up in my arms. She rests her head against my chest and entangles her legs in mine. "Can we stay like this tonight?" Gem asks in a shy tone. Her body is squirming to get closer to mine.
"We can stay like this for as long as you like." I reply while kissing the crown of her head.
"Quinn, I'm glad you're here with me." She tilts her head back to look up at me and a strand of her crimson hair falls down her face. Using my free hand, I guide it behind her ear, while caressing her cheek. "I was so scared earlier, but I knew as long as you were with me, it would be alright. Those fiends who target innocent players are disgusting. Every one of them should burn for their crimes!"
I can tell she is getting agitated thinking about this, so I increase my grip and hug her tightly. "I could not agree more. Those animals should be locked up in a cage; however, right now, the only thing we can do is become stronger. But, there's a limit to what we can do alone."
"We don't have to be alone."
"What do you mean?" I say while gently stroking her back. Running my hand against her silly smooth skin.
"We could start a guild, which would allow us to combat those types of players."
"An anti-pk guild? I'm not too sure how that would work out by itself."
Gem lightly pounds my chest with her fist, "Not just an anti-pk guild you oaf. That would be just one part of it. We would have other areas such as a store, a hunting team, craftsman, etc." She rests her head once more against me, "We would need some land or a storefront and benefits to entice people to join."
"As for land, we won't have to worry about that." My mind drifts to that empty plot the size of a city block. I would love to start building on it, I just need the capital.
"Oh?"
"Mhmm." I affirm, "What I'm about to tell you is a secret I want to keep between us for now." I have absolute faith in Gem at this point, so I don't have any qualms in telling her. I only haven't done so yet, because there was no need. "You know that giant plot of land in the teleportation hub?"
"Yes..." She doesn't seem to quite know where I am going with this.
"Well, I am the owner of that land." I state.
"What?!"
“Hehe. I obtained a cheat like item from the hidden boss drop, which allowed me to obtain any plot of land I wanted for free." I continue, "And it just so happens that I was able to buy that plot with it. I was a bit impulsive buying it, but I reasoned that the teleportation hub will be used more than any other island; therefore, it would be the best place to own land. We can't technically own land in the NPC run cities either."
"That will be perfect!" She seems to have accepted it fairly quickly. Gem shifts her position until she is more or less on top of me. Her face is directly above mine and I can feel the heat of her breath upon my face. "What do you think we should name our guild?"
"Uhh," I pause to think, but my naming sense is just too horrid. I wrap my arms around the small of her waist and reply: "My naming sense is horrible, do you have any ideas?"
"I've got the perfect idea!" She exclaims with enthusiasm, "The symbol you've been carving on each of your weapons is a raven, right? So, how about we call ourselves the Blood Ravens!"
"Blood Ravens, huh?" I repeat it a couple of times in my head, "I like the sound of that. Blood as in blood red, like the colour of your hair, and ravens for myself."
"Mhmm!" She gives a bright smile. "We will be the guild masters together."
"Can a guild even have two guild masters?"
"Yes, I've asked around and there are two ways. Option 1 is for two players to sign a binding agreement with each other, which divides the ownership between the two. Option 2 is for the two players to get m-" Gem suddenly gets quiet and her face turns bright red.
"Get what?" I could guess what she was about to say, but she just looks too adorable right now.
"Get m-married." She finally gets it out. I don't know much about marriage in EndGame Online, but I imagine it lets one share things amongst themselves. There is probably a separate third inventory, which could be accessed by either party similar to a joint bank account.
"And, which method would you like to use, my dear?" I really like Gem. More than I have anyone else, but to jump straight into marriage may not be the best idea. In the real world, so many people jump to marriage during the honeymoon phase of their relationships, which just ends with more divorces.
"Umm..." She seems to be contemplating how to respond. The logical choice would be the first option, because married should not be for material benefit. Also, I would never propose to the woman I loved in such a fashion. "Lets do the s-," She pauses for a split second, "First option."
"Are you sure about that?" I inquire in a teasing voice.
"Mhmm!" She nods. Her hair gets messed up in the process and now it is falls down onto my face.
"We should seal the deal then." Without warning I seal her lips with mine. A warm tingling sensation travels through my body as I passionately embraced her lithe body. We spend the night in each other's arms, but that final step to becoming one with each other isn’t crossed. Regardless, I am comfortable spending the night holding the woman I care for and feeling her warmth, while taking in her sweet scent with every breath.
The next morning. I wake to the soothing sound of breathing and a numb left arm. I look down and see Gem curled up against my body. Her face looks so peaceful right now that I don't want to move for fear of disturbing her. I stay like this for approximately ten minutes before I see her eyes gently open.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Good morning." I smile at her.
She gives a few drowsy blinks in response before closing her eyes once more and adjusting her posture. "Hey, it's already 10 o'clock. We should get up."
"Hmph." She delicately snorts before reluctantly leaving the warmth of my embrace. Pins and needles torment my left hand as the sensation slowly returns. Gem has taken to sitting cross legged at the foot of the bed, while looking away from me. I somewhat regret making her move, but we've got an entire day to enjoy.
I take a glance at my UI to see there is a message waiting for me. I select it and soon a holograph of Ilyena pops up. "I assume we are not going hunting today. I went by the Prancing Mare this morning, but they said you both never returned last night. Today can be a rest day, but tomorrow we are going hunting. I ran into Elayne and Astrya, and they mentioned gathering a large group to go leveling tomorrow. So you had better be there." Yikes. That message had a bit of a bite to it. I don't recall planning something for today with her, but already I feel like it's my fault.
"What do you think?" I ask Gem who had been watching the message along with me.
"I'm up for it tomorrow." She responds, "by then these red symbols will have turned yellow and we can go back into town. As for today... how about we go down to the lake?"
"Sounds good! Perhaps we could do some fishing in the lake. Have you ever gone fishing before?"
"Mhmm." She nods, "but, I'm not very good. You're probably better than I am."
I scratch the side of my nose in embarrassment. "I don't know about that..." You have too much faith in me Gem. I've caught a few fish in my life, but that was when I was with professionals. By myself, it would be another repeat of what happened during my first outing into the Pleylf Woods. I was at the river for hours without a bite, even though the fish were clearly visible in the water.
"Come," She leans over and quickly pecks me on the cheek, "Let's get dressed." She proceeds to open her inventory and equip her leather armour, while I do the same.
We make our way down the stairs and out of the building. For the price, it was a comfortable sleep. Although, it's too bad we couldn't have experienced the breakfast. The town has already woken up, the shops are open, and the players are wandering the street.
We meander over to a bait shop near the outskirts of the village on the path to the lake. After buying a couple fishing rods, hooks, and a bucket of bait, we set off for the lake.
"The path looks so peaceful during the day." Gem comments while keeping vigilant of our surroundings. I don't imagine we would get ambushed again so soon, but I appreciate her concern. There would likely only be one PK group in the area unless they specifically targeted certain players. If too many were in one area they would likely end up fighting amongst themselves.
"I agree. There likely won't be any more of those scum around here, but I'm afraid we are being mistaken for them." I have noticed the scared looks of other players as they watch us from a distance. Not every player has opted to become strong in combat and at least half have been focusing on skills. Besides, most of those who are a higher level would not frequent this area. They would likely be one the second floor levelling up; therefore, in a bit surprised those PKers were higher than the average player level. While my thought is on that, the lake starts to become visible through the tree line.
"Ahh, it's so beautiful!" Gem comments. At this point she has lost that weariness and has already been enchanted by the view. I must admit that the lake is very pretty. The water is a pale aquamarine and the light of the sun reflected off its surface paints a reverse image of the landscape. Near the shoreline is a brilliant white sand and a sturdy wooden dock reaching out over the lake.
"Mhmm, shall we go to the dock?" The dock is currently unoccupied, so it seems like the perfect place.
"Alright!" She smiles in response.
The path we are on leads us straight to the wooden dock where we settle down and take out our fishing gear. The rods thankfully come idiot proof, so all we have to do is attach the hook and some bait and we'll be good. Of course, there were other rods at the shop, but with my experience, or lack thereof, we opted for the system assisted ones. These were designed for beginners, while the more traditional rods were for those that take fishing more seriously.
We simultaneously cast our lines into the water. "How are you feeling?" I noticed Gem was looking a bit uneasy and I soon remembered her and large bodies of water do not mix.
"I'm fine." She responds with false bravado, "Standing water is fine. It's running water that is the problem."
"Oh? How did that come about?" I am curious to know; however, immediately after asking, i regretted it, because I recognize that it's a sensitive topic. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"No, I don't mind it," She says while looking off into the water, "It actually happened 12 years ago on July 31st, 2014. My father was going extreme river rafting with his friends from work. Everything was going well until they hit a rocky outcrop. The raft got ripped apart and my father got tossed into the rapids. The rest of them were safe, but my father..." She pauses and takes a large breath. "They searched for hours, even I took part in the search." Her voice has started to become shaky, so I grasp her hand and gives it a few squeezes. "It's was at around dinner time that I snuck off and went down to the river by myself, and... in the reeds... facedown..."
I really regret asking her now. To have found her own father when she was only a little child is horrific. I can only imagine what went through her head during that moment. I was lucky enough to grow up with my father, but so many aren't. "I'm sorry." I don't really know how to respond to her, so I don't release my hand.
"Thank you," She says with a weak voice, "I've accepted it, but there are lingering effects. Anyways, ever since then, I have been averse to large moving bodies of water." As she is saying that, she gets a bite on her rod and exclaims: "I've got one!" I immediately release her hand as she places them both on her rod for stability. She reels it in slowly, while occasionally giving the line slack. Thank you Mr. Fish for changing the topic.
Eventually, she reels in a 12 inch fish with bluish silver scales. "Hehe, I'd like to see you beat this!" She holds it up in front of my face tauntingly. I can tell she doesn't want to linger on our previous topic, so I congratulate her on her catch. Fishing is one of those skills that doesn't require performing a quest; however, if one didn't have the basic knowledge, they could be waiting for hours in a spot without fish. Or they could be like me, and be unable to catch anything even with fish visible. Since I still don't have the skill, I can only hope to catch something. Gem, on the other hand, has gotten a head start on me.
We spend most of the day together like this, talking back and forth about our lives before the game. Apparently, Gem had been abandoned by her extended family after her father had passed away. He father was fairly rich, but she could only inherit his assets once she reached the age of 18. Due to that, she essentially grew up in an orphanage for the majority of her childhood. As for how she could afford the gaming unit, she had saved up money through odd jobs. Since she was going to receive her inheritance once she turned 18, the 17 year old finally spent some of her savings. Some might consider it a waste of money, but she told me she was always an avid fan of fantasy stories. She, like myself, would read as many stories as she could; therefore, the virtual world was too tempting.
As she was telling me her story, she would be constantly catching fish, whereas I have yet to get a bite. At first we thought it might be due to the rod, but when she used my rod, not even 10 minutes passed before she caught another. She was a natural, yet I was the complete opposite. At least when it came to fishing. "You'll get one eventually." Gem consoles, "I believe in you!"
"Ahh, I seem to have no luck." I say half heartedly. As I am saying so, a very light tug comes from the rod in my hands. "I think I might have one!"
I slowly draw the line taught and am met with a light resistance. The resistance quickly picks up and the line starts jerking. Not wanting the line to snap, I release some slack before reeling it in. The fish doesn't seem to want to give up and it keeps on fighting the line. "Come on! A little bit more! A little more!" Gem encourages from the sidelines, "Almost got it!"
"Phew!" The fish finally breaks the surface, and is flapping about trying to escape capture. It looks to be at least a foot in length, but the power behind it is incredible. My strength stat is the only thing keeping me going, because I don't even have the fishing skill yet. I finally reel it in and a message pops up on the corner of my UI.
[You have caught a Silver Rangeles. 11.8 inches. 3.4 kg.]
[Skill acquired: Fishing level 1. Fishing skill allows you to use various fishing rods and baits. Increases chance of catching a fish by 10% in valid locations.]
"Haha! Finally caught one!" It took all day, but I finally got one. If Gem wasn't here beside me, I would have given up hours ago.
"Nice!" Gem raises the corner of her lips in a half smile, "I'm proud of you!"
"Maybe we can have this for dinner." We had pre-prepared food for lunch, but nothing beats fresh fish cooked over the grill.
"Mhmm." Gem nods, "Are you going to cook it for me?" She looks at me with pleading eyes. I can't say no to those eyes.
"Yep, I'm thinking we get a fire going along the shoreline." Ive already got it planned out in my head. A dinner with the view of the lake, laying down together on a blanket afterwards while looking up as the stars come out. When we were at the market in town yesterday, I had purchased a small grill for campfires. Elayne's influence rubbed off on me from that other night, so I got one. As for the blanket, Gem had been sweet enough to sew me a blanket during the last month in return for the custom sword I made her. Of course, I've made her many things since then, but she has also made me many clothes.
And so, the rest of the evening goes out exactly how I envisioned it and then some. We spent a few hours curled up next to each other spread out on the blanket stargazing. She seemed happy that I had brought along the blanket she made me, so she gave me an extra 'thanks'. At around midnight, after our names had turned yellow and the 24 hours past the last kill occurred, we teleported back to fairhaven. When we got back to the Prancing Mare, there was one major difference that occurred.
Apparently, Gem had asked for the two single beds to be removed and in their place was a queen sized bed. She's rather forward, but I like that. I don't know whether this was planned from the beginning, or happened just today, but it left a warm feeling in my heart. Tomorrow we will get back to the grind, but our relationship has already taken a qualitative leap forward.