The morning after the battle, the streets were oddly empty. Few players, hero or villain, were out and about. Even those who hadn’t been anywhere near the chaos had heard about it and had chosen to remain cautious for the time being. Once you added in the normal lack of NPC crime and, for once, you might be able to mistake the area for a regular section of a regular city.
Those who had actually participated in the battle were resting, licking their wounds, or simply trying to destress after their near brushes with death. Some were desperately trying to forget waking up in their revival pods, and a small handful were already looking ahead to the next time that violence broke out. It would come again, and the only way those few would feel comfortable was if they had a plan.
Lightforge was not one of those people. He’d had plenty of excitement the night before, and had gone to bed shaking and on the verge of a panic attack. He hadn’t made the best of decisions in that fight, a fact that was only clear to him now, in the light of day. Somehow the idea of a war had wormed its way into his head and convinced him to do things that were, frankly, insane.
The good news was that he had lived, which meant that he now had the opportunity to move beyond such idiotic choices. He just had to believe that he’d been caught up in the heat of battle and had stopped thinking altogether. No real thought, just running on adrenaline and instinct. It made things much more intense, but it also led to a lot of rash and impulsive decisions.
All in all, he was happy to put the night behind him and take an opportunity to sleep in. That was why he rolled over into his pillows and buried his face in them to avoid the sunlight streaming in through the window. It wasn’t time to be up and about, it was time to sleep.
Unfortunately, he’d never been particularly good at going back to sleep once he’d woken up. And it wasn’t so long ago that he’d slept for a full five days, so his body was still a bit restless. But he refused to give up so easily and stubbornly stayed in his blankets, enjoying the comfort of his bed for the first time since arriving.
It had only been last night that he’d learned about the pull out mattress that had been waiting under his ratty couch this entire time. He grieved for the nights of lost sleep that had resulted in, but it also made his bed so comfortable that he felt like he could stay in it all day if he wanted to. And so he laid there, enjoying the simple comforts and listening to the sound of rain falling on the window.
He went very still underneath the covers. Rain? He was currently hiding from the sunshine that was streaming in from the outside. He peeked an eye out from under the covers and, sure enough, caught an eyeful of sunshine from the window. He flinched back from the light and turned the other way. Ok, it definitely wasn’t raining, so what was that noise?
Slowly he turned to face the bathroom, which was securely shut, but the sound of falling water was coming from behind it. The shower was running, which did explain the sound but also introduced a much more pressing issue: who was using his shower?
He tried to think back to the night before. Between his bomb making and his combat escapades, he’d completely exhausted his AP supply. That wasn’t supposed to have any side effects, but that had apparently changed. He had ended up stumbling around like a drunkard, and everything after that was a blur.
Someone had helped him get home, and they had shown him the hidden bed. But the question of who was hazy, and his heart started to beat out of control as he considered it. Had something else happened? Why were they using his shower? That seemed to carry certain implications, and he wasn’t sure that he was prepared to face them.
He had nearly decided to abandon his base forever when he realized that the shower had turned off. In fact, it had been off for a couple of minutes. He was trying, unsuccessfully, to extricate himself from the tangle of covers when the bathroom door opened. And he was surprised who he saw behind it.
Aquamarine, the water-based hero that he’d met the night before, was standing in the door to his bathroom. She was wearing her white and blue robes and was whistling to herself as she dried her hair with a towel. For a few moments she didn’t notice him, but soon enough she looked in his direction and grinned.
“Good morning. Thanks again for letting me stay the night.”
“Uh… you’re welcome?”
She stopped and stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
“You don’t remember anything after the fight, do you?”
“...No. I hate to ask, but did we, you know?”
She barked a sharp laugh and shook her head.
“As life affirming as it might have been, I don’t have a habit of having sex with people I’ve just met. It was just sleep, I promise.”
A weight slid off of Lightforge’s shoulders. He looked the woman up and down; she was beautiful, which was the default setting for player characters in this world. He wasn’t opposed to the idea of romance in this world, but the thought of not even remembering it had truly worried him. He was glad to know that there was nothing to remember.
Now that he was a lot more calm, he finally managed to untangle himself and crawl out of bed. His mind was further put at ease when he realized that he was still wearing his costume. Well, the spandex part at least. No armor or boots in bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and cleared his throat.
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“Since we’ve established that I don’t remember much, would you care to fill me in on what happened last night? For example, why did you sleep here?”
“Wow, you really don’t remember much, do you? It’s pretty simple really: the portal to my base is inside that building we were fighting over. It didn’t seem like the smartest place to lay low.”
“Ok, but why here? Surely you had other options?”
“I did, but this was mutually beneficial. I needed a place to crash, and you needed someone to keep you from falling over. It was a win-win, so I saw no reason not to. Besides, I’d say I’ve already repaid any debt when I showed you the actual bed that you’ve been ignoring.”
“Hey! How was I supposed to know that there was a bed under there?”
“By playing the game before? It’s not exactly a secret.”
“Right… I guess I never knew that. I never cared much for easter eggs. I always had better things to do.”
“Wow, that sounds boring. But yeah, that’s what happened. Have any plans for today?”
“Not really. I’ll probably head into my shop and get back to work.”
“Oh yeah, you’re a gadgeteer, right? Got anything cool I could grab?”
Lightforge grinned and searched around for a moment. He found his goggles and tossed them over to her. She looked at them with raised eyebrows, as if she didn’t know what to do. He motioned for her to put them on and she complied. For a few moments she just looked a little silly wearing goggles that were much too big for her.
And then she stood up straight and stared at him hard. She gasped and waved her hands in front of her face.
“What the hell?! You remade the HUD? That’s incredible! Can I buy these off you?”
“Not those ones, but I’ll be happy to make you a pair. And I need to hedge at least a little. It’s not the full HUD, just an estimation of the levels around you.”
“I don’t care. Even that is more than enough to be worth it. What about those bombs you were tossing around last night?”
“I used them all, so you’ll have to be on a waiting list there too.”
“Damn. I guess you really do need to go into your shop and get to work. After your display last night, I suspect that your business is going to boom anytime now.”
“That would be nice. I would offer you some food, but I’m afraid I don’t have much.”
“That’s fine, though I am a bit thirsty. You don’t happen to have any Max Boost around here do you?”
Lightforge shuddered violently and shook his head. Just the thought of the unsettlingly green drink made his stomach clench uncomfortably. It was an obvious cue, and Aquamarine tilted her head at him.
“That’s quite the reaction. I’m guessing you’re not a fan?”
“I was, but then I had an… incident.”
He explained his ordeal from when he’d stopped sleeping and essentially overdosed on the concoction. Her face went through stages of confusion, intrigue, and eventually disgust. She was looking around the base warily and screwed her face up at the thought of what he’d said.
“Ok, that’s super gross. Maybe I’ll skip drinking those for a while.”
“That’s my suggestion, though I understand that I’m an extreme case.”
“Yeah, still. I’ll skip it. Care for some company at your shop? I’ve got nothing better to do.”
“Not planning on patrolling?”
“After a battle like that? I got plenty of XP for a while.”
“Fair enough. Sure, I don’t mind if you come with me. Let’s get going.”
“Lead the way.”
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Lightforge was a lucky man. The battle he’d been a part of the night before hadn’t been the only one in the area. Skirmishes of various sizes had been fought all over the place, but none had happened near his shop. The only damage to be seen on it was the shattered front window that had come courtesy of Sunbird.
As they approached, Aquamarine raised an eyebrow at the sight and looked to him for an explanation. He shrugged and tried to explain the situation. She took it shockingly well, which really said a lot about the bar for what would actually shake her. When he asked about her reaction, she took the opportunity to shrug back.
“A super villain relentlessly pursuing a hero for revenge and talking about some kind of shadowy conspiracy? I guess that just sounds like par for the course around here.”
“Yeah, I guess you’ve got me there. But yeah, this is my shop. Not much to look at, but it does the job.”
“Yeah. And now that I know where it is, I’ll know where to come for equipment. And speaking of, how long until I can get my hands on some of those nifty goggles?”
“Let me check what parts I have on hand. I might be able to build some today, but I can’t guarantee it.”
“Fair enough. Well, I’ll just hang on and see–”
She cut off as her eyes flickered to something that Lightforge couldn’t see. It wasn’t hard to guess that it was some sort of system notification, though he couldn’t even begin to guess the contents. What he could guess was that it was something serious; the expression on the hero’s face was more than enough to tell him that.
Once Aquamarine had finished reading it, she turned to him apologetically.
“Sorry, but I’ve got to run.”
“Do you need backup?”
“No, it’s not that kind of issue. Will you be here all day?”
“That’s the plan. Swing by whenever you get a chance and I’ll try to have your goggles ready for you.”
“Thanks. See you soon.”
She turned and dashed away, the responsibilities of the hero life calling her to something important. He couldn’t help but smile as she went. This was how life as a superhero was supposed to be. Getting tugged in a dozen directions and constantly running around from one important task to the next. There should never be a dull moment.
He turned to his workbench and set to work. While he might not be running around the streets at the moment, the work he did in his shop was just as important as anything. The devices that he’d made had made a difference in the battle, and it wouldn’t be the last time.
Today was quiet in the aftermath of the fighting, but it wouldn’t last. The peace would break again, and the people around him would have the equipment that they needed to face it head on. He would make sure of it.