It took another hour to stumble along the winding path to get to Melly's village. Usually, the entire trip would take thirty minutes. However, this time, she was held up at every corner with stupid questions, such as.

"What’s this?"

"Rocks and trees," she said.

"And this?"

"More rocks and trees."

"But what kind of tree is this?"

"Again Clemiticus, that’s a Pine Tree!"

“You know the more I see, the more impressive this video game gets.”

“And you know I don’t know what you mean by video game.”

When they came into view of a familiar ridge, Melly let out a sigh of relief. It was the first glimpse of her home.

Bing!

"Clemiticus had entered Lobee Village!”

“Clemiticus has completed the quest: Escort Melly!”

Melly felt her whole body relax. The strain and tension of the horrid journey fell away, leaving her muscles with only a dull ache and an odd sense of accomplishment. For now, she was home.

Her village was small, within a vast clearing of the forest. The dwellings were tiny and lovingly crafted. Each house had matching chimneys and was surrounded by cobblestone paths that led to a circular marketplace and the village’s largest building, the town hall. Behind that building lay a swathe of small fields owned and operated by local farmers. All in all, it was a self-sufficient village that didn’t need nor wanted any help from the outside world.

She was looking forward to this. She could finally get rid of the dead weight she had recently gained and return to a life of normality. Melly had enough of adventures for the time being. Her father might be disappointed that she had not brought back any supplies for dinner, but after what she'd gone through, she thought the man could forgo at least one meal.

"Aha!" Clemiticus beamed as he surveyed the quaint village. He scrutinised and analysed the entire world Melly had ever known in a split second.

"This will be my first quest hub!"

"Quest hub?"

"Yeah! Sounds like an epic plan,” he said, while delivering a jovial thumbs up and a disconcerting wink.

"This place will be my starting zone where I'll power level through my first few quests. I'll stay a little while until I have out-levelled the zone."

"Stop right there! You plan on staying?"

"Well, of course! How else will I replace these starting items and get an upgrade on my weapon without doing the first quest hub? I’ve got some grinding to do."

"No, no, no! You can't stay here. It's um, it's too quiet, and we're all out of quests!" Melly tried desperately to sway him. Although she didn’t know what he meant by quests or grinding. Still, she thought, she might as well run with it.

But Melly was doomed to frustration and disappointment because Clemiticus just shook his head and eyed the town as if it was a golden treasure.

"Nonsense! My gaming senses are tingling!"

She gave an exhausted shrug and walked towards the village, navigating the dirt-packed street. Clemiticus followed close behind like a slack-jawed puppy dog.

When they neared her home, Melly spotted her father. He had his back to them and was currently chopping wood at the front of their house.

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“I’m back,” Melly called out.

The man paused his swinging axe and turned.

"Greetings!" he called back, sounding cheerful.

Melly smiled at the familiar sight of the tall man with his massively red bushy beard. Her father towered over Clemiticus with broad shoulders while sporting a red checked flannel shirt.

“Who’s the lumberjack looking NPC?”

“My father.”

Melly sighed with relief as she saw the familiar face moving towards her. He had his arms outstretched, ready for one of the special hugs he reserved only for her.

He laughed with his usual good nature, and after releasing his daughter, strode over and embraced Clemiticus in an overpowering bear hug, almost lifting him off his feet.

“Oh, boy. The two of you stink,” he said with a chuckle.

"Dad? Why are you?" she asked as he shook Clemiticus in a bear hug.

"You brought back a husband!" He laughed excitedly. "And a mighty handsome one at that. Thank all the gods!" He continued to laugh and spun Clemiticus in his arms.

"No," Melly said. "No freaking way!"

She stared in horror as Clemiticus grinned back at his new father-in-law. Melly then noticed that the adventurer was continually looking skywards as if he was reading something above her father's head.

“You’re Derrick!” Clemiticus said, sounding smug. “Level 7, villager!”

Melly’s stomach dropped. Clemiticus was about to make things worse. A lot worse.

“Why yes that’s my name mate! Has my daughter been treating you well?”

"Yes, father! And it's nice to finally meet you! Your beautiful daughter has told me everything and wow you have such a wonderful home!"

Melly swore silently as she clenched her fists.

Clemiticus pointed a finger into the air in emphasis.

"I have rescued your daughter from an evil demonic wolf and a gigantic ogre! I have brought this maiden back safely to your hearth and home. I expect only your gratitude as a reward."

Melly rolled her eyes. "And boots."

"Aha! Indeed! Gratitude and boots! My wolf booties lost all their durability on the way here!”

Melly's father cheered in approval and released Clemiticus from his embrace and helped him back onto his feet.

"Come on mate, let’s go!" He pointed down the street and in the general direction of the local drinking establishment. "To the pub mate!"

Bing!

“Clemiticus has triggered a new event!”

Clemiticus grinned. "Hell yeah! My first Village quest!"

Melly rolled her eyes and left the two fools to their revelry. She collected herself and her things and stepped into her home alone. She rubbed the tight knot that had formed between her shoulders as she crossed the threshold. Even her hands were sore. With a shock, she instantly felt the pain loosen and fade away. She stared at her grime-covered hand and shrugged.

"I need to get this." She shuddered at the dirt. "Off!"

Melly threw some logs under the boiler and heated the old bath her father had made by hand. The huge guy was always handy with making odd things. That included the pump and heater that filled the bath with warm water. The plumbing creaked as she worked a lever and soon steaming hot water filled the tub. Looking in the mirror, she disrobed and stared at her reflection.

She was filthy! Her usually glossy chestnut hair hung in straggly clumps of dirt and mud-encrusted slime. Grime and other things she rather not think about splattered her face. Her blue eyes sparkled behind the filth. A look of determination stared blankly back at her.

Dried blood still clung to her skin from the myriad cuts and scratches she had endured on her adventure. She sank gratefully into the soothing bath and scooped up small handfuls of warm water with a strip of linen and gently rubbed at the wounds.

“Oh yes, much better,” she said softly.

A quiet voice that sounded remarkably like a certain azure announcer echoed from down the street.

“Melly has been added to the party.”

“Character model set to default.”

As Melly washed away the mud and blood, she realised with total amazement that something incredibly strange had just happened. There weren't any scratches or bruises. She lifted her foot out of the water and examined it. Melly had difficulty walking the last few miles, knowing blisters had formed. But now they’d gone.

"What on Fanswald?"

Melly sat for a while, looking at her skin. She ducked down under the water and washed her hair. Curiously, there wasn't a single scrape or blemish on her. Even the scars from her childhood had disappeared.

She gave out a sigh as she rinsed the soap out of her hair in the warm water. A blue light flickered above.

“Clemiticus has selected Melly’s class: Ranger.”

"Character creation has been confirmed. Using current facial settings and loading the default feminine Ranger body build."

Fairy appeared in the room flying in circles and observed the naked woman below. Throwing out little blue sparkles of light in every direction. "Do you want to finalise Melly’s character?"

She sputtered and shook her head.

“Clemiticus has confirmed default character creation.”

"Character Melly completed. Level 1 Ranger."

"No!" she yelled and lunged skywards to grab the fairy. But it was too late. The blue creature had vanished. As soon as she got up, her whole body went rigid and fell back into the bath. She landed among the steamy water and convulsed.

It was a while before she regained consciousness. Melly stirred slowly and looked around the darkroom. It was still hot in the bath, and steam flooded the room. Melly steadied her breathing. It was then her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Something was wrong.

She looked down in horror. Her bare chest stuck out of the warm water, and her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets. There was a cog in her navel.

"Clemiticus! What have you done?"