I managed to get five hours of sleep. It would have been less, but even Val’s vast vocabulary ran out of words to describe how monumentally stupid I was.

Did I take some pleasure out of making the irritating AI irate? Yes. Was it worth the cost? That’s hard to say. After hour three of her incessant jabbering, I was ready to threaten her with more creative ways to kill us both.

Thankfully, she eventually grew bored of it and has been pouting in silence ever since.

I knew I was taking a big gamble with Prajio, but he wasn’t here for the war. He was here to play the game, to go on adventures, to save travelers from bandits, and to hunt mythical creatures. He would help me, even if I weren’t a real Quest Giver.

He’d still get experience if we got into a fight, so why wouldn’t he help? Engaging with the world and acting heroic was the point of the game.

I had been forced to fight for the Kurskins. I let them take advantage of my naivety. Now, I would return the favor.

That's what I told myself, but there was more to my reasoning. I needed to learn more about the Kurskins, about their culture. I knew next to nothing about them and had assumed them all to be hateful and brutal.

Prajio was different, that much was clear. But what wasn't clear was if he was good. That dark part of me that I had been cultivating blocked out any notion that there may be kind or honorable Players among the Kurskin and the Dalari. This was my chance to find out.

All I had to do was not let him INSPECT me, or he would see my full name. Val was convinced my in-game name would break a Player’s immersion and alert them that there was something different about me. It may not lead them to conclude that I was a Player, but it could lead to difficult questions.

I still wondered how many of the Players would actually recognize my name and ‘break immersion.’ What other famous names were banned by the AI?

James Bond? Probably.

Indiana Jones? Definitely

But John McClane? It felt different to me. John McClane was a fairly generic name if you thought about it. To me, it didn’t feel that out of place for this fantasy world.

I had no desire to talk to Val about this, and she was giving me the silent treatment anyway. But she’d be forced to help when the time came.

I cleaned myself up in the wash bin, which blessedly included a bar of soap. After using it, I vanished it into my inventory. Yes, it was stealing, but I needed a bar of soap. It would have been nice to have one back when I was camping in the woods for days.

Downstairs, I ordered an apple cider and asked what they had for breakfast. The options were bread, oatmeal, and boiled eggs. I ordered all three and sat in the same seat as the night before. I couldn’t help but notice a small brown stain on the floor, where Arlo had rudely bled.

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

It was mostly quiet, but a couple of other patrons were about. When the meal came, I took my time eating it, not to savor the flavor—the food was sad and bland—but to stall for time.

I waited another twenty minutes before I saw a familiar lizard walk through the door. Today, he had two curved short swords in scabbards, one on each hip.

Prajio grinned when he spotted me at the table and made haste to join me. I gestured for him to sit, and he took the chair across from me.

For a moment, we just looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak. I decided it was best for me to take charge.

“Good morning, Prajio. I’m glad you decided to join me. I feel that your help will prove invaluable.”

He tapped a claw on the table. “I am pleased to join you on this noble quest. You did me a great favor by bringing down that ruffian.” He looked me up and down. “I must admit that you are a most intriguing human. To bring down a man so big in one hit…” He leaned in close. “It was something to behold, my friend. Pray tell, are you different than the other humans? You may be honest with me. “Are you blessed with magic or extraordinary talents?”

I had no idea how I should answer that question.

“What should I say?” I thought to Val in a panic.

“Oh, you need my advice now?”

‘Tell me, Val,’ I thought with as much force as I could muster.

“Ugh, he thinks you’re a Special NPC. Tell him you were born with extraordinary talents.”

I pretended I was hesitant to say it like it was a secret. “I, well, yes, I was born, uh, gifted.” I shrugged. “I guess.”

He hammered the table with a fist and showed his teeth with a grin. “Splendid! I’ve heard of humans blessed with inherent strengths and others with an affinity to magic, yet I had met none until you. Well, discounting a few men who barely qualified as human.” His gaze turned serious. “They were cursed with something I would never wish upon any human. My intervention was a blessing to them.”

I tried to stop my eyes from widening.

He slapped the table. “But that was long ago, and today I am with you, a new friend.”

I bowed my head to him. “You honor me.”

“The honor is mine.” He glanced at my right hand. “That punch you threw at my bounty yesterday was very impressive. Tell me, how does your hand fair?”

The muscles in my arm tightened as I clenched my fist. My knuckles were bruising, and one had a small tear in the skin.

“It’s not a problem. Although, I’d rather not have to punch anyone again today.”

He leaned back and shrugged. “That is what I am for, I presume?”

“Oh, if things go sideways, I’ll be in the fight with you. But I’m going to do my best to avoid a fight altogether.”

“That is respectable, and it is wise to bring back up just in case. Do you have a profession, Ethan?”

My mind churned, seeking an answer, but I kept my demeanor calm. “I’ve had a lot of jobs. I’m not one to stay rooted for too long.” I shrugged. “There’s too much of the world to explore. Too much left to learn.”

His grin was full of teeth. “We are kindred spirits, Ethan. I do not know if you believe in fate, but I cannot feel if our meeting was meant to be.”

Prajio was intense, but his charisma and enthusiasm were infectious. I couldn’t help but smile back. “I’ve pondered the concept of fate many times, however, I prefer to believe we are the masters of our own fate. I don’t want to live in a world guided by an unseen, enigmatic force.”

“A fighter and a philosopher,” he said smoothly. “You are full of surprises.”

"Is bounty hunting your profession?" I asked.

"Yes and no." He waved his hand. "It is a way to make extra coin when I need it, but like you, I want to see as much of this world as possible."

He tapped his claws on the table. “Now, tell me more about this quest we’re about to undertake?”

I rested my elbows on the table and leaned forward. “It’s just a simple theft, or should I say retrieval, from a minor guild house.”

Prajio matched my posture and leaned forward; his lips curled in a conspiratorial smile. “Tell me what you need me to do.”