Victor, Jeremiah, and Patric messed around in the melting snow. They laughed and tossed snowballs back and forth, sometimes they even used a few skills and spells to move out of the way or make shots that were otherwise impossible. I just watched.
Unlike the rest of the party, Lance was acting overly submissive. His tail, usually standing slightly out from his body, hung by his inner thigh. Something inside me wanted to go to him. To find out what was wrong and to fix it. Every time I made a move to go in that direction, one of the people running around would get in my way, forcing me to step back or get pelted with snow.
Eventually, I gave up. The threat of a snowball to the face coupled with my cramping stomach had me focusing on moving forward and nothing else. I tried to hide the pain, as I just wanted to get back to my room. Knowing Linda, she would forced the group to stop as she tried to help me. Too bad I couldn’t hold back a grimace when a particularly hard cramp rippled down my stomach.
“Are you ok?” Linda’s question told me that my grimace hadn’t gone unnoticed.
I waved off her concern as I said “Yeah, just a stomach bug or something.” Another wave rippled through my stomach.
“Doesn’t look like it's just a stomach bug.”
“What meat did you use in the stew?” Michael’s question came out of left field. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to distract me or something.
“Beetle, why…oh” Linda’s eyes widened a bit as she looked at me. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
“You will find that most meat that people eat here is from one monster or another. For the most part, this is fine. However,” Michael explained, a bit of pain flashed across his face as he recalled something. “There are some meat that contain a minor poison.” Before I could yell at them for poisoning me, even if it was unintentional, he continued. “It’s nothing your body can’t handle and over time it will adapt to it. Hell, some people use such meats to gain Poison Resistance.”
“It was the meat I had on hand.” Linda insisted, her eyes pleaded for forgiveness.
“You’re fine. You didn’t mean to poison me.” My voice came out pained as another cramp struck. “Though I would really like to find a toilet soon.” As I said that, we crested a small hill to find the city walls. While I was a bit flabbergasted as to how we had made such good time, I was also really goddamn grateful.
“Well, good thing the forest is a short walk from where we were cutting trees down,” Michael spoke as he gesturerd me to continue moving. I didn’t even notice I had stopped walking. The thought of being so close to a bathroom had me kicking up my speed. Hand on stomach, I jogged nearly the rest of the way to the gate.
People flowed through just as fast as they had when we left. However, this time it looked like more people were flowing into, not out of the city. Likely on their way home after working on a farm or something.
I ignored the glares and curses that flew in my direction as I pushed my way into the front of the line. Not caring what other people thought. The porcelain gods were calling my name and I had no choice but to answer. While the guards were watching me, they stayed where they were. They were likely there to stop anyone from starting a fight or something and nothing else.
While I knew that the pain wouldn’t stay gone for long, I was thankful when the cramps did lessen as I passed through the gate. As soon as my feet hit the street on the other side, I took off at a dead run. Weaving my way down the street as fast as I could. I flew down the street and to the end of the road before jumping up the stairs into the guild before the next wave of cramps could hit.
Through the entryway, around a person sweeping the dining hall and up the stairs. One turn after another until I reached my floor. Door after door flew by me as my eyes scanned for my number. Open door. Get through. Slam the door. Run to the bathroom.
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I had to give it to people that wore skirts, they were so much easier to slide off in a hurry. With my skirt down and shirt up, I sat on my throne and let everything flow out. I don’t know how long I sat there. My only time of relaxation was between cramps. Finally, though, I had enough. “Fuck this, I am logging off for a while.” Between one blink and the next, the world around me changed. Going from the warmth of my rented room to that of my cold modern apartment.
“Welcome back Alex. The current time is six forty AM. You have been in game for six hours and seven minutes.” My AI called from a nearby speaker. I didn’t pay attention to what it was saying, my mind freaking out as a small cramp rippled through my stomach. Somehow the damn bug had followed me out of the game and into the real world.
Not that that thought lasted all that long. Not when my stomach growled loud enough that I could have sworn that it echoed. As I got up, I tried to figure out when I had last eaten. My only memory of any food entering my system was from before I first logged into the game. Given that that was…actually how long ago was that?
“How long have I been playing the game and how long has it been since I last ate?”
“You have logged nearly twelve real-world hours in the game. You have not eaten since starting.” Damn, no wonder my stomach was threatening to revolt. I took the time to make one of the last freeze-dried meals in my cabinet.
Before I forgot about my lack of food, I called out to my AI as I added boiling water to it. “Add freeze-dried meals to my shopping list.”
“Freeze-dried food added to your list. I recommend placing the order soon.” That reminded me, I needed to go through that list. I was fairly sure that I didn’t need some of the things on it anymore. Not while I was trying to save what money I had left.
While I waited for my food to heat up and soak in the water, I looked out the windows on the other side of the room. My mind slowly churned away at everything that had happened in game. I needed to get stronger fasterr. What I had seen while out with the group made that obvious. Of course, that meant more training. Add to that the need to learn how to use magic. All of which was going to take quite a bit of time and effort.
Then there was my weapon. I needed to learn how to use the thing as well as find someone to replace the parts of it that were tattered. Maybe after that the skill section would be unlocked and I could get some cool abilities.
As I moved to take my first bite, I called up to the AI, curious about its answer more than anything. “What kind of sword style should I try and learn?”
“Given that you have a Japanese Chisa Katana, I would recommend something similar to the traditional styles, though I would also recommend learning something like Kali as it couples martial arts, knives, and some sword work. This would give you options in case an opponent ever disarms you.”
I had to give it to my AI as it not only gave me an answer to my question but added something I would find useful. Now, how to go about learning either. “Are there any dojos in virtual space or even in the game?”
“There are many places in game to train. However, there are none in the town you currently are in. I would recommend moving to a larger town to have a chance of finding a willing teacher.” Well damn. “However, there are a few other options currently available to you.”
I waited for the system to continue. When it didn’t I rolled my eyes. For a smart system that could read beyond a simple question, it was stupid at times. “What options are available for me?”
“Option one, buy the skill with your free points. I do not recommend this option as it will give you the knowledge but none of the training or any muscle memory. You would still have to learn everything.” I had to agree with its assessment, hopefully, the other option was better. “Option two, purchase a trainer in the add-on store. This would allow you to train under a master for short stints. It would be like going to a dojo to learn a lesson and practicing it for hours on your own before returning for the next lesson.”
Before I could say anything against this, the AI continued. “However, I would recommend asking your other instructors if they have any sword knowledge. Learn everything you can from them while you can. Wait until you move to a large town to learn Kali.”
Ok, yeah, the AI’s plan was fairly decent. It also had the added benefit of being free. At least for now. Nodding in agreement, I finished up my small bowl. I tossed it into the trash and re-entered the pod. The moment I pressed the button, I was returned to the game.
Welcome back Kyren Vulpier.
3 hours have passed since you logged off.
Current in-game time: 7:24:19 PM
While my stomach no longer felt like a towel being rung out, it still hurt. It wasn’t bad enough to send me for the toilet every few minutes. Still, I decided to just give up and go to bed. Hopefully whatever was left of the bug would make its way out of my system before I woke up.