Jace watched as Esther and Kai killed the last few goblins.
{Snowy just died,} Gracie said, a twinge of emotion in her voice.
Jace nodded. He had hoped that the wolf would be powerful enough to stop the assassin, but he wasn’t surprised. Jace navigated to his stronghold settings to see if he needed to rerelease Snowy. As a familiar, she couldn’t travel by herself, so she would be waiting for them when they arrived back home. However, Snowy wasn’t listed among the dead NPCs of this stronghold. She must have died too far away from the monastery. In fact, Jace only saw one name: Tristan Hamley. Atrax, Selvecia, and Karo’Kaffelon were gone for good. They hadn’t really been designed to serve as NPC companions, and Jace felt Gandhi had cheated by allowing it. Jace wondered if he would ever learn why the AI did that.
For now, Jace held on to Tristan. Looking at the options, he only had a choice to respawn the NPC, not reset him. Jace knew he was Thursa’s brother, and in order to reset either one of them, they would both have to go back to their origin module. Since Wallace currently held Thursa, that wasn’t a viable option.
Jace thought he might reach out to the paladin to let her know Thursa’s brother would become available. From his research, Jace knew the siblings had a rocky relationship, but the spellsword was a powerful character in most situations, and he bet Wallace could make it work.
While he was in his settings screen, Jace saw that combat had ended. He waited a moment for another level-up chime, but nothing happened. Vithium was the only player they had killed, and while the other characters were powerful, those experience points were split between a considerable group. Also, now that he was in his 20s, it was 2 million to the next level.
Jace excited the screen and saw that Psycho and Adam were trying to exhume Draya from the rock slide. When they got close, they feared the rocks might shift and crush her, so they slid her dragon staff through a gap in the stones until the young woman could grasp it. Once it was in hand, she had the strength to get herself out, and soon, all the characters had gathered around him. Gromphy passed out healing potions and returned their stolen equipment, though, for most of the angels, the weapons and armor the crafter had given them were better than what they had used. Soon, everyone was back as they should be.
The orc shaman didn’t really know what to say next. Esther had made him promise he wouldn’t keep any of her friends as members of his party, but he understood that directive had come from Vithium as he needed to make sure they had the free will to obey the blue diamonds’ callings. Now, he assumed that no longer applied, though he only had room for one of them.
The decision was made for him.
Jace noticed everyone’s attention suddenly diverted away and toward a glowing light source behind him. The player turned to investigate and then stepped back as five lights grew in intensity and morphed into distinct, luminescent characters. They appeared human at first, though Jace sensed one was an elf, and another was stocky enough to be a dwarf, though much taller. The shimmering characters grew more substantial and corporeal over a few seconds until they each stepped out of the air and onto solid ground.
Three males and two females stood before him, each magnificent in appearance. The men were handsome and strong, while the women were elegantly beautiful and dressed modestly by ROI standards.
One of them stepped forward, the tallest of the group, dressed in a dark blue vest and flowing turquoise pants that moved as if blown by the wind. The thin material had vibrant white accents like breakers in the sea.
“My name is Oceartas,” the man said. It clicked in Jace’s mind, and he knew he was looking at the five gods of the angels behind him. Oceartas was the god of the sea, Tami’s diety. “We all owe you immense gratitude,” he continued, sweeping his arms to the other divine beings. “Thank you for killing Karo’Kaffellon and exposing his plot to defame our servants and steal our power. The entire realm is in your debt.”
Jace wondered if this was his chance to cash in on a favor, but Oceartas stepped past the orc to address the angels. “We forgive you,” he said. Jace turned to see the five characters kneeling before the divine audience. Psycho, Draya, and Gromphy stood at a distance behind them.
“We were wrong to banish you from heaven despite the evidence given to us,” the god continued. “Because of our hasty actions, you have been forced to live in the realms and have made . . . unfortunate decisions. We do not fault you for that. If you would have us, we would all welcome you back with open arms so you could resume the roles you were created for.”
Jace was shocked. How could anyone turn down such an offer? Tami, Delly, and Kai all had kingdoms and a place of prominence in the realm and looked reluctant to make a decision. Leah displayed no hesitation. Her family had banished her, and her only tie to this world was an art shop. The witch rose from the ground and walked toward the goddess resembling an elf. As Delly drew near, her body shimmered, and white wings sprouted from her back. She embarrassed her goddess, and the two merged into one until only the elf remained, smiling broadly.
Kai stood next but didn’t walk forward. “Will I be able to return occasionally?” he asked. “My kingdom has a new, inexperienced leader who will need much guidance and protection.”
The paladin’s deity stepped up, the tall dwarf dressed in slim armor. “And you will be his guardian angel,” the god said. “In my direct service, you can provide just as much aid as before, only coupled with the wisdom and power you lacked. You won’t be able to influence everything you can now, but you will be far from powerless to help your new king.”
That was all Kai needed to hear, and he rose from the ground and embraced his god. Delly rose next. Jace knew she had never wanted to be queen, and with Sonan in place as king and her ability to visit her love as an angel when needed, it wasn’t a difficult decision. Tami was more of a surprise. But, like Delly, Shelah could rule her mermaid kingdom, and she could still visit him.
That left Esther. She remained kneeling on the ground, only half paying attention as her friends resumed their angelic calling. Decus Gemma approached her. He was possibly the most handsome man Jace had ever seen, wearing tight black pants and a billowing purple shirt open halfway to his navel. He had perfect black stubble with jewelry all over his body. His green eyes sparkled like emeralds.
“Rise, my precious gemstone,” he said in a soothing voice once he stood before Esther. She obeyed, still keeping her head bowed. Decus lifted her chin gently. “Perhaps you feel you have lived a more infamous life than the others. I promise if you come with me, all of that will be wiped clean.”
She smiled warmly at him. “Jace has already done that.”
The shaman’s breath caught in his throat at such a poignant statement, almost moving him to tears.
“He accepted me for who I am from the start,” she continued, “and I don’t think I want to change that.”
Decus smiled at her decision, and Jace guessed it was what the god wanted all along. “I understand. If you ever change your mind . . .”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“I won’t,” Esther replied confidently, cutting him off.
He stepped back and bowed slightly. “Very well. I accept your decision, but I would not leave you without divine protection.” He swept his arms back at the four gods who stood behind him. “I offer your friends as personal guardian angels. Their help is limited, but when you are in dire need, and all hope is lost, they can come to your aid. They can give you strength, magic, protection, or life.” He bowed again, stepped back to the other gods, and they all faded into nothing.
“Esther! How could you?” Draya cried, rushing up to her friend. “You could have been an angel.”
“She already is,” Psycho said, smiling warmly as he regarded the woman in a new light. Esther looked like she might cry, so she covered it up by surprising the tall elf with a hug. Psycho kept his arms wide, eyeing the voluptuous woman attached to him and not seeing any safe place for his hands. Esther didn’t prolong the awkward encounter long and turned to Draya next. The two women embraced more naturally, exchanging tears.
Esther released her friend and turned to see Gromphy standing before her. “Bah, twas a hasty, impetuous avowal. Thou art ludicrous.”
She smiled down at him. “I don’t know what that means, but you’re probably right.” Esther reached down to grab him. Gromphy tried to escape but was no match for her Grappling skills. She lifted him off the ground and gave him a tremendous hug.
“Put me down, you curvaceous rake! I will . . .” but Esther rendered him Helpless, and his ranting stopped for a few moments. She put him down eventually, and the goblin fastidiously straightened his clothes, muttering to himself. Despite his outward bluster, Jace detected a tear in his eye.
Esther turned on her leader next. Jace couldn’t help but smile. His illusion necklace had been returned to him, and he thought of transitioning to a human but didn’t think the rogue wanted that. In the same way he had accepted her, she had never shied away from his orc persona. She hugged him, and he felt tears run down his muscled arm where her head rested. “Thank you so much,” she replied. “Thank you for everything.”
“Even killing you?” Jace asked. He knew the Progressive rogue wouldn’t hold a grudge against him, but he still felt uncomfortable about it.
“It wasn’t the first time,” Draya spoke up.
“And probably won’t be the last,” Psycho added.
“Maybe that will be the new thing,” Draya continued. “As our quests get harder and harder, Jace will have to find new and exciting ways to kill Esther.”
“Alright,” Jace said, pushing the rogue away and turning to his mage and archer, who tried to hold back laughter. “Way to ruin the Hallmark moment.” They all looked at him blankly, and he realized the real world saying was lost on them. He also realized he’d been in the game for a long time, and the real world called out to him. It must have been close to 36 hours. It was time to wrap things up.
Like his last big mission, Jace ended this one with a new stronghold. He still hadn’t decided what he wanted to do with Stormhold and had given Psycho instructions to keep an eye on it while he was logged out so it didn’t grow squatters. This one would probably be different, as it really belonged to Shimbato and needed to have visitors in order for the god to survive.
Jace navigated back into the settings and saw that since all combat had ended, he had options to spawn new monks. He did so, and the game yanked him out of his settings. Four monks scampered into the room, drawing Jace's attention and causing his other party members to scatter. The monks moved toward him, reverently bowed their heads, and took a knee. Jace wanted to wave them off, refusing their worship, but he felt another bright light forming behind him, and he turned to see the monks’ true target.
Shimbato had entered the monastery.
After his glowing arrival subsided, he appeared much the same as when the statue had come to life, only much shorter, a few inches under six feet. Jace took a cue from the other monks and dropped to one knee.
“Rise, my champion,” the man said with a strange accent that Jace wanted to call Tibbeten. “I owe you much thanks. Without you, I would have perished by the end of the day.” Jace and his crew had arrived at nightfall, and the player guessed it was getting close to 10 pm local time. “I would now bestow you with a permanent boon, but alas, you are not a follower of mine. I fear you could not use it.”
“Will I forever be your champion?” Jace asked.
Shimbato nodded. “Yes.”
“Then, at the times I choose to follow you in the future, might I retain a champion’s benefits?”
{Ooh, clever,} Gracie said. When Jace had cast the Divine Alliance spell and chosen Shimbato, he had received starting monk abilities, but when he had been a champion, Gracie had given him Mastery in unarmed attacks with a Knockdown ability.
Shimbato nodded. “Dexmachi told me you were one to bend the rules.” He paused in thought and then nodded again. “So be it.”
Jace smiled. He could now have ten rounds of masterful unarmed attacks, which would come in immensely handy the next time he transformed into a stone elemental.
“Also, this monastery is yours,” the god said, “though I would prefer you transfer it to another player who has a vested interest in my success, should one ever come along.”
Jace knew monks were not popular classes, and Shimbato was one of many gods for players to follow. It might be a while till such a player came along. Still, he nodded. “I can come here to train whenever I want?”
“Of course,” the god said. “My people will guide you through any training you need.” He motioned to the four monks who had entered.
“Thank you,” Jace said. “If you don’t mind. I need to be going. My people are tired, and we need our rest.”
“Not before we eat,” Esther spoke up.
Jace smiled. “I’m sure the gnomes can cook something up.” The orc bowed one last time to the monk god and then said goodbye to the men behind him. They shied away a bit at his monstrous form, but their god had blessed him, and the orc would be welcome back in the monastery without judgment.
They used the private travel node Jace had installed at the cliffside entrance, and within seconds, they were standing before their home, the stars shining above them. Esther ran in first, and Snowy greeted her fondly. The wolf had been resurrected twice now and knew better than to exert herself again. Jace guessed Gromphy had given them a potion to overcome the resurrection sickness but knew such items were rare, and the game wouldn’t allow Snowy to drink one again so soon. The player trusted his familiar would be right as rain in the morning, but he wouldn’t be there to see it.
Without too much trouble, the gnomes prepared a feast, and the characters ate to their heart’s content, reliving the most epic moments of their recent fights. Draya celebrated the least and stayed quiet when they discussed the pirate mission, especially when Psycho detailed their exploration of the mermaid kingdom and Gromphy’s misadventures with the Frosthold.
Jace watched the mage idly twirl her red hair around a finger, the black streak within seaming to pulse with power as she relived the painful memories. The shaman hoped her brush with demon fire was something she could work through.
Gracie allowed the party to last longer than Jace had expected before she practically begged the player to log out. He confirmed, excused himself from the meal, and retired to his room. Within a minute, Jason Hawthorne was back in Chicago, pulling his skull cap off and looking Gracie in the eyes. She let out a long sigh. “That was one for the record books,” she said, standing over him and unhooking his more medically sensitive attachments. “I recorded everything, and Stephen and Allison are going to have a great time reviewing the footage.”
The CIA agents usually watched live, but not only had this session gone on for more than a day, Jason knew they had been tasked with identifying more clients of Rock Bender’s money laundering scheme. “Any more news on the real terrorists?”
Gracie shrugged as she finished Jason’s logging-off procedure and stepped back so he could stand and stretch his limbs. “I haven’t kept close tabs on them. After they raided that home in Dallas, they were trying to get half a dozen more warrants. Regardless of that outcome, my guess is we just earned the right to do anything we want in the game.”
Jason nodded. He would take a break for a few days to let his mind and body unravel. Gracie would need at least that long to get her sleep cycle back on schedule. He saw a well-used coffee mug next to her keyboard and several empty single-serve pods sitting on the counter by the wet bar. Despite the caffeine that must be running through her system, she looked ready to collapse.
“I don’t know about you,” she said, “but I’m exhausted.” Jason glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was 5:30 pm. “I’m going to sleep for at least twelve hours,” she continued. “I have a meeting with the team tomorrow morning. They want a full debriefing. We got a lot of good publicity with the money laundering expose, and they want to know if we can add a positive spin to the other baddies we took out.” She paused. “I suppose you aren’t that tired.”
“I’m actually pretty hungry,” Jason replied. Eating in the game sated his mind’s need for food, and Gracie hooked him up with IVs to keep him hydrated and his blood sugar up, but neither filled his stomach the way a proper meal would.
“You’re on your own,” Gracie laughed but then added, “What are you in the mood for?” as if the correct answer might earn him a dining companion.
“I think I want pancakes,” he said.
They both laughed.