Tut Tut grinned as he saw me admiring the weapon. "You know, man, this thing was an experiment based on a thought I had during one of my, uh, more inspired moments. Been waiting forever to find a home for it."

Maya moved toward the door, ready to leave. I held up a hand to stop her. "Wait, I can't take this without paying. It's perfect for me."

Tut Tut waved me off. "No worries, dude. How about we make a deal? I'll sell it to you for future consideration of a favor. I got a good feeling about you."

I accepted, shaking his hand. "Thank you, Tut Tut. I appreciate it."

As we exited, I couldn't help but glance around the shop. The place was a treasure trove of bizarre and unique items. Some were obvious weapons and armor, while others were more enigmatic. I swore I saw a saddle with a crossbow turret.

Maya walked beside me, her expression thoughtful. "Are you sure you don't want to stop by the mayor's house to learn about the town management system?"

I shook my head, but she pressed on. "I promise, it's important, and so cool that you might change your mind about going after Elyria."

I gave her a skeptical look, and she sighed. “I think you need to remember that you’re in a VR simulation. Even if she gets hurt or dies, it's not permanent."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I glared at her, anger flaring up. Without thinking, I pinched the wrist of my handless arm, pain shot through me. "Real or not, I felt the pain from that," I said, my voice low and hard. "I may be in VR, but I feel pain, and so does my friend. Death and injury may be temporary in VR, but the memory will last. I don’t want my friend to experience pain or death just because there is something cool to see."

Maya started to argue again, but the look I gave her made her pause. Her mouth opened, then closed, and finally, she just nodded. "Alright," she said quietly, pointing off in the distance. "The gate’s that way. We should pick up some provisions on the way out."

I nodded, the tension between us hanging heavy in the air. We headed in the direction Maya pointed, not wasting any time. The urgency in the air was palpable, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that every second counted. We stopped briefly at a general store near the city gate, a small, weathered building that looked like it had seen better days. Inside, the shelves were lined with basic supplies—nothing fancy, just the essentials.

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Maya and I picked out rations, water, and a couple of saddlebags to carry everything. The store’s owner, a gruff old man with a no-nonsense attitude, showed us to the horses. They were the cheapest ones available, but they seemed sturdy enough to get us where we needed to go.

As I handed over the last of my credits to pay for everything, I felt a pang of gratitude toward Tut Tut for not charging me for the gauntlet sword. I had barely scraped together enough to cover the supplies, and in the end, I even had to trade my leather jerkin to the store owner. It wasn’t a huge loss—my tattoo still provided basic light chain armor protection—but it was an inconvenience. I’d grown used to the comfort and security of that jerkin, and now, without it, I felt exposed.

The ship's AI had recalibrated my body for maximum efficiency, trimming fat and building muscle. I knew it was logical, but now, stripped down to my bare chest, I felt like a hulking brute. My muscles bulged in a way that made me feel like a caricature, like some kind of Jersey Shore reject strutting around in a high fantasy RPG. Maya’s look when I removed the jerkin didn’t help; her raised eyebrow said it all.

To make matters worse, the tattoo offered zero protection against the elements. As the temperature began to drop later that evening, I was freezing. The chill cut right through me, making my muscles tense and my breath come in shallow gasps. It was the kind of cold that made you feel vulnerable, like your body was betraying you with every shiver. Maya didn’t say anything, but I noticed she kept glancing over at me, probably wondering if I was going to make it through the night without complaining. I clenched my teeth and pulled my cloak tighter, determined not to give her the satisfaction.

Maya took the lead, guiding our horses through the winding roads. Somehow, she knew the way, moving with a confidence that I envied. She explained that Ebonfall was only three or four days away if conditions were good, but judging by the dark clouds rolling in, it didn’t look like we’d be getting any breaks. The horses plodded along, their breath visible in the cool air, while the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the landscape.

Unfortunately for us, conditions were not good. By nightfall on the first day, the wind had picked up, howling through the trees like some kind of banshee. The trail became harder to follow, and every gust of wind felt like it was sapping the warmth from my bones. I kept my eyes on Maya, who pressed forward with determination, though I could tell she was feeling the strain too.

As the sky grew darker, something else began to gnaw at the edges of my awareness—a sensation, almost like a whisper in the back of my mind. At first, I dismissed it as exhaustion or the cold playing tricks on me, but it grew stronger the further we went. My emotional intelligence ability, which I had mostly relied on for reading people in social situations, was picking up something unusual. It wasn’t just the weather getting to me; there was something else out there.

I reached out further, trying to pinpoint the source of the feeling. It wasn’t fear exactly—there was too much excitement mixed in. It was an emotion that didn’t quite fit the situation, something unnatural. Excitement and impatience, like whatever was out there was waiting for something... or someone. A chill ran down my spine, they might be hunting us…