Starla woke to see Adelynn covered with dried blood and a thousand cuts. “The hell happened?!” she said as she threw a healing spell at her.

“Wha?” said Adelynn waking up. “Yeah, I’m fine. Lemme sleep.”

“What happened?” asked Starla again.

“I went and dealt with Arzuse.” Said Adelynn. “Gimme ‘nother hour.”

“Alright.” Said Starla. She needed to log out and eat breakfast and take a shower anyway. It was well over an hour when Starla returned, but Adelynn had barely moved.

“Hey, wake up.”

“Mmm.” Said Adelynn opening her eyes and focusing on Starla. “Whatcha been doin?”

“I logged out for a shower and breakfast and other biological functions.” She sat down on the bed. “You took care of Arzuse last night?”

“Yeh.” Said Adelynn. “I couldn’t sleep so I got up and went and beat him.” She sat up with some help from Starla and continued. “I reached in there and told him that if he was gonna break my sword he can replace it.” She pulled out Arzuse and it gleamed in the low light.

“What the hell!?” said Starla standing up. “What the actual hell?”

“Yep.” Said Adelynn swaying a bit. “Mine now.” She put Arzuse away and steadied herself. “Why’s the room all swimmy?”

“What status effects are you suffering from?” asked Starla taking her shoulders. Adelynn opened her status panel. “There’s a thing, but I can’t read it.” Starla looked over Adelynn’s shoulder to see, even if it was taboo to peek at another’s sheet without permission. In the status field was a set of strange characters that Starla had never seen.

“What language is that even?” Asked Starla. She held up her hands to make a square and focused on that square until she heard the click-whizz of an old-fashioned camera. The screenshot was saved somewhere for access later. “Tell me what happened!”

Adelynn swayed a bit on the bed and flopped over. “Later! Sleepin now!”

Starla had not seen Adelynn act like a brat yet and was a bit surprised to see it now. “Alright. I’ll be back.”

Starla left the room and pulled up her status panel. She poked the button to contact Avara. “Hey. I’ve got a weird one here.”

“Yeah?” said Avara over the network. “What’s up?”

“I’m sending you a screenshot.” Said Starla as she put the screenshot in the mail and sent it off. “Do you know what that status is?”

“Nope! Heck, I don’t even know what language that is. It looks like Japanese, but it’s not because it’s too swirly. The auto translator on the network isn’t translating it, but is saying it’s from a place called ‘Tanlaria’.” Avara hmm’d into the call. “I might know someone who knows where or what Tanlaria is. I’ll get back with you.”

“Thanks Avara!” said Starla ending the call. “Why would the Headspace Network know where a language is from, but not have a translation?” she said aloud. Things were weird in Mythticle recently, mostly because of things that Adelynn had done. Starla wouldn’t believe that Adelynn pulled Arzuse out of the storm, but she had a sword that looked just like him. The idea to go out there and try to replicate what Adelynn did swam through her head for a moment before she shook the idea aside.

Starla left the hotel and got some tea in the lobby restaurant. She sat there in the morning sun with the fog burning off all around her and thought about some things. She wondered how Adelynn had managed to break the game in the way she had and she really wondered where that writing had come from. She looked up from her tea for a moment and her eyes met the gaze of another player. She knew him quite well, he was a bard who liked to know all the things and she also knew it was too late for her to hide.

“Well, look who it is.” He said to himself as he wandered over.

“Hello Keth’thon.” Starla said. “It’s so good to see you.”

He laughed and sat down with her. “You don’t sound happy to see me.” He waived down a passing waiter and ordered his own breakfast. “So, what are you doing here in Moonsorrow?”

“Nothing special, just drinking some tea and enjoying the morning fog.” She replied.

He smiled a knowing smile. “Nobody comes to Moonsorrow for the tea and biscuits.” He said. “But fine, if you want to keep your secrets from me. You know it only makes me want to find them more.”

Starla made a noise that was somewhere between a grunt and a whine. “Look, You told Princey about me when I really didn’t need you to let him know anything. I’m really not thrilled with the prospect of you selling more of my information to him.”

He feigned hurt. “Oh, come now. You know he wants the Astral meteorite more than anyone and he’ll pay handsomely for it.” He took a moment to fix up his drink with sweetener from the table. “Or you could give me a bit and I could sell it to him. I’d never have to work again for as long as I live.”

Starla closed her eyes and inhaled and exhaled. “He’s really offering that kind of actual money for a bit of it? Absurd.”

Keth’thon laughed. “I know, right?” he said. “I mean, there are the whales who spend too much on Headspacer things and then there are people like The Prince. I guess if you’ve got it then who cares how much you spend. I mean, he’s offering a fortune for the Meteorite… and for you.”

Starla lowered her eyes. “I know he’s looking for me. He’ll never find me.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “Are you really, really sure?”

Starla leaned back in her chair. “I’m not telling you how I hide myself from him, but even if he and his entourage followed up on every lead, they’d be at it until the end of time.”

Keth’thon shrugged. “I’m only worried about you. Your stubborn insistence that you be the only one to possess Astral meteorite is honestly dangerous. It wouldn’t be if Prince Apophis wasn’t around, but he is and he has the capital to throw at things like this.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Look, I could broker the deal and I’ll give you half of the payout.”

Starla’s gaze met his for a moment and he stopped talking. “No. We’re done here. It’s not about the money anymore. Now it’s about denying the prick what he wants because there’s something he just can’t buy.” Starla got up from her chair and he tried to stop her by putting his arm out. She stopped and waited for him to stand up before she grabbed his leather tunic by the collar and pulled him within inches of her face. Her eyes were glowing with a baleful fire and he wasn’t sure how she was doing that.

“The answer is no. Do you understand that?” He didn’t make any sort of motion so she pushed him backwards through the tables and chairs before leaning over him when the railing stopped him. She had him bent over and vulnerable. “Do you understand that!?” she asked again.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Uh. Yes, ma’am.” He eventually managed.

She pushed him aside and he was surprised at how physically strong she was. She should have been putting all her stats into her magic casting stat and her defensive abilities, not her strength. She stormed off and the elves around him began fixing up the tables and chairs that got knocked over. He looked at them looking at him and chuckled a moment. “Sorceresses, am I right?” he asked as if it was self-evident knowledge. The elves ignored him and went back to fixing the area for the next person.

Starla got back to the room and slammed the door behind her causing Adelynn to sit up in bed. “What!?”

“Nothing.” Said Starla. “Just an obnoxious bard being obnoxious.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and was glad to see Adelynn looking quite a bit better. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh! I’m okay I guess.” She said looking up and down her arms. “Your healing magic worked a treat on me.”

“Can I see your status panel?” asked Starla with a bit of trepidation. It was a rather intimate thing to ask, but Adelynn didn’t really get that.

“Sure.” She said. “Looks like that weird thing from before is gone.” She stood up and stretched. “I need a shower and my armor should be fixed by now. Give me a minute and we’ll get some breakfast?”

“Sure.” Said Starla. Adelynn disappeared into the bathroom. Starla touched her earring that let her talk with Avara.

“Hey! Twice in one day?” said Avara. “You must be busy!”

“Keth the bard showed up to bother me today.” She started. “He says that the prince is offering enough money to retire on to get the Astral meteorite. Can you start a counter rumor that that statement is just a fallacy?”

“Uh… yeah. Hold on.” Avara was writing something furiously while Starla was listening. “Yeah, okay we can do that. I have a few friends who can spread that and don’t like the prince.”

“Honestly, I don’t really know who actually likes him.” Said Starla.

“I’m sure there are a few!” said Avara. “I’ll let you know if you’re in any real danger, okay?”

Starla smiled. “Thanks, I didn’t know your soothsaying extended beyond Headspace.”

“I’m just full of mysteries!” replied Avara. “See you later!”

The connection went silent and Starla was again left with her thoughts. Keth had seen her in her disguise and he was probably going to be following them around all day. She dug in her inventory for something else that she could use, but gave up when she realized that probably nothing would fool him. She could teleport herself back to Tharnhaven, but that wouldn’t help Adelynn advance and she was committed to helping her get through the story elements. She could just not worry about a disguise and lay traps for Keth where the game let her, but that felt a little petty.

“You seem lost in thought.” Said Adelynn. She was drying herself off from the bathroom and was wrapped in a lush towel.

Starla nodded. “A pesky bard bothered me this morning and I’m a little concerned he’s going to follow us around today. He probably won’t be fooled by any costumes I come up with, so I’m thinking about what to do. Should I even try to hide anymore?”

“I mean, if you want to.” Said Adelynn, “What’s the least Starla thing you can think of?”

Starla thought for a moment. “Probably one of those animal people from Bismuth Bay. The catgirls and bunny girls are kinda cute, but I wouldn’t dress as one of those.”

“You could, right?”

“You’re serious.”

Adelynn finished getting her clothing on which looked odd without her armor over it. “Only a little bit. I mean, your eyes and your hair and your smile are what give you away.”

Starla blushed a little bit. “Uhm. Thanks.”

“You know what I mean.” Adelynn replied, “Although they are very nice.”

“Stop it.” Replied Starla.

“Hummph” replied Adelynn throwing a damp towel at her. “You could borrow my elf ears, or get your own!”

“You know, you’re probably right.” Starla got an idea and for the third time that day contacted Avara to get some help acquiring some new items.

An hour later, Starla hadn’t come out of the bathroom. Avara had listened to her request and taken notes and found a pile of things to help Starla hide just who she was. She had sent her all the things she needed to hide in plain sight, as she called it.

“Are you going to show me?” said Adelynn.

“You better not laugh.” Said Starla. “And you better not call me an elf hooker either.”

Adelynn chuckled. “Look, no promises.”

“This is skimpier than things I normally wear.” Said Starla.

“Even your sleeping lingerie?” said Adelynn with a grin. She still couldn’t believe that she picked that out as pajamas.

Starla opened the door. Where there was once a somewhat tanned, blonde and blue-eyed beauty was now an elf with dark gray skin, silky white hair almost to the floor and entirely black eyes. She was wearing a leather and silver outfit that didn’t leave much to the imagination.

“Well.” Said Adelynn. “Holy crap.”

Starla didn’t respond for a moment and when Adelynn just stood there ogling her finally asked. “Holy crap good or holy crap bad?”

“You definitely don’t look like Starla.” Said Adelynn. “It’s pretty sexy, but are you sure you won’t fall out?”

Starla tried to give her a dead pan stare, but it was just weird with entirely black eyes. “No, the game won’t let you fall out of armor. “

Adelynn stuck out her tongue. “Fine, you’d fall out in the real world.”

“I don’t even think this would stay on in the real world.” Said Starla doing a spin. “Except the boots, those would stay on.” Starla’s legs were mostly covered, as the boots were almost to her groin and held there by silvery chains that were attached to the rest of her outfit.

“Yeah. What should I call you when we go out?”

“Oh, something super edge-lord-y… like ‘Darkness’ but spelled with a Q so it’s Darqness.”

“Nobody is going to see your name tag or how it’s spelled and I don’t think that’ll lend itself to a good nickname.”

“Uhh. Nyx is the goddess of the night in Greek mythology.”

“Perfect!” Said Starla. “Nyx in public it is.” She pulled out the silver and leather veil that hid everything below her eyes. “This was Avara’s idea.”

“It hides your smile, it’s why you wore one before.”

“Alright, you have a lot of walking around to do today.” Said Starla. “I’ll be following you and I can answer some questions, but there’s not a lot of combat until you get to Starviva City.”

“Alright!” together the two of them left the hotel. Starla noticed Keth’thon the bard lounging in an unassuming place keeping an eye on who came out. He winked at them and she made no signs that she even saw him. He made no motion to follow them; he was just waiting for Starla to emerge.

Starla thought about how long he’d be waiting if she just teleported elsewhere. The concierge would inform a user that a room was unoccupied when players left, perhaps he was asking every so often.

Adelynn was the one who lead the way for them since she knew who they would be talking to next. It was a long day of walking around talking to various NPCs regarding the battle where Arzuse was from and the reason it continued to haunt the battlefield. Adelynn was told that it was because someone who was worthy of wielding it hadn’t come along yet, but she pulled it out to show that NPC; who merely looked at it and kept going as if it wasn’t the haunted sword from the battlefield.

Starla smiled behind her veil, at least that was proper behavior for the NPCs, she would have been more surprised to find that an NPC reacted to the weapon. Wandering back and forth across Moonsorrow wasn’t tedious at all. Starla had expected it to be a bit dull, but she found the company of Adelynn to make the task far more entertaining than when she’d done it alone. They made a long day of the events. They stopped at a café to get lunch and drinks, went shopping in some of the local establishments and generally enjoyed each other’s company.

When Adelynn approached the part of the quest chain where she’d have to fight a champion from Starviva City, Starla found herself a nice vantage point to watch.

“Too bad you can’t help, right?” said Adelynn.

“You’ll be fine.” Said Starla, “Look, their champion is just a goofy brutish dude. He’s faster than the giant you dodged away from, but you’re over level for the encounter and he’ll just be a chump.

“I bought a new sword when we were out.” Said Adelynn. “Think I should use it or Arzuse?”

“Arzuse looks like he’ll be jealous if you don’t use him.” Said Starla only half joking. She wondered if it would be jealous.

“Alright. Maybe I’ll try something new I thought up.” Replied Adelynn as she walked over to the attendant to start the encounter. “I’ve come to prove that I’m worthy of travelling to Starviva City!” she announced to the bored looking NPC. He blinked a few times and had her stamp a waiver and then let her into the arena to prove her worth.

As expected, a few waves of bug critters with glowing eyes came out to fight her and were dispatched with relative ease. Next was some kind of four-eyed tiger/bear monster with purple and black fur and then the champion of Starviva City.

He was a large, dark-skinned elf who was covered in scars. “You may still turn back!” he announced to Adelynn. She took it seriously and answered back, “Not till I’ve fulfilled my quest.”

The champion, who really should have had a name and not just be labelled ‘The Champion’ pulled out a set of short swords to go against her claymore. He would be faster and able to work his way into her guard and end the fight.

Adelynn held Arzuse fast and readied her nerves. She wasn’t sure what to expect from the Champion and she would soon find out.