Chapter 12 #2
“Right before I came here, I ended a really long relationship with a guy I’d loved since high school,” I say. Already I can see realization dawning on Guy’s face. He knows he’s about to be turned down. “I don’t get why Aphrodite chose me because love fucking terrifies me.”
“I get it,” Guy says. I can tell he’s trying to sound casual, but his smile is forced now. “The feeling isn’t mutual. That’s okay.”
He begins to get up, and I realize how lost I’ll feel if he leaves right now. Just last night, I’d stared at Alexander, and it dawned on me how much I long for authenticity. Even if it will probably gut punch me, eventually.
I grab Guy’s arm. “Stop.”
Guy stares at me with astonishment for a moment and then sits back down.
“I’m not saying I want you to be my boyfriend or anything,” I tell him. “We barely know each other, but…”
“Yes?”
I can’t believe what I’m about to say. This is so opposite of where my thoughts were turning just a moment ago.
“I was already living in a dream world before I stepped foot in Peripeteia. I’d like to feel something real for once, even if it’s just a flutter or a good fuck.
Even if we realize we’re not a good match, or you can’t stand the sight of me anymore. ”
“Are you saying you’ll give me a chance?”
Guy looks so earnest right now, but I don’t know much about him except he’s hot and generous. So far, at least. I hope I don’t break his heart.
Lauren, if anyone’s heart is going to break, it’s yours.
“Just promise me you won’t hate me if things don’t turn out how you want them to be,” I say. “I may not be the person who lives in your head.”
“I promise,” he says.
He better mean it.
Once again, Cait and I trek close together as we escort Lorekeeper Nessa to the king who lives north of her village. This should be the last day of this voyage, barring anything awful happening. I’ve had social anxiety my whole life, so it’s weird how natural it feels to gab with her.
In high school, she was the popular mean girl, and I was the weird loner kid.
She’s no-nonsense and a little judgmental; I have very little self-confidence and the mouth of a sailor.
We shouldn’t get along this well. I guess gaming brings all types together, though.
Besides, our conversation is enough to distract us from the constant loop of “We must get to the king.” It also takes my mind off the blisters forming on my feet.
“Okay, so you haven’t leveled up in a couple of days,” Cait says. “That’s not super concerning. Turning in quests is usually how that happens, and you’ve only turned in one since you leveled up last time.”
“Yeah, that’s what Guy said,” I tell her. “I was still a little worried, though, and I’m pretty relieved that I finally heard the voice last night.”
Cait nods. “Title gains are an interesting acknowledgment from the game. Kind of an ‘I see what you did, and now other people get to know about it, too.’” She points to the new title I earned under my name, goddess, and class.
“Risk Taker, though? Surprised that you didn’t get that from seeking peace with Arachne’s children.
What on earth did you do yesterday besides follow Nessa? ”
There’s only one thing it could be, and I don’t know if I want to tell Cait.
On the one hand, Doug is the only person I’ve ever dated, and it’s kind of exciting to try it out with someone new.
On the other hand, our social circle is more of a speck.
Do I really want everyone in our business?
How would they even react? A romance in our group could spell disaster if it went sideways.
I decide Cait’s probably going to figure it out eventually anyway. I might as well get the satisfaction of getting some potential schoolgirl-type giggles out of it.
“Um, so…last night something happened,” I start.
Cait cocks an inquisitive brow and smirks. She knows I’m about to dish out something juicy. “Go on.”
“Guy and I were talking, and, well…I think we might be kinda dating now?” Ending my statement as a question reminds me of how ambivalent the whole situation is. I’m still scared as fuck that I’ll get hurt, but I’m not mad at the idea that I might make out with a hot guy soon.
Cait freezes. Every feature on her face flattens. “I see.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure how that was a risk for you,” she says, practically growling out the words.
I don’t know how I expected Cait to react, but I’m a little stunned that she seems even grumpier than usual.
“It is a risk,” I continue. “I’ve only ever dated one guy before, and he broke my heart.”
Cait responds with a jaded chuckle. “Oh, I don’t think your heart is the one to be worried about. You’re a Cleric of Aphrodite. The game is practically beckoning you to play around with everyone else’s feelings.”
The fuck she say to me?
“I’m not playing around with feelings!”
“Sure, Lauren,” she says. “Not yet. Not on purpose at least.”
“What the fuck are you—?”
I don’t get to finish that question, though. A chorus of howls stops us all in our tracks. Even Nessa shuts the hell up.
“What was that?” I ask Cait in a whisper.
“Lycanthropes,” she answers.
“Lycanthropes? You mean like werewolves?!”
I turn to look at Guy, who’s standing very far ahead.
I glare at him, hoping he can read the, “You said you were going to tell me this stuff ahead of time” in my expression.
He winces and offers an apologetic shrug that I’m pretty sure means, “Sorry, I got distracted the moment you mentioned being naked.”
Cait squeezes my hand reassuringly, which surprises me almost as much as the howling. She went from pissed at me for no good reason to friendly fast.
“It’s going to be okay, Little Red Riding Hood,” she says. “Just stick next to me and keep your spells ready. I’ll protect you from the Big Bad Wolf.”
Maybe she’s trying to come off as sarcastic, but damn, her promise of protection is kinda sexy. I might appreciate it more if I wasn’t scared out of my damn mind.
Cait puts an arm around my trembling shoulders and whispers, “Seriously, don’t worry. They’re not as scary as they sound. I promise.”
The calm, reassuring look in her eyes settles my nerves. I remember that I’m surrounded by veterans. This is a level two quest, and they’re all in their upper twenties and lower thirties.
There’s another wave of howls, which sound closer this time.
“We must get to the king,” Nessa says.
“Now for the hardest part of an escort quest,” Cait says with a sigh. “For more than a day now, I’ve hated this woman, and I’m going to have to keep her alive, even when she does something stupid like run up to a wolf.”
“Well, I guess that’s what I’m here for,” I say, wishing I had more confidence in my healing spells.
Cait nods. “If she doesn’t stay alive, it’s not the end of the world. She’ll just respawn, and you can choose whether you want to redo the quest or abandon it.”
“Wait, you can abandon quests?”
Terrifying creatures with patchy fur, long claws, and red eyes prowl out from the forest. Their howls have turned to growls of hunger and blood lust.
“More on that later,” Cait says. “Let’s kill these guys first.”
A werewolf lunges right at Nessa. I suppose it correctly sized her up as the weakest prey.
That or the game is programmed to make escort quests a pain in the ass.
Nessa screams and falls to the ground. There are long claw marks on her arms. A health bar pops over her head and is instantly down by half. Fuck.
“Heal Major Wounds!” I shout as I point my staff at her.
Nessa’s health bar goes up some, but there’s still a quarter-sized chunk missing from her health bar. At least the claw marks seem to be gone. That doesn’t do anything about the werewolf hovering over her and about to strike again, though.
Sylvia looses an arrow, and it flies straight into the werewolf’s temple, dropping it to its side. I squeak as its body rolls my way. Fortunately, it stops before it can touch me.
Another werewolf dashes forward, this time at me.
Cait springs into action. She raises her great axe over her head, cleaving the very center top of the beast’s skull.
The werewolf makes a wounded puppy noise, and I fight a maternal response to soothe it as it falls the moment Cait dislodges her axe.
“Told you I’d protect you,” she says smiling down at me like a radiant angel of justice. Only blood-splattered.
Goddamn! How can she make gore look so hot?
Four more werewolves rush out from the woods, but Sylvia and Guy work together, her with arrows and him with rapid-fire spells, making short work of the monsters.
Sylvia’s wolf, Marshmallow, also gets involved, going for the throat of anyone who gets close to his pink-haired friend.
Joshua and Tara keep pulling Nessa away from the monsters, which makes it a lot easier to handle the job.
Just like the one that attacked me, the werewolves Sylvia and Guy kill make pitiful sounds as they slump to their deaths.
There’s one werewolf left, the big guy, the obvious boss. He huffs, more like a bull than a canine. A thick rope of slobber hangs like a pendulum from his growling mouth. His red eyes fix on Nessa.
Like a complete idiot, Lorekeeper Nessa frees herself from Joshua and Tara and races toward him, shouting, “You’ll feel the true smite of Zeus now, King Lycaon!”
Wait…Is this the king she’s supposed to meet? I thought she was supposed to give him some important message. I guess “eat shit and die” is what she came here to tell him.
I don’t have time to question it any further because now King Lycaon and Nessa are barreling at each other like the most terrifying game of chicken I’ve ever witnessed.
“Ignite!” Guy shouts, and flames immediately engulf the werewolf. Guy slumps forward a little from the moderate energy sap.