9 Training

The next couple of weeks carried on thusly. Vane would log in in the mid-afternoon and stay until the middle of the night. I would spend the early day hunting and grinding in the forests outside of town. In the evenings with Vane, we would explore town and pick up quests we could complete together. Most of them involved slaying monsters in the forest, so I would go and pick up all of the quests, then go out to the forest for a day of hunting. I was making enough of an income now by selling monster items and quest items, that I would soon be able to start thinking about renting my own apartment in town, yet I didn't know if it was wise to settle down anywhere if we were set on moving forward.

I didn't want to get too complacent in this game. It would be easy to lose sight of my goals here, to just amalgamate into society. Every time I swung my sword, I knew who it was for. Over time my skill was increasing, Vane had taught me the basics of combat, and my strength and speed were increasing. My sword felt like an extension of my soul, it was cruel, calculated, punishing. I still hadn't socialized much with other players. All of the people we saw running around were the thousands of beta-players who paid handsomely to be a part of this world. They took positions in governments, opened shops, mastered skills, and filled this world of magic. Somewhere in here were 100 other people like me. Trapped, listless souls ripped from their lives, who's only hope of survival is to beat this game.

There were not only vast numbers of people playing the game, but also large amounts of races. There were girls with cat ears and tails, dwarves, elves, fae, you name it. I'd figured out that Vane was a dark elf, which gave me a giggle when I found out, much to his despair.

I turned from the beast I had just killed and wiped the sweat from my brow. I placed my sword on my back. When I faced the tree line, I saw Vane standing there, facing away from me, staring out toward the town. His long, black duster fluttered in the breeze, the two swords on his hips cast a shadow on his silhouette. I walked up behind him quietly, watching my steps. I stepped close to him and raised my arms. I reached forward and gently touched the tips of his ears. They twerked and he jumped.

"Gah! What are you doing?" He bats my hands away and turned to face me. The resident scowl took up his face, but I swear he was blushing. I smiled and shrugged.

"I wanted to see if they felt real." I reached up to touch my own, rounded ears. I was human in this world as well. He snorted and crossed his arms. I turned to see what he had been staring at, and my eyes widened in awe. The valley fields extended for miles; you could see a slight tree line in the distance. The late afternoon sun was descending below the treetops, illuminating the skies a brilliant pink. You could see the moon also in the sky, shining and visible across from the sun.

"Beautiful sunset." I mused. I pulled out my sword and levelled it at him playfully.

��Why do you never fight me when we're training?" I asked. He always pitted me against monsters, but never fought me himself. I'd barely even seen him draw either of his swords.

"It's too dangerous, at my level, if I hit you, you'd be toast." He said smoothly. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"So confident!" I snorted.

"Just practical." He smirked. I lightly whacked his arm and laughed.

"Let's head back. I'll cook some dinner." I offered. His face brightened at the mention of food. I smiled and started off in the direction of town, strapping my sword to my back. Vane followed behind. He was always quiet, but today he seemed especially brooding.

"Was everything okay in the real world?" I asked him. He looked up sharply and met my gaze, then looked away. He shrugged.

"Just a lot of pressure from the higher ups. I don't mean to bring my personal life into the game." He said. I guess it was poor etiquette in the VR world to bring up problems and issues in the real world, but I was aching for news of home.

"It's alright, you're my source of information for the world out there." I said. It was easy to forget that he had real responsibilities besides helping me through this game. He had a life out there.

"I'm guessing you live alone, given how much time you spend in game." I prodded, as we strolled down a pathway towards town, the brush thick on either side of us.

"Hey, don't take shots, I'm here so much helping you!" He laughed. He was right, I have no idea how much he played normally before I came here.

"Hey, could I ask you a favor?" I asked him hesitantly, stopping my walking. When he saw I stopped he paused and looked back, raising a brow.

"What is it?" He asked suspiciously.

"Is there any way you could try to find out where Emily is?" Hope filled my voice, and fear. My shoulders trembled; I was scared to find out what had happened to Emily in the weeks that I had been gone. His eyes narrowed sadly, and he nodded.

"I'll do my best." He promised. I smiled and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.

"Thank you, really." I stared up into his eyes. His gun metal gray eyes met my silver ones, I stared at the flecks of colour hidden in them. He had been such a steady presence for me since I had been in here, I was grateful I didn't have to go through all of this alone. Stumbling blindly through the world. I bit my lower lip, and his eyes drifted down to my lips. Finally, he nodded and stepped away from me. I took a deep breath, not realizing I had been holding it.

We resumed walking back to town. As we entered the stone archways that led back into the heart of the town, I noticed a small crowd gathered at the far end of the square. A crowd of five men stood in a circle, staring down at something. They were moving in jerky motions, and I realized they were kicking something. My eyes narrowed; my shoulders straightened. I placed a hand on Vane's arm and nodded in the direction of the group. He shook his head, warning me. I turned from him and strode toward the group of men.

The figure in the centre of the group was curled up in a ball, hugging their knees to their chest. I saw long auburn locks. The figure was so small, it looked like a child! I ran toward the group, increasing my pace. I placed my hand on my sword at my back. I stopped a few feet from the crowd of men.