6 Secret Sky

When Jade got home, the system awarded him another point of Karma upon his safe arrival. It popped up a list of small quests to be accomplished before bed. Jade felt that it's generosity with mini quests recently seemed a little worrisome. Normally there would be one small quest that included each of the little tasks.

It was the same during class and work the next day. Everything was broken down into mini quests with each step outlined. When he finished up at the convenience store Jade returned home without incident. At least his Karma balance was replenishing fairly quickly this way, as each tiny quest awarded another point.

He logged into the game and flicked over to his friend list. After describing the scene that had forced Appella to restart her character the day before, he had been feeling guilty that he hadn't been in contact for awhile. Usually they quested together at least once a week, ever since meeting each other at the bottom of a slime mine.

Appella was online, so he sent her a message. Skyheart Snowsong was also online, but before Jade could send another message, she pounced on him.

"Hisui-kun!" she exclaimed.

"Your name here is too long," Jade complained as he disentangled himself from the elf's grasp, "you don't have to add to mine.

Harmony laughed and replied cheerily, "you can just say Sky if you want?"

A plump squirrel with tufted ears came bounding up to them and delivered a message to Jade that read: "I'm good. Want to meet up since we're both in Sky City?"

Jade told Harmony, "ok then, Sky. One of my friends is near here, do you mind if I add her to the party?"

Harmony laughed and shook her head. She asked teasingly, "girlfriend?"

Jade just rolled his eyes.

Harmony snickered a few minutes later when a cute girl called out, "Hisui!"

The smile of greeting that Appella directed at Jade was warm, but she raised her eyebrows inquiringly at the slender elven woman standing beside Jade's dwarf.

Jade made abbreviated introductions, "Skyheart Snowsong, Appella." The two women had both given their characters blue hair, although one was light and the other dark, and both grinned at his short introduction.

"How do you do?" Appella asked cheerfully.

Harmony laughed and said, "such an old fashioned greeting." She winked and added, "I'm doing well, and yourself?"

"I'm good," Appella replied easily, slanting a look at Jade. "I haven't gotten to play with Hisui so often since I reincarnated."

"Oh?" Harmony asked with interest. She reached out and ruffled the hair of Jade's short sturdy dwarf. "Has this brat been discriminating against you because of the level difference?" Jade made a face at her and she examined Appella's level and added with surprise, "we're the same level!"

Appella grinned and replied easily, "but Jade is over 300, and with so many high level skills, the quests I'm getting would mostly be boring for him."

Jade pointed out, "hey, I've never refused to go on a quest with you."

Harmony laughed and asked, "how long ago did you start this incarnation?"

Appella told her seriously, "just a few months ago, but when you know that accumulated level just means the total of your skill points, and you know where to pick up skills, level isn't as impressive."

Jade spoke up, "but I bet you don't just have a lot of different first level skills."

Appella winked at him and replied, "I won't tell."

It didn't take the three of them long to finish Sky's quest, and when they were done Appella suggested, "I've got a puzzle type quest that I've been ignoring in the country that's below us at the moment, do you two want to tackle it with me?"

Jade said, "sure."

After she'd set the little fairy dragon as her messenger in place of her mountain snow cat, Harmony replied, "I don't mind, but how do we get down?"

Jade opened his mouth to offer his airship's services, but Appella interrupted Jade's answer with, "let's jump! I've got enough enchanted feathers for us all."

Harmony laughed and replied, "ok!"

Jade said, "hey, wait, if you get the timing off you'll have to revive."

Both women stuck their tongues out at him in response. Harmony laughed, and Appella said, "it's ok, I've got more Karma than levels at the moment!"

"Me too," Harmony agreed.

Appella handed them each a feather and then walked over to the low city wall. She jumped up onto it and called out, "come on Hisui and Sky! Last one to the ground has to pay the firecat's bribe!"

Appella's feet had barely left the wall when Harmony sprang after her. After a moment, Jade shook his head, kicked his heels to ignite his boot boosters and launched himself over the wall into the sky after them.

--

Over the next few days, the three of them did several quests together. Then Jade logged in one evening to find that both women were online before him, but greeted his arrival with identical messages that said: "Busy tonight."

Jade returned to his smithy and pouted for awhile before laughing at himself. He should be glad that both of his friends liked each other. He resumed his work on his pudgy little airship in a more cheerful mood.

--

Harmony asked him teasingly when she stopped at the convenience store the next afternoon, "did you go somewhere and pout after reading our messages? You didn't even ask what we were doing?"

Jade grinned at her and admitted, "maybe?"

"Where did you go?" Harmony asked.

"Just back to my smithy to work on my airship conversion," Jade admitted. "What were the two of you doing?"

Her eyes sparkled as she blew him a kiss and winked. "Sorry, I can't tell. It's a secret," she said laughingly.