Questing

As we entered the bounds of the town, I saw a guard standing to the right of the entrance gate, with a quest marker above his head. I walked up to him.

"Hello." I said and waved. He smiled and waved back.

"Hello, welcome to Vale! For your introductory quest, you should introduce yourself to the various merchants in town. Come see me when you're finished." He announced and saluted me. I laughed and saluted him in return.

I turned around and returned to Vane. He raised a brow.

"Fetch and carry quest. Introducing myself to the local merchants." He nodded and we set off.

It took us a few hours, but we managed to track down every merchant in the city and introduce myself. This turned out to be a useful exercise as it helped me memorize the layout of the town. The layout of the city resembled a semi-medieval town, the brick work was gorgeous. I realized many of the shops were actually run by beta players. Some employed criminals, that were marked on the map with an orange cursor. Some people were choosing to carry out their prison sentences here, and those with life were eager for their chance at the prize. We walked past a large brick house, with people pouring out of it. I noticed all of them had orange cursors.

"Don't come here alone at night." Vane warned. I shrugged. I needed to be able to take care of myself, even against guys like that. Vane sighed. "You're not going to listen, are you?"

"I promise not to go out of my way to be here at night." I compromised. My lips quirked up in a smirk. He looked down at me and shook his head, but his lips smiled.

The next quest was another fetch and carry quest, I had to deliver the tusks of 6 boars to the weapon smith. Luckily, I already had the tusks in my possession from my earlier escapades. We spend the night in this fashion, taking out easy quest markers around the town. By the time we were finished, I was level 10. I danced happily as we wandered through the town square. I stopped to splash my hands in the fountain. I giggled like a schoolgirl and spun around. I stopped when I saw Vane staring at me. He was smiling, and his silver hair swayed in the breeze. He shook his head at me.

"Come on, get in! The water is great!" I said, stepping into the fountain. I held out my hand to him. He laughed and shook his head no.

"You're having fun, aren't you?" He asked me. I froze. Suddenly reality came crashing back down onto me. My shoulders fell, I stepped out of the fountain. What had gotten into me? For a moment I had forgotten where we were. Vane seemed to notice the shift in my mood, but he didn't say anything.

"Let's get home." I said, starting to walk off in the direction of Vane's house. I paused when I felt him grip my hand as I was walking away, pulling me to a stop. I looked back to see him looking down at me thoughtfully.

"It's okay to live, even in these moments." He whispered. I blushed and smiled at him. He let go of my hand suddenly and my hand felt cold, where his was warm. I turned and gestured for us to go.

"Lead on, good knight." I joked. He chuckled and we set off towards his house, him carrying the grocery bags full of food for the kitchen. If I was going to be staying there, I was going to need real meals, not just packaged food.

I went to the kitchen to unload, while Vane plopped down on the couch, stretching his legs. I thought about how little I know about him, really. He just showed up randomly and saved me, and now he's going through all of this effort to help me. Why?

"So, what's the real world like for you?" I asked. He paused and turned to me; his expression seemed guarded. He shrugged his shoulders.

"The corporate grind every day. You know how it is." He looked away from me and at the fireplace. I frowned. I kept going through cupboards and kept my tone light.

"But what do you do?" I asked.

"Nothing exciting. I mostly get ordered around by my older siblings." He mentioned. Ah, here was some information, he has siblings. And he works a corporate job with them.

"Do they play the game too?" He shrugged.

"Sometimes." I sighed at his evasive answers. I more than anyone understood feeling the necessity to keep secrets. Maybe I should let him have his for now. I shut the cupboard I had been loading and wandered into the living room. I sat on the armchair across from the couch.

"Is Vane your real name?" I asked. He raised a brow.

"You are full of questions today. Yes, it's my real name." Finally! An answer! I shrugged my shoulders.

"I just realized how little I know you, for someone who saved my life." I answered. He rubbed his chin in thought, then brushed a hand through his silver tresses. A day's growth of stubble appeared on his chin.

"I like to read, sometimes even romances." He smiled. I smiled and whacked his arm. It was silly, but I did like to hear more about him.

"I gathered that from the number of books on your shelves." I said. He nodded and stared at the shelves around the room. It must have taken forever to collect all of these, but why would he gather books in his virtual home when he lives in the real world?

"I like to come here to read and get some privacy." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "It's kind of a nice getaway from work and life." I nodded. He seemed like the type who enjoyed spending most of his time alone.

"So, you spend your days hunting monsters and reading classics?" I asked, amused. He blushed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I've been around for a while." He said. "You'll level up too, in time."

"Will you tell me what your real level is? Have you cleared the game?" I leaned my head on my hand, staring at him. He sat up and brushed his hair out of his face.

"No," He said. I frowned and raised a brow.

"No to which question?"

"Both." He smirked. I groaned and sighed; well I know he hasn't cleared the game. If he's been here for years, why was he back in Vale, why never clear the game?

"This place for some people really is about building your second life, the politics, the economy, adventure. I guess until now very few have been motivated to actually complete the game. Why leave where you're already happy?" He thought aloud.

"That's why they've brought us in." I muttered, crossing my arms. I stared at the fireplace, losing myself in the crackling flames. Vane nodded.

"Yes, the lost souls have been brought in to drive the game forward. It's also designed to be a source of entertainment and gossip for the elite. I wouldn't be surprised if they are planning to live stream some of the competition to the masses. The gaming community would eat it up." He spoke lowly, his face set in a grim line.

"Why would they choose me?" I stared at my hands in my lap. Why would they think I'm a good candidate for this game? I'm just a poor woman trying to get by in life. Vane looked me over from head to toe, his gaze scanning the curves of my body.

"Chances are you are someone who could easily go missing and no one would comment. No family, no close social circle. Someone who was in desperate circumstances. Then there is the physical and mental stamina component, so I would guess you are well educated, or at least marginally intelligent. Also, athleticism, were you an athlete?" He questioned raising a brow. I froze, amazed he had been able to pin me down so completely.

"I'm twenty-three, I have a degree from the university near where I lived, and I used to fight in mixed martial arts fights for money." I admitted. That had ended when I came home so bashed up one-night Emily was so frightened. I had to stop. I couldn't put her through the fear of losing me every night. Waiting at the door for me to come home, like we used to wait for Mom and Dad.

"I'm twenty-six." Vane admitted. I gasped and turned to face him. A grin spread across my face.

"What?" Vane complained. He scrunched up his nose. I beamed.

"You just volunteered personal information!" I placed my hand to his forehead. "Are you okay?"

He laughed and batted my hand away. We both leaned back against the couch. I stared up at the ceiling, thinking. Vane turned to look at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Why did you fight?" He asked softly. I sighed and tried to think of a worthy response.

"It was complicated. Some nights Emily and I didn't know where our next meal was coming from, or if we would be able to pay rent on time. It was a quick way to make cash. Yet, it was more than that. I relished the adrenaline, the power. I felt in control. Part of me liked the danger." I admitted, rambling to myself.

"Why did you stop?" He questioned. I sighed again and turned to look into his brilliant gray eyes. His tan skin contrasted with the lightness of his features.

"One night I was jumped after the match, on my way home. It was six guys against me…" I trailed off, thinking about the pounding fists. The blood, the agony. "When I made it home, I was barely conscious. Emily nursed me back to health, but she didn't sleep for weeks. She thought they were going to come after us. She would cry and scream whenever I would go out, thinking I wouldn't come home. She was twelve." I felt my voice get thick with emotion. I felt a hand touch mine gently, and I looked down to see his large palm covering mine.

"She'll be okay. She was raised by you." He smiled. I smiled and nodded, sniffling. I wiped at my eyes embarrassedly. I was just homesick. Amazing how you can miss what little you had.

"She's a tough kid." I said, smiling fondly. Then I paused for a second. "How did you know I raised her?" Vane blanched and held up his hands in surrender.

"I just assumed; the way you spoke implied it was only the two of you for a long time." He answered levelly. I raised a brow but nodded. I stood up and went to gaze out the large bay window.

"I wonder where the other Lost Souls are, or if we were even all brought in at the same time." I went over to my sword leaning against the wall and picked it up, staring at the intricate metalwork. I looked up and smirked at Vane. He raised a brow.

"What?" He said. I leaned my sword on my shoulder and tilted my head.

"Well, if people are going to be watching us, I say we give them a show." Vanes lips lifted into a smile. He nodded.