AN: This is the final chapter for this novel. I had thought to make it a little longer, but it seems more like it will serve as a chapter-length epilogue instead. Anyway, it's a little shorter than the last five, but it's still reasonably meaty. :)

Chapter 6: Damned Fanboys

The city of Valkovia, a fallen metropolis in the heart of the kingdom. The ruination of the city and the loss of life were staggering. Several days had passed since the end of the battle and the rescue teams were still pulling people from the rubble. Unfortunately, at this point they could no longer be saved.

In a city of millions, tens of thousands of lives had been extinguished. Even in a fantasy world where resurrection is possible, such things happened with great frequency.

Scott and his tiny team mates had taken up the call to action. They had joined in the recovery effort to help the city as best they could while they waited for Rhea to arrive. She had to finish the last of her work so that they would have plenty of time to spend together in coming adventures.

Ero lifted up a block of shattered stone several times larger than she was and flew over to a nearby wheel barrow. Sure, she could have changed to her larger form to do the work but it did not matter. She had the same strength in either form now that she had ascended to the second tier. It would be quite the surprise for anyone who might see the tiny girl lifting something that would make a grown man stagger.

Several younger faeries fluttered over to Ero's position and began to giggle. They were first-tier faeries, and could only lift small items such as cups or tea pots. "Wow, big sister is so strong!"

Ero flexed her tiny muscles then grinned. "It's the power of love!"

The faerie girls giggled amongst themselves, and Ero wore the biggest smile she had ever shown to date. It had been a fairy long time since she had seen another member of her race. Faeries were rare, but still a bit more common in this world than the other.

Herbert could not lift much, so he spent his time dancing to the beat of the background music. His sweet moves bolstered the morale of those around him and increased their productivity. He was quite popular due to the status effects and his cool attire.

People had approached Scott several times with the interest of buying him, but he was not a pet. He was part of the family. If Herbert wanted to try his luck in the world, that would be his business, but Scott would not sell him off like a common animal. He was polite to those people since it seemed reasonable that they would not understand the situation. It was the people who came up to ask him if he would sell Ero to them that barely escaped with their skin intact.

Scott hefted a heavy slab of stone high overhead and walked over to the dump truck that the city had brought in for the clean-up in the area. It was a feat of strength that would have been nearly impossible for an Olympic class power-lifter, but one that was only moderately tiring for Scott. He had been lifting and carrying such weights all day long. He was ready for the work day to end, oh how he was ready.

The weight that he, and a few others in the clean-up crew lifted, were far too large for a wheel barrow. They were forced to carry them by hand.

"Hey, you're pretty strong." said a man with the head of a wolf.

Scott glanced over to the wolfman then smiled. "Same to you."

The wolfman chuckled softly. "My people focus more on agility, but it's still good to have your strength recognized."

"I see." Scott extended his hand. "Scott."

The wolfman extended his clawed paw. "Angru the Possessed."

"You're possessed?" asked Scott, surprised.

Angru smiled a wolfish smile. "I'm a bloodrager by trade."

"Bloodrager? Is that some sort of berserker?"

The wolfman nodded then reached down and grasped a massive chunk of stone. He hefted it overhead with a grunt. "Ah, yes. We invoke the lunar madness at will instead of waiting only for the full moon. We can control it well enough that we usually only attack our opponents."

Scott hefted a stone slab of his own then said, "Usually?" before they both began to walk back to the dump truck.

They offloaded their cargo then Angru continued. "It usually works, unless there is bad blood between the bloodrager and someone nearby. It becomes difficult not to turn our rage on someone we hate."

Scott nodded politely then sought out another stone to lift. While he did so, Angru spoke up once more. "What about you? Where does your strength come from?"

"I'm a sorcerer." said Scott.

Angru's eyes lit-up. "A sorcerer with blue hair? Tell me, are you Lunarian?"

"Ah, yes." said Scott.

The wolfman practically beamed with joy. "Well met, moon brother! I had not thought to see one such as you outside of Twilight Desert or the Mountains of the Dawn."

"I like to travel." said Scott lightly. He did wonder why everyone wanted to call him there brother, though. He sort of understand a little about his new race, but it did not make much sense for someone besides another Lunarii to call him brother so keenly.

"Ah, I understand the allure of the open road. I mostly stay at the village nowadays, since I married my love and acquired my fourth girlfriend."

Scott glanced at the man-wolf. "Romance taking up too much of your time?"

Angru sighed loudly. "I love them all dearly, and often, but between my twelve cubs and five women it is quite difficult to get out and ramble the wilderness."

"I can see that. I have enough trouble dealing with the ladies in my life and there are only two." replied Scott.

The wolfman clapped him on the shoulder then grinned. "We are men with many blessings."

"That we are. That we are." agreed Scott.

"What are you two jabbering about?" remarked another wolfman. This one was a bit smaller than Angru, and spoke in a cocky, abrasive manner.

Angru glanced at the newcomer then sniffed the air. His muzzle wrinkled lightly. "Your scent is as fake as your fur."

The newly arrived Blood Tracker snorted at Angru. "What do you mean by that? Want me to kick your ass?"

The larger wolfman shook his head. "Who are you trying to fool? You smell like a wet dog."

Yellow fangs flashed darkly. The younger Blood Tracker snarled at Angru. "Who are you calling a dog, you old bastard?"

"I didn't call you a dog, boy. A dog is loyal and true. I said you smell like one when he's wet."

"Whatever, I don't have to listen to this garbage." muttered the smaller blood tracker. He left the area, still muttering.

"What was that about?" asked Scott curiously.

Angru sighed. "The younger generation, sometimes it seems like they aren't right."

"What do you mean?"

The wolfman shook his head. "I don't know, maybe I'm paranoid?" He leaned closer to Scott then whispered. "But sometimes I wonder if they are even really blood trackers."

"Oh?"

Angru nodded to him. "They look like a blood tracker, but they smell wrong and act like hormonally challenged idiots. I swear; it is almost like someone playing make believe, like they are just pretending to be one of my people. It irritates me."

Scott immediately thought about the blood tracker he had dealt with on the casual server. The comparison between that jerk and Angru was quite clear. Was it possible that in some way, Angru could sense when one of the gods was playing as one of his people?

The long work day wore on. Scott learned many things about Blood Trackers, and about Angru. They were both from races that venerated the moon in some fashion. There was a long association between the lunar races, and they generally got along well.

At the end of the day, they collected their pay. Between the three of them they earned roughly three silver coins. The city spared no expense when it came to clean-up and repairs. The cost for restoring the capital would be obscene, but at least the city and most of its people had survived.

That evening they met up with Rhea on the corner of Ivy and Way. It was the location of one of the more popular restaurants in the city, the Saucy Mynx. But since most people were too exhausted from the hard work of fixing the city, or the grief at its destruction, there were few patrons.

"Rhea!" cried Ero before fluttered over to the blue haired High Elf.

Herbert stood up on Scott's shoulder and waved at paw at the fourth member of their group. She had been missed.

Rhea laughed loudly and held out a hand for Ero to stand on. "Look at you, Ero! So ladylike."

Ero performed a quick pirouette that caused the hem of her skirt to rise up lightly into the air. "Thanks!"

Scott smiled at the sweet scene then gazed gently at Rhea. The high elf glanced over to him for a moment then lowered her eyes a little, a soft tinge of pink rose up within her cheeks. "I missed you." he said.

A gentle smile crossed her lips. "I missed you as well."

They shared a warm, endearing, moment before Rhea lifted her free hand and gently brushed her hair back over her ear. "So, what have you three been up to, today?"

"Back breaking labor!" exclaimed Ero. She lifted her arms into the air and flexed her muscles.

Rhea grinned at the tiny girl. "How'd it go?"

"Fairy well! We earned three silver!" Ero beamed a bright smile briefly then blinked and touched her finger to her lip. "I hope that's a lot."

"It's about a week's pay for one normal highly experienced laborer." said Rhea.

Scott spoke up. "Want to help us out with the clean-up from now on? We only just started the other day."

"I'd like that. How long are we contracted for?"

"Two weeks. The debris should all be cleaned up by then since we have super powered people helping out." In a world where hundreds of workers might have a lifting and carrying capacity that was higher than a bulldozer on Earth, clean-up after a natural disaster was simple. Scott alone had the weight carrying capacity of a light truck. Though, he could only carry stackable debris or singular large pieces due to his size.

"So, about twelve days left?" After Scott nodded, Rhea grinned. "We could earn a little over half a gold coin if the four of us worked together!"

"Speaking of money, what did you start with?" asked Scott.

"I chose to do a premium tutorial dungeon as well, but spent most of my loot compensation on equipment. I have just a little under one gold left."

"Same with me." said Ero.

Herbert made a chittering sound that Ero translated as, "Me too."

Scott rubbed his chin. "Sounds like we might be close to four gold after we finish this job. Are we going to pool our money or just keep separate accounts?"

It was Herbert who spoke up first. Ero translated for the chittering rodent. "Herbert says that we should start by opening a savings account that provides reasonable interest rates, but does not include excessive money handling fees. We should take half of the money that we have on hand and place it into that account and evenly distribute the rest."

Scott blinked at Ero then glanced down at the cape wearing Grassrat. "Herbert, you know about financial matters?"

Herbert chittered excitedly and Ero translated once more. "A Grassrat knows to save food for hard times. The grass dies back in the winter. Besides that, part of my tutorial training involved learning about necessary aspects of functioning in a society other than my own."

Scott glanced at the rat then to Ero and finally to Rhea. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Rhea and Ero nodded. Scott looked down at Herbert. "Good idea, let's go with that."

After they finished discussing the rules of how their party would operate financially, Scott decided to bring up something that had been building within him for days. Rhea could not help but laugh as he expressed his desire. "You want a giant robot?"

Scott rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Come on! We could be total badass giant robot jockeys."

"Actually, it's not a bad idea. Some monsters are huge and the ability to have a giant robot battle with them could do wonders, but..."

"But?" asked Scott.

"You should know that war-mechs aren't allowed for civilian use in most countries without special dispensation. Even if you managed to get that, the least expensive commercial models cost over a hundred platinum Fayth." said Rhea. She lifted a finger before Scott could continue. "That's not even for the giant ones. We'd be talking dozens of Aurans for a low-end version."

"A few billion copper Fayth?" asked Scott, an incredulous expression on his face. His anus would normally clench at such an amount of money having been mentioned, but this time it was too shocked to even try to pucker slightly.

After that pronouncement the group had a nice meal at the restaurant and discussed other things. Scott explained what had happened during his tutorial training, and the others shared their own tutorial moments. Rhea had finished her tutorial quicker than the others as she already knew the best methods for completion, but she still spent a little time farming monsters to build up money.

Inevitably, the discussion turned to one that surprised Scott greatly. He spoke up, "What? Are you serious?"

Rhea nodded then unleashed a sigh. "Yes, Sarah stopped by your house."

Scott leaned back a little then gently lowered his fork back down to his plate. He had just been about to take a bite of his spaghetti when the topic had changed. "You, what happened? Did she say why she went there?"

"Not really, though she was concerned by my presence." admitted Rhea.

"I'll bet... Why were you at my house anyway?" he asked.

Ero offered Herbert a bit of the lettuce from her salad and he gratefully accepted. After the transaction they both turned back to look at the other two members of their group. This promised to be interesting. While Herbert knew very little about the situation, he could tell that it was a tense subject.

"I was about to head off to see the captain about the government deal. Sarah arrived before I left."

Scott frowned then propped his chin up on his hands. His eyebrows pressed together. He took a moment to think before he asked, "She wouldn't tell you what she wanted?"

"She wanted to talk to you. Though, as a parting shot she made up a lie." said Rhea.

He closed his eyes then took a deep breath. "What's wrong with that woman? What lie did she tell?"

Rhea flinched slightly then curled her fingers into a fist. "I've already checked, and it is not true. Alright? It's not true."

"What's not true, Rhea." asked Scott softly.

"She... Sarah tried to claim that you were the father of her child." said Rhea.

Scott nodded. "Ah, is that all?"

Rhea blinked at him. "Is that all? Really?"

"I couldn't be the father of her child unless life had decided to play an incredibly cruel joke on me. So, I believe you." said Scott. He vividly recalled that Sarah had claimed that Jake was the father of her child. Unlike their relationship, which had been involved proper protection and planning, Sarah had forsaken the concept of condoms or the pill during her time with new old boyfriend.

"Scott... I, are you sure?"

He gave Rhea a look. "Are you lying to me? It would not be the first time, but I decided to put that all behind me."

"What? No! I would never lie about something like this!" exclaimed Rhea. She stood up from her seat and slapped her hands down on the table. "I swear, I'm not lying. I did check!"

"I know." Scott offered her a warm smile. "We don't have any more secrets, at least nothing earth-shattering."

Rhea bit her lower lip a little then sighed. "I'm sorry..."

"No reason to be. We moved past all that, and I understand your reasons. Hell, now that I've seen just a little of this world, I even appreciate a few of those lies on my behalf." said Scott.

"I... Yes. Thank you for that." said Rhea, a slight stutter in her tone. She looked away from him briefly. "Maybe I should have just not answered the door."

"Why? Sarah's the one who has no business showing up on my doorstep." said Scott. "My wife can do anything she likes in our house."

"Wife?" Rhea's eyes lit-up and her smile returned. "I like the way you say it."

Ero handed Herbert a small chunk of radish, and the Grassrat handed her a peanut. They both chewed on their meal while they continued to watch the soap opera laying out before them.

Scott reached forward and gently took Rhea's hands in his. "I'm not the best guy in the world. I lack ambition, drive." He took a deep breath. "I never really had anything in my life worth fighting for until I met you. No one, especially not a woman who cheated on me the same night that I proposed to her, can change how I feel about you."

Rhea's face became flush and she closed her eyes. Emotions were a difficult thing for her people. They did not understand them completely, but they did feel them. At that moment many complicated sensations washed over her. "Scott..."

"Rhea." he said softly.

Ero munched on her peanut, and watched the sappy romantic moment with keen interest. This was better than television!

The blue haired high-elf extracted her hands from her husband-to-be and then took a step back. She gazed at him with a vibrant intensity. "Thank you."

"Hmm? What for?"

Rhea smiled softly at him for a moment. "No one has ever said something like that to me before."

Scott stood up then walked over and slipped an arm around her. "I'm glad that you took a chance on me."

The tips of her ears turned bright red. She kissed him softly on the cheek then wrapped her arms around him. There was nothing else to say, but the silence in the moment spoke volumes.

Of course, that silence was broken by the sudden outpouring of cheers from the other patrons in the restaurant. Scott and Rhea broke apart, shocked by the sudden noise.

"Aw, that was so sweet!" cried a girl holding a server's tray. A man at the bar called out, "We rent out rooms, you know."

"Hey, do you see their hair?" asked someone in the far corner. Several people at his table looked at Scott and Rhea more closely.

"Think they're one of those couples?" asked the man.

A man with beady eyes snickered. "Damned cosplay freaks. What kind of idiots change their hair color and try to pretend to be other people."

"Maybe they're the real thing?" asked a red haired girl at the table before she filled her wine glass.

The people at the table had a merry laugh at that. The first man spoke again, "Right, Origin and her boyfriend would just happen to be having a lover's discussion in the middle of this restaurant."

"People gotta eat." said the redhead.

First guy snorted then stabbed his meat with his knife. "Whatever, that shit aggravates me."

"Dude, you're just mad that Origin didn't write back when you sent her that love letter." said Beady eyes.

A loud grinding noise echoed through the air as First Guy's teeth ground against each other. "That stuck up ice-bitch! What kind of woman receives an epic love letter and doesn't even give the guy who wrote it a handjob, or something? No damned manners at all."

"I think I see why she didn't write back." remarked Redhead with a smirk of wry amusement.

First Guy snorted at his female companion. He waved a fork around in her direction. "She didn't write back because she thinks she's too good for me. My father owns a game franchise that covers an entire solar system! Six planets, and thirty-seven inhabitable moons!"

"Maybe your father should have sent her a love letter then." said Beady eyes.

The snort returned. "He did. She shot him down."

"Let it go, man. She has a boyfriend now." said Beady eyes.

"Fuck that, and fuck all those cosplaying assholes." First Guy raged a little then gripped the edge of the table tightly. "I sat behind that stuck-up princess in high school chemistry."

"Really? Did you ever talk to her?" asked Beady Eyes in growing excitement.

"I picked up her pencil for her once... the bitch." muttered First Guy.

Beady Eyes leaned forward. "Did she say anything?"

"Yeah..." First Guy closed his eyes and acquired an expression that bespoke a memory of wonder and enchantment. His hands rose to his face and he puckered his lips a little. "She said, Thanks."

Beady Eyes squealed a little and kicked his feet under the table. "No way dude, did she let you touch her tits?"

"No! Not even once, the bitch." First Guy growled. "Worse, she even actively dodged when I tried to trip and fall onto them during our human courtship rituals class."

Redhead spoke up. "What? The nerve! Were you partnered together?"

"Yes! She would step back and toss her hair instead of letting me accidentally grope her breasts, as is the human custom." remarked First Guy.

The beady eyed restaurant goer frowned. "That's not right. How were you supposed to learn anything if she wouldn't help you?"

An angry sighed escaped the lips of First Guy. "I know. I even told her that. Do you know what she said?"

"What?" asked Beady Eyes.

A derisive snort was First Guy's answer. It took a moment before Beady Eyes understood. "All she did was snort at you?"

"Wow, so cool." remarked the Redhead. Her eyes began to glimmer with a feral light. "No wonder every guy in school tried to accidentally bump into her after class."

"I tried it once, too. All she did was sigh and shake her head after we stood back up." First Guy grumbled softly then shook his head before giving the foursome at the other table a dirty look.

"So cool." said the Redhead once more.

"Now look at these fools. One bitch wishes she was Origin, and the other is trying to be that mystery asshole that she's dating." said First Guy.

"Why do you care so much, man?" asked Beady Eyes. "It's not like you know those fools."

"It just grinds my gears, dammit! All these idiots dressing and acting like those two. This is the third couple I've seen this week!" raged First Guy.

Redhead waved her hand back and forth in the air. "Come on man, just let it go. They're a couple of kids having fun."

"Fun my ass. I went through hell trying to get Origin's attention, and now these feebs are sitting around playing make believe that they're someone they're not!" snapped First Guy.

Beady Eyes glanced at the redheaded woman and then they both looked to First Guy. "Uh, isn't that what we're all doing?"

First Guy pointed at Beady Eyes without looking away from Rhea. "This and that are two different things."

Redhead quirked her eyebrow at the irate man then glanced over to the fake Origin. "What's her character name supposed to be anyway?"

"I think its Ray, or something." said First Guy.

"It's Rhea Ardent." Beady Eyes said before he snorted. "You call yourself in love with her and don't even know her most common character name."

"Idiot. I know that much! That's her character on the casual server. Why would she be the same person here?" said First Guy.

Beady little eyes pierced the man for a moment then their owner sighed loudly. "Whatever man, it's just a couple of posers and their little friends. Let it go."

"Hell no. I want to teach those fanboy noobs a lesson. I recognize some of their gear, low-end trash." said First Guy.

"I'm out. I don't do PVP if there isn't something in it for me." said Redhead.

First guy glanced toward her. "You can take some of their loot."

Redhead rolled her eyes. "Come on. What could a noob possibly have worth taking?"

It was then that Scott pulled out his Crysta-Com to check on something. Redhead's eyes lit-up. "I'm in. That's a gold coin or two at least."

A sinister laugh was First Guy's response to his companion's sudden change of mind. This promised to be entertaining. They waited patiently as the noobs continued to have their dinner. The quartet laughed, and occasionally sang cute little songs, the happy bastards.

After a while First Guy became irritated. "When are they going to leave?"

His beady eyed companion shrugged his shoulders. "They seem like they're having fun."

First Guy grumbled lightly for a moment, and Redhead decided to force the issue just to shut him up. She stood up from her table and strolled over to where the other group was sitting.

"Greyson! What are you doing here with this whore!" snarled the redheaded woman passionately.

The four people at the table flinched under the verbal assault then turned to look at the newcomer. She was a statuesque common elf with flaming red hair and a dash of freckles across her nose.

Scott glanced up at her with a flat expression. "You have the wrong guy."

"How can you say that to me after the wonderful night we spent together!" cried the Redhead.

Ero started munching on another peanut. Today was truly fascinating. Rhea frowned at the weird elf, and Herbert merely looked confused. Scott was the only one who spoke among them, an idea had formed within him.

Something about this situation did not seem like an accident. He had a better idea of what might be going on when he saw two men staring intently at the group. It was obvious that they wanted to cause a scene for some reason. There was no way that she could mistake him for someone else. "You're right. How shameless of me. Won't you have a seat?"

Redhead blinked, as did the others at the table. Scott merely smiled pleasantly at her while she formulated her next move.

"N-no! I won't have a seat, you womanizer!" She reared back and slapped him, or rather she tried to do so. Scott dodged her attack easily enough.

The redheaded woman was as surprised by how easily he had dodged as she was by the fact that he was not rising to take her bait. Wasn't this guy a total noob? He was dressed like a noob. Reincarnated people would be dressed in stronger gear.

Scott winked at Rhea briefly then turned back to the redheaded woman. "I'm sorry that I mistreated you. How can I make it up to you?"

Confusion had begun to rise up within the elf maiden. "What, I don't think you can make it up to me..." she said in a noncomittal manner. What was happening here?

He reached out and took her hands, "Such a beautiful and intelligent woman. Clearly you can think of something."

Redhead's cheeks turned as red as her hair. "No, no... There's nothing."

"I've been a horrible person, haven't I? Dallying with you, just before I take the time to have a nice dinner with my family. I should have told you that I plan to marry her. Can you forgive my indiscretion?"

"What the hell are you saying?" asked Rhea, her eyes wide in surprise. She had caught his wink earlier, but even so, this was annoying to her.

"This is freaking weird..." said Redhead. Why was this guy playing along?

"Ah, yes... I can see how this would be awkward for you. If only I were a better man, perhaps I could have been worthy of someone as warm and captivating as you."

"Yes, that's right... If only..." murmured Redhead. This was becoming an entirely different sort of conversation.

"What is this?!" exclaimed Rhea.

Scott turned to her. "Oh, sorry honey. I didn't tell you, yet! This is the girl I told you about, the one who might spice up our love life."

"What? Are you high?" asked Rhea, her eyes were wide and perfectly expressed her confusion.

"Wait a minute, pal! I am no one's spicy addition!" exclaimed Redhead.

"Oh. Sorry to have troubled you then." said Scott, before turning back to his spaghetti like nothing had happened.

"Y-yeah, no problem." said Redhead, confused and ready to leave the table. Everyone was staring at her. She scurried back to her table and sat down, her face aflame with embarrassment.

Rhea pointed her fork at Scott, an angry scowl on her otherwise beautiful face. "Scott..."

"Never met her before in my life." he remarked gaily.

"Sure didn't seem like it." said Ero.

He waved them off then casually said. "Don't look, but she is sitting with two guys. They were staring at us quite intently."

The blue haired high elf blinked then tried her best not to look at the other table. "What are you trying to say?"

Scott shook his head. "I'm not certain, but I think she was just trying to cause a scene for some reason. So, I went with it to see what happened."

"So, you don't know her?" asked Rhea.

He laughed a little then smiled at Rhea. "Never met her before in my life, but it was obvious that she was pulling something."

"Oh, OK." said Rhea. She didn't look like she was fine with the situation, but it had resolved itself.

Herbert chittered something that sounded thoughtful. Ero translated for him. "I wonder what she was up to?"

"Who knows? Maybe they were just bored?" asked Scott. It was likely to be something more sinister, but he was not sure what they planned to do after making such an obvious scene in a restaurant.

"They could be player killers." reasoned Rhea.

Scott nodded to her. "The thought had crossed my mind. Why would they target us so blatantly in a restaurant, though?"

Ero supplied the obvious answer. "Maybe they're idiots?"

"There's a thought." said Scott. What if they truly were idiots? It would make a great deal of sense.

Meanwhile at the player killer table. First Guy animatedly spoke his decision on the matter. "These guys must be idiots."

"That would make a great deal of sense." said Beady Eyes. Honestly, who just goes along with the scenario when someone makes a scene in public?

Redhead sighed softly. "I don't know, but I'm out."

"You're what?" asked First Guy.

She raised her hand and made a dismissive gesture. "I'm just not feeling it now."

"What'd he say to you anyway? I only heard a little of the conversation." said Beady Eyes.

The redhead woman sighed softly then made another dismissive gesture. "He was pleasant. Unlike certain other people I spend my time with."

"Pleasant?" asked Beady Eyes.

"I'm pleasant as hell!" snapped First Guy. "You're just easy to fool when a pretty boy bats his eyelashes at you."

"Whatever, I'm getting bored. If you boys want to go hunt down some noobs, go ahead. I'm heading back to my room." she said.

They watched her leave then sighed. Beady Eyes spoke up. "Dammit. I thought she'd let us see her naked this time."

"I know, right?" muttered First Guy. "Damn that blue haired fanboy."

"Hmm?" asked Beady Eyes.

First Guy snorted at him. "Come on, man. She was all hot and bothered about getting her hands on something to sell, and then one little conversation with asshole over there and she needs alone time."

"Wait, are you saying that she's going to her room to..." said Beady Eyes.

First Guy nodded sagely then sighed. "It's all his fault, man."

Beady Eyes took a swift drink from his wine then stood up and started toward the stairs. First Guy called out, "Whatch doin, man?"

"Our room adjoins our companion's room. The walls are paper thin." said Beady Eyes without looking back. He did stop just long enough to say, "You do the math." before he rushed toward the stairs.

First Guy blinked. The proverbial hamster wheel that existed within his mind began to turn at a rapid pace. His eyes lit up. "Wait for me, man!"

Back at Scott's table the group had entered an animated discussion about things to come in the future. Life promised to be quite interesting in coming days. Once the current job cleaning up the city was finished, they would need to begin training in earnest.

The dynamic nature of this world, and the strangeness of it all excited Scott to no end. He could feel his old desire for adventure begin to creep up within him. That spark had been damped a bit when Rhea had started to reveal all of the great truths of his current existence. He had mostly gone with the flow after that point. Now, things were different. Everyone was more or less on equal footing. They could each develop in their own way, and become both stronger as warriors and as people.