It was late when Ethan, Sam, David and Alera finally arrived back in Startesgarde. The previous several days of travel hadn’t been easy. They’d pushed their mounts harder than they ever thought to before, trying to get home as quickly as possible. Two nights had been spent sleeping on the ground, taking turns staying up for watch. They were tired, dirty and in desperate need of food.

The streets of Startesgarde were mostly quiet, the majority of the residents had already turned in for the evening. Even the lights of the Greenbriar Inn were dim as they rode past in the dark.

“Guess Tara isn’t serving dinner still,” David said sadly, his horse’s hooves echoing off the cobblestone road as they made their way through the town. “You going to cook for us tonight?” He asked Ethan.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Ethan answered wearily. “Sleep tonight.”

“Oh good,” Alera yawned and rubbed her eyes, “a night on the couch. That’ll be fun.”

“I’ll take the couch, you can have my bed.” Ethan said, trying to be helpful.

“Only if you’re in it too.” Alera smiled over at him from her horse.

“We get it, you’re sleeping together,” Sam sighed, tiredness always brought out the worst in him. “Just keep it down tonight at least. My room is right under Ethan’s.”

“No promises,” Ethan grinned back at Alera, “you have no idea how much she snores.”

“Oh, yes we do.” David grimaced. The nights they’d spent under the stars together, her snoring had contributed to keeping everyone from sleeping restfully for two nights straight.

“I have allergies,” Alera quietly replied, looking down at her horse. “I can’t help it.”

Sam and David laughed, despite being worn out. Ethan leaned over until he was within reaching distance of her horse and patted her on the leg.

“They’re just teasing,” he tried to console her, “my brother snores worse than you.”

Dim light shone through the curtained windows of their guild hall when they stopped.

“Guess someone is still awake,” Ethan said, hopping down from his mare and dismissing her back into the summoning crystal.

“Maybe there’s food,” David dismounted and his own horse disappeared. Sam followed him, not saying anything.

“You coming?” Ethan held out his hand to Alera once her mouth was safely dismissed.

“Yeah,” she nodded, taking his hand. “Just still feels weird.”

“What? This?” He loosened his grip on her hand.

“No, not at all,” she smiled and squeezed his hand, “this is nice, I like this.” She looked up at the two story building that was the Disorder Guild Hall. “Being in a guild, having a place I can come back to that isn’t a loud inn.”

“Like I said last week,” Ethan pulled his hand away from her and draped his arm over her shoulders, “this your home. For as long as you want it to be.” He kissed her on the forehead.

“I don’t think I’m going anywhere,” she wrapped her arm around his waist and smiled back up at him. “Unless you keep making me sleep on the couch.”

Her touch was electrifying to Ethan. For the last four days, her presence was a white hot candle burning in the darkness that was the situation with Tae-Won. The first night, when David had taken watch, Alera had purposefully placed her bedroll right next to Ethan’s. He’d tried to be polite and give her space to sleep, unsure of what her intentions were, but she quickly grabbed his arm and placed it over her, cuddling closer to him. He fell asleep that night holding her hand, her hair in his face. Since then, they’d slept in the same bed every night

“We’ll see about finding you some different sleeping arrangements then,” Ethan smiled as he reached for the doorknob.

David was making something to eat in the kitchen when they walked in. Ethan assumed Sam had already gone to bed. Leah was leaning against the back of one of the couches, obviously waiting for him. He could see dark bags under her eyes that he didn’t think were from being up waiting for them.

He dropped his arm from around Alera’s shoulders and crossed the room quickly to embrace her.

“How’re you holding up?” He asked after pulling away, his hand still on her shoulders.

“Bad,” she shook her head, tears in her eyes, “I can’t stand this.”

Alera pushed Ethan aside and hugged Leah.

“We’re going to find him,” she promised. “And when we do, I’ll make sure there is a room full of plants.”

“Thank you,” Leah managed a weak smile. “I don’t care about hurting them, I just want my husband back.”

“Where’s Miguel?” Ethan asked, looking around the room for the missing Cleric.

“Sleeping at Tara’s,” Leah jerked her head in the direction of the door. “He’s been there every night since we got back. He’s worried they’ll come after her.”

“I don’t blame him,” David said, coming from the kitchen with plates of hastily made sandwiches. “If we die, we’ll come back. If she… if something happens to her, I don’t know how’d he’d recover from that.”

“It’s not just a little weird to you guys how attached he is to her?” Alera said after taking a bite of sandwich. “She’s an NPC, just a computer program.”

“Don’t,” Ethan started, wiping mustard from his mouth, “sorry, don’t say that to him. Ever. He knows it, but you know how the NPCs are here. They’re people. Think about Jerry and Mihal, you didn’t ever forget that they weren’t ‘real’?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Alera chewed on her lip as she thought about her friends in Grassmere. “But a long term romantic relationship with an NPC still seems a little weird. What’re they going to do when the game ends?”

“That thought has kept Miguel up many nights.” Ethan said grimly.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Leah interjected, bringing the conversation back towards the pressing manner of her abducted husband.

“Going to see my sister,” Ethan said, yawning. “See if she knows anything about where Paul might be hiding.”

“And then?” She asked impatiently.

“I don’t know, Leah,” Ethan sadly shook his head, “I’m kind of counting on her knowing something, or at least being able to put us in contact with someone who does.”

Leah looked down at the floor and twisted her wedding ring with her right hand but didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry,” Ethan reached out and squeezed her arm lightly, “I’ve been thinking about this the entire trip back, and I’m just lost. I don’t know what to do beyond talking to Arianna. But I promise, tomorrow we’ll all talk and come up with something.”

“I know,” she said, still looking at the floor, “get some rest, I know you’re exhausted.”

“David,” Ethan looked in the direction of his yawning friend, “message Miguel and tell him to be back at 8 am.”

“Gotcha boss, get some sleep.” David finished his exaggerated yawn and nodded.

“Are you staying up a while longer?” Ethan asked Alera. She was still standing next to Leah, her arm around her shoulders.

“I’ll be up in a minute,” She smiled at him and rubbed Leah’s arm. “Still a little wired from riding all day.”

“Don’t be offended if I’m already asleep,” he smiled back at her.

“I’ll be up soon.”

Ethan wearily climbed the stairs. His legs and back were sore from riding for so long. He wanted nothing more than to get into his own bed. What happened to video games being relaxing? I’m always so tired when I get home, he thought to himself as he strained to lift his feet for every step. And why didn’t we go for a nice one story villa…

He was able to get most of his armor off easily, but once again struggled with the straps of his cuisses. His fingers just couldn’t seem to find the buckles.

Ethan sighed and gave up.

“I’ll get these in a minute,” he said aloud to no one and sat down on his bed. He could see the lights of the Tower from his bedroom window. Magically enhanced torch’s flickered from miles away.

1..2..3...4 he counted to himself the number of lit torches he could see. 25..26..27!...28!...29! The raid clan has been busy! When they had left for Anvasa, he knew the raid clan had been working on the 28th floor. To have cleared two floors in eight days was a record for them. Wonder who scouted for them. I just hope it wasn’t Kevin. Guess I’ll ask Arianna tomorrow…

He managed to get one of the eight buckles undone when his door opened slowly with a creak. Alera popped her head in, saw he was still awake, and entered his bedroom.

“It’s a lot nicer than I was expecting,” she said, appraising the small room.

“What were you thinking?” He laughed, “clothes and dirty dishes everywhere? Weapons in every corner, maybe a dragon’s skull?”

“Can we get a dragon’s skull?” Alera said excitedly, walking over to him standing between his legs, “we could hang it over the bed.”

“You just walked into my room, and you’re already wanting to redecorate,” he laughed again and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“It just needs a woman’s touch is all,” Alera said, rubbing her hands down his shirtless back. Goosebumps sprung up down his skin at her touch.

“And a dragon’s head is a woman’s touch?” He questioned her, smiling.

“Definitely,” she said, her brow furrowed in mock seriousness as she moved her hands up to play with his hair.

Ethan moved his hands up her back, her supple leather armor stopping him from feeling her skin, pulling her in for a kiss.

“You stay more than one night, and I might let you redecorate,” he said once he pulled away.

“That a promise?” She said coyly, holding his face in her hands, rubbing her thumbs through his scraggly facial hair.

“Just don’t cover my bed in so many throw pillows I can’t find it.” He grinned and repositioned his hands back to her waist.

“Speaking of the bed,” Alera smoked and stepped back from him. “I thought you were going to sleep?”

“I couldn’t get these damn buckles undone,” Ethan frowned and twisted his left leg to show her the still fastened buckles of his cuisses.

“Oh thank god,” she sighed, “I was starting to think you were going to sleep in those.” She bent down and deftly flicked the obstinate buckles, loosening them enough she could pull them off of him.

“I guess that means it’s my turn to help you then,” he said standing up wearing only the linen underwear he’d bought weeks again in Grassmere.

“Not tonight,” she frowned slightly and pushed her hand gently against his bare chest, “a girl has to have some secrets.”

“What?” Ethan said, tilting his head to one side but still holding a smile. He was afraid he’d done something wrong, crossed some line he didn’t know existed. But if she told him to stop, he was going to listen to her.

“I have a… ummm…” Alera’s face flushed as she stuttered, backing away from him again. “I’m just not ready,” she paused ”for you to see me. Without a shirt on yet, I mean. I’ll just go change in the bathroom.”

“Oh...okay,” Ethan blinked rapidly several times, now more confused.

“I’ll be right back,” she stepped back to him and kissed him lightly on the lips before leaving.

“That was weird,” he said to himself, falling backwards back onto his bed and running his fingers through his hair as he undid his braids.

“You get to pick one of them” Paul sneered down at him from atop a colossal red dragon. “and that one will join you in watching the rest of them burn.” He pointed his large spear down at Ethan on the ground in front of him. The dragon growled menacingly, flames crackling around it’s fangs.

Eight bound figures knelt in a semi circle in front of him. Sam, Leah, Tae-Won, David, Arianna, Alera, Miguel and Daniel looked up at Ethan, their mouths gagged with strips of brown cloth. All of them shared a similar look of fear, their faces bruised and bloody.

“NO!” Ethan roared at him defiantly, flames erupting from his seaxes, “You can’t have them!” He charged at his hated adversary, wanting to kill him and rescue his captive friends.

Paul’s dragon roared at him, the force of the sound shaking the ground beneath his feet. Ethan managed to stay on his feet as he raced for what seemed like an eternity towards the man who had caused so much pain.

Ethan leapt into the air, his blades ready to strike.

Lightening fast, the crimson reptile swiped its enormous claws, knocking him to the ground.

He landed hard on his back, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Quickly, he rolled over onto his stomach and began pushing himself off the ground.

WHAM

A heavy weight slammed into his back, forcing the air from his lungs and back down to the ground. A massive scaly white and black cage held him in place. The dragon was pinning him to the ground.

“HA!” Paul landed in front of him with a thud, his boots kicking a small cloud of dirt up into the air. “I meant it when I told you one was safe, now you’re going to watch as they all burn!”

“NO!” Ethan shouted, struggling against the weight of the dragon’s mighty paw. He could see the dragon rear it’s humongous triangular head back, the flames around its fangs growing.

“Please!” He sobbed, “I’m begging you! Please don’t take them!” Tears poured from his eyes and rolled down his face, falling into the dirt.

“Too little, too late,” his tormentor mocked him. “This is ALL on you.” Paul snapped his fingers and the dragon released its inferno.

A wave of heat exploded against his restrained body as flames poured over his helpless friends. The fire incinerated their bonds. Ethan could see them fight helplessly against the blaze. He could hear them scream as their flesh melted away. But he could do nothing as his friends burned to death.

One by one the screams faded. After what seemed like an eternity of torture, the dragon ceased its deadly breath.

Paul kneeled down in front of Ethan and roughly grabbed his face.

“I’m going to kill you!” Ethan yelled past his choking sobs. He didn’t have the energy to struggle against the claws holding him down.

“No, you won’t.” Paul said flatly, shaking his head and staring into Ethan’s eyes. “I’m going to take everything you have. Everything you want. And I’m going to burn it to ash. Just like that.” Paul pointed to the charred corpses of Ethan’s friends. “And there is nothing, nothing, you can do to stop me.”

He let go of Ethan’s face and stood up. Seconds later, the dragon’s claws lifted away as the air thundered around him from the downdrafts of its enormous wings.

Ethan scrambled to his feet, the burnt ground still emanating heat. As he rushed to the charred remains of everyone he loved, he tripped in the loose gravel and fell face first into the dirt.

A single large bone, blackened and brittle, broke his fall. He could taste the burnt and ashen remains of whoever he’d landed on. He looked for any sign of which of his friends this was. A large, soot covered locket caught his eye.

“Arianna…” Ethan sobbed, desperately reaching for the necklace. The chain crumbled into ash as he touched it, but the circular locket remained intact. He ignored the searing hot pain of the still burning metal as he opened it.

His sister had written a quote from their mother, a way to always remember her, and kept it around her neck. “I love you more.” It said.

When he opened the locket, charred black ash fell out, scattering in the breeze.