Chapter 32: Here for you

“Wow! You look amazing!” Oh my God, it fits her just perfectly!

She is wearing the new armor we asked the blacksmith to do. And, honestly, I’m without words. The set consists of disjoint pieces glued together by silver chainmail. It clearly aims to cover her weak spots without sacrificing any mobility at all. Which, I think, is spot on for her role of off-tank.

Her chest is covered by plated steel, going from just below her belly button and extending up to her shoulders. The chainmail makes sure to cover her armpits and the exposed portion of her belly. His elbows connect two pieces of arm guards, making sure that none of her skin is left exposed. Her legs are similarly protected.

It might be plain-looking, lacking inscriptions and flourishing. You might think that if you saw it lying on the floor. But on her… it highlights her body, her proportions. It’s just… amazing. The brightness characteristic of metal combined with the matte polishing on some parts can bind a man’s eyes to her body.

“Right!? The blacksmith outdid himself! It’s a masterwork!” Her overflowing energy rapidly turns into a concerned face. “So, how are you, Mark?”

“Ah, sorry what?” Do you know those times when you perfectly hear the other person but just instinctively tell them to repeat? Well, I do. Fuck, have I been staring at her all this time, right? I force my eyes to back off from her torso and look right at her eyes.

“Hehe.” She lets out some timid laughter. Oh yeah, I absolutely have… “How are you doing? You seemed a bit down.”

“I’m… well, processing it all I’d say.” I say, circumventing the issue for a brief moment. Still too afraid to speak the truth.

“What happened?” She insists.

“Are you sure? I don’t know if it’s a good idea to tell you about it. I mean, I would love to talk with someone, hell, I probably need it, but-”

“It’s fine. I’m here for you. I’ll listen.” Her heavenly smile dissolves any doubt I have left. The doors to my memories open wide.

“Then… It all started when everyone was dead, and I was the only soul alive…” For the next ten minutes, I proceed to explain to her what I went through. What I saw. I let all of my emotions, tears, and rage alike, out.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for them… If only I ha-”

“Hey! Anything!? You offered them the chance to run and live. Even then, you battled for them. And, even when everything was lost, you stood there by their side, not leaving them alone. You did more than any of us did.” Anger might not be the way to describe her attitude, but she is genuine; she truly thinks I have helped them.

“But what for? Only to get mad and lose control, only to beco-”

“You are not mad!” She breaks into tears while screaming at me. “You got all of us to help. You led us! You have me…”

“I’m horrible, making you cry…”

“No… you are not…” Why is she coming? What is- Her arms wrap around me, and a feeling of warmth floods my soul. “You. Got. Me.” She slowly says each of those words, making sure they enter right through my ear.

“I… Thank you, Lillia.” Unable and unwilling to feel guilty anymore, I let go of my shyness and hug her back. Even inside this game, I can smell her hair shampoo. I can feel her tears wetting my robes. I could swear this was real. I wish it was…

“Lillia… We’ll get stronger, right? We’ll prevent anything else like this from happening.”

She lets go of me, rubs her eyes with her right arm, and puts on her best smile. Chest pumped up. Face straight and determined. “Of course we will! Who do you think we are? We are not going to give up so easily!”

“Just so you know, you count with me too. Whatever you need. Whenever. You also ha-”

“Are we interrupting?” A translucent figure materializing by my side says out of nowhere.

“FUCK!” I scream, truly scared by the unannounced intrusion. “Rand! Dude!

“Hahaha! Sorry! Sorry! How could I know you’d be here!” Lillia starts laughing along with Rand. And I, infected by their contagious enthusiasm, end up joining them too.

Not long after, the remaining two enter the game. And, once more, making it the third time today, I explain it all. When I thought I needed to talk about it, I didn’t mean literally repeating the whole story time and again. Whatever! At least now I get to add the last part with the governor and Isha.

“WHAT! I told you! You are dumb! Why didn’t you ask that before?” Mike, enraged when he hears the news about class evolutions, shouts to my face. Spitting in the process.

“Ah…” I wipe my face, “Sorry? I mean, you have lost only one day of training, it could have been worse.”

He lets out a noise resembling a disdained ‘bah’ and looks away from me. Fair enough, I guess!

“So, two evolutions?” Dorian, as always, takes more interest in the actual information than our little fights and discussions.

“Yes, yes. Although I don’t yet know what they are. I guess I’ll have to wait until I reach the breakpoint.”

“I see, well, you’ll keep me posted, right?”

“Sure thing! By the way, Rand, it seems your armor is ready. Lillia is already wearing hers!”

“Really!? Can we go?”

“We should train a bit and make up for the level you lost yesterday, but we can take a small detour.”

Just like so, the four of us make our way to the blacksmith.

“Hey Mark…”

“Yes, Mike?”

“Your staff… is that the Field Boss’ tusks?”

“Hoho! You have good sight, yes they are!”

“What good sight? Man, they are awesome! What stats do they give?”

“S- Sta… Stats?”

“Noo... You can’t be that dumb… Please…”

“He... He he…” Did I forget to inspect it? I make an effort to remember, but seeing that nothing comes up… “I… might have forgotten to inspect it?”

“Fuck…” I seem to have the talent to leave him without words! I better Inspect it, though.

[Unique Staff of Tusks]

Rarity: Unique

Magic Damage: +3%

Amplifies Magic Effects: +3%

Slam the staff’s lower tip to the ground to create a mana pool that siphons 10 mana per second for 30 seconds. Everyone inside a 3 meters radius will equally share the same amount. It can be cast once every 12 hours.

“Huh… sooo… It has a special spell? For 30 seconds, I can regenerate 10 mana per second. Well, shared amongst those close to me at the moment.”

“You dumb motherfucker! That’s 300 mana! More than enough to heal us back in the battle!”

“I… sorry…” My head dejectedly drops to the ground, conscient I have messed it up.

“Hey Mike… It wouldn’t have changed anything. Please, don’t bash him…”

“It’s okay, Lillia. He’s right.” I say. “I have to be more focused. If I let things like this slip by me…”

“Mark.” Mike’s voice makes me raise my eyes to look back at him. “Sorry. I… I am a bit tensed up too. I didn’t mean to snap like this.”

“We all are, I’m afraid. But we are a team, right?” I downplay the situation, trying to make amends. “We shouldn’t be afraid to point out each other’s mistakes. It’s the only way we’ll improve.”

“I’ll try to be more constructive, though.”

“It would surely help! And I’ll try not to forget about my items or sessions with Isha, for that matter.”

The conversation ends as we reach the blacksmith. Not wanting to enter all at once and saturate the shop, we let Rand go in alone. Man, is he excited! For such a big frame, you should have seen him prancing like a horse.

We wait for 10 minutes, what seems an eternity actually. Although, according to Lillia, dressing oneself with armor is not an easy task. There are several belts to tie and ropes to tighten, some in places hard to reach. The blacksmith might help you this first time, but from then on it’s on you. So that’s why it is essential to take your time and memorize it by heart.

And indeed, he took more than his time. It is not until 20 minutes have gone by that we see his shade emerging from the shop. His whole body is covered in steel. He wears a cross-over between a medieval knight’s full armor and a samurai’s set with steel plates. It’s certainly more robust than Lillia’s, still flexible enough, but not so much as to allow fast and precise movements. Not that he needs to do any. He’s only lacking a helmet with horns. We have to get him one! I jokingly say to myself.

“Man, I wouldn’t want to see you charging at me!” I shout from across the stre- “No! No! It was not a sugges-”