READ NOVEL ONLINE 94 - Always Ahead
I slammed through the door of the house, stumbled and clattered onto the floor like a mangled pile of limbs. Groaned as I turned, just in time for Ren to repeat the action, tripping over the step just before the door and landing right on top of me.
Would have been rather romantic in a cliche way if her elbows didn’t knock the air out of me, and her head hadn’t collided with mine. Before I had a chance to react, she stole a quick kiss and then rolled off of me.
A large shadow cut off the sunlight coming in through the open doorway. The whole building vibrated and creaked in pain as the enormous form of Wolf slid sideways into the wall.
I groaned again and put a hand up to my sore head. My aching foot could not stop me from being the headliner, as much as my body was regretting the need to win.
“Should have known you’d get ahead using bullshit,” Ren murmured, sitting up and rubbing her own head.
Pretty much par for the course at this stage of my life, and her own fault for challenging me despite knowing my capabilities. If anything, I was surprised she was able to keep up and stay ahead of the bear, who had some skills geared toward charging forth. Quinn got the short straw once more, and I’d perhaps feel bad if he hadn’t tried to trip me near the start. We did what we could to survive.
Up to my feet and I stretched my back out. Getting too old for these kinds of games. My eyes went to the back of the room, where two figures stood watching us, as my hand went down to help the elf up.
Wolf moved away from the building, allowing light to pool back in, illuminating our observers.
A man and a woman, looking around middle-aged and surprisingly weather-worn, considering they probably spent most of their time in this building. Our interactions with the System-created people of the first area were mostly limited, as the uncanny valley aspect made me uncomfortable.
I dusted myself down to at least look presentable and waited for Quinn to join us before I went and messed things up.
The fencer stepped into the room, redder in the face than before, and potentially second guessing his decision to join us. It was curious that he didn’t have any speed boosting skills, but perhaps that was an unfair judgement to make.
“Ah, seems I owe you a second cake, Max.” He gave me a low bow. “Your abilities stand unequaled. However, I do not have a second on my person at present.”
“That’s no problem.” I smiled and held out my hand for him to shake. Needless, but he seemed to like the more antiquated formalities - the only person bowing more than me in this world.
Returning the shake, it seemed to settle his thoughts and bring him some comfort, as if any annoyance was washed away by the action. He truly was rather flitting with his emotions. “I had not imagined we would be having such fun and games. Certainly not after the other… activities of the morning.”
“We don’t usually,” Ren tilted her head. “But given how much trauma we go through, it’s a good way to not be miserable constantly.”
I nodded. Ren had always been my spark of sunshine during the darkest days, and now that we had another in our Party, we had to play a little harder, to work a little harder. Wolf seemed ambivalent about whatever we got up to, but I’d pencil in some time to check on him soon enough. Right now, it seemed the exertion had brought his next nap up on his schedule, and he was guarding the building with his snoozing form.
“Well, I hope to partake in further levity, although maybe things that don’t involve Max beating us in rigged games.” His smile put to rest any inclination that he might be sour about it.
“I do need humbling every so often.” Before I could receive a response, I gestured toward the patient Quest givers, mostly to avoid being reminded about the times I broke my skull or apparently had trouble walking in a straight line without injury. I put a pin in thinking of more games I could rig in my favor.
“This one is nice and simple. You just need to talk to the kind madam there.” He gestured towards the woman. “The Quest requires you receive a message through the Chat so it might force the unlock?”
Even if it didn’t work, I at least got two Sweet Cakes out of the venture. And no permanent injuries. Maybe I shouldn’t count my chickens.
“Hello, adventurer,” the woman began. “I’m expecting my great aunt to visit today, however I have not heard from her recently. If I give you her details, could you try to contact her and make sure she is safe?”
My brow furrowed. “Why can’t you do it yourself?”
“Only adventurers have the ability to send magical messages.” Her expression didn’t change as she gave me the obvious exposition.
“So…” I removed my hat to rub at my head where I had collided with the elf. “Is your great aunt an adventurer?”
“Max,” Ren interjected, “quit engaging the Quest givers and get this done with.”
I rolled my eyes. Forgive a man for wanting to learn more about the world he lived in. “Sure, miss… Quest giver. I will contact your great aunt and we’ll see just how great she really is.”
[Chat Function now Unlock]
[Contact: Great Aunt Ulla added]
“It worked.” I snapped my fingers and bowed away so that Ren could repeat the process.
Quinn nodded, and with his eye unfocused, he sent me over the contact information for the three from the other group, along with his own.
Not wanting to get further behind the curve, I decided it was time enough to give it a go and let the fighter know we were contactable. No doubt so that she could scream murder at us once the paladin did something bad… assuming she lived through it. An intangible keyboard appeared under an empty text box. My
[Max: Here’s my contact. How’s the first area?]
I waited a few moments as the elf and woman spoke in the background, slightly worried I wouldn’t get a response - before a gentle ping only I could hear signified a message had been delivered. Something else to get used to.
[Fiona: Peaceful and… thriving.]
[Fiona: You really unfucked it, it seems.]
[Fiona: Take care and stay alive, clown.]
The slight jab at the end seemed unnecessary, but I was mostly sure that it was a little amount of banter. However… I was relieved to hear the first area was doing fine. Our time spent there amongst the bloodshed was worth it, after all.
Quinn then sent the same details over the elf, and I smiled at her. “Just spoke to Fiona, and she says the first area is looking good. She used the word thriving.”
“Really?” She seemed genuinely pleased, although some confusion passed over her face when trying to unfocus and look at her own Chat windows.
It was easy to forget that she came from a world that didn’t have instant messaging or emails. Our current existence put us somewhere in between my modern world and her fantasy one. Although, I was again using my own definition of ‘fantasy’. To her, it was just normal. My mind idly waltzed over to thoughts of taking her back to Earth and having to teach her about… cars and coffee machines. Cliche romcom stuff.
“Not a fan,” she grimaced at the windows. “Of the whole Chat thing. It’s useful, though. Wolf, get your ass in here and get the Quest.”
A loud grumble came from outside as the bear shifted to his feet and stuck his head in the doorway. “Why? I will not use it.”
“Are you declining a potential trick avenue?” I asked, faux surprise on my face.
He paused, unsure as to how paired to the magician life he truly was. Eventually, under the five eyes leveled his way, he gave in and tried to squeeze through the doorway. A tough ask, and I wondered if I would eventually get something that could manipulate my allies. Ah, maybe with better phrasing than that.
Only slightly buckling the doorframe, he entered, muttered through the dialogue options, and then begrudgingly worked through getting the contact details from Quinn as we left. It seemed more pragmatic to keep walking rather than stand around and do it. It meant the pair were otherwise distracted, but I didn’t feel we were in any present danger.
I walked alongside Ren, something we seemed to fall into naturally now that there were four of us in the group. Not that I was complaining, of course. It made it easier to ignore the ache and occasional twinge of pain in my ankle, at the least. Racing our way to the building was rather short sighted with my injury, but I could perform under pressure.
“Apologies if I’ve now shared my head-injury curse.” I smiled at her.
“We’re doomed if that’s the case.” She wrinkled up her face. “Didn’t bruise, did I?”
I lifted her hat, watching as the sunlight illuminated her hair. “Nope, perfect as always.” She smiled as I returned the blue top hat atop her.
“Always with the charm.” She shook her head. “And with only a brief cold shower after all the exertion over the past few days, I feel like garbage.”
“A little more struggle and then I’ll personally find you a house with a working bath.”
“My hero,” she said, her eyes going back out to our surroundings, rather than digging into me further.
I found myself living for the juxtapositions. The murder and threat on our lives flashing against an odd romance that I now found myself wanting more of. As much as I yearned to save the world for moral reasons, as the days went by, it was becoming more likely I was aiming for something a little more selfish. A chance to really be with Ren and see if we were anything more than trauma-bound.
The small gathering of houses gave way to a built up area. An odd sea wall of gray stone that blocked out the view of the beach and rolling tide. Didn’t do much to prevent the smells of sea air and warm sand from reaching us, but the apparent promenade made the next leg of our journey a lot easier.
“We’ll move away from the coast again shortly,” Quinn said, tilting his gaze back to us. “Up a hill on the right in about ten minutes. I just thought the fresh air made a nice change.”
“It certainly does,” I said as I tipped my hat toward him. The sounds of the waves lapping at the shore were comforting, even though I hadn’t spent much time near the coast in my old life. Between soft sunlight and pleasant scenery, I felt lost… but in a good way. Tired, but at peace.
If the System had been perfect, then this would be like a slice of paradise.
“Something to fight for, isn’t it, trickster?” Ren caught my relaxed gaze, probably having similar thoughts on our situation.
“I already have enough of that, right here.” I raised an eyebrow, unsure as to why I had said that.
She tutted. “So early in the day, too. You invite malady on me, dickbag.”
I turned away with a sheepish grin on my face. She was right, of course. Openly gushing about my feelings would soon have destiny frowning at our happiness and prompted into action to put an end to that. We had managed to skirt any potential tragedy by having me take the brunt of fate’s punishment. Survived only mostly through bullshit.
But then, it was what the System allowed.
It was a shame to leave the coast and head back up into an area more wooded. The higher vantage point gave us a good view of the golden sands and blue ocean that went on until the horizon, and I made the mental note to return here once we lived in better times. My ankle had all but recovered, the scenic route giving it something to reflect on and remind it of its purpose.
To take me forward into more trouble.
As if by narrative fiat, Wolf and Quinn stopped just ahead of us. The fencer’s hand went to his sword pommel, and I could tell by the bear’s body language that something was up. Steeling myself, I stepped up to them to see what they had caught eye of.
An open field… filled with Max-scarecrows. Perhaps a dozen of them, all dressed in different shades of purple.
More interesting, however—albeit less flattering—was the creature standing in the middle of the field.
As we stood taking in the interesting scene, the large monster turned and looked at us.
Well, mostly at me, naturally.