Dragon Soul

Chapter 3

3

My computer hummed to life and the screen flashed back on. The golden logo of my game was a familiar sight, a welcome sight. I logged on, hoping Pete was still online and up for another game.

Music waltzed through my headphones as my avatar appeared next to the tavern. It was a lot busier than earlier with mostly fire dragons parading around. Between all the red armor, I caught a glimpse of purple and instead of scrolling through my friend list, I directed my avatar forward. The golden crown we earned together decorated Pete’s helmet and I waved at him.

JJ-E2: I’m back!_

PETE3: Hello partner_

A strange flutter danced through me, but I wrote it off as excitement about my game. Disappearing into the virtual world was better than listening to Dad ramble on about the market or Mum scolding me about everything I did wrong.

PETE3: Had a nice meal?_

JJ-E2: Greens as usual_

PETE3: Your favourite then_

I chuckled. Even through the chat, I could sense his sarcasm. I liked his humour, it was dry like mine.

PETE3: Anything else happen?_

The word husband echoed through my head. I hovered my fingers over the keyboard, uncertain if I wanted to tell him or not. The keys clacked, the words appearing on the screen.

JJ-E2: Not really_

I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t told him about my upcoming marriage, but something held me back. Fear that he’d think it was lame that I wasn’t rebelling against tradition? Maybe I thought it would just underline that I was a girl and ruin our friendship? Or maybe…

No, those were not thought I could be thinking. Not with my upcoming marriage, not now. Not ever.

JJ-E2: I’m ready to finish our quest_

I needed a distraction and killing the emerald witch would do the trick. A notification popped up in the corner and Lola’s name appeared on my screen. Apart from Pete, Lola and Tate were my only ingame friends. I wasn’t sure why I never told them I was female, not even after they both established they were. Maybe I liked being anonymous. Maybe I felt like I’d been deceiving them for too long and there was no way back. Or maybe, I just didn’t want to admit I was a woman about to be married off.

PETE3: Ready_

JJ-E2: See you on the other side_

The vine amulet crackled and opened the portal to the emerald realm. We’d already cleared all the minions and goblins on the floor, now it was just us and the witch. My avatar ran into the forest and I was joined by Pete’s purple form.

I steered myself to the ruins at the back, having read that this was were the witch spawned. Without having to type instructions, Pete followed me. His trust in me and my skills always left me a little baffled. The way we worked together was unlike anything else. Not even Tate or Lola worked as well-oiled alongside me as he did, and they were both amazing players.

The ruins domed up in front of us, the detail on the stone work and vines were amazing. The graphics of the game baffled me every time I logged on. With my daggers at the ready, I let Pete slip in front of me so I could guard his back.

It was just the two of us and we learned how to divide our roles perfectly. With his heavy armour and high health, he was the perfect tank and defender. Combined with his rare sword and his endurance, he wasn’t bad at dealing damage either. Exactly what I needed from him.

I admired the two daggers in my avatar’s hand, pleased with my own stats. I’d specialised in stealth and with my high attack and sneak, I was the perfect assassin. Silent, patient, deadly. The bow and arrow on my back were for long range attacks and the extra inventory space from my special harness left me enough room to carry meds for myself and Pete. We were a great match.

Solemn, I followed Pete into the desolated temple. I already had the perfect partner in him, so what would my husband bring to the table? Would he tag along like a nice third wheel?

I stared at Pete’s avatar and sighed. No, this was something I didn’t want to share with my husband. What I had online, my friendships, my role, my adventures? They were my safety, my haven, my escape from a life that wasn’t really mine.

We waited for the emerald witch to appear. I'd have thought she'd pop up as soon as we arrived to take us off guard but apparently, she wasn't programmed that way. Which meant waiting.

I hit a combo on my keyboard, sparring with thin air in my nervousness. It wasn't that I didn't think we could take the witch. Pete and I worked great as a team, there was no doubt about that. We could take just about anyone. But I didn't like waiting at the best of times and this was no exception.

PETE3: You okay, JJ?_

JJ-E2: Just hate waiting_

PETE3: I know, it’s the worst bit. When she shows up, do you want to take the back and I'll take the front?_

JJ-E2: Sounds good, I'll get into position_

The ruins would make a good place for me to wait. If I found the perfect spot, the emerald witch might not even know I was there. Which was ridiculous to think. She was part of the game. She reacted to anything around her. I couldn't wait to get to the player vs player zones. It was a lot more interesting to be up against someone who could think for themselves and weren't just the result of some code.

JJ-E2: Ready_

PETE3: I wonder if we need to summon her?_

JJ-E2: I've never heard anyone say they needed to_

I frowned. Maybe Pete was right?

JJ-E2: Let me just check it. Watch my back?_

PETE3: Always_

Despite itself, my heart fluttered a little. Not for the first time, I wondered if Pete really looked like his avatar. Sandy brown hair, a short beard, just enough to be sexy but not look disheveled, dark eyes...

If I had a type, Pete was it. Not that I was allowed a type other than that of my husband. Being a dragon majorly sucked.

The emerald witch still wasn't here. Keeping half an eye on my screen, I grabbed my phone and pulled up the Realms&Rebels forum. I navigated it easily. The thread for this quest teemed with people asking just the question I was asking about. Annoyingly, the only answer they were ever given was that no one was allowed to say how to summon the witch.

JJ-E2: Forum is a no-go. Apparently, how to summon her is a secret_

I rolled my eyes. Dragons were ridiculous. And no one would tell either of us off the record either. Not with our purple armor.

PETE3: Damn. Let me try something_

Green smoke rose from his fingers as he did whatever it was he was trying. I had no idea exactly what that was but assumed it was some kind of alchemy. That was one of Pete's specialties.

More green smoke rose between the two of us and my eyes widened. Whatever he'd done had actually worked. I hit a string of keys, tipping my daggers in a poison I knew from experience was effective. There was no way she'd survive the assault from both of us.

The witch spawned facing away from Pete. That was good, it meant he had a chance to react before she attacked. It didn't seem like very smart programming as far as I was concerned though.

A cackle filled my headphones. Oh no. That was going to drive me crazy if we didn't defeat her quickly. It wasn't a good sound.

PETE3: Good luck, see you on the other side, JJ_

I shook my head even as I typed. He shouldn't have let himself get distracted enough to type out a message to me. It might send him back to his spawning place.

JJ-E2: You too_

He shut the chat off, as he always did when we were about to battle. We'd been buddies long enough not to need it anyway and it just served as a distraction neither of us could afford.

Another cackle sounded, this one accompanied with a puff of noxious green smoke a couple of paces to my left. Damn, she definitely knew I was here then. How annoying. I hated it when the element of surprise was taken from me.

Pete stepped into her range, his sword ready for the attack. He swung it down but was knocked down by a force field around the witch. Damn them all to earthy hell and beyond. Not wasting any time, I extracted a protection potion from my inventory and sent it to him with a click of the button. He might have one already but I didn't want to take the risk. A second later, I'd used one on myself too.

Without the element of surprise, I wasn't sure how much use my daggers would be. Not at this stage anyway. My bow might be another option though. I equipped it and selected an arrow, using a rare one which was supposed to repel magic of any kind. I was hoping that meant it could also cut through the defensive shell around the witch. All we needed was a single weakness we could exploit.

I drew back my bow, pleased that my accuracy score was so high. It meant the chances of my arrow missing were next to nothing. I only had three of these arrows, I didn't have many chances to get this right.

The arrow sliced through the air and I held my breath as it came into contact with where the witch's shield covered her.

"Yes!" I exclaimed as it hit the field and made it shudder.

Cracks appeared in it, but the arrow didn't even graze the witch. Annoying. I'd hoped it would do more damage than that but apparently not. I notched a second arrow, not wasting any time. Knowing our luck, if I didn't act now she'd be able to regenerate the shield and then we'd be well and truly screwed.

I let the arrow fly and notched the third before it even hit. I might not need it but I didn't want to take any chances. The arrow hit and the shield flashed and disappeared for a second before reappearing again almost instantly. Right, I was going to need the third one then. I just hoped it was enough. And that I could get more of them. They were rare but useful.

The third arrow did the trick and her shield fluttered out of existence, leaving the path clear for Pete to take a stab at the witch. I jumped down from the ruins, eager to join the fight. Now our main obstacle was done, all we needed to do was avoid the magic she was throwing off and do some critical damage to her. Simple really.

Or at least, I intended it to be, then we could set off on another quest and maybe even get a chance to talk some more.

The thought of spending more time with Pete brought a smile to my lips. Yes, I really wanted to spend more time with him.