Ashes of the Fallen

At least this time, I wouldn't need to carry all of my gear by myself, or use that makeshift sled to drag all of the hides that I was bound to collect on the way. Also, there was no reason to wear a live-kitty bandolier.

They could sit atop the cows.

Or something like that.

Chapter 53: Welcome Home

(Monday, July 19th Game Day / Monday, March 8th Real Day)

A week had passed, a real week, by the time I finally came within viewing distance of Dragon's Breach. It had been a long journey despite the short distance of it all, a hundred miles shouldn't have taken me more than ten hours by myself… the problem, were the bovines. They were slow, unbearably so.

Stopping to rest every so often plus their slow walking pace made for an arduous journey, thankfully it was finally over. In between the rest breaks I hunted small game here and there, but for the most part it was mindless walking, daydreaming or reading the news. Heck, I even had the time to watch videos with the in-game browser… a truly uneventful trip by all accounts.

I had finally reached my destination, and well, it was good to be home.

Opening up my friend's list, there was a secondary window that contained my companions that I could communicate with, as long as a Soul Link had been achieved. Thus far I had only met those requirements with Selene, which left the list rather empty. My friend's list was fairly empty too though, with Ellieby, Barik, Alan, and Ethan the only ones on it. A short list sure, but a quality one.

I preferred quality over quantity, anyhow.

"Hey Selene, are you free to lend a hand?" I messaged telepathically, as it differed slightly from communicating with actual players. "I'm just south of the village now."

A few seconds passed before I heard Selene's voice, as she asked with slight hesitation, "ah, Sigurd is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," I replied out loud, despite not needing to.

"Um, do you require significant assistance?" she questioned almost immediately.

"A hand or two would suffice," I said, realizing that I didn't actually need a hand after all. "I can manage if you're busy, it would just speed things up."

Nothing but silence came from her end as the birds continued to chirp off to the side and slightly above me in the trees. The sounds of the river were quite loud at this time of the year, no doubt related to the rising temperatures and recent rain fall, yet even if that was all I could hear, it was a pleasant thing.

I missed these moments, out here in nature.

Peace and quiet, free of human interference as far as the eye could see… well, so long as you weren't looking at Dragon's Breach. But, that was my territory, and since that was the case, it didn't quite count, it wasn't the same.

Yeah, this was home.

"I'll be right there," replied Selene after a minute or two had passed, much to my surprise. For a moment, I figured she was ignoring me… I had been gone for a while after all, it wouldn't be unheard of for her and Katherine to be upset with me. Leaving them in charge of managing the village while I played at being an adventurer wasn't exactly fair to them, but I was the one in charge!

So, hah!

About half a mile out from the village, the figure of a woman started to develop on my visual horizon. A few minutes later, and Selene was not only fully visible but within shouting distance as well.

Raising my voice a bit, I yelled out, "Selene! Come to welcome me, have you?"

She continued to walk in silence as her hips sashayed from side to side, a feminine walk, clearly practiced to perfection yet one that didn't help her lack of curves. That wasn't to say that Selene had no sex appeal, but flaunting nonexistent curves wasn't the way to do it. Well, that's why I bought her a nice little gift.

I could help her out in that regard.

"Sir Sigurd… to welcome you, you say," she said with a bit of attitude. Tilting her head slightly to the side as she placed her hands on her hips, she offered her rebuttal.

"You were the one that requested assistance, lest you've forgotten, so soon."

As she continued to meander on over, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true," I said with a grin.

As she stopped in front of me, I reciprocated and slowed my pace to a halt.

She stared at me in an odd way, as if she were expecting something.

Standing there silently, waiting for me to do something.

Ah, maybe.

Taking a step forward and leaning in slightly, I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in, embracing her quickly and planting my lips on hers with a swiftness that denied the possibility of retreat. She had no intention of retreating or pulling back anyway, as she relaxed in my arms and succumbed to my advance.

After breaking off for a chance to breathe, she nudged me as she returned a hug.

She whispered softly, "you sure know how to make a girl wait."

"I'm worth the wait," I replied with a coy smile.