Ashes of the Fallen

A grand staircase wide enough for four people to walk simultaneously, shoulder to shoulder, with an elegant side-railing that led all the way. Complete with a fully-functional second floor, it was partially open similar to a balcony, as it left half of the first floor with an extremely high ceiling that granted a certain ambiance to the entire room.

It was really a fine piece of craftsmanship.

Far finer than anything I had built in Dragon's Breach.

I suppose my experience and hard work, proved to increase my potential.

Ellieby continued to pull me around, as the entire guild ran about the place with a jubilance fitting one of those tv contestants that won a free designer home.

Maybe, I could have a TV show based on my work, too.

Hah, stupid.

After what seemed like an hour, the excitement had settled down as people started to come and go. Ellieby had left me alone to mingle with her friends, but eventually made her way back to me at the end.

"Sigurd, who are you?" she asked seemingly out of the blue.

"Eh, in short… a complicated guy, with a lot of diverse interests," I answered honestly, if not a bit vaguely. It was the truth after all, and I wasn't hiding anything.

"Come on, you ass, who are you really?"

"What do you mean?" I mumbled, while trying not to doze off.

"I mean, you're from the North, you've got a personal yacht, an army of loyal NPC soldiers and tradesmen, and though this is just speculation, you probably have an entire village or town back home. So yeah, who are you? Are you from a prestigious guild?"

Ah, the hard questions.

Well, they were bound to appear, at one point.

"I'm honestly, just a guy with a lot of free time right now," I started to explain, pausing only to think over what I wanted to explain. "No guild, solo affair, mostly a lot of hard work got me here. Would appreciate it if you guys kept quiet about it, though."

She looked at me with a startled expression, as if she couldn't believe what I was saying. Befuddled or bewildered; they were appropriate responses from her.

I figured, it was normal, at least.

"Join our guild then, if you're not in one," she asked seriously, grabbing my hand and staring me straight in the eyes.

It was, a little uncomfortable.

Shrugging my shoulders, I gave her a quick response, "ah, sorry, guilds aren't for me. Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline."

"And why not?" she questioned immediately, relentless in her pursuit as she batted her eyelashes and squeezed my hand. She was being, a bit too friendly now.

"If I told you, I had been in far too many guilds that I outgrew them, would you believe me?" I stated while matching her gaze and leaning in towards her.

If she wanted to pressure me with physicality, two could play that game.

With my head close to hers, I decided to lean in a bit more, and whispered by her ear so only she could hear, "really though, I'm just an asshole, so no thanks."

"Haha you are such an ass," she laughed out as she patted me on the shoulder. "Alright, I get it, I won't ask you anymore. But, know that if you want, you're welcome."

Giving her a wink for good measure, I leaned my head against the wall as I sat back and relaxed. "I need to rest but, open up the NPC-Recruiter in your menu and draft a trade master, will you? Once done, Roald will guide you. I… am going to sleep, night."

With Ellieby looking at me clearly confused, I closed my eyes and initiated the log-out sequence. My sleep deprivation was getting serious, and I was starting to feel a bit delirious, even if my mind still appeared to work.

Everything worked slower, was all.

Chapter 60: Back Home, Again

(Sunday, September 5th Game Day / Wednesday, March 24th Real Day)

After roughly twenty hours of sleep and two very large meals, I was back in action.

Ready, to conquer the world!

Well, maybe, not quite so extravagant but close.

A quick log-in to get myself on the boat and logging out immediately after allowed me to take advantage of the automated travel as my warriors rowed without me.

Sleeping, while traveling the world, life was good.

Ellieby had completed the trade pact with Roald while I was gone and now the two villages had a limited trade alliance in effect. One fully established trade route, ready to be used, whenever we saw fit.

My mission was an astounding success, by my own account.

It only cost me six real-life days and a heck of a lot of manual labor, but it was worth it. In the end, the happy faces of strangers and acquaintances, or dare I say, friends, made it worthwhile. I guess… I was a bit of a sap after all.

Pulling into port, the one made of sand and polished river rocks otherwise known as the river bank, we beached the ship and quickly hopped overboard. A few warriors came over to give a hand, as we hoisted the boat above our heads and carried it to the dry dock near the shipyard.

A standard port wasn't necessary for a Longship.

Yeah, the beach was our port.