“I have some items for you,” Oliver said.
I received a full 10 silver not including what I had picked up myself, which was nearly half a gold. My inventory was almost full. An iron short sword in the best condition I had seen yet was handed over next. It was even polished.
Victoria explained. “It was actually a gift from Harrison’s group. He said that if you would have had a better weapon you could have taken the hobgoblin’s leg clean off. Iron holds a much better edge.”
“The bearded guy?”
“That’s him.”
“Thank you.”
One less thing I had to spend money on. Good iron weapons could cost as much as low-end steel from what I remember seeing on April‘s cart.
The last thing I received was a green stone. I guessed it was an uncut emerald. This one was bigger than all the stones I had received before. The economy was still in its infancy, but I was sure this would be something to keep and sell later.
With a sudden change of demeanor, Victoria asked. “Okay, let’s see it!”
“What?!” I asked.
“Your pet, of course.”
“Oh... Here.”
With a command, Wink appeared a few feet in front of her. She had been there all along but only visible to me.
“A puppy!”
To the discomfort of her falcon, she knelt down and scooped up the wolf pup, squeezing it to her chest.
She was too distracted to introduce her own pet, but the text above its head informed me its name was Ali.
“Good choice. And her name is Wink? Oh, her eye!”
“I didn’t think anything else would do.”
“It’s perfect.”
It was 10 copper for each of us to get a room for the night. It was at the same inn I had started out at. From the outside, it was a huge log structure with a plain, but homely atmosphere.
We stood there at the far end of the reception area, with the big saloon-style counter and a noisy room with a sausage and gravy smell seeping through the cracked doors to a tavern of sorts. I would have to explore a bit more later.
There was little effort spent on our farewells as we departed upstairs to our separate rooms, except that Victoria didn’t want to stop her tickle fight with Wink. She had no problem letting the pup lick her all over the face.
Victoria said goodnight after giving up the pup, and I noticed her lightheartedness from a moment before was now gone. Her sudden soberness made me want to stop her before she left. If I could have loaned her Wink for the night I would have.
I was too late to say anything as she headed up the stairs to her room.
“Good night,” I said.
Oliver didn’t answer and watched me as I went.
***
Self-Examination
The room I entered looked identical to the one I had started in: a twin bed, small desk, large window and no decoration. At least there was an actual mattress, even if it was a few centuries old. I was expecting straw or feathers.
Even though I had been putting it off, it was time to check in on my fans. It meant I would have to face what happened last night. Exhaustion, which I had plenty of, was not a good enough excuse to wait.
First, I stripped into nothing but my dust-colored clothes and inventoried my armor. The sweat soiled shirt came off next. Only my new sword and sheath stayed with me next to my pillow for protection.
217/221 HP
My recovery was happening quickly. Only a little stiffness still remained.
Sitting Indian style on the bed, I pulled up the parchment textured menu.
I stared at the window for a long time without even pulling up my channel management console. Everything that had driven me the last couple years seemed so far away. To become a professional gamer, one of the best out of billions was the ultimate bragging right.
The competition only got better the higher you went up in the rankings. To challenge the greatest gamers alive and prevail gave you something that no one could take away. Bragging rights were mediocre in comparison to real glory; the kind of glory that doesn’t come from how others see you, but from your own undeniable ability. Once you were the best, the number of followers you had no longer mattered. You could fight against the entire system and you would still have to be acknowledged.
For the first time since I had taken the steps to become a pro gamer, I thought that maybe my father was right. Maybe being a creator was a better choice. It was easy to think that way if all I wanted to do was escape pain. Shaking my head, I repositioned my legs to try and get comfortable without much luck.
Up until last night, all I had to do was remind myself why I was here to stay motivated. The thousands of hours of hard work and going without the things most high schoolers lived for was hard, but a worthy price to pay. Last night the price for admission had changed from climbing the ladder to building your own ladder without any tools and nothing to lean it against. It seemed impossible.
More pain awaited me if I continued. There was very little chance I wouldn’t get hurt again. It was only a matter of time. The game would see to that. Before last night I could honestly say I found joy in what I did, but how could one find joy in suffering? I had mastered 40% pain at a max of 5 seconds. It’s amazing what the mind can do, but is it possible to master 100% pain for hours and stay sane?
Opening my channel management console, I saw my latest selfie. It was from before the Hobgoblin had crushed my shield when Kline and I were showing off our new equipment.
Under my selfie were my channel’s stats. What I saw would have sent me dancing down the street like a crazy man just a day before. Instead, I felt numb.
A room in the inn meant I was free from the live feed, so I didn't have anyone watching me. It was for the best because my followers had shot up to 2,298,589. I now had enough followers to go pro and then some.
Searching for the reason for the viral increase in fans I found that a few of my longtime fans had made two videos. The first I clicked on and confirmed to allow full virtual visuals.
The room disappeared and suddenly I was looking through my own eyes from the night before. I was able to change the view, but first person seemed appropriate.
Sprinting forward a few feet I watched my spear fly and strike the hobgoblin in the back. The scene of my attack played through until the tree-sized club launched me meters away and I watched the boss monster get killed.
Even after the scene played out, I sat there staring at my channel console for a time trembling uncontrollably. This time there was no kind, pretty girl to settle me down.
Clicking the next video gave me a side view of the end of the scene. The club caught me on the far end of its swing. If I had just been two feet further away I would have been home free.
There was a good view of the Hobgoblin being decapitated, but it didn't end there. It didn't seem like it would ever end. Watching yourself clinch your jaw so tight because you lacked the ability to scream was terrifying. When you start to jerk without stop until you passed out… how can you ever look at yourself the same way again?
After I had first passed out Victoria jumped from her knees and stood to face Peter. Tears drenched her face and she demanded with a severity I didn’t think she was capable of, "I have to help!"
A subtle, almost invisible light started to emanate from her hands.
With a shake of his head, he replied, "You know you can't."
Her careful expression didn't change, but the light dissipated as quickly as it had come. Am I seeing things?
"I have to help."
"I know." He stepped forward and grabbed her tight, as a father does a child. "But you can't. Not yet."
She pushed out of his grasp and hit him in the chest.
More impressive, he took the hit like a grunt-cyborg in heavy battle armor.
She dropped to her knees showing the same defeated look I had seen before she went to bed. Peter had said she was a healer. If it was true that she could have normally healed me, then I understood why she felt guilty. Not that she deserved to feel the emotion now.