Shamus came and carefully woke me up just before the first light of morning. Waking up on that magical mattress made it difficult to be upset at the early hour based on how refreshed I was. I could tell he was as excited to go fishing as I was and we set out. None of the animals got up to follow us and I didn't blame them. The safety and comfort of the barn probably made this better than any other place these animals had slept. We exited the area before talking too much to not disturb the wild animals.

"There is a river that runs through this land to the West of here. Its closest point to Roseglen is about an hour Southwest of us," Shamus said pointing towards where we would meet the river. "You can catch fish in almost any water around here, but river fishing is my favorite."

"I love river fishing," I said excitedly. "although I do have a soft spot for lake fishing as well. My grandfather had a cabin on a small lake and he used to take me out on a little rowboat to fish the middle of it."

"That sounds relaxing," he said as we continued to walk.

The trees were getting a little more sparse the more we moved west. We had made pretty good time getting to the river as only a little over half an hour had passed when we saw the water up ahead. We were moving slightly downhill as we traveled and I had a feeling that the trip back would take a little longer with gravity not being on our side.

The river was moving calmly from North to South and looked to snake its way completely through the land. That was what it looked like on the map I took from Tekosh anyway. I could see a vague outline that seemed like it could be different bodies of water.

We got to the water's edge and I pulled my fishing pole out of my inventory. Shamus had been carrying him as the NPCs here didn't seem to have access to a dimensional space like I did. If they wanted to carry something they had to do it the old-fashioned way.

Shamus had a little pouch on his belt that he had apparently filled with dirt and worms. He handed me a worm and a terrifying thought went through my mind that hadn't hit me before. I tried speaking to the worm.

"If you can understand me please stop moving," I whispered quietly to the worm to avoid judgment from Shamus. It kept on wriggling in my palm and I let out a sigh of relief. No way I would be able to put a worm on a hook if it had sentience and could feel pain. I had to make some assumptions and they did make me feel better about using the live bait.

Then I thought about the fish themselves. Would I be able to communicate with them and would they feel pain? Based on what Mae had told me about my inventory, I wouldn't be able to add a sentient creature to my inventory and if I could add something living it meant it wasn't sentient. It would die right away, but I had come to believe that this was like a game and it wasn't the same as back home. I'd already come to terms with killing orcs and goblins and in order to deal with this reality, I had to believe that it wasn't the same as real killing.

I wouldn't hurt a fly when I was living in the real world. I would even capture spiders and release them unharmed outside. I remember going hunting with my dad and him directing the shot that I still remembered like it was yesterday. It just didn't feel right to me. I'm fine with hunting for meat to provide for your family and that is what we were doing, but it just didn't sit well with me. Killing the orcs and goblins just didn't have that same feeling. They were more like playing an adventure game and killing enemies. Something inside just didn't feel the same.

I wasn't sure if I would ever fully comprehend what made killing different here, but it wouldn't change the fact that I would have a difficult time killing a defenseless animal that had sentience and I could communicate with. I took a few steps down the river bank to get a little distance from Shamus.

"Mae," I whispered trying to once again avoid the judgment of Shamus since he couldn't see or hear Mae. "Can I communicate with fish?"

"No, Teddy," she said with a smile, "Fish, insects, and regular-sized spiders here shouldn't have sentience. You can put them in your inventory and use the fish as food items for your other animal friends. They will die when you put them in your inventory though, just like those spider egg sacs."

"Okay, I feel like I am morally okay with fishing and using live bait here," I said nodding in acceptance.

"Take it easy, Plutarch," said Mae with her trademark sass. "Remember that this is more like a game than anything. Don't get caught up in the minutia and forget why you are here."

"First of all, I have no idea who you are referencing so your sass falls on deaf ears. Second, I'd be more worried about myself if I didn't take time to process the killing," I said a little louder than I should have. I noticed Shamus turn towards me slightly, but then he tried to make it seem like it was just a fishing movement.

"I guess you never learned about Greek philosophers when you were in school," Mae said looking more than a little disappointed. "I am glad that you are working through your emotions, Teddy, don't get me wrong. I just don't want you to miss the forest for the trees."

I nodded, put the worm on my hook, and cast it out in front of me. After waiting for a little while and not getting so much as a nibble, I reeled my line in. I walked back over to Shamus who looked to have already caught at least one fish at this point.

"Any tips, Shamus, I haven't had any luck so far," I said holding my rod up with an "I don't know" kind of shrug.

Shamus reeled in and spent about 20 minutes giving me a lesson in fishing for dummies. He demonstrated a cast that was similar in form to anycast I had ever seen, but then he moved his line smoothly back and forth and got a bite within a minute. He pulled in a fish that was approximately a foot long and put it with his other catch.

I thanked him and tried to emulate his method. In a few tries, I got a bite of my own and pulled in a similar fish. I tentatively put it into my inventory and looked at the description. It was listed as a food item and appeared to give healing whether it was cooked or raw. As I suspected it died upon entering my inventory, but at least it was quick and painless I had reassured myself.

I could tell something had been on Shamus' mind and he finally worked up the words to say.

"I've seen you talking to yourself a few times and didn't see any animals around," he said keeping his eyes glued to the river.

I wasn't sure how to answer. Would explaining my invisible fairy guide be better than just saying I talk to myself a lot? I decided to just tell the truth and let him think what he wants. At least I wouldn't have to hide talking to Mae around him.

"When I arrived in this land I was met by a fairy named Mae. She has been helping to guide me through my time here, but is invisible to anyone else," I said as I cast out again. I tried to sound as genuine and honest as possible.

Shamus continued to fish but was taking time to consider my response and formulate one of his own.

"No one else can hear here either?" he asked.

"That is correct," I responded.

"I've never heard of something like that, but you haven't done anything to betray my trust so I will continue to believe you," Shamus said nodding with consideration. "What is your guide telling you to do next?"

I couldn't tell if he really believed me or if he was making fun of me.

"I think the next step is to head up to the town up north to try and return the ring I received when I killed Tekosh. Also, I want to give them the news that the dragon won't be bothering them again," I said intentionally not mentioning my guide.

"I was hoping you would say that," said Shamus looking over at me for the first time since the semi-awkward conversation about my mental state began. "I have a favor to ask and I need someone I can trust."

"What is it?" I asked.

"There is a young woman in town. Her name is Jen and she lost her husband when he attacked. They had only been married a short time and had no children. She is from the town up north and that is where her family lives so far as we know," Shamus had the look of a concerned father and I could tell that he cared for this young woman like she was his responsibility.

He paused for a few seconds to gather himself and continued to explain the situation. "Her husband and I were visiting that town for trade years ago and they met. Over the course of a few more such trips, they became inseparable. We arranged the marriage with her parents and they agreed to have her move to Roseglen. With her husband's death, she has requested help in getting back to her family, but I have been unable to leave the town with the rebuilding. Will you return her to her parents safely?"

I was already planning on heading up north anyway and figured if it would help out Shamus, this woman, and her family that it would be worth it to offer my assistance.

"Of course, Shamus, I will get her back home safely," I said putting my hand over my heart in a sincere promise.

New Quest: Get Jen home safely.

Return Jen to her parents unharmed.

Reward: 2,500 XP, gift from her parents.

The new quest prompt was an added bonus. The amount of emotion in his voice was a bit disconcerting and I felt like there was something more to this story.

"Thank you," he said smiling at me warmly.

"Of course, Shamus," I responded in kind. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so invested in this situation?"

"Jen was married to my little brother," he said solemnly.

"I'm so sorry, Shamus," I said genuinely hurting for this man who had lost so much in the attack.

We spent about another hour fishing in silence. Then started hiking back to Roseglen with our catch.

I had been thinking about my death and my current situation. In addition to that was taking this quest to help a widow return home and thinking about what Mae had said about not forgetting the big picture part of my adventure here. I had a lot on my mind and accepting that I had actually died was only the first step.

We stepped into town and were greeted by my animal friends who each got a fish out of my now well-stocked inventory. We decided to cook up some fish for the whole town and have a nice relaxing lunch before I started to prepare to leave in the morning for my journey up north. During lunch, Shamus walked up to me with a shy-looking young woman.

"This is Jen," he said. She gave a slight bow and her dark hair fell into her face. As she pulled her hair back behind her ears she smiled and my heart sank.

"I'm Theodore," I said meekly. This was going to be more difficult than I thought. Her smile reminded me of Paige's and a wave of sadness coursed through me.