“So, entire village is razed?” I sat on the dry dirt which was a makeshift path within the village.

“Seems so. I really tried to make sure it stayed standing. I’ve defended this place for years now.” The woman sat down on the ground next to me. She pulled a pipe from the bag on her hip, followed by a small, fragrant pouch. I knew tobacco when I smelled it. Gods, I could use a cigarette. My eyes followed the pipe and pouch in her hands as she slowly tamped a wad into place. “Oh, would you like some?” I clearly wasn’t subtle, but I hadn’t had a cigarette in what felt like days. I could almost feel my hands shaking. It probably was partially from coming down off the battle too.

“I, uh.” I stumbled on my words. I hadn’t meant to be so obvious.

“You uh?” A thin smile grew on her lips as she lit the pipe with a small match-like object and took a deep drag. The cherry red glow in the bowl sent me back to my life on Earth, when I used to smoke a pipe like the one she held now. It was a dark wood, obviously hand-carved, but surprisingly ornamental. There was a series of leaves carved down the sides, as though it were still part of a tree, while the bowl was carved to look like a cone from a pine tree. The craftsmanship on it was stunning, almost ethereal. I had a hard time looking away.

“Yes, well, ahem.” I cleared my throat as I turned my face. A slight warmth had broken out across my cheeks. “Have you enough to share?” Wow, that was smooth Vlad.

“Yes, here.” She handed me the pipe, gently. As I reached for it, my hand brushed hers. It startled me, her skin was so warm and soft. It didn’t feel like the hands of a seasoned fighter. Awkwardness aside, the tobacco was a wonderful experience. I took a hard pull on the pipe, letting the smoke suffuse my lungs. I could taste the wood, the smoke, the tobacco, the slight hint of pine. I released the smoke gently from my nose, watching it curl as though it were completely real. Osmark’s company did a great job on realism. I would need to find cigarettes soon, though. And Vodka.

“I am Vlad,” I said proudly after the first delicious breath of smoke had left me. “I know very little about goings on.” The warrior smiled at me, a little chuckle rolling from her lips.

“And I am Ina.” My breath caught, and I nearly choked on my own saliva. “As I said, I’ve been protecting this village for years. A shame now, though.”

“Ina? You said your name is Ina?” I was even more confused as to what had happened. Had I died, and been reborn? No, that was 72-hours after first login.

“It is, I heard you shout it from the hill when you were ungracefully falling down it. I just assumed you knew who I was. But obviously, you wouldn’t have been sent by any of the Warden’s guilds. You clearly aren’t very high level.” She rolled her eyes as she stood up, brushing the dirt and clay from her butt.

“No, am not. Vlad is fairly new here.” I tamped the bowl on the ground to empty the spent tobacco and stood as well.

“Well, Vlad, let’s see about getting you some gear, and maybe a few levels. Oh, and we need to get these people to safety, got ourselves a whole village to move. We’ve got maybe 6 hours before the sun sets, and the Tanglewood forest East of here has all manner of baddies. There’s a small town south of here, called Cressfal, it’s a few hours walk for the able-bodied. But with this many people, especially the elderly and the wounded, it’ll take about all the daylight we have left.”

As she finished speaking, a prompt filled my vision. It was so sudden, it caused me to jump a little.

>>>

Quest Alert: Save the Villagers!

You have successfully completed a secret quest, which required you to save the villagers of Val’Fore. Though the village has been reduced to ashes and splinters, the people are still alive, and have you to thank! As a result, you have received 2,000 EXP, and your reputation with the villagers of Val’Fore has increased to Friendly.

>>>

Quest Alert: Relocation

Ina has offered you a quest to help her relocate the villagers of Val’Fore to another safe location, namely the village of Cressfal, a reasonable walk to the South.

Quest Class: Common, Personal

Quest Difficulty: Easy

Success: The villages of Val’Fore safely arrive at Cressfal

Failure: The villagers are wiped out, or you do not reach the town by nightfall.

Reward: 1,000 EXP; unknown material rewards; increased reputation with the villagers of Val’Fore

Accept: Yes/No?

>>>

I wasn’t going to let Ina down. And these villagers trusted me now to take care of them. It was a burden, for sure, but it needed to be done.

“Yes,” I said out loud, without thinking. Ina looked at me with a cocked head, confusion present on her face.

“Oh, got yourself a quest? Good for you, that should help speed things along. I’ll go see about wrangling the villagers swiftly, we’ve got to be going soon. See what you can salvage from some of the houses, and meet back here in 10.” With that, Ina strode away, leaving me to my thoughts. I saw there was a flashing plus symbol in the corner of my vision, along with a couple other flashing notifiers. I focused on the plus symbol and was struck with another new notification.

>>>

X3 Level Up!

You have 15 stat points to distribute!

You have 3 Proficiency points to distribute!

>>>

I had forgotten this entire world was still a video game. I took a moment to think about my character sheet, and it flew up in front of me. I had some points to distribute, which was good. The bad news was, I didn’t know what I really wanted to put those points into. I decided to direct my points towards becoming a wizard. They needed Spirit and Intelligence, right? It made sense to me. I dumped 5 points into Intelligence, and 5 into Spirit. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to use any other stats, but I decided a few more HP and some Dexterity couldn’t hurt. I put 3 points into Vitality, and 2 into Dexterity, then looked at my new skill notification, which seemed to just be beckoning my attention.

>>>

You’ve learned a new skill!

Skill: Large Bladed Weapons

Large bladed weapons, such as battle axes, halberds, bardiches and greatswords, are large and unwieldy, but can cause devastation on the battlefield. Large bladed weapons not only deal slashing damage, but also have a small portion of their damage augmented as crushing damage due to their great weight. Several weapons within this class double as large blunt weapons if they have a blunt side.

Skill Type/Level: Passive/Level 1

Cost: None

Effect: Increases large bladed weapon damage by 5% + 0.5% of base damage as crushing damage

>>>

Well, I wasn’t planning on using that skill anytime soon. The short amount of time I spent with that stupid woodsman’s axe proved that. “Stupid useless skills mucking up Vlad’s skill list. What is this, big swords? Is stupid, not even useful.” I was rather irritated that it even existed, much worse that it had the audacity to show up in my skills. I saw Ina coming back to me with the group of villagers. I had wasted all of that time. “Derr’mo.”

“Did you find anything?” Ina’s voice was painful to hear. It was almost identical to my lost love’s.

“No, lost time doing, eh, things.” I gestured to the world around me as a whole. It was a lame attempt to avoid the backlash I was expecting.

“Nothing for it then,” she said, almost apologetic. She walked up to me slowly and handed me a sheathed dagger. The leather was well made, almost meticulously tooled. “You can use this for now, for defense. And here, I found a couple pieces of salvagable armor from the bandits.” She handed me a pair of thick woolen trousers, a large hide coat with a cloak attached that still smelled like the animal it was taken from, and some sturdy-looking leather boots.

“You are certain I can have?” I looked over the items, like they might reach out and bite me. She shook her hands in frustration.

“Get dressed, and try to catch up. We’re burning daylight.” She shook her head and walked on, throwing her hand up in the air and whistling. “Come on guys, let’s get walking!”

“Okay, I will do.” I started putting my armor together, when I noticed something about them I hadn’t thought to look at before. There were details on the gear pieces that I could focus on, like numbers and information, that leapt out in my face. Statistics, if I remember hearing my coworkers talking about them correctly. That was not something I had expected. I knew there would be details about items, I just didn’t know how to call them up. Finding out this way was annoying, but I went through each piece as I put it on.

>>>

Hide Gambeson

Armor Type: Light; Simple Hide

Class: Common

Base Defense: 8

Primary Effects:

+1 to Constitution

1% Resistance to Slashing Damage

Water Resistant

>>>

Heavy Woolen Trousers

Armor Type: Light; Woven Cloth

Class: Common

Base Defense: 6

>>>

Sturdy Leather Pathfinder’s Boots

Armor Type: Medium; Tanned Leather

Class: Uncommon

Base Defense: 6

Primary Effects:

+5% Movement Speed in Rough Terrain

+5% Reduction in Stamina Use While Running

>>>

I shifted my shoulders after putting the armor on. It felt natural, like it was made to fit me. But it was also hot. I almost immediately started sweating after putting it on.

“Nothing for it,” I spouted. I looked down at the dagger in my hands as well, and pulled up the stats for it. It was high quality, for sure.

>>>

Long-Bladed Dagger of Memory

Weapon Type: Dagger

Class: Rare, Light

Base Damage: 9

Some memories are better left unshared. Some things are better left forgotten. And there are some things that are simply better left.

>>>

What was with that flavor-text, though? That felt personalized, almost directed, at me. I hooked it to my belt, and felt confident in my abilities now. I also had 3 new skill unlocks I needed to look at.

My skills were increasing slowly, but I was appreciative of the new ones.

>>>

Skill: Light Armor

Though Light Armor doesn’t offer the same defensive benefits as Medium or Heavy Armor, it is far less bulky and heavy, granting the wearer decent protection while simultaneously offering significantly increased speed, dexterity, and maneuverability. Light Armor is perfect for classes that rely on speed and distance, such as ranged warriors or spellcasters.

Skill Type/Level: Passive/Level 1

Cost: None

Effect: 7% increased base armor rating while wearing Light Armor

>>>

Skill: Medium Armor

Though Medium Armor doesn’t offer the same defensive benefits of heavy plate, it is far less bulky and heavy, granting the wearer decent protection while simultaneously offering a greater range of speed, dexterity, and maneuverability. Perfect for classes that rely on speed and brutal surprise, but also aren’t afraid to fight close in -- at least for short periods of time.

Skill Type/Level: Passive/Level 1

Cost: None

Effect: 5% increased base armor rating while wearing Medium Armor.

<>>>>

Skill: Bladed Weapons

Bladed weapons, such as claymores, swords, daggers, and cutlasses, can cause massive damage to foes. Bladed weapons are especially effective against animals and lightly armored opponents. This skill is always in effect and costs no Stamina to use.

Skill Type/Level: Passive/Level 1

Cost: None

Effect: Increases Bladed Weapon damage by 5%

>>>

Pleased with my progress, I turned to see the line of villagers, led by Ina, nearly out of sight. I ran to catch up with them, and found my stamina was falling as I ran. When it was down to nearly half, I slowed to a jog. I caught up to Ina fairly quickly, and moved to walk at her same pace.

“Got yourself geared?” Ina’s voice was chipper, but also slightly annoyed.

“Yes, but now is time to march.” I was trying to be stolid, single-minded, focused. It wasn’t working.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t talk about things.” Ina was right, of course. So we talked for a while on our way to Cressfal.

“So, how did you come to be adult?” I asked the question with a bit of confusion, since I knew what I wanted to say, but this idiotic forced English was messing with my vocabulary.

“That’s kind of a funny thing to ask. You mean where did I grow up?” Her rebuttal was patient, but slightly flustered. Funny, Ina on Earth had much the same way with words.

“Yes, that exactly.” I shrugged my shoulders as though I was just clueless.

“Well, I was orphaned when my parents were killed in a raid on their Warden’s Chapter. A group of bandits had amassed enough wealth to hire a small contingency of Sellswords, so the story goes. They wiped the entire chapter out, leaving none alive; except for me, of course.” She gave a pained smile as she continued. “I was hidden in an underground passage that had collapsed years before. The rugs in the main hall covered the entrance well enough to hide the trapdoor.” Now her words were coming a bit more slowly, there was a deep seated hurt behind those words, and I was reluctant to dig any further.

“That is, how do you say?” I struggled for a moment as the filter forced me into English. “Terrible is word I want to use, but is not fitting here, I think. Disfortunate? Is that word?” Ina laughed at me struggling with my words. It was good to hear her laughing after such a deeply painful story. I moved the conversation along, but I wanted to know more about this woman and her history, I had to know more.

“It was terrible, but not everything that starts out terrible has to end that way. Life isn’t an endless cycle of tragedy, you know?” She smiled at me as she spoke, the sadness starting to fade from her features.

“Is long story then? Tragedy always finds Vlad, but you have hope. Where did go after?”

“I was found by a traveling healer who was making her rounds. I had been subsisting on what was left in the larder, it had been about 2 weeks. It was a difficult way to live.” She punched one of her fists into the opposite palm.

“But now, you know, I spent a long time living within Val’Fore. They raised me, for the most part, to be who I am today. The family passed long ago, unfortunately. I was 14 at the time, and the rest of the village took me in to take care of me after that. It was a hard transition, I had lost 2 families in such a short time that I didn’t know what the world had expected of me.” The face she gave showed me that she wasn’t feeling as confident in her words as she tried to make them.

“I do not know what words to use.” I tilted my head to the side as I gave a sad smile.

“Words aren’t necessary, but thank you. Just knowing that you are listening is enough.” Her eyes sparkled behind the sadness, it shook my heart.

“What is plan now?” I looked at the horizon to the south as we walked, hoping that we would have more time together.

“I had always wanted to be a Battle Warden, like my parents. So, I took up the sword, and trained as hard as I could from childhood. And, do you want to know a secret?” There was a mischievous smile stuck to her face like glue.

“Secrets? Yes, I will hear.” I gave her a wry smile myself, I so loved secrets.

“I have a quest to become a Battle Warden, but it’s in Rowanheath. I had never wanted to leave Val’Fore, at least not longer than a day or two, but now it seems like it’s fate.”

“That is big deal!” I hadn’t been so excited for someone else’s advancements in years, at least not someone aside from Ina.

“Right? We can definitely go take care of that one day. But for now, we should focus on getting these people where they belong.” She threw a thumb back towards the crowd following us, who were having conversations of their own. A lot of it was grumbling.

“You have many things in life, but has not been charmed. Is hard to know what to say.”

“My life is what it is, Vlad. But what about you? You haven’t said anything about your life, and I want to know what you did before I met you.” She looked surprisingly interested in what I had to say, which was a shock.

“I worked for large weapons company, making big eh, weapons.” I hated using the same word twice in a single sentence, but I didn’t want to get in over my head in this world.

“So, you made swords, crossbows and ballistae?” She looked confused.

“Oh, no, other weapons. Like, eh, things that explode? Like crossbow, but it shoots solid object instead of bolt. It makes big crater in ground.” I made a bunch of noises to go along with it, including Boosh, Kaboom, and Thoom. These sounds also accompanied hand motions.

“And you made these things?” She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“Yes, Vlad made terrible things in past. But am trying to make up for mistakes in life. Many people die because of Vlad’s bombs.” I pulled my mouth to the side in a frown.

“It sounds like wherever you came from was a terrible place.” She shook her head as we walked, her brow furrowed in thought.

“Truly, it was.” I shook my head as I walked along, thinking about things and how to broach the subject.

“You called me Ina before I introduced myself - how did you know me?” There it was, there was the concerning statement. I knew this would come up sooner than later, and I wasn’t hoping to discuss it.

“I was once married.” I looked down before I continued, clenching my fists. I could feel the fingernails digging into my skin. “Her name was Ina, she looked…” I looked at the woman walking next to me, I took in the view of her hair, her face. It was everything I remembered. I saw the anticipatory half-smile I had grown to love over so many years, and I was struck with how much I had taken it for granted. I found my strength and continued. “She looked exactly same as you. She died from disease that ate away her body from inside.” That had the exact reaction I had expected. Her smile narrowed to a thin-lipped frustration.

“Oh, I see.” I couldn’t be certain, but I was pretty sure that it was a discussion killer. She thought I was making it up, after all we had just shared. Of course, Earth Ina was very much the same way, always skeptical of things she didn’t trust.

“You do not believe.” I rolled my eyes, having dealt with this a million times before.

“No, I just find it hard to believe, that there would be a person here who matches your wife from another world, let alone someone who died.” She said it with such conviction, I almost didn’t believe it myself.

“Is true, I swear it.” I almost gave too much anger in my statement, I had nearly fallen back into the bickering that Earth Ina and I had developed over years.

“Okay, say I believe you, how do I look like her?” There was less fire in her voice, more confusion, and a little bit of fear.

“Your hair, is same. Your voice is same. Your emotions, they are same. The feelings I get when talking to you, they are same. It is, eh, scary.” Her face changed from confusion and anger to a little bit of concern. I saw her fighting with being upset and being comforting, it roiled over her face like a storm.

“I’m sorry, I can’t imagine how difficult that is.” Her voice was laced with compassion, it was almost painful to hear it again.

“Is very hard, but has been six months.” I popped the knuckles in my hands by clenching my fists tightly, then released them.

“There is no right time for grieving, Vlad. Everyone grieves in their own time.”

The conversation was cut short as one of the people shouted from behind us. One of the elderly had fallen and Ina stopped her forced march.

“What happened?” She stepped through the group with the authority of a leader.

“He fell, tripped I think. His leg looks bad.” One of the younger men was supporting an elderly gentleman with his shoulder. His leg looked at an odd angle, probably broken.

“Jonsha, Vetra, you two support him. If I remember correctly, we’re nearly to Cressfal. They have a healer and a place for him to rest. Almost there now!” At her word, another young man stepped out of the line of people and picked up the old man on the other side. Ina came back to where I was standing, whistled a few notes, and started walking again. The crowd followed, without words. It was stunning to watch.

“You lead like champion. Maybe even hero?” I smiled through the words, Ina just looked at me with a wrinkled brow.

“These people are my family, and family understands when it’s time to listen, and when it’s time to bicker.” She nodded a few times to the air in front of us, obviously thinking through something.

“Is good word.” I nodded as well. We continued the rest of the journey without words, there was not a lot to say. The air didn’t feel pregnant with conversation any longer, which was good.

It was about another hour of walking before we were within eyesight of Cressfal, and we didn’t even lose a single villager. Our pace had slowed considerably, since the one villager had fallen, but we still made good time. That was very important, since the sun was setting, and we were starting to hear the howls of wolves from the forest beyond the plains.