“Now what?” I asked, “Why did you bring me here?” Was I going to have to stay in a medieval-styled inn for the rest of my life now?

Sam grinned.

“Now this,” he said, taking out a health vial with the clipart of a smiling nurse giving me a thumbs-up.

I frowned, remembering how quickly the monster had recovered. A bubble of hope formed in my stomach. The monster had been bleeding profusely, yet upon taking the magical fluid in the vial the monster was robust in seconds.

“Would it really work?” I asked, unable to hide a shiver in my tone. The possibility seemed too good to be true.

“It’s worth a try,” my brother said, pursing his lips thoughtfully. “I cannot guarantee it will work. Afterall you have come directly from the real world, not through a pod. You are not an avatar but a real human. But it’s worth taking a shot. I have been thinking about this ever since I went into your room last night. What do you say? Do you want to try this or not? I want this to be your decision. Something or the other can always go wrong.”

I thought over it. I didn’t care even if something went wrong. My mind was brimming with images of me walking and running and dancing about.

“Give it to me,” I said.

Sam nodded. He took off the cork and put the vial to my lips. I gulped down the viscous fluid. Both of us waited, holding our breaths anxiously in anticipation of what would happen next.

“Do you feel anything different?” my brother asked. A queer sensation stirred in my stomach. A rush of energy jolted me. The next moment I leapt out of the bed and stood upright on my feet. My legs were heavy with the plaster, but the important thing was that I could feel the lower half of my body and control my legs.

My brother and I did a high five. We tightly embraced each other and awkwardly jumped up and down in excitement.

“See! You can’t have a better brother than me!” Sam declared.

Tears of joy gushed out of my eyes. I had been wrong about Sam. He was the one who was always willing to try out things that nobody would even think of. Sam’s Virtue was what had really healed me.

He was smiling from ear to ear, his yellow teeth exhibited in their full glory.

“You are a genius, Sam,” I told him, “you really are!”

“Ah! You finally recognize me for what I am!”

“But I don’t understand one thing,” I said, “How did you find me? How did you know that I was in the hospital?”

“Well, I created portals to your home a number of times, but you weren’t there,” Sam said. “So one day, instead of thinking about your house while throwing the gold dust, I pictured your face. The new portal led me to your hospital room.”

I looked down at the plaster on my legs.

“I think it would be great if we could remove that,” I said.

“Sam is at your service,” my brother answered. He went downstairs and brought a saw. It took a while to cut through the cast material without injuring my legs, but finally I was plaster free. I went to the window and gazed down at the streets. Oddly dressed players and elves moved about. A light wind kissed my face. My body tingled with a newfound sense of freedom.

“And now, it’s time I leave,” Sam announced.

“Leave?” I asked, puzzled. “Don’t you live here?”

Sam pulled a face.

“Leave for the real world. My body is in a pod and I haven’t eaten anything--or even gone to take a dump for many hours,” Sam said.

“Right,” I said, realizing that I would have to stay alone in the inn for the time being. “What would I say if somebody comes to the room?”

“Just tell them you are a friend of mine,” Sam said, “But I don’t think anyone will visit. Just be careful not to make a lot of noise.”