It took a moment for Asha to understand. "Oh, not mates as in friends, but…"
"Friends with benefits."
It was tempting. Who wouldn't want to live in a community where everyone was working together for the greater good? Everyone contributed equally, and received exactly what they needed. But the free-love aspect put her off. Besides, her friends needed her.
"Thank you for the invitation, but I have to get back to my friends. I'm not ready to settle down yet."
They cleaned up the campsite. Deidra left the wood she collected neatly stacked for the next traveler to pass by in need of fire. That's when Asha realized it was a common place for people to stop and rest. After they saddled the horses, Deidra pulled Asha aside.
"You rescued me when it would've been easier to just run out the door and escape," Deidra said. "For that I will bestow upon you Gifts."
Asha tried to protest, but she silenced her.
"First, since I know you are always getting into trouble, I Gift you the Power of Healing," Deidra said, placing her right hand over the sorceress's heart. Warmth flowed out of that hand and spread quickly through Asha's body. "The spell is yours forever, and you can Gift it to other spellcasters, too. No more than once a year, though. The cost is one mana point for a simple scratch, up to a hundred to replace a lost limb."
Asha's head spun. "You mean I could replace a lost limb? Like an arm or leg?"
"Yes, but be careful. The rush of mana out can be debilitating on really big healings. It could leave you weak and helpless for more than an hour."
The ranger lifted both hands to the sky, closed her eyes, and whispered words Asha didn't understand. Spots of bluish light appeared between her hands, slowly elongating and materializing into a pair of elven curved swords. Their cross-guards and pommels were adorned with purple rhinestones. The scabbards were wood, with silver decorations, and painted purple.
"I Gift you with these Elven Swords," Deidra said. "They are Bound weapons, so you will never be unarmed and helpless again."
The ranger spoke a sharp word, and the swords vanished from her hands, only to reappear strapped across Asha's back. The sorceress immediately pulled them both, tested their weight and balance, and smiled brightly at Deidra.
Congratulations! You have been given a Bound object Elven Swords!
"Thank you so much! You are too generous."
"I know. It's a problem I'm working on," Deidra said with a grin. "Notice how the rhinestones match your Princess Jasmine outfit."
"I did, and thank… What? This isn't a Princess Jasmine outfit," she said. "The Game gave it to me. It's an Elven Sorceress Dress."
"I know, but on you it makes me think of my favorite character, in my favorite childhood movie."
Asha was too pleased and excited with her two Gifts to be mad. She did give the ranger an exasperated sigh and head shake. But it was time to go, so they hugged and Asha promised to visit Deidra's village if she passed through again. And Deidre said she could bring her friends for a visit, too.
The elven ranger departed first, taking a barely discernible track to the east. She watched until even the sounds of passage faded away. Mounting her horse, Asha headed north to Knaresburg. Deidra said it was a couple hours up the road, but at what gait? She nudged her mount to a slow trot, a jog. The mare proved her mettle the previous day, so that shouldn't be difficult at all to maintain for a couple hours.
After an hour, Asha dismounted and walked her mount for ten to fifteen minutes, but mostly to give herself a break. Though she did ride in RL, this realm's saddles were different from what she was used to, and she wasn't ready to ride all day in either world.
The sorceress was just about to take another walking break when they exited the woods and beheld farmlands. A walled town rose up on a hill, overlooking the river. She pulled up her map, and it indicated her location was south of Knaresburg.
"About time."
There were a lot of soldiers out and about, and even more atop the town walls and outside the one visible gate. That gave the town a more ominous feel than Oxenbluff.
She dismounted, tied the mare to a bush she was already munching on, and moved deeper into the forest. She found a spot about a hundred paces from the road. It was high ground, under a massive oak. A beautiful place to respawn.
You are designating a new Respawn Site. This is the location you will respawn after death. It is your responsibility to ensure it is a safe location away from prying eyes. Do you wish to continue? Yes or No?
"Yes, I do."
Congratulations! You have successfully designated a new Respawn Site.
Asha quickly returned to her horse and headed toward the town gate. The elfmaid remained mounted as she approached the town. The others on the road all deferred to her and moved out of the way. She assumed having a horse in that realm meant being rich and powerful, so commoners showed all due respect to horseback riders.
Only a few of the peasant farmers she checked out were players. They had a lot more farmers and field hands out and about than she'd seen outside of Oxenbluff. There were also soldiers on mounted and foot patrols. She was challenged by each patrol, forced to show she had money before being allowed to continue.
These people sure don't like vagrants, she thought.
She only passed through one of the villages. There were old men, women, and children, along with barking dogs, chickens, and two cows being milked by old men. The women were huddled in small groups sewing, weaving, or cooking. Only the children looked up at her, while the adults all kept their eyes averted. Though one group of five women she passed by closely actually stood up and bowed, while never looking up.
"I don't like the feel of this place," she muttered.
There were easily fifty soldiers on guard outside the gate. They watched her with cold eyes as she approached. The sorceress started to think she was making a mistake, but it was too late now. Turning around would only confirm any suspicions they had about her.
"Smile and be friendly, Asha," she whispered as she neared the gate. "The last thing I need is to be killed again or arrested."
Chapter 26
It was a lot cooler outside. Tiana hadn't realized it was so much hotter inside the inn, though it wasn't really cold outside. She still considered putting on Asha's enchanted robes, but they were at the bottom of her pack.
Fergus stopped to speak with a street urchin. The kids watching for Asha needed to know where they were going. The stable they used wasn't on that plaza. Tiana thought of it as a block over, since the stable was at the corner of the next street, but Knaresburg's twisting, narrow streets didn't really have blocks. She had a hard time figuring out when one street ended, and another started. And none of the street names were posted anywhere.
A feminine squeal of surprise drew the thief's eyes. It was some scantily clad bimbo with a wealthy looking man. He was a rather young man, too, wearing silk robes and lots of rings. Her interest was piqued.