About ten minutes after Edward switched the XP distribution to give Brandon more XP, everybody in the party had finally reached level four. Most of their efforts were spent on Ikarus and Edward, but nobody complained about it. Both Markus and Brandon were happy the entire party was on the same level.
When they reunited at the forest's entrance, Edward took a moment to inspect the new stats his companions were now able to boast about. First, he looked at Ikarus— who was in the process of climbing atop Edward's shoulder
︽
Lvl: 4
XP: 15%
Race: Platinum Dragon
—
HP: 75
MP: 110
SP: 145
HUNG: 75/75
—
DMG: (Breath - 10) 32
DEF: (Dragon scale - 25) 40
—
POW: 2
AGI: 29
END: 15
WIS: 22
LUC: 2
︾
Edward was glad to see his little friend accomplish so much with only two levels, though he was sad to see a continued lack of skills. He was beginning to wonder if Ikarus's skills simply didn't show up on the status screen— similar to how Edward's [Appraisal] skill was omitted from the list to prevent clutter.
Next, Edward turned to his brother.
︽
Lvl: 4
XP: 0%
Title: None
Origin: Bounty Hunter
—
HP: 55
MP: 5
SP: 70
HUNG: 55/55
—
DMG: (Flintlocks - 4. Rapier - 7) 18 - 11
DEF: (Leather Armor - 5) 16
—
POW: 4
AGI: 14
END: 11
WIS: 1
LUC: 15
—
Skills: [Swift Reload], [Quick Shot], [Sprint]
︾
Brandon had chosen to upgrade his reload skill rather than take on another skill, which Edward personally approved of. Edward quickly noticed how Brandon's stats were only ten points higher now than before, but he was expecting that. Only players with an Origin better than the basic profession class would get extra skill points. Kinetic Origins would get 15 while Blood Origins would get 20.
That was why Brandon's total stats were only half of Edward's, despite the two brothers having the same level. Markus hadn't gained any XP from this trip, but everybody in the group knew that would happen before they even left the city.
"We should go back, for now," Edward said to the others the moment he caught sight of them. He looked to Markus, "We need enough rest for work."
'Well, Markus does, at least. I want to spend some time scrolling through the forums,' Edward's mind added. Markus nodded at this and turned to Brandon.
"Don't play too much without us or your grades will suffer," Markus chuckled.
"Oh, shut up! I'll be getting off, as well," Brandon laughed as he lightly tapped Markus in the arm. He looked to Edward. Then, with a grandiose voice filled with fake praise, he bowed and tucked his arm to his chest, "There's no point in playing without my trusty leader, after all."
Markus stifled a laugh, then turned to Edward, "I'll see you in a few hours."
Then, with a flash of light, Markus disappeared. Edward was momentarily worried that he would be griefed when he logged back in, but he was close enough to the campsite to prevent that. Brandon waved his farewells, too, before logging off himself.
Once both of them were gone, Edward turned back to the city. It had been half an hour since Leila began learning Draconic. If he started walking back now, she would be back to normal once he got to the inn. However, speaking to Leila in the dragon language wasn't his biggest concern at the moment, so he instead decided to log off. That conversation would have to wait until tomorrow. However, before he pressed the log-out button, he made sure to send her a quick message.
As Edward opened his eyes, he immediately sat up and took off his helmet. Ikarus appeared in a flash of light next to him and landed on his pillow within moments. Then, as if he hadn't eaten for days, Ikarus immediately jumped down to the fridge and began to use his claws to open the fridge.
Scarily enough, he was getting better at it.
Edward took a moment to complete his after-session ritual. He ate some food and brushed his teeth while Ikarus scarfed down another tub of ice cream. He browsed through his phone for a moment as he searched for anything new on the forums. However, before he could even tap his phone three times, a playful curiosity was ignited within his heart.
Edward quickly put his phone down before lifting his hand. He made sure his fingers were far away from any pieces of his furniture— such as his bed or his counters. Then he snapped his fingers and watched as a small ember appeared above his thumb. The ember was tiny— only the size of a grape— but the entire room immediately felt its heat. Edward felt like he had suddenly stepped inside a sauna— he conveniently ignored the fact that he had never been in one before.
Ikarus looked up from his ice cream and whined. The small dragon wasn't pleased at the rate his ice cream was melting, so Edward chuckled and snapped his fingers once more. The small ember above his thumb faded away just as quickly as it appeared.
"I'm starting to get used to these powers," Edward mumbled as he fell back onto his bed— arms spread out wide like an eagle. Ikarus ignored him— the ice cream was too important, "I wonder how Leila's roommates will react when they see her new appearance. They might raise hell."
For the next few hours, Edward spent all of his time scrolling through the forums. As usual, there wasn't much of anything important enough to pay special attention to. He found a few posts about the events he caused in Pathe, and though there was some chatter about Ikarus's powerful display of strength, a large majority of people instead talked about Edward and Leila.
A few people had tried to find their real identities— and though some people claimed to know who Leila was— nobody knew who Edward was. Someone even posted a bounty to discover their real identities— Dan, most likely— but everybody who replied to his bounty did so while criticizing his game sportsmanship. Edward believed the speculation over his identity was good— as well as entertaining. For one, he wouldn't be harassed in the real world unless he showed either Ikarus or his abilities, but also because he began to see the foundations of an in-game urban legend.
'The masked player with the dragon,' Edward thought with a smile. After a moment, he shook away this thought and turned back to his phone.
"If I do see anybody talking about me like that, I hope they'll come up with a better headline."