That night, when Edward logged off, he took off his helmet and sat up on his bed. When Ikarus appeared above him, however, he suddenly realized his dragon's new size was a huge problem. Ikarus landed on the other side of the bed with a heavy thud. Most of the bed's weight was immediately transferred over to his side of the bed— causing a sharp creak to echo through the room as he moved.
Ikarus looked at the bed, startled by the noise, before turning to look at Edward. His eyes seemed full of sadness and worry.
"You're too big now, buddy," Edward whispered. He looked to Ikarus and smiled. The dragon reluctantly hopped off of the bed, though he continued to stare at Edward. As soon as his feet touched the floor, though, the floorboards began to struggle under his weight.
Ikarus looked down— surprised— then began whining.
"I need to get a new place," Edward realized. He looked at Ikarus, then turned his attention to the door. His backpack was still hanging on its designated hook, just next to his jacket. He looked to the other side of the room, where his dresser and minifridge were pushed against the wall just next to the window pointing to the parking lot. In the other room was his kitchenette and the entrance to his small bathroom. At that moment, he realized his motel room wasn't large enough to accommodate him anymore.
Ikarus would grow in size every ten levels— by his estimation. He might be large enough to ride by the time he reached level twenty. If that happened the motel room itself would be too small to contain Ikarus's body. By then, he might need an entire estate all to himself. Even the Colt family's entire motel wouldn't be large enough.
'Not only do I need a new place, I need a big one,' Edward thought to himself as he put his elbows on his knees. He rested his face against his palms and rubbed his eyes, 'My office job won't be enough to afford it, though. Not to mention, whoever I buy a house from needs to be trustworthy— or they might tell the world about my abilities or Ikarus's existence.'
Ikarus walked to the fridge and used his claw to rip off the handle. It clattered to the ground and caused a noise loud enough to distract Edward from his thoughts.
"Oh, let me help," Edward said. He quickly stood up and opened the fridge. However, when he looked inside he was surprised to find himself out of ice cream. The last one must've gone while Edward was too distracted scrolling through the forums. He closed the fridge, then looked at Ikarus, "We're out. Stay here, Ikarus. I'll be back soon."
Ikarus nodded, then jumped atop the bed and used the multitude of blankets to get comfortable. Now that he was too large for a pillow Ikarus would have to settle for something larger. Edward quickly changed into something a little warmer, then grabbed his motel keys, his jacket, and his backpack before walking out the door.
He was met with the cold August winter— the snow was beginning to fall from the dark clouds above. Soon enough, it would be winter. Winters in Edward's city were often colder and rougher than most. His city held the record for the most inches of snow for one winter in his entire state.
As Edward was walking down the road to the nearby convenience store, he found himself alone. The sun had already fallen and the weather had covered the ground in a thin blanket of white snow. A car came down from behind him, yet Edward didn't bother to look in its direction.
However, that choice was very quickly taken from him. As soon as the car approached him, it pulled over to the side of the road. Edward, curious by the noise behind him, turned around and gazed at the car. It was a large white van with large sliding doors.
Before the van even came to a complete stop, the doors opened wide and three men quickly jumped onto the sidewalk. All three men wore black jeans and a black jacket. Each of their faces was obscured by a black ski mask.
One of them held a pistol while the other two carried metal baseball bats. Edward immediately recognized that this was a very dangerous situation, but he didn't feel afraid at all. Instead, he turned his body to face the three men, his hands still casually in his pockets.
"Unlucky day, fool!" One of the men with the baseball bat shouted. Edward looked at the man and raised his eyebrow. His eyes focused on the way the man stood, as well as the grip he used to hold his weapon.
"You're gonna rob me?" Edward asked, just for clarification.
"Yes. If you don't give us your shit, we'll take it from your bleeding corpse!" The other man with a baseball bat spoke. He looked at the other man, then focused on his stance, as well. Edward was surprised to find that the man barely even had a proper hold on the handle of his bat. His legs were too close together and his shoulders were too tense.
"With that stance?" Edward muttered, confused. For a moment, the three men looked at each other. A second of silence passed before one of them shrugged. Baseball batman #1 charged forward and gripped his bat with both hands. However, as he ran, Edward sighed and took a step to the left. Before the man even acknowledged Edward's movements, Edward pulled his hand out of his pocket and slammed his wrist into the man's spine.
Edward didn't apply too much force— more like a light tap— but the man immediately collapsed onto the sidewalk. Edward heard a crack from the man's arm as it collided with the concrete and turned to look at the man's injury.
"Oh, you've fractured an arm," Edward sighed as the man began screaming. Edward crouched down and grasped the man's collar. Then, as if the man only weighed ten pounds, Edward lifted the man as high as he could. Once his feet had left the ground, the two other robbers charged forward. The one that held the bat attempted the same thing as his friend— a reckless charge into danger.
Edward stepped aside, then threw the man he held at the charging robber. The two of them collided and flew through the air for three meters before finally landing in the center of the street.
"Shit, whoops," Edward muttered, frustrated. He turned to look at the last man and found him pointing the gun at Edward's chest. His eyes were wide enough to look like moons