Emmett woke up feeling the warmth of the sun filtering through the thin curtains of the room in Saga. A weight pressed down on his arm, and as he blinked his eyes open, he saw the delicate figure of the bar girl snuggled against him. Her head rested on his chest, her slow, steady breaths rising and falling in peaceful sleep. For a moment, he lay there, staring up at the ceiling, letting the events of the night sink in.
Last night... he thought with a grin that practically split his face. The experience had been unlike anything he'd ever felt in the real world. His body was faster, stronger, and more responsive, thanks to the cultivation rank he had reached. The power and stamina he had felt coursing through him made everything more intense, more alive. Man, I can't even imagine how this would feel when I hit Core Formation.
His mind wandered to the future, thinking about the next levels in his cultivation journey. With each new realm, the enhancements would only grow. He couldn't help but fantasize about how the experiences would change, how he could push his new abilities to their limits—not just in combat but in everything.
A small, mischievous grin crept onto his face as he glanced down at the sleeping girl. Her hair fell across her face in soft waves, and for a moment, he contemplated slipping out quietly. But then again... what's the harm in one more round?
"Hey," Emmett whispered, gently nudging her awake. The girl stirred slightly, a soft groan escaping her lips as her eyes fluttered open. She gave him a sleepy smile, clearly content. "One more for the road?" he teased, his hand running down her back.
She smiled coyly, nodding before pulling him back into her arms.
Later, as Emmett slipped out of the small inn and adjusted his cloak, he couldn't wipe the smug grin off his face. Damn, this game is something else. His mind was already buzzing with thoughts of the next quest, the next challenge. But as he made his way back to the inn where his team was staying, he couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt. Larissa's face flashed in his mind, and though he tried to shake it off, a sinking feeling weighed down his steps.
As soon as he entered the inn, the atmosphere shifted.
The first thing he noticed was the trio of women sitting at a table by the fireplace. Valerie, Mirabelle, and Larissa—all of them with red eyes and dark bags under their eyes, looking like they hadn't slept at all. The moment Valerie spotted him, her face twisted with anger, and before Emmett could even utter a greeting, she was out of her seat, charging at him with surprising speed.
"You bastard!" Valerie shouted, leaping into the air with a flying kick that Emmett barely had time to dodge. Her foot slammed into his shoulder, sending him stumbling backward. "You think you can just sneak off and—ugh! And be gone all night! You've got some nerve, Emmett!"
Emmett groaned as he tried to keep his balance. "Val, wait—!"
But she didn't give him a chance to explain. She landed another solid hit on his side, making him wince and stagger against the nearest wall. "We were up all night! ALL NIGHT, Em! Because of you!"
Larissa sat quietly at the table, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She didn't look at Emmett directly but stared into her cup, her hands trembling slightly.
"Whoa, whoa!" Emmett held up his hands in surrender, wincing as the soreness from Valerie's kicks began to set in. "I didn't know—what do you mean you were up all night?"
"You know damn well what I mean!" Valerie spat, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "We had to console Larissa all night! She's been... beside herself because of you!"
Emmett glanced over at Larissa, guilt settling in his chest like a heavy weight. He tried to step closer to her, but Valerie blocked his path with a sharp, threatening look.
"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Valerie scoffed. "Do you have any idea how much she cares about you?"
Mirabelle, who had been silently watching from her seat, stood up and unsheathed her sword without a word, placing it heavily on the table. The metal gleamed under the dim light, and Emmett immediately froze, sensing the serious shift in the room.
"Uh, Mirabelle..." Emmett started, his hands still raised defensively. "What's with the sword? Come on, you can't be serious."
Mirabelle's eyes were cold, and she didn't respond right away. She simply leaned against the table, her fingers resting lightly on the hilt of the blade. It was a subtle, but clear warning.
Backing up slightly, Emmett glanced between her and the others, trying to gauge how much trouble he was in. "Come on, Mirabelle, you said it was okay yesterday!" he argued, his voice rising defensively. "I asked for permission!"
Mirabelle raised an eyebrow, her expression blank. "Permission?" she repeated flatly.
"Yeah!" Emmett insisted. "You said I could sneak away and handle some 'private business.'"
A dangerous silence followed, and then, in one swift motion, black flames suddenly engulfed the blade of Mirabelle's sword. The flickering, dark fire reflected in her eyes as she leaned forward slightly, her voice deathly calm. "I don't recall saying that, Em."
Emmett's mouth snapped shut, his confidence quickly draining away. He swallowed hard, taking a step back from the menacing sight of the black flames. "Okay, okay... Let's not get too hasty here," he muttered.
Seeing the tension escalate, Valerie finally stepped in. "Alright, enough of this," she said, placing a hand on Mirabelle's shoulder. "We've got more important things to worry about."
Mirabelle extinguished the flames with a flick of her wrist, but the warning was clear. Emmett knew better than to push the issue any further. He had dodged a metaphorical—and quite literal—bullet this time.
Emmett knew better than to push the matter further after Mirabelle's show of force. Her black flames flickering on the sword were enough of a signal that he had crossed a line, even if he didn't fully understand how or why. He backed away, hands up in a gesture of surrender, giving a small sheepish grin.
"Alright, alright. No more 'business.'"
Mirabelle's eyes stayed on him for a moment longer before she finally sheathed her sword, her sharp gaze softening just a little. Valerie, still fuming, crossed her arms and glared at Emmett, while Larissa sat quietly, her posture slumped in defeat.
"Now that that's settled," Valerie said, her tone still biting, "we need to focus on more important things. There's a lot we need to deal with today, so no more sneaking off, Em."
Emmett rubbed the back of his neck, his mind still racing with the tension in the room. He knew Larissa's feelings were more complicated than he'd allowed himself to acknowledge. But now wasn't the time to dive into that mess, not with all they had ahead of them.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he muttered, still glancing sideways at Mirabelle, who gave him a small, almost imperceptible smile of amusement.
Valerie rolled her eyes and started packing up her gear. "Good. Now, let's move. We've got to go check on the rest of the group and make sure they're all logged out in safe spots before we return to the real world."
The others followed her lead. They grabbed their bags and weapons, preparing to leave the inn to check on the remaining mercenaries stationed in the other inns scattered around the city. Mirabelle was quick to take charge, her calm, collected demeanor snapping back into place after the earlier flare-up.
"Everyone ready?" she asked, her voice back to its usual, steady tone.
The group nodded, and with that, they set off into the early morning streets of Mist City.
Mist City was starting to come to life as they moved through the cobblestone streets. Merchants were setting up stalls, townspeople bustled about with morning chores, and guards continued to patrol, keeping an eye on any potential threats after the recent upheaval. It all seemed normal, but there was a tension underlying everything—the kind that made Emmett keep his hand on the hilt of his sword, just in case.
They split up into small groups as they reached the other inns where their fellow Thorn mercenaries were stationed. Mirabelle, Valerie, and Emmett took charge of making sure everyone was ready to log out. They reminded the others to do so in private, safe places within their rooms, so as not to draw attention to the fact that they were players, not NPCs.
Emmett knocked on one of the doors, a weary-looking mercenary opening it. "You all set?" Emmett asked, leaning against the doorframe.
The mercenary nodded. "Yeah, just making sure no one's going to bust in while I'm out."
"Good call," Emmett said. "Log out when you're ready. We'll meet up again tomorrow night."
After making the rounds, the group reconvened outside the final inn, having ensured that all the members of the Thorn mercenary group were in safe locations and ready to log out.
"Let's head back," Mirabelle said, turning toward their own inn. "Everyone's accounted for, and we need to rest."
Back at the inn, the tension from earlier had mostly dissipated, but an awkward silence lingered between Emmett and the girls, especially Larissa. He could feel her glancing at him from time to time, but she remained quiet, her lips pressed into a tight line as she walked alongside Valerie.
Once inside, they all headed toward their respective rooms. Emmett paused before the door to his own room, his hand resting on the handle as he turned to the others. He noticed Larissa standing near her door, her eyes downcast.
"Larissa, I—" Emmett started, but she cut him off with a soft shake of her head.
"It's fine, Emmett," she said quietly, her voice thick with emotion. "Just... log out, okay? We'll talk later."
Emmett hesitated, unsure of what to say or how to make things right. But Larissa's firm tone made it clear she wasn't ready for a conversation right now. With a defeated sigh, he nodded and turned back to his room.
Once inside, Emmett locked the door behind him, his mind buzzing with the weight of the day. He kicked off his boots, stretched out on the small bed, and stared up at the ceiling. The tension between him and Larissa was gnawing at him, but they were not a couple, he thought it was just some friendly banter. Maybe once they got back to the real world, he could figure it all out.
For now, though, all he could do was log out and prepare for what was to come next.
He let out a long breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the familiar command to exit the game.
Emmett's eyes snapped open to the sound of birds chirping outside. The bright morning sunlight streamed through the curtains of his room, casting golden rays across the room. For a moment, he just lay there, blinking away the grogginess as his mind readjusted to the real world.
Everything felt... different. The dull ache of his muscles, the stiffness in his body—it was all so much more intense compared to the virtual world of Saga. He groaned and stretched, his limbs protesting the movement after hours spent in the game.
"Man, it's like waking up after a fight with a monster and realizing it wasn't a dream," he muttered to himself, rubbing his sore shoulders.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, taking in the peaceful quiet of the morning. The real world had a way of grounding him in ways that Saga never could. Here, there were no monsters, no quests, no life-or-death stakes... just the regular rhythm of life.
But even as he took a deep breath and soaked in the sunlight, the weight of everything that had happened in the game lingered in the back of his mind.
But for now, as the morning sun warmed his skin, he allowed himself a brief moment of peace. Whatever comes next... I'll be ready.