As she sat up on the narrow bed and flicked the switch on, rising to her feet only to find herself sprawled on the ground, rubbing her eyes a few moments later.
Anna realized she probably fainted, not able to remember how she even got into this position.
It was a common side effect mentioned in the VR set manual, but she didn't dared to think about it. It was a safety hazard, yes, but - he didn't forget about her, right? He couldn't. He promised…
She carefully touched her face and massaged her neck, sighing loudly.
At least she hadn't broken anything.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, she slowly got up, drank a glass of water, and ate two sugar tablets. The dinner was truly awful; it made her look forward to Saturday's meal with Dean.
She could still remember the taste of the caramel and cream dessert she had that day, and it made her sad. If only she had remained quiet about the certification, none of this would have happened. It was a horrible mistake, and she had to make things right.
She decided to be honest with Dean. At least it's the right thing to do. He doesn't deserve this. He's not that bad. After all, he covered it for her all this time.
Falsifying documents is indeed a grave crime.
Anna decided to end their affair on Saturday. No exceptions. It has to be done, no matter how much she hates confrontation.
She fell asleep without setting an alarm, hoping that she would get enough sleep that night.
She prayed it would work out; she needed it to. After struggling her whole life, she deserved a bit of luck. And cash. Why does everything have to be about money? All her problems could disappear with just the right amount of standardized units in her name.
Anna logged into the game after mixing her last three dosages of powder with water, trying to ignore the fact that this would be her last meal. There's nothing else; she has to wait for the deposit her landlady will send in two days. The anxiety tugging at her core even worsened.
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"I'm back. You can put me down," Anna mumbled when she opened her eyes and realized she was hanging upside down and feeling dizzy. Glasha carefully helped her regain her balance and let go as soon as she was sure she could stand on her own.
Anna felt like a drug addict finally getting her dose. She closed her eyes in the noon sun, feeling the warmth on her skin and the gentle breeze in her hair.
"He is following us," Glasha whispered and stepped aside to let her chief see for herself.
Anna's eyes fluttered open, and she peeked behind Glasha's bulky shoulder. She caught a glimpse of a large figure walking carefully down the steep, narrow path. To her infinite surprise, there was no creature attacking him. Every living thing fled from his gaze. Is he on the same level as the pumpkin farmer? A boss of this location? Or was it simply because he was one of the Undead? She dared to walk up the hill to meet him. This can't continue.
"No, wait here," she refused Mazoga, trying to join her, and continued forward.
Undead Guardian ~ Neutral ~ 100% HP
He stopped, frowning in annoyance, when he noticed the human woman crossing his path. However, he wasn't overwhelmed with anger or hatred. He was just curious why she dared to get in his way.
"Go back or join us. There's no need for you to creep behind us like that. I promise to treat you fairly and with respect if you decide to—" She fell silent when she noticed his expression. She didn't have the power to make any demands. Even the air around him felt like it could catch fire at any moment. She watched him, shivering and moving with unhidden power emanating from his body.
He sighed and watched the dark figure standing a few steps away from the Green sisters among the trees.
"I'm useless. I have no reason to stay there any longer. She's right there, breathing… And I spent all this time protecting an empty grave. I feel stupid for being this naive. She forgot about me ages ago, yet I still dream about her touch to this day. She is my wife, and I want to be by her side. I can't lose her again." He talked, unable to take his eyes off his long-lost love.
Anna was surprised by how gentle and loyal this warrior was. His pain must have been unbearable. Not knowing what to say, she simply waved him to join them and led the way back to the women, closely followed by the broken man.
"Sorry for earlier," he apologized to Glasha, exchanging a nod with Mazoga. He had killed them more than once when they tried to pass through the mines.
"It's all good," Glasha replied, cowering a bit to make herself look smaller. She could still remember how he had cut her in half with such precision, and he was too preoccupied to finish her off. As a result, she ended up slashing her own neck open after crawling to her lower half where her small dagger was still hidden.
She was used to dying. Much weaker than Mazoga. Less gifted than the average orc, and no matter how hard she trained or tried to improve her fighting skills, it was useless. Glasha was still dying…
"It was a good fight. I enjoyed it. I'd be happy to teach you a trick or two," he said while stepping forward and naturally leading the way, as if it was ment to be.
Tameka wasn't surprised by his arrival, and if she was, she didn't show it.
"Thank you for joining us. I'm Anna, and these are Mazoga and Glasha."
"They call me Arlov."
He glanced over his shoulder to see who the herbalist was talking about, brushing his gaze across his wife's figure as he carefully stepped down the steep hill.
He tried to keep his head as empty as possible so as not to show his emotions, well aware that she was probably holding on to anything she could dig out of it now.
*I am so sorry, my dearest.* A quiet, remorseful voice resonated in his head, and he nearly twitched under the long-forgotten feeling of her mind brushing gently against his own. Instead of answering as he usually would, he opened his mind a little more so she could see the sorrow and deep pain he had been burying for so long.
Tameka was quiet, lost in his grief and too careless to pay attention to the narrow path under her feet. Her leg slipped on the uneven ground, and she stumbled.
Both sisters moved closer, ready to help her if necessary, but she quickly regained her balance and continued on her own.
"You must be tired. I can carry you. Just say the word," Mazoga said quietly so that only Tameka could hear her. She gave Tameka a reassuring nod. They were in the same boat, as Arlov had said. Her legs were weak, and her body was so skinny that Mazoga was actually worried for her life. It might only take a few strokes to break her-
*Do not take me lightly, you fucking frog. I am the Undead Priestess. The only one. I am able to walk by myself.* With her eyes fixed on Tameka, she hissed, and as she did, she tripped again, almost knocking Mazoga down too.
"Of course you are. I didn't mean to insult you. But you are slowing us down. Just hold on to my back, please," Mazoga said again in a low voice, crouching down to take Tameka on her back.
Tameka swallowed her pride and accepted her offer without complaint. She wrapped her arms around Mazoga's shoulders and rested her face between her shoulder blades. She was surprised at how comfortable it was and slowly calmed down from the monotonous rocking of Mazoga's confident steps. She fell asleep quickly after, like overgrown baby.
Anna exchanged amused smiles with the sister and carefully followed Arlov, who tirelessly walked at the front of their small group.
As they got closer to the valley, the path finally widened as they reached one of the main roads covered by thousands of footprints. Anna was restless. It wasn't comfortable at all. The stones were hard, and some were even sharp. She quickly decided to walk by the edge, which was covered in short, soft grass. She didn't pay any attention to the countless individuals passing by. She would just raise her eyes to see if they posed a threat and then return to sightseeing the beautiful nature all around her, trying to focus her mind on something - anything other than her financial situation.
"That's a solid harem you have there. Is the little one unable to walk on her own? Go easy on 'em, big boy," some man called out as they approached the river. The walls of Dames Port rose into view. Just a bit more to go.
"Just ignore him. We don't have time for this," Anna murmured, bending down to pick a few strawberries growing by the road. But Glasha shoved her into the trench and quickly joined the short, brutal tussle that broke out in front of her.
Anna tried to jump to her knees, but lost her balance and fell back into the mud again.
It took longer than she had expected. He was just a decoy, one of many people hidden nearby. He tried to approach them with friendly humor to lure them between their witches.
While Anna uselessly struggled by the side of the road, Arlov and Glasha were already delivering brutal strikes left and right, drawing all the attention to themselves and allowing Tameka to dispose of the long-range fighters with ease.
Mazoga was the only one who was actually pushed back, forced to fight a skilled assassin — a young, agile girl who dodged all of her attempts to cut her with the cumbersome sword she wielded with both hands. Each of her strikes revealed another opening for the girl to make one more shallow cut in her skin.
"I got it! I said I got it!" She growled when Glasha rushed to her aid, blocking her view. She was so angry by the end that she made graver mistakes than she had a moment ago. But the girl wasn't planning on finishing her off. She could see her fellow fighters falling one by one under the pale man's crippling strength.
She fled, covering the area in dense purple smoke and leaving everyone disoriented for a few moments.
"She took the injured rogue with her," Arlov noted as the smoke finally scattered. He pointed to a puddle of blood where another body had been lying just moments before the girl escaped. Anna finally managed to crawl out of a shallow pit hollowed out by rainwater, looking like a dog that had rolled in a mud puddle.
She quickly looked around and rushed to the older sister.