“Glen—I can’t—anymore—” Astra said, collapsing to her knees. She had successfully gotten Elemental Mastery past level fifty and started on Fire Bomb. That was level twenty-five, but she was exhausted, her stomach eating her from the inside.

“Get up and quit being lazy!” Glen shouted. “Worthless excuse for a hero.”

Folding down and dropping to her side in the leaves, Astra sighed. Her time sense said it was only a little past noon.

“I believe it is time for a short break,” Xander said.

Glen turned, “How did you find us?” she asked, her tone changing immediately to one of cheery sweet.

Astra closed her eyes with a mental sigh. Glen was one of those types. All morning, Astra had suffered under the woman’s constant demands that she keep going. Faster! What’s wrong with you, I thought you were an Immortal. Pitiful excuse. I bet you’re not actually an Immortal at all. We all just wasted our Scrolls on you.

“I am always aware of Astra’s location,” Xander said and stopped beside her.

Keeping her eyes closed, Astra fully expected him to nudge her with his foot. Instead, he crouched next to her. “Eat,” he said, holding something that smelled amazing in front of her nose.

Eyes popping open, she focused on the wrapped thing. It smelled like fish and bread with spices, but she had no idea what it was called. Reaching up, she took it and sat up to eat. The food wasn’t as high-quality as Astra usually made it, but it was handmade, which made it taste amazing.

“Master Harvey and I cleaned your armor,” Xander said. “We shall work on one of the martial Skills next.”

“Ughh,” Astra mumbled into her food.

“Xander,” Glen said, “I was wondering, what Skills do you have?”

“Healer Class,” Xander responded. He stood.

“What levels?”

“Cure is my highest over one hundred thousand.”

Glen squeaked in disbelief. “H-how?”

“I am over five hundred years old,” Xander said blandly.

Astra snorted. “You acted old when you were nineteen.”

He cleared his throat in embarrassment but didn’t deny it.

Finishing the last bite of her fish wrap, Astra climbed to her feet and stretched. “Okay.”

Xander made a few gestures and produced her leather armor from his Inventory. Taking it, Astra pulled the pieces on and buckled them in place. She wasn’t really used to donning her armor manually, so it took a minute. He then pulled a spear from his Inventory and held it out to her. “Master Harvey suggested going through the basic motions of attacking and defending first.”

Nodding, Astra took the spear and turned to face one of the trees nearby, choosing it as her target. The rock she’d been targeting was blasted to glass and Astra didn’t want to destroy the spear tip with a rock.

Stilling her mind in order to access the new Skill set, Astra felt it web together with the Dodge Skill she’d gotten from a Player Scroll.

Lunging forward, she struck the tree, then flowed into another move to strike from a different angle. Five more strikes and she saw the notification of leveling up in her peripheral.

Unfortunately, Glen was not going to leave. She instead moved to stand next to Xander, her tawny tail flicking with interest. She wasn’t looking at Astra at all. “Five hundred years,” she mused. “I can’t imagine how boring that would be.”

“I kept busy,” Xander said.

“Oh? Doing what?”

“Clergy.”

His curt answers were not going to deter the Cougar Karen. “Clergy? Every Elf I’ve known has been an amazing archer or rogue,” Glen said.

“Your exposure to Elves has been limited,” Xander pointed out. “Besides, I was chosen by a Healer, thus the Skills I received were from the Healer Class.”

[Dragoon Level 2]

Astra tried not to feel jealous of Glen trying to cozy up to Xander. Considering Xander wasn’t entertaining it in any form. He just stood there with his arms crossed, watching the woods.

“Tell me- how did you get chosen?” Glen asked.

“You would have to ask Astra about that. It was her choice, after all.”

Astra hid her snort of laughter with a thrust of her spear and jumped back briefly in order to make a high jump and attack from above. Landing, she bounced on her toes and stepped back to breathe for a second. She remembered choosing him. She’d spent a week in and out of the Vanaheim Adventurer’s Guild, watching the various NPCs that handled posting jobs on the board, cleaning up the public rooms, and serving food and drink. While Players didn’t require food to live, they could eat it for stat buffs. It tasted like eating in a dream. Drinking alcohol did create a drunk-like effect. She’d sat at a table in the middle a majority of the time. Most players liked hanging at the edges to look all mysterious. Astra didn’t care and just took over a table and did her crafting while she watched the NPCs. The eight-foot-tall Elven boy with silvery hair, pale skin, and deft movements was absolutely the prettiest one in the joint. There were other Elves, of course. The women did their best to advertise their chests and butts to the male Players.

At the time, Astra had thought it was just part of the programming. But now that she knew they’d been people all along, it was actually a good sales tactic. They did receive the most tips and got picked most often.

Xander had approached her a few times over those few days, asking if she wanted something to eat or drink, his impassive stare an obvious “do not actually ask me for anything” look. It had amused her to no end. His shirt had water spots on it and his sleeves rolled up. Obviously, he was not one of the normal servers, so why was he out asking if she, and only she, wanted anything? Then another Warrior Class had approached Xander while he was at the bar, filing an order with the kitchen and Astra couldn’t just let someone else have him. She got up, went to the Porter Hiring counter, and told them who she wanted.

[Dragoon Level 5]

The first batch of levels was always the easiest to get. Getting beyond level twenty would be the slog. She’d need to go out hunting actual monsters to make better progress.

“Do you have any siblings?” Glen asked.

“No.”

Astra went through the motions, slowly hacking the tree. If she intended to cut the tree down with a spear, it was going to take a long time. Part of why she’d chosen this thick trunk. It also was a pretty big target, making it harder to miss. Use of a Skill only counted if you hit your intended target.

“What about other family?” Glen asked.

“No.”

“No?” Glen asked. “What does that mean?”

“I do not wish to talk about that subject,” Xander said.

“I suppose they would have all passed by now,” Glen said sympathetically.

Xander did not respond. He would not rise to the bait. Instead, he said, “[Shelter],” casting on Astra. “Razor Boar to the north.”

Astra switched her target and went for the live one, it would be worth far more experience if she could kill it with her spear.

* * *

[Dragoon Level 30]

[Elemental Master Level 50]

[Fire Bomb Level 24]

Xander considered the day a success all around. Astra lay in the leaves, wheezing after her second Boar kill of the day. It had taken her hours to whittle them down. He’d had to cast [Stop] to make sure they didn’t run away in irritation at being needled to death. If only he could’ve done the same to Glen. She was determined to needle Xander to death with her overly obvious attempts at flirting and prying at his past. He had little interest in sharing any of that.

Overhead, the sky was turning violet as night set in. More dangerous monsters would be coming out. Xander took Astra’s spear, putting it into his Inventory before he rolled her over.

She moaned. It may have been a “leave me alone” but Xander chose to ignore that. Pulling her arms, he sat her up, then hoisted her over his shoulder.

“Noo,” she said louder. “I’m not a potato sack...” The weak flail of her arms did no physical damage, although her hand encountered his butt. He tried to ignore it; his ears went hot anyway. Adjusting her, he started walking down the mountain.

“Well, since you won’t answer any of my questions about you,” Glen said. “I’ll tell you about myself.”

“Please don’t,” Xander said, interrupting. Their feet crunched through the fallen leaves and sticks that littered the ground beneath the canopy.

Glen, stunned to silence, flapped her mouth.

“I have to listen for monsters,” Xander said to smooth the woman’s fur. He’d gotten sick of her questions hours ago. The only respite was when monsters wandered close enough for Astra to target and the time it took her to whittle them down.

“We’re within range of Vard’s guards,” Glen said.

“Didn’t stop two Razor Boars from approaching,” Xander pointed out. “Something more powerful could easily break through and attack.”

“If it does, we’re all doomed anyway,” Glen muttered.

“You have a high-powered Healer here,” Xander pointed out. “And Astra is capable of raising Undead on a much higher level than I can.”

“She’s exhausted,” Glen pointed out.

“I don’t have to be awake for my Undead to do what they’re called for,” Astra said, mumbling against Xander’s back. She’d stopped fighting.

Glen seemed perturbed, perhaps she’d forgotten Astra was there. Her ears flicked down, then up again as she put her sultry smile back on. At least she shut up, but she did walk incredibly close beside him, opposite the shoulder Astra dangled from. Reaching the bottom, White ran up to meet them. “Is she dead?” she asked.

“Exhausted. Is there food available?” Xander asked.

“Of course!” The woman hurried off immediately. Xander continued towards the house he and Astra had been given. Glen split off to head elsewhere. He glanced over, catching her lashing her tail, ears laid back in irritation. Entering the house, Xander paused in surprise at the new bed. It was much larger than the one that had been there previously. It took up much of the single small room and had been piled with blankets. Lowering Astra to the bed, he let her fall out across it and found himself kneeling over her, her hands above her head, eyes closed but lips slightly parted. Her short white hair framed her face in a fluffy bob.

Xander gently brushed away a strand from where it clung to the corner of her mouth.

The knock on the door interrupted his thoughtless staring and Xander pushed off the bed to greet the cook. She’d brought stew for both Astra and him. “Thank you,” he said.

“You’d better watch out for Glen,” White said, “She’s on the hunt for a new plaything and I think she’s taken an interest in you.”

Xander shook his head with a slight smile. “Disappointment is all that awaits her,” he said.

The woman laughed. “Good. Glad she won’t get her way for once.” She retreated and left Xander to shut the door with his foot. Returning to the bed, he set one bowl down on the floor in favor of gently shaking Astra awake.

“Huh?”

“Eat,” he said and helped her sit up before handing her the bowl. She grumbled at the movement but ate her stew quickly. Sitting on the floor beside the bed, Xander picked up his own bowl of stew and leaned back against the wall to eat.

Finishing her bowl, Astra stood from the bed, stretched, and began fumbling with the buckles of her armor. Peeling herself out of the leathers, she dropped them on the floor at the foot of the bed. Then the clothes she wore under the armor followed. Bare as the day she was born, she climbed into bed.

Xander stared, stew forgotten in his mouth. Once she’d covered up, he closed his eyes and forced himself to swallow.