Horses were more expensive than expected, so we only rented two. Nana insisted on riding with Char, leaving me to enjoy a peaceful ride in solitude.

  Or, so I thought. The riding mechanics were aneurysm inducing. Whip the reins for the horse to start running, twist them sideways to turn, and tug to stop. Simple and seemed realistic.

  The problem was nobody told the horse. He ran too fast, refused to slow down, and had zero interest in turning.

  "Robin!" Char called from several feet back. "Slow down!"

  "I’m trying!" I said, tugging hard on the reins.

  Disdain glimmered in the horse's eye. Oh no. He stopped on a dime, which sent me flying off. My belly slid across the dirt and grass. Didn't take any damage but was one hell of a rug burn.

  "You alright, hubby?" Char asked, bringing her horse around.

  I spat out a mouthful of earth. "I need a new horse.”

  “Might need new knees too,” Char said.

  Nana laughed down at me. "You’re really bad at this, bird brain."

  Never had someone literally look down from their high horse. Gotta say, not a fan. Alas, I didn't have the heart to be obstinate. "You're not wrong, kiddo."

  Nana dismounted and approached with a handful of oats. The horse went to town on the oats, while she patted his head, occasionally whispering and laughing. Nana let him finish before hopping on his back. She lightly slapped the reins, and the two of them trotted in a circle around us.

  Char smirked at me. "Look, sweetie, she’s literally riding circles around you."

  "I’m honestly too impressed to be embarrassed."

  Nana snickered. "I don't see the problem, bird brain. This guy’s a gentleman compared to Prince Moonblight." A gentle tug of the reins brought her mount to a gradual stop. "That’s the name of my horse back home."

  Char and I shared a look.

  "You have a horse?"

  "You named him Prince Moonblight?"

  "Yeah…" Nana turned away from us. "Is that name as dumb as Shadowcloak?"

  "Ye—" I would’ve had some fun with that if my wife hadn’t elbowed me in the kidney.

  "I, for one, think it’s a great name,” she said.

  "Really, Lady Charlotte? You’re not just saying that?"

  Char responded with a pointed expression. "Does this look like the face of someone who would lie for the sake of your feelings?"

  "Wow, Char. When you put it like that, you almost sound like a decent person," I said.

  "I have two elbows, you know."

  "I do. I also know you’re the kindest, sweetest, wife in all the land."

  Nana chuckled, which turned into a high-pitched giggle, and then a full-on laugh. "Sorry, I just think you two are really funny."

  I hugged Char’s shoulders. "Thanks. We’ll be here all week." Assuming we didn't die, of course.

  Char smirked and patted my head. "Especially if Robin can’t ride his horse."

  "Ooh. Right in the pride, Char."

  Nana conjured another handful of oats. "I can ride by myself and let you two share."

  Char frowned. "I thought you wanted to ride with me."

  "I do, Lady Charlotte, but bird brain is hopeless on his own. I can handle this guy myself."

  My wife shrugged. "I suppose you’re not wrong. Just don’t ride too far ahead of us."

  "I won’t!" Nana said, scratching the horse's mane.

  "Hey! Don’t I get a say in this?" Not that I had a problem with this arrangement in the slightest. I just didn’t like being ignored.

  "Of course you do, sweetie. Would you rather make an ass of yourself or be pressed against my ass while I drive?"

  I hopped to my feet, giving Char's backside a love tap. She swatted at my hand, but I managed a lucky dodge. "That’s for earlier," I said and mounted the horse.

  Char's eyes were somewhere between inviting me to bed and a death glare. "Nana, quick girl talk. I’m only letting him get away with that because he’s my husband, and it fit the moment. If it were anyone else or an improper moment, I would’ve broken his arm. If anyone tries to do that to you, don’t hesitate to break their arm."

  "Even if I think he’s cute?"

  "Especially if you think he’s cute. Show him you won’t be taken advantage of, and don’t let him think he can get away with treating you like that."

  Nana nodded. "Thank you for the advice, Lady Charlotte."

  "My pleasure. Ready to go, Robin?"

  Not yet. I'd been too focused on my horse frustration to appreciate the countryside and needed a moment to take it all in.

  To our left was a small pond filled with the clearest water I’d ever seen–probably designed with a fishing minigame in mind. A rainbow of flowers gently swayed in the breeze to our right. Bees and butterflies danced amongst the flowers, coating them in an aura of golden pollen.

  The serenity took me off guard. How could a world this beautiful kill me? Then again, reality wasn't much different.

  "Beautiful, isn't it?" Charlotte whispered.

  I tore my eyes from the scenery to look at her.

  "Yes, you are."

  She shook her head. "Can you go five minutes without flirting with me?"

  "Eh, maybe once we hit year five." My arms encircled her waist. "Ready when you are."

  Char slapped the reins, and we took off. She and I stayed quiet. Nana whooped and hollered ahead of us. Small wonder she hadn't attracted any monsters. Or incurred Char's ire. I doubted screeching like a banshee was easy on those sensitive Elf ears.

  "We're being followed," Char said, ears twitching. "There's two of 'em on the edge of my range."

  "Players or monsters?”

  “Rippers.”

  Ripper was how Diego referred to player-killers in his messages. There was no icon or other designation to tell for sure who had blood on their hands. But since the Admin said players yielded higher exp, it made anyone suspicious if they were too strong.

  “Maybe they’re friendly. Hanging back to scope us out and see if we’re okay,” I said.

  Char shook her head. “I’m choosing to assume the worst. Their levels are a bit too high, and they've been keeping pace with us for a while now. Staying close enough for me to sense but just far enough that I can’t make out anything but level range." She gritted her teeth. "It’s like they want me to know they’re there."

  Like a predator toying with its prey. Nana’s inexperience made her especially vulnerable. "We have to head back."

  "They’ll cross our path and cut us off."

  "Then we fast travel."

  "Can’t," Charlotte sighed. "We’re in combat."

  I craned my neck to peer over her shoulder. Nana’s horse pelted toward us with a snarling black mass on its heels–scratch that–snarling black masses. Half a dozen dogs and a large wolf blocked our path.

  Wild Dog: A feral animal with a bite worse than its bark. Level 3.

  Alpha: A territorial pack leader hungry for competition and meat. But mostly meat. Level 6.

  "Do we have any escape items?"

  "Vulcan gave me one," she said glumly.

  "But…"

  "But it affects a maximum of two people."

  Which made it completely useless. Char and I wouldn’t leave each other behind, and I’d be damned to abandon the kiddo. "Teleporting is out. Any chance we bumrush through ‘em?"

  Char scoffed. "And waste free exp?"

  "I’d rather waste exp than become it."

  Char turned to shoot an offended look my way. "Do you really think I'd let anything happen to you, Robin?"

  "You seemed worried when you noticed we had company."

  "Worried?" Char scoffed. "Hold this," she said, tossing the reins into my hands.

  She leapt off the horse without waiting for it to slow down. Her momentum halted for just a moment. In a blink, she unleashed a volley of arrows upon the pack. Char gracefully landed and sniped another dog without looking at it. The arrow plunged into the dog's eye, killing it instantly.

  "I'm just glad to have an audience," she said.

  Watching my wife kick ass was a lot like watching a magic show–fun but less impressive once I knew her tricks.

  Affinity Skill: Stardust. Need a moment? Slow your perception of time for three seconds. Cost: 20 MP. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

  Hunter Arts: Deadeye. Ready, fire, aim! The next ranged attack is guaranteed to hit and deal critical damage. Cost: 20 MP. Cooldown: 15 seconds.

  Char faked a yawn. "That’s enough excitement for me. Nana," Her head cocked toward the alpha. "Go play."

  "Yes, ma’am!" Nana also jumped off her horse without bringing him to halt. Her legs wobbled slightly upon landing but was otherwise graceful. She brandished her starting knife and approached.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "You sure about this, Char? Nana’s barely a level higher. She might get hurt."

  Nana glared at me. "That’s still Shadowcloak to you, bird brain."

  Char chuckled. "You know, she’s really growing on me."

  "I’m serious, Charlotte."

  "So am I." Char leaned casually against our horse. "Relax, Robin, I won’t let anything happen to her. Let the kid fight. And if its bite is worse than the bark, I’ll kill it for her." She leaned closer to my ear. “Our friends backed off after my stunt. Seems they're smart enough to avoid risking ten arrows to the head.”

  So that was her gambit. Char showing off wasn't for ego but to ward off Rippers looking for easy prey. Like an animal using bright colors to warn predators of poison. “Well played, love,” I said.

  Still, it wouldn’t hurt to take precautions if our friends wanted a challenging hunt.

  One serving of Kimchi will be prepared in ten seconds.

  One serving of Sujeonggwa will be prepared in ten seconds.

  Alpha sprang at Nana with barred fangs. She easily dodged and countered with a slash. Alpha dropped to its belly, and the knife sailed harmlessly over its head. Snarling jaws snapped around Nana’s shoulder, depleting about an eighth of her health.

  "Nana!" I cast Firestarter, but the spark fizzled before reaching Alpha.

  Charlotte fired an arrow. Alpha almost chuckled and tossed Nana in the arrow’s path. Kiddo screamed and covered her face with her arms. Alas, the arrow phased through her body and sailed past the big dog’s head. No Deadeye on that one.

  Nana hit the ground hard. She sat motionless with her eyes shut. A nasty bruise covered her scraped shoulder, but she was otherwise okay.

  Seconds passed by, and I gave her the Kimchi. Still, she didn’t move.

  "You know the arrow didn’t kill you, right?" I asked.

  Nana sat up. "Really?" She patted her torso. "I felt her shoot me again."

  Char rolled her eyes. "There’s no friendly fire in Auro, Nana. You might feel it, but an ally’s attack won’t damage you."

  Nana scrambled to her feet. She took a couple deep breaths and tightly gripped her knife. Alpha crouched but didn’t approach yet. The first move this time would be Nana’s.

  "Nana," Char barked. "Don’t just run in hoping to hit it. Otherwise me and Robin will be here all day."

  "Robin and I," I muttered.

  She silenced me with a surprisingly potent glare, before focusing on Nana. "Robin and I, because it will kill you. It’s too strong for you to safely take head on and too agile to reliably outmaneuver. What option does that leave you?"

  "Um, running away?"

  That would’ve been my answer. Alas, I expected Char to reward me with another elbow for voicing that. For Nana, she simply shook her head.

  "You can’t always run away,” Char said. “Maybe you’re cornered, a door won’t open, or you’re trying to protect someone. In that case what do you do?"

  "I don’t know."

  Alpha lost its patience. It lunged, swiping a claw. Nana shrieked and dove aside. She landed on her stomach but quickly got to her feet and sprinted. The dog lunged again, missing Nana by the skin of her teeth.

  "Outsmart it, Nana!" Char coached. "If you’re not stronger, and you can’t run, you have to make a plan."

  "Not dying is my plan!"

  "And look how that’s going so far."

  "Great. I haven’t died yet."

  I chuckled. "She has a point, you know."

  "Shut up, Robin!"

  Nana hurdled over another claw swipe and slashed at Alpha’s backside. It howled, staggering backwards. Nana slashed once more before leaping away. Alpha kicked with its back legs but barely missed her once again.

  Char nodded. "Good, you remembered your Passive lets you do more damage from behind."

  "Uh, yeah, sure. That’s totally why I did that." Nana said in a tone conveying the opposite.

  "Do you remember your other abilities?" I asked.

  She nodded, backpedaling from a drooling maw. "I can make clones to distract things..."

  I heard the gears turning in her mind. The optimal play was for a clone to distract the dog, while the real Nana got behind it and went to town. Char clearly wanted Nana to come up with the plan on her own, but I thought she could use the hint.

  Black mist poured from Nana’s eyes. It converged and congealed into a perfect replica of her. They high fived and ran in opposite directions. The real Nana ran toward Alpha’s left, while Nana 2 ran toward the right.

  They quickly closed the distance; Alpha’s gaze switching fervently between them. It howled, rushing toward the clone. They lunged in sync. The wolf extended its claws; the girl brandished her knife.

  Nana 2 winked and flicked her wrist. The knife cut through the air until the original caught it mid-jump. Alpha’s claws reduced the clone to black mist. It whimpered and turned its head.

  Nana grinned the kind of grin that inspired confidence in allies and made enemies tremble. Twin knives cut the alpha to ribbons–well, not quite. Only the original knife did any damage, and the clone’s disappeared not long after she did. As such, Nana wasn’t doing too much damage. Hopefully the shotguns had more firepower… no pun intended.

  "Not that I’m not having fun, but you ready to call this, Char?"

  "You don’t think Nana can handle this mutt by herself?"

  "No, I do. Just don’t know how long that’s gonna take. Don’t want to risk our audience coming back for an encore.”

  "We can handle them," she said curtly.

  I knew the indignation in her eyes all too well. Char loved being underestimated. It made rubbing her victory in the loser's face all the more satisfying. What she hated most was disrespect. Insinuating someone could best her in what was literally her own game was nothing short of disrespect.

  But it was also literally a matter of life and death, and I wasn't keen gambling with any of ours. "Assuming your confidence isn't misplaced, we’ll handle them just fine. But after using up all my ingredients I’ll be unable to give any healing or buffs during tomorrow’s bug dungeon. And I know how much you just looovve the idea of–"

  I blinked, and there were ten arrows in Alpha’s head. "Think you missed a spot, Char."

  She huffed and returned to the horse. "Nana, loot the dogs and let’s go!"

  Nana jogged toward the dead alpha. I joined her and looted the ingredients. I refused to gather dog meat on principle, but wild animals sometimes carried spices.

  Ingredients: Garlic clove X3. Saffron X1. Gnarled tooth X4.

  Teeth were ingredients? Probably for those freaky Shadow Chef recipes. Hopefully an Artificer could use them for crafting. Otherwise they were freaky and useless.

  "You alright?" I asked Nana.

  She nodded. "Yeah. Wanna see my bruise?" She turned to show off the bite mark and discolored skin. "My first battle scar."

  "Aside from Char’s arrow?"

  She drummed her lips at me. "That one doesn’t count, bird brain. It wasn’t even a fight. But this one was earned." She was grinning, but doubt flickered in her eyes.

  "Sure you’re alright? It can be pretty scary fighting a monster."

  Nana frowned. "Are you trying to make fun of me?"

  I made the X over my chest. "Do I have to say ‘Hope to die’ everytime?"

  She chuckled and rubbed the bruise. "Yeah, I’m okay. I’ve been bit by a dog before. It sucks. He was a good dog…" She looked at the dead alpha, winced, and then back to me. "But it was fun even though it was scary. Lady Charlotte is so cool."

  She was grinning again without any trace of doubt. "She’s pretty, funny, and she kicks butt! I mean, I was running from the dog, but she was all like zshoom—"

  "Zshoom?"

  "Yeah, you know? When she stopped time and shot the dog. Then she was all pow pow pow—that’s her shooting the arrows."

  "I figured."

  "And after all that, she acts like it’s nothing. I wanna be that cool too." She regarded me with considerably less enthusiasm. "Why aren’t you that cool?"

  "Because I makes Char look cooler by comparison."

  Nana nodded a few times. "So, I need to make friends who make me look cool?"

  "Or, ya know, people that like you and make you happy."

  "No way. I wanna just be cool and have minions."

  "You think I’m her minion?"

  Nana snickered. "Lady Charlotte, is Robin your minion?"

  "Yup." Charlotte brought the horse around and helped me up. "Alas, also my beloved husband."

  "Why’d you pick him instead of someone more interesting?"

  "I think I’m interesting," I muttered.

  "You are, sweetie." Char pecked my cheek and snaked her arm around my waist. "More importantly, you make me happy in ways no one else ever has. That’s why I chose him, Nana."

  Nana looked as if she unexpectedly swallowed something bitter. "That’s it?"

  Char shrugged. "It’s enough. Get Prince Moonblight, Nana, we’re heading out."

  "Prince Moonblight is my horse back home."

  "Bring him too!"

  Nana sighed but didn’t argue. She dashed toward her horse, mounted him without breaking stride, and galloped past us.

  I focused too much on her fragility and low damage to appreciate how fast she was. Alpha was breathing down her neck but only got one good hit in. Reaper was designed for a hit and run style, but she could function as an evade tank with the right setup.

  "Stay within eyesight, Nana!" Char called.

  "I will!" She yelled, just as she disappeared down a hill.

  Char grumbled something slightly intelligible about damn kids.

  "Having trouble with your protégé?"

  She was quiet a moment before answering. "Don’t get me wrong, Robin. I like her spunk, and I’m really digging the whole ‘Lady Charlotte’ thing."

  "But..."

  "But, I already miss it just being the two of us.

  "Thought you wanted a kid around for practice and extra meat."

  "And I think that was the guilt talking." Char groaned. "And before you say anything, no, this isn’t to avoid the bug dungeon. Loathe as I am to do it, my word is my bond. We’ll just be encouraging our little birdie to leave the nest sooner than expected. I think we discussed her joining Diego’s group, right?"

  We discussed, not decided. And Char’s tune on Nana changed too quickly for my liking. Yet another thing she clearly wasn’t telling me.

  "Makes sense,” I said. “She should be safer with a large group, assuming there’s no creeps. Plenty of tanks and healers to keep her alive. By that logic, it might not be a bad idea for us to join too."

  "I already said you’re safe with me, Robin."

  "This isn’t a knock against you, Char. It’s just playing the odds. The longer we stay, the more likely some bullshit happens. We spring a trap in a dungeon you didn’t program. One of us is hit with an unlucky crit. Or the Admin gets bored and kills us because he thinks it’s funny."

  Char shook her head. "No, the first time was just a show of power. We’re his prized toys. It’s not fun if he breaks us."

  "I don’t think we should take that risk, Char. We need to go home."

  Charlotte faced me with cold eyes. "If you’re tired of spending time with me just say so."

  "What? No. Charlotte, that’s—"

  "I finally get to spend time with my husband, and he’s sick of me in less than a week."

  I flinched. "You know that’s not what I mean, Charlotte. I love spending every day with you." My arms gently tightened around her waist. "The days back home feel so long when you’re not there."

  She looked away from me, toward the road. "And you’re worried if we wait too long, there won't be a we returning home."

  "Exactly. I–"

  Charlotte's ears twitched. Her back stiffened against my chest. She relaxed almost instantly, but I didn’t doubt what I saw. Those looming players worried her more than she let on. That explained the change of tune. She didn’t want the kid getting hurt.

  "What aren’t you telling me about those lurkers?"

  She was quiet a moment before answering. "Marcus worked with me on Project Auro. He was generally good at his job, and I appreciated that. He thought my appreciation was something more. At first I thought it was a cute one-sided crush, so I let him down easy. When he got more assertive, I shut him down. I think he's following me."

  I didn’t like the implication of the word assertive. "He never hurt you, did he?"

  She shook her head. "Tried grabbing my ass once, and he’s lucky he kept his wrist. Nothing beyond that aside from calling me a ‘bitch’ or ‘Jezebel.’ He’s not much of a threat." She still sounded confident with only a dash of skepticism.

  "If anything happens, you know I’m with you one hundred percent, Char."

  "I know. Marcus won't get the satisfaction of ruining our anniversary." She cocked her head toward Nana, who just returned to our line of sight.

  "I don’t want the kid getting involved in our business. So, here’s my proposal. We do the…eugh, bug dungeon, get her weapon, and scope out Diego. If he’s on the up and up, we drop her off. Then we deal with Marcus, have our own private celebration, and join back up with Nana to beat this game in record time."

  "Not to jinx it, but I can live with that."

  "Perfect. Of course, I’ll lead the army in monster kills. My protégé will be in second. Meanwhile, my darling husband will be the best support." She rested her head on my chest and brought our horse to a trot. "Then we return home, celebrate our return the best way we know how, and welcome Colette into the world nine months later."

  I kissed the top of her head and gently rubbed her belly. "Sounds like happily ever after."