Chương 59: Satisfying Needs

Checking Brandy "out" of her hospital room was… awkward, to say the least. Her healers didn't want to let her go, but they didn't have any good reasons to keep her there, either. It wasn't like she was there under any ordinary circumstances, what with literally appearing in the respawning chamber without a single trace of ever setting foot in there before.

High-ranking members of the clergy would most certainly cause an uproar if they found out she wanted to leave, so Melia made sure to smuggle Brandy out before they could cause a stink. Except, outside her room, half a dozen [Priests] and [Scholars] were not-so-subtly eavesdropping, failing to hide their overwhelming curiosity. When Lethia pointed out that she was no longer bed-bound and that, in fact, Brandy was the picture of perfect health, they began grasping at straws for reasons to keep her there.

Melia popped [Avatar] and nearly bulldozed down a wall, but her party restrained her, while Layalee threatened the brothers more subtly by simply pulling out her axe. If it came to a fight, she didn't mind throwing hands. As a last-ditch effort, one of the lingering clergy tried bringing up remuneration for their skills, payment for their services; Melia begrudgingly agreed. They did deserve something, and she had a special place in her heart for the doctors who tended to her over the years.

In their honor, she would not leave these people empty-handed. So, in true spiteful gamer fashion, Melia dumped an entire mountain of copper coins on the man, burying him up to his waist, and she flicked two gold to each of the astounded members of staff gawking at the floundering man struggling to get free. They took the distraction as a perfect opportunity to escape.

"How much money do you think that was?" Jessica finally asked as they reached the front steps.

"Not as much as I should have buried him under," Melia muttered darkly, before finally realizing she was brooding.

"Actually, probably not as much as you might think," she added more brightly. Jessica gave her a flat stare.

"Okay, I guess it was still a lot, but it probably only came out to a couple hundred gold! All things said, a drop in the bucket!"

"What kind of bucket are you holding?" Brandy asked. She stretched her arms high behind her head and looked around. The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day, and somehow, despite being stuck in a metaphorical dream she couldn't wake up from, she was reunited with her best friend. Life was good. After popping a few bones in her back and getting a good yawn, she turned back to interrogate Melia about her finances.

Brandy had nothing when she woke up here, but it sounded like that was certainly not the case for Melia. Maybe loafing off in a fantasy world could be a good vacation? Melia wouldn't mind if she mooched for a little while if she was flush enough to bury a man in money as an escape tactic.

"Say, Mel-," Brandy began, but she had to tilt her head lower. Now that she was standing up, not seated on the bed or talking to Melia as she was being held in somebody's arms, it was painfully obvious how large the gap between their heights was. Brandy frowned.

"You're too short," she complained.

"Get taller." Melia slammed her hands on her hips and craned her neck back as far as it could go, mustering the sassiest look she could manage.

"Yeah? Maybe you should just buy a backpack. Then I could stand on it and use your ears as handlebars to steer your head." Brandy's eyebrow twitched, but before she could one-up the gnome, she used those ears to hear Y'cennia mutter, "Can…can you say that to an elf?"

"Are we sure she's an elf?" Jessica countered.

"I mean, I know she's this legendary hero or whatever, and the stories claim she's an elf, and sure yeah, she's elfy enough, but…."

"But?"

"She's pink."

"Can you say that about an elf?" Alastair muttered, earning him a sharp dig to the ribs from Jessica. Brandy let out a mirthful laugh. It seemed no matter what world she was in, some things never changed. She turned toward the others, people roughly her age, but they were looking at her with something close to reverence.

"Have you ever seen a high elf before?" she asked, standing up as tall as she could and spreading her arms out wide so they could get a good look at her. All three of them shook their heads. Brandy caught a glimpse of the [Retainers] behind her and smiled.

"Which one is that one again?" she muttered as her eyes landed on the forest elf.

"Lethia, my lady," she said, stepping forward. Brandy stood next to her so the group could get a good look.

"Right, thanks. You guys are probably familiar with forest elves, right?" Brandy asked. Even Brandy had seen a couple of forest elves in the cathedral, but she hadn't seen another high elf like herself. She was answered by a round of nodding heads.

"We're not so different, the two of us," Brandy grinned. If one didn't count the individual differences one might find between two people simply as a matter of course, there were only a few big discrepancies. Forest elves were taller, generally more inclined to physical activity, highly dexterous and agile due to living mostly in the woods, and could, in the right circumstances, be mistaken for a human.

High elves were more magical, with special sight, ridiculously long ears, and a variety of skin colors ranging from strawberry to charcoal. They were apparently much rarer. Brandy spent a moment modeling for the others, who seemed especially awed by her eyes and ears. Y'cennia in particular sympathized, as a person with ears on the top of her head. Brandy noticed Jessica staring at her face, so she turned to the frowning girl and motioned for her to speak up.

"How can you see?" Jessica asked bluntly.

"Are you blind?" Brandy laughed.

"Oh, this?" she pointed up to her own eyes. The first time she had seen her in a mirror, she'd been shocked. Jessica's question was merited, especially if she'd never seen a high elf before. That magical eyesight she had? It let her occasionally see spellworks and ambient magic, but it had a side effect that coated her eyes in silvery mana, making them appear opaque. She herself could not see the effect, but to everybody else, they appeared milky and sightless.

After several seconds of concentrating, she managed to turn it off. She blinked several times as the others gasped at her, now seeing her eyes as their natural blue, but it was a strain to maintain, so eventually she let the magic return.

"Huh, I didn't know that," Jessica said, impressed.

"I'm glad I didn't randomly insult somebody else. Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why don't you see more high elves around?" For that…Brandy didn't actually know. She turned to Lethia, who nodded once.

"You'll find them most often in temples, shrines, and other holy places," Lethia stated.

"It is said that the first elf was a high elf, created directly by the gods, and all other elves came from them. Thus, they are a higher form of existence, as their blood flows more pure." Brandy wrinkled her nose and stared at Lethia, who simply gave her a serene smile and a slight bow of her head. Great, just what she needed: another thing for people to misinterpret. She didn't know what she had flowing through her veins, but it certainly wasn't godhood.

With how weak she felt right now, it was closer to "street urchin."

"So, how are we going to do this?" Brandy asked.

"I'm in a tight spot. I can't be in a big party, because I won't get any experience, but I can't kill things on my own. Bit of a catch 22, eh?"

"Not sure what that is," Alastair said, "But I can see the conundrum. In that case, if you start small with some of the critters right outside of Horizon, you should only need one partner. Bringing all of us would be overkill."

"Bringing Melia is overkill," Jessica smirked.

"I'll go. I want to practice my [Looting]. Who knows? I suck at learning [Stealth], maybe this will lead to a different path to [Ranger]?"

"That works for me," Melia nodded. Of course, she would be going; that went without saying. She turned to Y'cennia.

"How about you?"

"I'm not a fighter, so I might as well get back to [Alchemy]," Y'cennia said while stretching.

"I haven't made any potions for half a week and I don't want to get rusty."

"Please, it doesn't happen that fast," Melia laughed, "But good on you. That just leaves you, Al?" Alastair looked torn, visibly hesitating between joining Jessica and Brandy or heading back into the Bastion. Jessica noticed his hesitation and scoffed.

"Please, Al. We're just going to hunt some [Wololol] or something. Nothing's going to happen. Go get your devotions in or whatever you do while meditating."

"You say that, but with you, I can never be certain," Alastair said, earning a punch to his arm from Jessica. But, he did look relieved, probably happy to take some time to process the last couple of days. They'd been a real whirlwind. With [Sunrise] all accounted for, Melia turned to her [Retainers]. Technically, in the game, they were non-combat npcs, but all three of them had combat classes assigned to them from when they were used to supplement Melia's crafting professions.

She'd send them out on various missions and they'd return with a random assortment of goods, depending on the parameters of the mission they'd gone on.

"What will you all do?" Melia asked Lethia. As the leader of the trio, she seemed appropriate to ask.

"Will you be resuming residence in Horizon, my lady?" the elf answered with a question of her own. To be fair, Melia hadn't put any thought into it yet.

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

"I certainly don't plan on going anywhere, but right now I'm content to go where the wind takes me."

"I see," Lethia nodded.

"In that case, I will ensure the guild house is ready for your return."

"Ooh, thanks!" Melia cheered. Having a housekeeper was so amazing. She turned to Layalee and L'menia.

"How about you? What will you do?"

"I will assist you in your endeavors, of course," Layalee said with a bow. She manifested her battle axe and strapped it across her back. For some reason, that really amused the last [Retainer].

"Pft, please," L'menia smirked.

"If you're taking Lady Brandywine out to hunt, it'll be small fry. You don't need much help with that. I mean, I'll be more than happy to tag along if that's what you want, orrr…." She trailed off as her eyes landed on Y'cennia and a mischievous glint sparkled in her eye.

"You will not make a nuisance of yourself," Lethia said calmly, as if talking about the weather. L'menia's ears flattened, but she carried on like she hadn't just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"…orrrr I can help Lethia with the cleaning. Lotta dust can gather over a hundred years, yup!"

"You say that as if we haven't been keeping it spotless for ages," Lethia sighed, but she was glad the catkin was wrangled, for now.

"Great, so that's settled!" Melia said brightly.

"Let's go!"

Brandy, Jessica, and Melia all piled on top of Midna, who bounded through the streets of Horizon with practiced ease. Her energy seemed limitless, and Melia could feel the excitement thrumming through her, as if she was finally getting to do the job she was always meant to do. The group got less surprised glances with Brandy riding on Midna, as though seeing an elf riding a Nightsaber through town was more normal than seeing a gnome, despite the rarity of high elves in the capital.

What strange looks they did get only lasted until they reached the south gate, exiting Horizon. Midna made short work of the distance, putting miles behind them tirelessly as they sped toward the open country full of low-level monsters. They maneuvered through several obvious spawning zones, passing one or two fledgling adventurers and giving them a wide berth.

While [Sunrise]'s objective for today wasn't strictly confidential, they didn't want to advertise the fact that they were essentially power-leveling a fresh healer, and they also didn't want to make life miserable for the local noobs. Once they were far enough away from the city and there was nobody in sight, they all got off, and Jessica took charge.

"Alright, how do you want to play this?" she asked in a businesslike manner. She turned to face Brandy, who was sticking out rather like a sore thumb in the middle of the field with her simple white dress and flowing teal hair. Brandy simply shrugged.

"I don't exactly have any combat spells," she answered.

"And I'd rather not try to punch something to death. I'm at the mercy of somebody who does."

"Well, that's my ticket, isn't it?" Jessica smirked.

"Though, screw punching. I'll shoot stuff. Now, let's get to it." She shot out a party invitation, which saw Brandy brighten with a smile. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Oooh, a system party!" she said brightly. Jessica gave her a strange look before she remembered that Melia didn't have any clue about parties when they first invited her hunting. Maybe it was a weird, ancient hero thing? She shook her head, but she didn't need to do as much explaining for the high elf, because she joined the party shortly after. And, though it boggled the mind, there she was. Eluna Brandywine, level 7 [Saint], in the flesh.

"Let's change that a little, shall we?" Jessica said with a smirk, readying her bow and adjusting her quiver.

"Time to hunt some [Rats]."

To Melia's immense relief, power-leveling Brandy was very easy, if also very time-consuming. Even without a rank 37 and a rank 14 in the party, having a single rank 3 was enough to drop the experience gain to something close to negligible. The group was excited when Brandy was engulfed in a golden light after Jessica skewered the first monster, but their expectations needed to be tempered.

She'd only gained a single level, and just barely at that: her bar told her she still needed about 90 percent to go for her new level. Still, that meant the first few levels came incredibly fast, racking up the dings as Jessica cranked out the kills. She hit level 10 in the first several minutes, after which it slowed substantially. Melia was sorely tempted to find another solution.

She was this close to making Brandy leave the party, transforming herself back into a dragon, and holding down the biggest monster she could find while making Brandy beat it to death with a stick. It should count as a healer-certified weapon by the system, right? They used staves. Fortunately for any nearby monsters, they were not subjected to what could easily be considered cruel and unusual punishment, and instead were given quick release at the hands of Jessica's arrows.

They continued to hunt for several hours, working themselves into a solid rhythm that occasionally saw Brandy heal the [Hunter] from minor scrapes and bruises, or from the occasional attack gone wrong. By the time the sun was high in the sky, Jessica was nearly out of arrows, having eventually lost or broken most of hers, and Brandy was visibly wilting.

Despite the burst of energy she got every time she gained a level, she was still running around in the hot summer sun, chasing after an energetic [Hunter] while she [Looted] her way through corpses, with the stamina of a young child. That being said, today could be called nothing but a success. By the time they were done, Brandy's legs were begging her to let them rest, and she only obliged once she hit an even level 70.

Once her body had a chance to rest, process all its newfound stats, and rebuild itself from the exertion, she'd finally be on par with the average teenager joining the workforce for the first time. Layalee helped Brandy onto Midna's back, who seemed content to let the high elf direct her as if she were Melia herself. Melia, for her part, spotted a shady grove of several trees and decided that would make an excellent place to rest for lunch.

She rummaged through her inventory, pulled out a large [Silk Cloth] to use as a blanket, and got to work preparing for lunch. It was the middle of summer, it was hot, and Melia didn't feel like cooking. Fortunately, she had plenty of leftovers and raw ingredients. Today felt like a great day for cold cuts, so she pulled out multiple loaves of sourdough bread, some leafy greens, and several assorted meats and cheeses.

She fished out a cutting board, and after a few quick skills from the [Cooking] tree, they had a decent pile of premium deli meat, sliced just as thin as a professional-grade machine. Jessica's mouth was already watering in anticipation, and Brandy nearly got lightheaded from repeatedly inhaling so deeply.

The bread, in particular, was earthy, tangy, and had just a hint of sweetness to it that let Jessica know in no uncertain terms that this wasn't as ordinary as Melia tried to claim when she said it was, "Just something I made a while back." At this point, Jessica wouldn't be surprised if this sourdough bread came from the starter of all sourdough breads. But Jessica couldn't dwell on legendary yeasts for very long, as she quickly caved to the call of hunger and joined the others in feasting.

She almost felt bad for Al, Cennie, and Elsie… but not enough to save any to share. They'd have to settle for her gloating stories: she earned this.

After lunch, the group was content to sit lazily in the shade of the trees, letting their bellies digest and their bodies recover. They'd done enough for the day, and it was probably time to head back to Horizon and catch up with the others, especially Ellesea, who hadn't really been a part of the day's happenings at all. That was, until Layalee gathered her resolve, turned to Melia, and bowed.

"My lady, it's time for you to eat."

"Eh?" Melia blinked. She turned to Layalee, wondering where the unexpected outburst came from. Instinctively, one hand traveled to her stomach, where the gnawing hunger lurked within. It had been quiet recently, to the point where Melia put it out of her mind, but at the sudden reminder, a small growl made it rear its ever-present head.

"We just had lunch?" Melia asked, slightly confused. The others were still sprawled out over the makeshift picnic blanket, looking dead to the world. Layalee shook her head with a small smile.

"My lady, you had a nibble at best. This is why you need constant minding. When was the last time you went out to feed?" Feed? What a bizarre question. Melia drew her head back as she considered the implications.

"Feeding" was generally what large animals did to satisfy their bulk… which technically, Melia most certainly was. When thinking of it from that angle, Melia had to scratch her head. When was the last time she reverted to her real body and ate to her heart's content? Actually, never. But the last time she went on a rampage, shoveling weak monsters into her mouth? It had to be over a week ago. She'd eaten a single [Thresher], that was 5 days ago.

The day before that, she snacked on a [Boar] when she ran her errand to kill the [Frost Giants]. So that left another two days previous, when she conned Jessica into watching her abduct a bunch of fantasy sheep? Grrrrrrooooowwwwwwwlll. Something let out a deep rumble, and it wasn't Midna.

"Damn," Jessica stared down at the gnome warily.

"Don't eat the rest of us."

"Layalee, you're right," Melia sighed. She never really thought about it, but she always had somebody watching over her, telling her how to take care of herself or bringing her meals. Taking care of herself wasn't a life skill she ever learned. First, it was her parents; then, it was the doctors…did her [Retainers] fulfill a similar role in this world?

"Might I suggest [Crimson Cattle]?" Layalee supplied helpfully.

"I remember them being a favorite of yours." Melia nodded along. For some reason, despite never actually tasting one of the bull-like monsters in person, they did sound really good. Though, Melia wasn't sure about them being a "favorite"… she simply hunted them. A lot. [Crimson Cattle] were a mid-range monster between level 45 to 50, native to the zone directly south of Gold Coast, the Redlands. Aptly named, the zone was a high, rocky area dotted with alpine patches and chunks of grasslands.

Almost everything was tinted rusty red, giving the area a perpetual "late-autumn in late-afternoon" feel, even in the middle of spring, early in the morning. The [Cattle] themselves were giant bulls, and the developers clearly created them partly as a joke, since they were a main ingredient in a very useful stamina potion, named, as one could guess, [Crimson Cattle Energy Drink]. If inspected, the level 40 potion had some flavor text: Crimson Cattle lets you flyyyy.

Melia wasn't sure why the company never got sued. Despite the cheeky name and clear intention as a meme, the item was actually very useful, even at later levels where most potions would be replaced. It simply restored a flat amount of Energy, the resource used by [Rogues] and other similar classes, which fueled their attacks. It shared the global cooldown with other potions, but it only had a 30-second timer compared to two minutes, or sometimes an entire battle, as was common to everything else.

Most competent [Rogues] carried a few stacks of them in their inventories, and they could go through all of them in a single raid, depending on the dungeon. Melia made quite a killing crafting those, in more ways than one. But back to the task at hand, Melia really could go for a juicy steak right about now.

"Okay," she nodded decisively.

"It's settled. I'll go fly down to the Redlands, pick up a few cows, and come back home. Anybody want to come with?" Brandy gave her a speculative look from where she was lounging against Midna, but it was clear she was spent.

"Normally I'd love to," she began apologetically, "But I think I need to sit this one out. Rain check?"

"Sure," Melia grinned. They'd leveled Brandy from 7 to 70 today. All things considered, that was huge progress. Brandy's body probably needed time to rest and process all that growth.

"Then I shall stay with Lady Brandywine," Layalee bowed.

"I will ensure she is protected, Mistress."

"Thanks, Layalee," Melia grinned. Having [Retainers] was turning out to be pretty cool, she had to admit. She turned to Jessica expectantly.

"Eh?" Jessica smirked.

"Me? Yeah, no. Not gonna happen. You go eat cow or whatever, I'm good."

"But you promised," Melia pouted. She didn't mean anything by it, and she was about to let it slide, transform into a dragon, and take off, but she felt something stir within her. Something magical, but she had no idea what it did, or was trying to do, because nothing seemed to happen. Jessica, more than anyone else, felt it too. Her eyes went wide as she staggered back, clutching her chest. Her heart rate spiked as her breath hitched, then she stared at her hands in shock.

"Are you okay?!" Melia almost panicked. What now?

"I…I'm good," Jessica said shakily.

"I got…a reminder. It wasn't a normal system prompt or anything, but I had a clear vision of that time a week ago, where we were out hunting [Wolves] and [Wololol]. I did promise I'd go with you, and something wanted me to remember that." Melia blinked up at her in surprise until Layalee stepped forward. She bent low to look Jessica in the eyes and had a solemn look on her face.

"Be very mindful of making promises with a dragon," she said seriously.

"They carry real weight."

"N-no kidding," Jessica said, regaining her composure. She straightened, slapped her cheeks a few times, and turned to face Melia, resolved.

"Okay. I'm ready. Let's do this before I back out."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Jessica should have backed out.

"IMMA DIE! IMMA FALL OFF AND IMMA GO SPLAT AND IMMA DIE!!"

She really, really should have backed out. Promises be damned; weird, draconic magic that makes her remember her words in crystal clear detail be damned. Man was not meant to fly. Not like this. Gryphons? Gryphons, Jessica could understand. They were big, sure, but they were slow. Relatively speaking. They outsped a horse, sure, but they were bulky, somewhat predictable, and most importantly, still within the realm of reason. Dragons? Specifically, gigantic, Meliastraza-shaped dragons?

There was nothing reasonable about them. Something the size of a mountain had no business traveling so darn fast!

This time, when Melia transformed, Jessica was ready for it. She still flinched, but that was to be expected when you went from standing in an open field one second to standing in the shadow of a foot the next. It didn't help that when Meliastraza lowered her head to the ground, insisting that Jessica "climb on," she did so while smiling through wicked, fanged teeth. Jessica thought she should be congratulated for shrugging off her fears and placing that first step onto the scaly, black surface.

One wrong step could have spelled her doom, but of course, Melia would never let anything happen to her, so she felt mildly assured. But only mildly. Jessica was even prepared for the inevitable party invitation that came… and subtly threatened unspeakable terrors to her soul if she made the wrong choice, which she very carefully did not. What made it all go to pieces was when she finally clambered all the way to the top of the dragon's head and started looking around.

Just standing where she was felt like looking down from the roof of a house. The [Retainer], the [Saint], and the giant cat all stared up at her and waved (or started napping, in the cat's case), as if this was the most expected thing in the world, and she was simply about to casually nip on down to the local market and score herself some groceries. That's when the dragon had the audacity to say, " Hold on tight! We're lifting off!"

"To what?!" Jessica panicked. This wasn't well thought out. This wasn't fair! How was she supposed to hold onto anything when there wasn't anything to hold onto? The closest thing she could think of was a horn, which was bigger than a tree trunk, and there was a gap between it and the top of Melia's head. Even if she could wrap her arms around it, which she couldn't, she'd have to sacrifice her footing to do so." Melody said there's a dip. Sit down in that!"

"You took the princess flying?!" Jessica didn't know who was more insane. Any princess willingly stepping foot onto a dragon's head has more than a few screws loose, and Jessica was starting to think she did too. Melia stretched her wings wide and gave them a few experimental flaps, causing huge gusts of wind to buffet the area around her. Jessica dove down in a panic, discovering that yes, indeed, there was a dip on the top of Melia's head. Was it the ridge of her eyebrows? Something else?

She had no idea, but it was practical, with several conveniently placed scale lines nearby that she could dig her fingers into. With a secure grip, it allowed her to crouch down, face forward, and hold on for dear life, as Melia wasted no time in lifting off. Jessica blinked and they were already hundreds of feet in the air. When she peered forward over the side of the head without thinking, the trees, their companions, and all the roaming spawns were as tiny as pin-pricks. That's when the screaming started.

And yet, a part of Jessica's mind, the normally rational and level-headed part, recognized the fact that she wasn't actually moving. Well, in the sense of getting jostled around and actually needing to hold on. She could let go, if she wanted, and actually walk around, and the fun-loving, adventurous side of her secretly wanted to dare. But all she could say was, "AAAAAAAHHHH!!" The flight itself was like a dream, and Jessica wondered if what she saw was real or made up. Golden fields sped beneath them.

She saw Hammerfall approach, pass beneath, and then go by. The observation tower, which she was very familiar with and felt like a monumental spire in her eyes, was nothing more than a little twig sticking up from the hill. More fields passed. Sickledrop passed. She had an amusing, errant thought that the dungeon, [Astoria Boondocks], passed. Soon they came across the mountains. To Jessica, though she knew there were other lands on the other side, they felt like the end of the world.

A border so big, so vast, so impenetrable, there simply could be no traversing them. And, she supposed, they didn't. They went over them. Meliastraza dipped low, letting out a deep, reverberating squeal of glee as she skimmed some of the taller trees, thankfully not bringing a whirlwind of destruction in her wake. To that, Jessica agreed with an, "AHHHH." The world suddenly transitioned from golden yellows of tall grass and grains, to reds, browns, and a few sparse greens of pines and redwoods.

The few monsters Jessica could see looked huge, even as far away as they were, and she could only gulp as she tried to guess what their levels might be. She was in a whole new world, and she never considered the dangers that lurked so near.

Meliastraza eventually spotted a clearing large enough to land in, and banked a wide circle as she slowed their descent. Jessica's throat was hoarse, and the initial fear was gone, but she wasn't about to celebrate until her feet were touching cold, hard dirt again. Once they hit the ground with a shuddering thud, she slid down the smooth scales of the dragon's snout and landed gracelessly onto her hands and knees, nearly bringing her head down to kiss the earth.

"Oh, sweet foundation," Jessica praised. Meliastraza's long neck spiraled around Jessica so she could stare at her with a single, gigantic eye." Was it really so bad?" Melia asked, worried.

"No," Jessica instantly denied, but she remained sprawled on the ground so the dragon couldn't see her growing smile." Good,"the dragon grinned, showing off her many razor-sharp teeth." We'll be moving on again shortly." Part of Jessica hated that she was actually looking forward to it, because deep down, it meant she was starting to accept that the crazy new reality she found herself in was real.

She was in a party with a dragon, she spent the night at a princess' castle, and she just gave leveling tips to a [Saint]. If she were dreaming, now would be an excellent time to wake up. Jessica raised her eyes just in time to see the dragon lift her head, pluck a huge [Crimson Cattle] out of a small herd with a single claw, tilt her head back and toss the poor thing in. What was it she had said only a dozen minutes ago? Like going on a quick run down to the market to pick out some groceries.

Only, instead of some oranges, Meliastraza was mulling over which cow was the biggest, fattest, and tastiest looking. On second thought, maybe she'd just take a quick nap.