The Gray Tower (Being Rewritten as The Erstwhile Druid)

Chapter 6.1: Beginning

Silver lolled by the hearth, her tongue hanging out, eyes closed in sweet bliss. The wolf yawned, her mouth opening wide before closing again. Curled in a ball, Silver was completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

The Orc's Bane was filled with players from all over the world, though Noelle could only hear English being spoken around the room. The automatic translator was a wonderful thing; it allowed players from across the world easy communication.

Noelle tuned them all out, focusing on her conversation with Luke.

“I thought I said one cup,” Luke said, frowning.

Noelle took a long draught of the delicious nectar. “It’s not like another cup of coffee is going to bankrupt you. Alford’s coffee is as delicious as I remember. If you refuse me, I’ll just ask Alford. He’s weak to womanly charms.”

“That’s unfair. I can’t win.”

“What are you waiting for then?” Noelle held out her mug.

Luke spread his arms. “What is mine, is yours. You may partake of whatever you wish.” He stood and gave a slight bow. Luke walked to the kitchen and came back with a steaming jar. Luke poured into Noelle’s mug, filling it to the brim. “There you are, milady.”

“No need to be so pretentious.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Oh right, I forgot. You.”

Cue awkward silence. Luke cleared his throat. “Okay, now explain to me why those player-killers were trying to kill you. The Black Pain usually work independently.”

“It’s a long story and I’m tired. Can’t we do this another time? I’d rather talk about you. I’m not the one who was on vacation.”

“Don’t change the subject. You were in some deep doodoo back there. Tell you what, I’ll tell you all about my college life later. After you explain to me what was going on.”

“It’s boring,” Noelle said, impassively. Her face and tone betrayed her utter disinterest in the topic.

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Noelle went silent. She held her mug in her hands, rotating it over and over. Near the hearth, Silver’s ears and paws twitched. Lost in dreams, thought Luke. Can AI dream? He pondered the thought, rolling it around in his mind. No, that would be impossible. The developers must have programmed the AI to simulate dreams.

As Luke opened his mouth to speak, Noelle broke the silence. “They hurt my friend.”

“Yeah, I assumed that. You’ve always been protective of friends.”

“It was Jill. They stole the platinum she’d been saving for the past year. Remember the remodeling she’d been planning for the Good Feast?”

Luke nodded. “Of course.” Then he leaned forward. “So what did you do?”

“I stole it back, right from under their noses. They’ve probably never been targeted before by a max level Assassin. The lock on their safe was easy pickings.”

“Noelle, what’d I tell you about stealing?” Luke asked, his face an unreadable mask.

“Technically, it wasn’t stealing,” Noelle insisted.

“And so what? You only took the amount they stole? I highly doubt that.”

Noelle pursed her lips. “They deserved it.”

Luke sat down and helplessly threw his hands up. “So you stole everything.”

“Not quite. I only stole what was in their guild bank.”

“Noelle…”

“What?” The assassin pursed her lips.

“Good job,” Luke broke out into a grin. He strode over to Silver and massaged her neck. Silver’s eyes fluttered open, acknowledging Luke’s touch. “Silver thinks so too.”

Noelle snorted. “Why can I never tell when you’re pulling my leg?”

“Because you’re always serious. Too serious. You need to lighten up sometimes.” Luke answered. “After all, this is a game.”

“And I’ve heard this a million times before. You can’t change what you can’t change, Luke.” Noelle joined Luke as they both gave Silver a rub down. Then, she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to the table. “Now, it’s your turn. How was your last semester?”

A high school drop out, Noelle loved hearing about Luke’s escapades in higher learning.

Luke cleared his throat. “So the good news is I graduated.”

“What’s the bad news?”

Dejected, Luke hung his head. “Remember that really cute classmate I told you about?”

Noelle stiffened, but Luke didn’t notice. “The cute Asian girl right? Did you end up going for it?”

“I tried, but…”

“But what?”

“Things just didn’t work out with Hannah.”

Noelle raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so she has a name now?”

Luke shifted his feet uncomfortably. “I’m sensing some hostility here, Noelle.”

“What? You’re just imagining things.” Noelle leaned back in her chair and waved Luke’s concerns away. “Go on.”

Luke continued on, not convinced in the slightest. “So I went with a love letter.”

“Wait, you what?” Noelle sputtered as she leaned forward. “Why didn’t you just talk to her?”

“I’m shy in real life. I told you that before. Plus, she has tons of friends. Do you really expect me to ask her out when everyone’s watching?”

“Um, isn’t that what normal people do?”

“I guess that means I’m not normal.” An edge crept into Luke’s voice. “Anyways, I got to biology early and left the letter where she always sat. She came in a few minutes later and noticed it.”

“Did she open it?”

“Not before all of her friends started crowding around. One of them opened the letter and started reading it aloud.”

Noelle moaned. “That’s why you never go with the love letter. It always ends badly.”

Luke rapped his knuckles on the table. “Her friend finishes the letter, and in the corniest voice ever, says ‘Love, Luke’.”

“What’d Hannah do?”

“They started pointing at me and laughing, including Hannah. It was terrible.”

“Terrible,” Noelle agreed.

“That was the end of my college love life.”

“Well, that sucks.”

“You’re not going to make fun of me?” Luke asked, surprised.

“No need to kick someone when they’re already down. And you’re way down there,” Noelle said.

“Bah.”

Noelle paused, focusing on the bottom of her mug. “You want my advice?”

“No, not really.”

“Refill my coffee and we’ll talk.”

“Do you ever listen to what I say?”

Noelle feigned offense. “When have I ever ignored you?”

Luke sighed, this one deeper and longer than the rest. Picking up the empty pot, Luke headed back to the kitchen in search of more coffee.

“Stupid idiot. Doesn’t see what’s in front of him,” Noelle muttered under her breath.

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