Chapter 279: Leaving The City of James
Chapter 279: Leaving The City of James
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Sally finishes crying and peels off of me. I have to dry the tears welling in my eyes before they fall. I never thought I’d care for someone enough to cry for them other than my family. “I’m really tired… Is it alright if we sleep in before we leave tomorrow?” I nod my head and like the idea of sleeping in for a change. We both get undressed down to our underwear and hop into the sheets. She doesn’t have an inventory, so her clothes are in a pile on the floor. All I have to do is unequip. I open my arms, and she lays on my chest as I wrap on around her and leave the other at my side.
Sally and I relax, and the stress of the last day is finally leaving me. We’re done, in The City of James, that is. There are even more things coming and their complicated quests. I’m happy that I was able to share information about my status as a player with Sally. Teaching her why new people are different. “The trip is going to take 3 days at max speeds. The elven kingdom is very far away. We should get some actual food before we leave.” I don’t mind hunting and cooking over the campfire. The only problem with that is I’m not a chef.
So the food turns out pretty bad. It still fills you up, but other than that, it’s a boring taste and hard to get down. Sally doesn’t respond, and I take her silence as a sign of no more talking. I don’t have a problem with that. There are things we can discuss tomorrow after we get up. I stare up at the ceiling, and I feel the weight of sleep coming down on me. My mental exhaustion has reached a level that makes me lethargic, but I’m getting some sleep. When stress constantly piles on over and over, it makes needing proper rest essential.
My tired thoughts drift to Hailey. She’s probably already left the city and is on her way back to her friend Jasmine. She might’ve done the thing I’m planning to do and grabbed supplies before she left. Hailey has come so far in her power, more than I ever thought. Going out on her own was the best thing that happened to her. Giving her a push in the right direction helped, but after that. Hailey made her own choices, and now she’s succeeding from it. After a few minutes of wandering thoughts, I fall asleep with Sally on my chest.
While Cera and Sally sleep at the now empty inn, Hailey is just leaving the last shop she needs supplies from. Hailey, in fact, did what Cera plans to do. She’s gotten the food for the journey and is heading for the cities exit. She had a hard time getting out of the crowd around the inn, but the soldiers helped her get past. There weren’t any sick when she looked at them, only people waiting to see her brother. That’s something she has to deal with from time to time. When her identity is revealed, trouble comes. She is a legendary class wielder, after all.
I walk down the empty streets in the darkness, and Emerald is purring on my shoulder. Jasmine is going to be happy with the news of putting all the things happening here to an end. She’s going to be surprised to learn that Slayer Zern is my brother. I have yet to tell her that my little brother is the center of most of the attention from the church. Jasmine is a devoted follower of the Arch-Angel Gabriel. Once she meets my brother, she’s going to freak. In this world, he’s a part of the divinity. I know that he doesn’t like the attention. It’s who he is.
I pet Emerald as she rubs her head against my cheek. She’s grown a little in the last few days. She’s gotten a tad heavier. I can feel the difference. My thoughts focus on the undertaking that is ahead of me. Taking Jasmine on such a dangerous mission isn’t my first choice, but she is strong. Jasmine and I will make a side stop on the way to the southern border of the elven kingdom. There are rumors of a powerful dungeon about a day’s trip from Jasmine’s town. Supposedly, it has a powerful class in it. That class is going to Jasmine.
No one has been able to clear it, and it’s taken many levels from players. I see the gate up ahead, and I calmly walk through it and see the long line from before is even longer now. I walk down the path and look at the many people waiting in line. Some of them are very sick or weak-looking. Farmers must have heard that Cera is here and hope to get into the city before he leaves. A burden of having the power Cera does. I heard rumors that he’s healed people in cities he’s stopped at. After what I saw, they’re true.
He’s making the burden he carries worse. Having that much power comes with many responsibilities. One of them being the needs of others. The desperate and sick will beg for all their worth, and he won’t be able to get them all. That’s going to end up weighing on him. He knows that he can’t save everyone, but that doesn’t make things any easier. “Purrr~.” Emerald’s deep purrs and constant cuddling pull me out of my thoughts. I chuckle and continue petting her. It’s been fun to see Cera, and I’m glad that we’re reuniting again soon.
Sally is one of a kind. I’ve never met a girl like her, so much will and love. An openness in her heart despite all the suffering she’s been through. She told me some, and I had to stop her cause I couldn’t bear to continue listening. She said that Cera knows all about her past and the horrible things done to her. Most men would keep away from women who’s been through so much, but Cera has proved different. In some way, they’re meant for each other. Cera has many secrets he hasn’t told me. Suffering that hidden, same as Sally.
The pain and experiences aren’t the same, but having them has somehow created a bond. It’s something that I can only see in them. Mom and dad will have a lot of questions when they meet Sally, and most of them will be coming from mom. She’s going to have to give her stamp of approval before she allows her favorite to be with someone she doesn’t approve of. I look up to the stars and walk slowly on the clear path. This is all hypothetical. We may never see mom and dad again, Marcus too. It’s a big world out there, and we have no idea where they’re at.
As the night passes and Hailey continues her journey, people desperately try to get into the city. Anyone nearby has left their homes with their sick and injured—people from towns and cities all over the Kingdom of Pleer. The guards are having to reinforce the gates with troops and keep the people at bay. Mothers and fathers are on the edge of fighting to get into the city. They know this is going to be their one chance to save their children or their sick parents. The night passes, and the sun begins to rise, along with the chaos brewing outside the city. People finally breakthrough.
I sit up as we’ve already slept in for an hour, but the main reason we haven’t slept in longer is because of the noise outside. People are arguing and shouting. I feel Sally wrap her arm around my torso and try to bring me back to bed. I look at her mocha white skin and the special smell I get from her. I pinch the bridge of my nose and clear my thoughts. “Looks like the people outside have different idea’s about us sleeping in…” I groggily talk in a dry voice. Sally only groans in protest. I’d think she’d be ready to leave the city as soon as possible.
It’s not like that now, but knowing her, she’s putting on a strong front. “Can’t you tell them to go away? We need our sleep too…” She begins to talk in a very quiet voice. I smile and run my fingers through her hair. Her long blond hair, it’s silky and easy to move through. I stop and move to get out of bed. “Ugh, they can’t leave you alone… It sucks that this happens every time you reveal your identity anywhere…” She angrily lets out her opinion in a frustrated voice. I stand up from the bed and equip all my armor. I look at her and smile—time to help some more people.