From Real to Realm

Val was lying in one of the medical ward beds. She was exhausted after the fight with that golem. The guild channelers did a fantastic job healing her wounds, but there was still a soreness left behind. It wasn’t a bad ache, though. Val was confident her performance would likely earn her a good rank increase.

However, she was still a bit pissed at herself for being caught off guard so easily. She replayed the fight in her head time and time again. Getting hit by the golem like that hurt her pride. The fact that she lost her balance so easily after slicing through his leg meant she didn’t follow through with her attack properly.

“How are you feeling?”

Val opened her eyes. Lucia stood at the side of her bed, smiling.

“Long time no see,” Val said, sitting up. “I’m a little sore, but that’ll go away.”

Lucia sat on the edge of the bed. “I heard you were hurt.”

Val nodded. “I took my first re-evaluation earlier. We’re about to push into the fourth floor and take on the Ashen King. One of the chapters suggested we get new ranks before doing so, though.”

Lucia looked down at her hands. “Hard to believe how far you’ve come.” She chuckled softly. “Feels like yesterday when you stared down Barrett for me.”

Val chuckled. “We’ve been through a lot, that’s for sure.”

“How is everyone else?”

Val adjusted how she was sitting. “Amarisse is still pushing hard right next to me. It’s rare she’s not on my hip when it comes to anything to do with the guild.”

Lucia smiled. “To be expected of any good tank, right?”

Val nodded. “Right. As for Mina, she’s just as energetic as before, but she has a different edge to her after what happened. It doesn’t affect her personality in the least, but she definitely changed at least some after what happened.”

“Kind of to be expected. She did almost die down there,” Lucia said, sighing softly. “I wish I could see the three of you more often.”

“You’re free to join us any time you want.”

Lucia smiled. “I can’t go back down there, Val. I’m no longer jumpy, but I still have nightmares.”

Val nodded. “I can’t blame you. If it wasn’t for all the support, I don’t think I’d be able to do it either.”

“That reminds me. How are you and Lynesia?”

The question made Val flinch ever so slightly. Things were still precarious at best.

“Well… we had an argument. At the moment, we are taking some alone time, but hopefully that won’t last much longer.”

Lucia looked surprised. “The two of you are head over heels for each other, though. I mean, the way you look at each other makes me jealous.”

Val sighed. “It’s been so rough.”

Lucia scooted closer, expression more stern. “Then you two need to make up. You obviously love each other.”

Lucia’s expression forced a chuckle from Val.

“Don’t worry. We’ve already started working on things. Hopefully it won’t be much longer.”

“Well, what about my replacement? Is she doing well?”

Val smirked. “You know damn well Cera couldn’t replace you.”

Lucia rolled her eyes. “You didn’t answer my question, Val.”

“Yes, she’s doing very well,” Val said, shaking her head. “She’s plateaued at level five for a while. It’s bothering her, but I think beating the Ashen King will push her over the edge.”

“Leveling up is a bit harder for channelers,” Lucia said, sitting back. “Trust me, I should know.”

The two of them sat there chatting about things for a bit longer. Val was happy she got to see Lucia again. With delving and now her newfound “destiny,” it was hard to make time for other people outside of her party. Lucia seemed happy to hear about the girls, though.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Lucia said, walking next to Val. “If you ever need healing, don’t hesitate to find me, okay?”

Val nodded. “Well, maybe I should request you every time I get hurt?”

Lucia giggled. “As flattering as that is, I’m only level three; I can’t heal everything.”

They stopped at the entrance to the medical ward. Lucia still had a smile that didn’t look like it was fading anytime soon.

“Val?”

“Yeah?”

“Take care of everyone and especially yourself, okay?”

Val raised an eyebrow, turning to look at her. “Getting a little sentimental, aren’t we?”

Lucia smiled to herself. “Maybe, but I meant it. Be careful.”

“I’ll do my best, promise.”

With that, Val walked through the long hallway connecting the medical ward to the lobby. She noticed the sun hanging low in the sky through the large glass windows. It was likely only a few hours before sunset.

Grumble.

Val chuckled to herself. She was very hungry, and her body was reminding her of that fact. As she walked through the lobby, she looked around. Multiple people were staring at her for some reason. Then she remembered she was still covered in the brackish orange blood from the golem.

“Right…”

“Valnarei Strouss.”

She turned around to see a dwarf with a long beard. “Yes?”

He held out a small scroll. It was tied with a purple ribbon, golden-stitched. “Your re-evaluation results.”

Val’s heart raced as she took the scroll from him. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Just make sure to take that scroll with you when you meet with Marcus. He won’t change your badge without it.”

With that, the dwarf walked away, not giving her a chance to say anything. Val stood there, staring at the scroll in her hand. She didn’t know whether to open it now or wait until everyone else finished their re-evaluations. Curiosity was building, and she didn’t know if she could resist.

“I really should wait…”

Val put the scroll in her bag. If it wasn’t in front of her, she would be less likely to look at it. Amarisse already took her re-evaluation this morning. It was likely she was done for the day and had already had her scroll. Mina and Cera would probably take theirs tomorrow. That left Val with an entire day off to do whatever she wanted.

She smirked. “A surprise visit for the family sounds good to me.”

With a plan in her mind, she started walking home. About halfway, she realized something. If she showed up by herself, then they’d surely start peppering her with questions. Lynesia knew the truth now. Telling her family the same thing, though? Val didn’t know whether that was a good idea. She continued to go over the possible outcomes in her head the rest of the way home.

When Val reached her front door, she pulled out her key. However, it turned out the door was unlocked already somehow. Val immediately placed her hand on her dagger. If someone picked the lock, she needed to be ready. Using her halberd inside the place wasn’t a good idea either, given its sheer size. She slowly pushed the door open, peeking around the edge.

Within seconds, she recognized the aroma of food cooking. Her heart jumped at the implications. She pushed the door open the rest of the way. Standing in the kitchen, wearing an apron, was Lynesia. She was happily humming to herself as she cooked. Val stood there, frozen as she watched.

Then Lynesia jumped in surprise. “Val?! Gods! You scared the hell out of me!”

Val just stared at her.

Lynesia glanced over her shoulder at the food. “I figured you might be hungry, so I figured I’d make dinner.” She turned back to Val, then furrowed her brow. “What’s wrong?”

“A—Are we okay?”

Lynesia tilted her head, then smiled. “We always were, dummy. I… I just needed some time to adjust to the truth….”

Val gently set her things aside. Once they were on the floor, she moved toward Lynesia.

“Absolutely not!” Lynesia yelled, pointing her finger at Val. “You need a bath right now. I don’t know what you’re covered in, but I am cooking dinner. Go get clean, right now.”

Val looked down at herself. “Right… I forgot. Can I at least get a kiss?”

Lynesia sighed, rolling her eyes. “I could never say no to you.”

It was the first kiss they’d shared in what felt like forever to Val. Her heart was racing already, but sharing a kiss with the woman she loved did way more for her.

“Now go take a good, long bath. We’ll clean your armor and clothes in the morning.”

Val did as she was told. Instead of dirtying up the bedroom, she opted to strip down in the bathroom. She had the tub filling while she did so, so by the time she was nude, it was ready for her. Slowly, she sank into the hot water and relaxed against the back. Part of her was over the moon now that Lynesia was back. However, another part of her was asking if she really was back.

“Are things going to be the same?” she asked herself. “Can they ever be the same as before?”

Val wasted no time getting to work on cleaning off. It changed nothing to sit there and dwell on such questions. The only way to find out if things had changed was to spend time with Lynesia. It was best to start slow. Lynesia was likely still coming to terms with what happened. Even if she was back, it didn’t mean she was completely okay.

Her bath turned out to be one of the quickest she’d ever taken. It was hard to tamp down the excitement that kept building within her. Just the fact that Lynesia was cooking dinner was huge. In no time at all, she was out of the bath, wrapped in a towel, and heading to the bedroom to get dressed.

Dinner wasn’t even done by the time she walked back into the kitchen. She was wearing her normal shorts and crop top combo. She moved to the end of the counter and leaned back against it. Lynesia, for her part, was adding vegetables to a pan. It looked like a stir-fry to Val.

“You don’t have to tiptoe around me, Val.”

Val inhaled slowly. “I don’t know what to do if I’m being honest.”

Lynesia used a wooden spoon to gently stir the food. “Things might be a little bit different, but not so much so that you have to act like I’m fragile.”

“I don’t think you’re fragile. At all,” Val said, turning toward her. “I just don’t know what to do with us anymore. I don’t know how to get back to how we were before.”

Lynesia sighed. “Nothing will be the exact same as before. However, I want you to treat me just like you did before. Don’t change anything.”

Val gulped. Slowly, she walked up behind Lynesia. With a little hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Lynesia’s waist before resting her head over her right shoulder.

“See? So stop worrying so much,” Lynesia said, leaning into Val’s embrace.

Val was content to stand there holding Lynesia while she finished cooking. Lynesia never made a move to break the embrace, either, as they moved in unison along the counter. Fear melted away as they both stayed silent. It was obvious to both of them now. No matter what was thrown at them, they loved each other, and that was never going to change.

“So, you have your new rank in your bag?”

Val nodded, chewing a mouthful of food.

“And you haven’t looked at it yet?”

Val shook her head, swallowing. “I was kind of hoping we’d all reveal our new ranks at the same time.”

Lynesia shook her head, smirking. “I hope the others think the same way. It would be a shame for only the two of us to be waiting to tell everyone else at the same time.”

Val chuckled. “I was kinda thinking the same thing. If they don’t wait, then it won’t bother me all that much.”

“I’ll go by the guild tomorrow to do my re-evaluation. If we’re really taking on the Ashen King, then we all need to be updated.”

“I can walk you there if you’d like?”

Lynesia giggled. "You’re welcome to if you want.”

The rest of dinner was quiet. The two of them didn’t talk all that much more. Val was just happy to be sharing a meal with Lynesia again. Even with everything going on with the guild, her re-evaluation, and the upcoming fight with the Ashen King, she was happy.

Once dinner was over, the two of them cleaned their dishes together. They did that in relative silence as well, aside from the occasional question or comment. When that was finished, it was time to ask the important question.

“Are you staying the night?” Val asked, biting her lip in thought. “Nothing has to happen. I just miss cuddling with you.”

Lynesia smiled, taking Val’s hand in hers. “Yes, I’m staying the night.”

Val chuckled softly. “Maybe I’ll get some decent sleep again.”

Lynesia giggled, then walked over to the corner of the room. She picked up a bag full of her things and started walking toward their bedroom. “Come on, I need to put my things away.”

Val realized what that meant. It wasn’t a one-night thing. Maybe Lynesia really was moving back in with her. Somehow, someway, she didn’t ruin the most important relationship she had.

Val grabbed Lynesia’s other bag. “I’ll help you.”

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