[THE ROSE DINER]
[2 Months Later]
The trio laughed hysterically as they enjoyed their evening dinner at the Rose Diner.
"Aww…it was the smell! Do you remember the smell?" Arthos asked half choking from laughter.
"haha, hehehah, Yes! It smelled…oh my god…I can't breathe…hehehaha…it smelled like burnt eggs!" Kristan said clutching her stomach in between bouts of laughter.
"Hey, in my defense those big birds did look like chicken…I figured, why not try some fried chicken for once?" Wain said half-heartedly remembering that one day a few weeks ago. The trio had located a spot along the southeastern coast behind Avalor where giant birdlike mobs roamed.
Wain had devised a plan to capture and cook a giant bird. If it went well, they would have a steady supply of chicken-like meat for their meals. The plan went mostly well, but during execution, the bird proved to far more agile than expected. Wain's fireball missed and accidentally incinerated a nest of eggs…causing an unforgettable smell of rotten burnt giant eggs. The smell was so potent and awful, that other players assumed someone had released a giant stink bomb in Avalor city.
"My gosh…I couldn't get that stink out of my armor…I must have…hehehahah…I must have washed my tunic a thousands times…hahahehe." Arthos rolled on the ground of the diner clutching his stomach as he laughed.
"I couldn't get it out of my hair! My hair smelled bad for a month!" Kristan laughed.
"Lavender…your hair always smells like lavender…always smells great." Wain said softly as he chuckled at the memory.
He cleared his throat and said, "sorry, going to the bathroom really quick before we leave home."
Kristan waited a moment for Wain to disappear from sight. After which, she said somewhat shyly, "Arthos…umm…I've been wanting to talk to you, I'm bad at saying what I want to say…but I just want you to know that…that I do like it here a lot."
Arthos chuckled a bit and replied, "No worries, I know. We feel the same way. We are happy you joined us, and we are happy to have you with us. At first glance, the three of us look like a bunch of random misfits…but we work well together."
"We do, we really do…I started playing Avalor for the money…but now I play because of you and Wain. We stick together because we are a team…we are a…" She suddenly stopped unable to finish her sentence while she started sobbed gently.
Arthos moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her.
He said in a soft and comforting voice, "We are a family. We are. You, me, and Wain. We got each other…and that is special."
He continued, "you know Wain…he is special. Very special. Aside from you, he is my best friend."
Kristan wiped her eyes as she resumed her composure. She said, "yeah, I know he is. Don't you dare tell him I cried just now…I will murder you with rotten eggs if you do."
The two resumed their laughter as Wain rejoined the dinner table.
[…]
During the two months after orientation, the trio fell into a steady routine of completing their daily quests by noon and taking a lunchbreak in the field. Depending on where the team decided to hunt, they would either pack a lunch or cook the beasts they defeated. In the afternoons, the team hunted stronger monsters for drops, coins, and XP.
"At what level can we promote into a job class?" Arthos asked.
"Level 50…were you not paying attention in class? Level 50 we get the option to do a job change. There is a second promotion option at level 100…but that will be far into the future." Wain replied.
"Ok, I'm now at level 33 and you guys?" Arthos asked.
"I'm 32," said Wain.
"34 here," answered Kristan.
"Ok, so at this rate maybe in a month or two we will be ready for a job change." Arthos said as he pondered about their growth and future.
"We are making steady progress…and we managed to save up a nice pile of money…our biggest problem is the growth slump…these mobs are becoming too weak for us to farm," said Wain.
"Yeah, we need to find a way to enter a dungeon…that's where the real drops, money, and XP are." Arthos commented in response.
"You need a dungeon ticket to enter a dungeon…and the only place to get a dungeon ticket is through the Guild & Dungeon Registration Office." Wain pointed out.
"True…or…we could try to find someone willing to sell us their dungeon ticket." Kristan suggested.
The group remained silent for a moment as they considered that option…there was a market for anything…and I mean anything in Avalor. It was reasonable to expect that someone somewhere would be willing to sell a dungeon ticket…they just needed to find the right person.