Sword and Claw

Book One: Chapter 15

Later at night, the Lizard's Head tavern was booming with many players, singing and chatting in the warm atmosphere. Fortunately, Susie's party spotted an empty table near the fireplace.

Sora approached the counter and held up four fingers. "Four ginger pints please."

The black bartender bear nodded and grabbed four glass mugs from beneath the counter. Sora turned around and spotted a bunny girl dancing on a stool next to the goat bard. She was beautiful, wearing a purple silk dress and a veil over her face. Her belly rocked back and forth along her shaking, wide hips. And the goat bard blew his flute, guiding the bunny dancer's moves with his musical rhythm.

What a beautiful show.

"Here you go." The bartender placed the four mugs on the counter.

Sora grabbed each mug by their handles with both his hands and carried them to his party's quiet table. Everybody watched the show except for his group.

He placed one mug in front of Susie and set the others toward Amy and Paul.

"Thank you for bringing the pints," said Susie.

Sora carried his mug to his spot and sat down. "And thank you for paying for the beer."

Susie chuckled. "It's my pleasure."

Amy raised her mug up. "To the conquerors of Vax!"

Sora raised his mug up with Paul and Susie. "To the conquerors of Vax!"

After their glasses tapped, Sora sipped his beer. It almost tasted like ginger ale with a tangy sweetness of alcohol.

Too bad the drinks weren't real, just data simulating the taste which doesn't affect the physical body. But perhaps it was a good thing, so nobody would go drunk in the real world.

After gulping his beer down, Sora placed his glass down and burped. "Excuse me. So what now? What shall we do this time?'

Amy tapped her wrist and stared at her technical menu.

One hour remaining before end of gaming session!

"We still have enough time to stay longer," said Amy. "If you want, we could log out early."

Paul sipped his beer. "How about we go on another quest? I have an unfinished one to complete. A group of bandits had stolen a rare gem from a mistress. I can't do it alone because the bandits' camp is big. It's like running into a battlefield against an army. If you join me, my quest would be easier to complete."

Susie blew through her lips. "I'm too tired to go on another quest. I need a drink after running my ass off inside the hidden dungeon."

Sora wouldn't mind going on another quest with Paul, but he doubted they would have enough time to complete it. Although most quests could be completed by solo characters, some required large groups of players to complete them, or else the solo player would keep failing. Plus, the quest sounded like it would take a whole hour to work through. Nobody has time for that right now. "How about we just chill and chat for a while?"

The party stared at him.

"Chat about what?" Susie asked.

Sora pointed his glass at her. "Let's start with you. What do you do for a living?"

Susie sipped her beer and shrugged. "I am just an accountant at Cash and Grab Enterprise. Clients call me to assist them in their finances, and I do all the calculating for them. It is a boring job, but the money is good. I also hate my hot ass cubicle space. Talking to random people for hours is also a headache."