The next morning, Lily woke early and slipped out of bed.
"You're up already? Come back here for a minute."
Marcus lay in the tangle of sheets, his voice thick with sleep. He reached for her, his eyes tracing the elegant line of her back; a sight he was appreciating for the first time.
"Amber and I have class today," she said, turning to face him. She caught the hungry look in his eyes and quickly snatched her shirt from the floor, holding it against her chest. "Marcus," she protested, a playful, self-conscious heat rising to her cheeks.
He just laughed, a low, warm sound as he sprang from the bed. He pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth in a deep, possessive kiss.
"Mmm… Marcus…"
She tried to form a word, but he was relentless, his tongue claiming hers until her resistance melted away. Her arms wound around his neck, and she surrendered to the kiss, giving back as good as she got.
"Marcus, stop," she finally gasped, breaking away and stepping back to catch her breath. Being in his arms was like losing all control. "Amber will be up any minute."
"You tired? We were up pretty late," he said, his hand gently stroking her arm. He'd been a little… intense last night. The more he had of her, the more he wanted.
"No," Lily shook her head. She hesitated for a moment, then shyly buried her face in his chest. "It's the opposite, actually. After we… you know…"
"After we what?" he prompted, a smile in his voice.
"After we're together," she whispered, her words muffled against his skin, "even if I'm tired right after, I always wake up feeling amazing. So energized."
"Yeah?" Marcus wondered if it was the Human Rock technique at work. He had a vague memory of the energy circulating slowly between their bodies as they slept.
"You're a menace," she breathed, and before he could react, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and darted out of his reach.
'Huh. A menace?' Marcus ran a hand through his hair. He didn't see it, but he had to admit, he didn't exactly hate the title.
After a quick breakfast, Lily and Amber headed off to class. Not one to waste time, Marcus immediately logged back into the game.
He materialized right where he'd logged out: the entrance to the Elven Path. 'Alright, let's see what's in here.'
The path itself was short and eerily quiet, with no monsters in sight. He'd only gone a short distance when a loud, gruff "Moo!" echoed from around the bend.
Marcus ducked behind the corner and peered ahead.
Two Minotaur Axemen stood guard before a heavy wooden gate reinforced with iron bars. Through the gaps, he could make the shape of an unconscious Fighter; undoubtedly one of the missing scouts from Dragon's Peak Citadel.
He had the Minotaurs' loud, enthusiastic mooing to thank for the warning. Without it, they would have spotted him instantly.
He cast Insight.
Minotaur Axeman: Level 35. Health: 3,000. Skills: Whirlwind Slash (Area-of-effect attack), Leaping Strike (Instantly attacks a target within eight meters).
Minotaur Axeman: The axe is its life. Where the axe is, the Minotaur is. If the axe is broken, the Minotaur dies. It loves standing guard.
'Damn, that's no joke,' Marcus thought. That Leaping Strike in particular would be a nightmare for any ranged class.
Good thing he wasn't worried. He layered on his buffs and drew a Level 25 one-handed sword he'd looted from a Blood Mist Leopard.
He burst from cover and immediately hurled the sword, activating his Advanced Skill, Desperate Strike, against the Minotaur on the left.
The sheer power of the triple attack, combined with a critical hit, vaporized half the beast's health bar in an instant. Marcus was almost shocked by his own damage output.
"MOO!"
The critically wounded Minotaur roared in pain. In perfect sync, both creatures used Leaping Strike, their massive forms soaring through the air toward him.
CLANG…!
CLANG…!
Two heavy axes slammed into the ground where he'd been standing, carving deep furrows in the earth. But Marcus was already gone. Both attacks met empty air.
The two Minotaurs looked around, dumbfounded, their simple minds unable to process his disappearance.
"Moo? Moo!"
They faced each other, conversing in confused, agitated bellows.
"Desperate Strike." -1800! Another critical hit. The Minotaur Axeman bellowed one last time and collapsed into a heap.
One minute later, the cooldown on Desperate Strike reset. Marcus drew another sword and hit the remaining, already wounded Minotaur with the skill again.
'Hell yes, it worked!' He was thrilled with the raw power of Desperate Strike.
His strategy had been perfect. The moment the Minotaurs leapt, he'd first activated Wraith for a 50% speed boost, then immediately followed with Phantom to vanish from sight.
The dead Minotaur never knew what hit it, and the living one was utterly bewildered.
Just then, the Phantom effect faded. The simple-minded remaining Minotaur finally laid eyes on Marcus. The upside of a simple mind is it doesn't overthink; it just attacks.
"MOO!"
With a ground-shaking roar, it charged, using Leaping Strike once more. Marcus had no choice but to stand his ground; Wraith, Phantom, and Desperate Strike were all on cooldown.
A straight-up brawl. He could live with that. Taking a hit was a Knight's specialty, after all.
Miss!
Unbelievable luck! The Minotaur's fierce axe swing whistled harmlessly past him. Marcus didn't know if his luck was incredible or the monster's was just that bad. He didn't hesitate, retaliating with a swift flurry of his own strikes. -300, -310.
'Seriously?'
For a Level 35 monster, it put up a pathetic fight. Watching the paltry damage numbers float above its head, Marcus was almost disappointed. It was just too weak.
The second Minotaur fell without much of a struggle, generously dropping a Level 30 Blue two-handed axe.
'Sweet.'
Marcus found a heavy iron key on the corpse and used it to unlock the gate.
"Hey. Hey, you alive in there?"
He shook the unconscious Fighter gently. It took a great deal of effort to rouse him. The man was covered in dried blood, his eyes glassy and unfocused. His injuries were severe.
"I'm Stonehaven. Lord Leon Drake sent me from Dragon's Peak Citadel to find your reconnaissance team."
The Fighter coughed, a wet, hacking sound that brought up a spatter of blood. "Ethan Bright," he managed, his voice a ragged whisper. "Captain… Third Reconnaissance Team, First Squad."
He tried to say more, but was wracked by another coughing fit, more blood staining his lips. His wounds were grave.