Rimelion: The Exploiter

17. Trapped in a dream

"To get stronger, I signed up for a main quest. It should only take a few days, and I'll get to meet Queen Irwen. She's planning to attack the empire and start a civil war."

"Wait!" Lucas cut in, eyes wide. "She's going to attack us? Our fortress?" I nodded, confirming his suspicion. "I've actually been upgrading it instead of leveling myself! Charlie, you should've told me!" His face flushed with frustration.

"Wait," I echoed, leaning over to hug him, which thankfully stopped his outburst. "I was counting on that, silly Lucas. The Emperor is giving out compensation, you know?" I murmured, resting my cheek against his chest.

He hugged me back, then said, "Compensation? We're... oh, I get it now!" Realization dawned on his face. "Okay, that's a smart plan. So you meet Irwen, and then?"

Slowly pulling out of the hug, I grinned. "I know of a place that can boost our defenses, but we'll need allies for it. You, me, and Ian aren't enough on our own. So I'll try recruiting a streamer I know—or maybe Lisa. Not sure yet." I avoided the fact that I liked her. Well, both of them. Great. "Anyway, other issues? Who needs them when you've got whiskey?"

"Charlie, you can't just ignore problems. That'll eat you up inside." His hand gently brushed my shoulder. I forced a smile, but the way he touched me left me uneasy. It showed how much he cared, but not quite like a brother. It was... different, but similar in a way.

I hope my body won't change me; I prefer girls. Beauties like Katherine.

"I've been like this forever; you know that. I've always been a coward. Whenever I faced bigger problems, I'd run off to the pub, and just like that, the problems disappeared." After a pause, I lowered my head and rested it against his shoulder. It felt oddly natural.

Hormones, maybe? Or something rewriting my brain? We lived in a simulation, after all. "I trust you, Lucas. I know you'll do what's best for both of us. And now, I need to do what I do best—play the game. Just keep doing what you're doing."

He didn't respond, so I finished my beer and offered him a small smile. "We're stronger together than we are alone. Don't worry—if you tell me to jump, I'll make sure to give you a kick." Like Lisa had taught me, I hugged him, adding, "I have a main quest coming up, and I need to get ready, so I need some sleep. And please... don't destroy Tin-can. I still need him if I'm ever going to get my body back."

At last, he seemed to snap out of his thoughts. Clenching his fist, he said firmly, "I understand. I'll help you. Together, we can do this." With that, a calm settled over me, easing the tightness in my chest. The fact I changed gender and quite like it? Living in simulation? Problems to ignore.

No, you're not taking over, mister fear, or whatever you are!

With a loud ringing, Tin-can jolted me awake after just six hours. That damn idiot! I almost stormed into the living room to smash him to pieces before remembering I'd set the alarm myself. That memory came just in time to stop me from knocking over an empty beer bottle. With an improved sense of smell now, I realized how badly I reeked. Great—another shower. Since turning into a girl I shower like twice a day instead twice a week. Annoying.

After logging in, I headed straight for the village armory. My pathetic stick wouldn't cut it, so I needed a real weapon.

The flickering torches cast warm light across the shields, swords, and spears lining the walls. The owner had decorated the wooden beams with little touches—horseshoes, nails, odds and ends. Neat.

At the back of the armory was a long counter spanning wall to wall. A nervous-looking village soldier stood in front of it. "I'm running low on everything! You can't just barge in here with nonsense. Scram!" yelled a burly man behind the counter, gesturing even for me to leave.