“Elf girl?” I called, scrambling up to my feet. “Where are you?”

  The sheets and blankets had been thrown aside. There were small marks of black on the floor, from recent injuries. Apparently, despite her condition, she’d gone for a walk. But the dots of blood didn’t lead to the door. They laid straight to the open window—

  I bolted over, frantically scanning the street below.

  It was a long drop.

  A tile crunched, just above my head.

  “Elf girl?!” I shouted, whipping around.

  There was another collection of sounds, and the noise drifted further away.

  She was running.

  Of course she was running. I’d shouted at her. Why’d I do that?

  How’d she even get on the roof, anyway?

  She’d probably panicked and tried to escape. But through the roof?

  I gritted my teeth, grabbing the rafters above and kicking up and around, onto the roof.

  The elf girl walked across the rooftop, hugging her ragged clothes close to her skin in the harsh morning wind. She was breathing hard, and stumbling often, clearly delirious, or in some sort of state. But her intention was clear. The girl was walking toward the edge of the roof.

  I started running.

  She heard me, flicking a glance over her shoulder, and broke into a run.

  “Stop!” I shouted, hands in the air. “I don’t want to hurt you, I’m trying to take you home!”

  Somehow, I doubted she believed me.

  Then, all of the sudden, the elf girl slipped, cracking her head against the roof, then slid further, toward the street. She impulsively grabbed the roof, for a moment, before the tile cracked, and she plummeted.

  I Didn’t bother suppressing my stats, pushing my strength to its limit, hand outstretched, flying through the air.

  Before I hit the roof, I got one hand around her ankle.

  Tiles crunched underneath my now six hundred pound stomach, and I skittered closer to the edge, barely managing to hold on to the girl. But my weight was starting to make itself known, and the house groaned beneath me.

  “Come back!” I shouted, pleading.

  As I spoke, her glossy eyes snapped open, and she stiffened.

  The elf girl suddenly and effortlessly climbed up my arm onto the roof, completely ignoring the black fluid running down the side of her head.

  Then she relaxed, eyes shifting back to normal.

  “Hey,” I whispered, toning my stats down to something reasonable. “You’re going to be safe, alright?”

  The Elf girl was confused for a moment, before she saw me, and where she was, and she started shaking.

  It was painfully obvious that this wasn’t working. I needed a change of tactics.

  “Ask for anything,” I said, backing away. “Ask for anything and I’ll find a way to give it to you.”

  She scooted further away.

  “How about some food?” I asked. “I know a place with some good bread, or we could go to a restaurant—though I don’t have any money—but you do want food, don’t you?”

  She dropped her gaze to the ground, shrugging with inferences, though her stomach betrayed her, with a load gurgle.

  {Unnamed Companion : Hunger XV : indefinite}

  I held out a hand. “Please. You need to take care of yourself. Just for today, at least.”

  The elf girl shrank back.

  I took a deep breath in then out, keeping my hand right where it was, and my eyes closed.

  She remained still for a long while.

  Then she inched toward me. Then a little closer, before sliding her hand on mine, and giving it a squeeze.

  It was cold, and fragile, like porcelain.

  I smiled softly, guiding her back toward the window.

  She gripped tight, and with a surprising amount of strength.

  We climbed down to the empty apartment, thankfully without further issue. The towelful of food lay forgotten on the bedroom floor, apples scattered around.

  She dropped my hand, sinking down to the floor.

  I grabbed some food—adjusting it to look a little more presentable—before I set it beside her. “Why don’t you have something to eat?”

  The elf girl just watched the loaf of bread, refusing to move.

  I pushed it closer toward her, and she backed away.

  She was obviously hungry, and yet, she wouldn’t have anything to eat. Maybe an old habit? Or could elves not eat bread?

  I reached for one of the loaves, which startled her. “It’s a little stale,” I said, with a faint smile, rearing a small corner off. “But it’s good.”

  I ate the small piece, smiling brighter. “It's good and healthy. You need it, okay?”

  She glanced down at the bundle of towels, then back at me.

  The Elf girl licked her lips.

  But she waited a while longer.

  What was the issue? Maybe—

  I took one loaf, and started tearing it, into tiny tiny pieces, which she wouldn’t have any trouble swallowing.

  Immediately, she started plucking them off the plate, one-by-one, before quickly nibbling away.

  “Is it good?” I asked.

  She hesitated, raising a hand to her throat, and running it along the deep groves where her collar had been before. The girl opened her mouth, taking a larger piece than before.

  Then another.

  Then a great hunk of bread.

  Then she grabbed an entire loaf of bread and—after a couple little bites—started gnawing into it, cracking the stale dough into mouthfuls of bread.

  “I’ll take that as yes,” I said, pushing the rest closer to her.

  She tensed again, until I scooted back. Once I was a little ways away, the girl scooped the entire crummy towel into her lap.

  She never smiled, but she seemed to relax, so I took that as a win.

  Her blue stats screen white, making itself known.

  ~Companion of {GRIND}~

  {Unnamed}

  [10 Hp 0 Str]

  “Name? ”I pointed at the floating screen above her head. “What's your name?”

  She tilted her head, so I clarified.

  “What would you like me to call you?”

  The elf girl gently laid her bread back into the towel, before bowing low to the floor.

  I waited for her.

  She waited for me.

  I sighed. “You need to pick one for yourself.”

  The elf girl perked up.

  “Yes, anything you want.”

  She shook her head.

  “You have to pick something.”

  She shook her head.

  “I can’t pick you a name,” I stated, with a frown.

  She waited.

  “You seriously want me to pick you a name?”

  She nodded, ever so discreetly.

  “But I don’t know the first thing about names,” I whined. “Can’t you pick you? It’s your name, after all.”

  She shook her head.

  Concentrate, Grind. She’s showing you a lot of trust right now. You need to give her something good.

  I started massaging my forehead. “How about Grechin?”

  The elf girl flinched.

  “Really? No?” I grumbled. “Grechin’s a great name.”

  She shook her head.

  “Phelma?”

  She hesitated, then nodded.

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  “Oh come on, that doesn’t suit you at all,” I groaned. “Don’t nod unless you like it. I don’t want to give you a name you’ll end up hating.”

  She shrugged indifferently.

  “Now don’t give me that,” I grumbled. “We’re going to be stuck together until I can get you home, and so, if only for this quest, your name is going to be incredibly important.”

  The Elf girl may or may not have rolled her eyes as she picked the loaves back from the towel.

  Common, what are Elf names? Nature? But calling her something like Ivy wouldn’t match at all? And what if that was an offensive name in her culture?

  “Gunther? Celtus? Pubert? Ursula?” I tried.

  She squinted, gnawing with the side of her mouth.

  Idiot. Those aren’t Elf names.

  I huffed. “Serenity?”

  Her eyes twinkled, and she gave me a little nod.

  “You like serenity?”

  She nodded again.

  “Not Grechin.”

  The elf girl flinched.

  “Serenity it is,” I said, tapping the floating blue box. It shifted, then blurred. “---And maybe Sern for short? I’m lousy with long names.”

  The Elf girl kept gnawing her loaf of bread. It was a little more stale than the last.

  ~Companion of GRIND~

  {Serenity}

  “Sern for short”

  [10 Hp 1 Str]

  Once she finished her three loaves, I handed her a bright shiny apple.

  There was another sparkle in her eye, and she took it gingerly into her hands, turning the apple over, rubbing its waxy skin against her face.

  “It’s a fruit,” I said. “You eat it.”

  She looked suddenly terrified, clutching the apple to her chest.

  “Or…not, I guess,” I muttered. “Either way, it’s yours. Do whatever you want with it.”

  She tucked the apple underneath her mattress, then sat criss-crossed.

  {Serenity : Hunger I - stalled [4:35]}

  I nodded to her.

  She nodded back.

  “What do you want to do?”

  She glanced out the window.

  “You want to go outside?”

  Serenity wavered.

  “Would you like to go to the market?”

  Sern perked up.

  “Alright,” I said, pushing off the floor. “Let's go. Besides, there’s some friends of mine I’d like you to meet.”

  I led her down from the apartments to the familiar cobblestone pathways of the market. Players mulled about, buying what they could, stealing what they couldn’t, and altogether creating a general commotion.

  Sern took one look at the street, tensing.

  “Hey, we can go back to Asiel’s room, if you want,” I whispered.

  She started walking again, ever so slightly closer by my side.

  We waded through the streets, without any particular direction in mind.

  At first, Sern spent a good portion of her time checking the crowd, tracking each person who came close, but as we moved deeper into the market, she became absorbed into them, eagerly peeking closer for a better look.

  One caught her eye in particular.

  “A candy store?” I asked, glancing up at the bright yellow and pink concrete structure that really didn’t fit in with the rest of the city's thatched roofs and cobbled paths. Or anything else in this time period, really.

  “I guess even those exist around here.” I muttered.

  Sern squeezed my hand, tugging me forward.

  “Sure we can go,” I said, “but I don’t have any money right now, so we probably won’t be able to buy anything—”

  She practically sprinted from the street to the door, ogling the bright variety of colored goods, none of which could ever possibly have been made in this time period, which probably meant somebody just summoned them with magic.

  Maybe somebody summoned the microwave too.

  I rolled my eyes, distracting myself with rows of gorgeous handmade chocolates. “We shouldn’t spend too long here—”

  My stomach gurgled.

  [Hunger I : indefinite]

  I let out a groan. “Traitorous appetite.”

  Sern leaned forward, locking onto a stack of lollipops, swatting toward them.

  In response, a big, burly Npc stepped out from behind the counter. He was the kind of guy with enough chest hair to knit a sweater, and muscles wider than my entire body.

  “Can’t you read?” He grunted, jabbing a thumb at the signs.

  Sern shook her head, so I checked it for her.

  It was a little sign with little black letters

  ~[No Monsters Served Here]~

  ”Seriously?” I muttered.

  Sern blinked, glancing between us.

  I stepped forward. “Hey, sir, she’s an elf, alright? She wouldn’t harm a fly.”

  He scoffed. “Are yur stupid or somethin’? Take a look at ‘er teeth. Those ain’t for sweets, they’re meat teeth. Elves are beastly, clever, and awfully carnivorous. They’ll skin yur alive, eat yur flesh, and have a good time doing it.”

  He flicked his hands, shooing us away. “Get the girl outta ere. Yu’re scaring the customers.”

  Sern shrank back, subconsciously bringing a hand over her mouth.

  “This world sucks,” I grumbled, leading her away, back into the regular market. “Still, it wasn’t like we could’ve bought anything anyway. We don’t have the money.”

  Sern sighed.

  We walked past a fair few other shops, but she’d lost interest in stores, so we left the market instead heading for a little pub-an’-inn in the corner of town.

  I was mostly shooting in the dark, for what to do and how to do it, but if anybody would understand her, it’d be Eere. The two had a lot in common.

  “Serenity, welcome to my raiding party,” I said, cracking the door open. “There’s somebody here who I think you’ll like a lot.”

  She stopped suddenly, digging her nails into my shoulder.

  I winced, stooping low. “What?”

  “Grind! Look out!”

  There was a flash of silver, and my shovel was out, metal cracking against the throwing dagger. It rebounded, sinking hilt-deep into a nearby wooden table, followed by an acidic sizzling.

  “Grind!” Quin hollered, summoning another few daggers from his inventory. “Are you stupid are something—”

  “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” I shouted, flaring my stats, sheltering Serenity with my own body. She was trembling and shaking, her face buried into my back.

  Quin bit his lip. “What’s…going on?”

  “I’d like to ask you the same question!” I hissed.

  Bruce looked up from a game of cards, with Irion and Eere.

  He jolted. “Whoa guys, back off!”

  Quin lowered his daggers, and I dropped my Hp back down to something reasonable.

  Irion groaned, tossing his cards on the table. “You did it, didn’t you?”

  “Huh?” I blinked.

  “Imagine he took all your money?” He asked, with a glance at Sern. “The slave lord strikes again. Infernal Npc.”

  “Uh…yeah.”

  “Grind, let her go,” Irion muttered. “I went on a quest just like that and they always end the same. Either the monster dies in, like, ten minutes, or it stabs a dagger into your back.”

  “What is wrong with you people?” I snapped. “She’s an innocent little girl!”

  Irion sighed. “Please, Grind. Nobody ever finishes those slave quests. When everyone who tries fails or dies, people start to get worried. This is bad, Grind, but I can’t say I blame you. We’ve all done the same thing.”

  Sern shook, dropping to her knees.

  “Uh…” Quin frowned. “I’m still confused. Elves are totally monsters, right? And aren’t they really strong? So why are you with one?”

  Eere played a straight aces, scooping the stacks of iron and copper rings into the pockets of a new wizardly cloak. She glanced at Sern, then yanked Quin over, tugging his arm.

  “What, seriously? That’s a thing?” He hesitated. “Oh. Sorry ‘bout that Grind, sir. I just figured you were in dagger since there was a monster behind you and all—”

  “Speaking of Serenity, she needs help,” I muttered. “She won’t speak a word.”

  “She’s not coded to,” Irion stated. “It’s part of the quest, I think. An added challenge. I think there’s a sickness too, but she seems alright.”

  Quin walked up to Sern, frowning. “Why’d you rescue her?”

  “Because she needed help,” I stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

  “You can’t help everyone,” Quin muttered. “Besides, she clearly can’t fight, and I don’t see any way we could take her in a dungeon.”

  I frowned. “She’ll stay home, somewhere safe.”

  “Fat chance,” Quin scoffed. “She’s your companion. She won’t be able to go more than a hundred meters away from you. If you go into a dungeon, she’ll be there too.”

  “Health isn’t an issue,” Irion stated. “She’s not a very important NPC, so if she dies, she’ll just respawn back with you. Or you'll fail the quest. But you could always try again.”

  “That’s not something I’m willing to accept,” I muttered.

  “Well you’ll have to deal with it, kid,” Irion snapped. “This world is seriously messed up. Every now and then you’ve got to be rational about what you can and can’t do, okay?” He planted both hands on my shoulder, staring me in the eye. “Please, Grind. I’ve already done this kind of quest, and I know how your emotions can race ahead of you. But it's impossible. The more times you try, the more times she has to suffer.”

  Bruce perked up. “Grind! You have the ratpack, right? Just have her carry it around, then she’ll have something to do on our missions. Then we’ll just keep an eye on her, like when you were weak.”

  I shifted my gaze to Sern.

  She shuddered, crouching lower.

  “She won’t do it.”

  “What a noob you are?” Quin said, rolling his eyes. “She doesn’t actually have opinions, you know.”

  “Of course she does,” I snapped.

  “Grind. I’m being literal,” Quin snapped back. “She literally cannot process decision making. She does and goes where she’s told. Seriously. Everything else is some random Ai slop to make you feel sad or whatever. As much as you’d like her to be, she’s not a player, and that comes with certain absolute limitations.”

  He noticed my expression, and frowned. “Just try, okay?”

  I frowned, summoning the ratpack from my inventory. “Sern. Put it on.”

  Serenity’s eyes frosted over, and she took it from my hand, effortlessly shrugged it over her shoulders. Then her eyes went back to normal, and she began to whimper. Despite that, she made no attempt to remove the pack.

  “See?” Quin asked. “Humanoid movements and actions are only a front for when they don’t have an active task. It’s like, Npcs 101.”

  I knelt down beside Sern. “Do you want the pack off? I won’t mind.”

  She didn’t move, and I sighed.

  “See? Don’t bother.” Quin nodded. “Now that that's out of the way, we ought to get to planning our next dungeon—Grind?”

  I was already out the door, on the street, Sern’s hand in mine.

  She tilted her head, curious.

  “We don’t need them,” I said, forcing a smile. “You’re real and I know it and I’ll keep believing it for as long as I can so you and I are going to get stronger, until we can prove them wrong. Okay?”

  Sern pressed her feet against the street, forcing me to stop.

  I sighed. “What?”

  She looked up at me, then back down on the ground, shuffling awkwardly on the balls of her feet.

  “You think I should go back?”

  Sern nodded, no more than a bob of the head.

  “Well I won’t,” I grumbled. “You and I are a team now. Where you go, I go.”

  She tried mouthing syllables, but nothing came out, so she dropped her gaze down to the street again.

  I took a deep breath, then out.

  “Come on,” I said, in a whisper. “We need to start earning some money, or we won’t have a place to sleep tonight.”

  She grabbed onto my side, blond hair in a tangled mess.

  I reached down, slowly setting a hand on her head.

  “When you first woke up, you were trying to escape, weren’t you?”

  She shrugged.

  “But you can’t escape, not so long as people can make you do whatever they want.”

  I sighed. “If a cure for that exists, we’ll find it.”

  For a moment, she hesitated.

  Then she started shaking her head.

  I had to ignore her.

  If there wasn’t a way, I’d make one.