Chapter 14

You awaken to a knock on your door. Your eyes burn as you slowly open them. A thin beam of sunlight falls directly onto your face as you sit up, blinding you.

“Anon, time to get up. We’re leaving soon.” said Magnara through the door.

You tell her you’ll be down in a minute and roll to the edge of the bed. With effort, you sit up and swing your legs over the edge of the bed and start your day.

~~~~~

This is the first time you’ve eaten in public since you arrived in this world. The elves kept you quarantined in the hospital, you were stuck in the Marrics house in Stream’s Edge, and you ate with the Marrics in-between. And, well, you didn’t eat at all during your original forest expedition.

	The tavern was almost empty. You and your companions sat around one of the tables in the corner eating your breakfast of bread and eggs. Both were burnt. You suspected that this wasn’t a problem for the other patrons, all of whom did not appear to be of discerning taste. A handful of sickly-looking individuals sat alone at tables with plates of burnt bread or some sort of gruel. A few were at the bar, already drinking even though the sun had only been up for an hour. You took a sip of water as you eyed the forlorn figures before you. It was sour and metallic.

“Finish up Anon, we’ll be leaving soon.” said Magnara.

You down the last bite of charred bread and stack your dishes in a neat pile. Slinging your pack over your shoulder, you step out into the cool morning.

After a few minutes, a wagon drawn by a pair of horses made its way down the empty street. A woman was perched on the driver’s seat, waving at your party as she approached.

“Hey professors, long time no see eh?” she called.

Though she looked like a normal human being, you suspected that she was a mamono in disguise like Magnara. She wouldn’t have hired a human for a trip into monster territory.

The wagon came to a stop in front of the inn and the driver dismounted.

	Her face was lively and young, brimming with energy and optimism. Without even introducing herself you knew that she would be outspoken and easy going by the way she strode up to you. Her features were quite beautiful, accentuated by shoulder length auburn hair. She wore an unremarkable outfit comprised of leather and fabric. What stood out to you was that she also carried a sword. The only weapons you had seen people carrying before this were town or caravan guards.

“Hi Chapicatus! It’s so good to see you.” said Magnara approaching her.

“Please, just Pica is fine.” said the woman giving Magnara a hug. “So, he’s the one?” she asked looking you over.

“Yep, this is Anon. What do you think? Can you get him to Admaz unmarried?” asked Halitt giving her a poke with his elbow.

“Please. With me around you could walk through the Demon Lord’s bedroom and come out unscathed.” said Chapicatus.

“I hope so. Things haven’t exactly been easy so far.” you said.

“That’s one of the reasons we hired Pica, Anon. She’s an adventurer. With her help we’ll definitely be able to keep you safe.” said Magnara.

“Don’t sweat it kid, you got nothin’ to worry about with me here.” said Pica puffing her chest out.

She didn’t look older than you, but you let the comment slide and followed the trio into the wagon. Pica snapped the reins and the horses began to move onward.

~~~~~~~

	For the first time in a long time you were free to discuss any topic you wanted. The awkward secret keeping, and prying eyes and ears of humans were no longer a hindrance to your conversations. The day passed with you learning about this world, telling the others of Earth, and learning Common speech. The other three were greatly amused at your attempts to speak in Common. Pica said that you should be careful not to talk around monsters with such a cute accent.

As the sun began to set, Pica pulled the wagon off of the road and everyone set to work making camp for the night.

~~~~~

While Halitt and Pica gather firewood, you help Magnara prepare the food. Finally, a chance to ask a question that had been on your mind all day.

“Hey, Magnara…” you ask quietly. “Chapicatus is a monster, right?”

“Mm-hmm.” Hummed Magnara without looking up.

“Is it… rude to ask someone what species they are…?”

Magnara stopped cutting and gave you a funny look.

“You mean ask what kind of monster they are?”

“Yeah. Is that in bad taste here?”

Magnara laughed and went back to cutting a vegetable. “No, of course not. Feel free to just ask if you want to know. Most girls would be delighted to tell you all about their species. I thought you knew most species from those books describing our world.”

Her response confuses you. “I do. I just can’t tell when they’re glamoured up with illusion magic.”

She giggles. “Pica has her work cut out for her. She hardly needs to do anything at all. Some days she forgets to even put it on.”

“Is she a vampire?”

Magnara raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“That’s very close, impressive. She’s actually a dhampir though.”

That makes sense. You figured that Magnara would have hired someone with a little more magical oomph to protect you, but a dhampir sounded like a reliable escort.

“Does she do this for a living? Traveling between mamono and human realms?” you ask.

“No, she’s actually an adventurer. She helps keep monsters out of human settlements and escort people through the territory. She’s even raided a few dungeons.”

“Why is a mamono keeping monsters away from human settlements? Isn’t that the Order’s job?”

“Not if the settlements can’t afford it. Pica works far below her pay-grade. She loves the thrill of adventure more than the money she receives. It’s also much better to have mamono solving manono problems.”

“What do you mean?”

Magnara sighed. “When Pica ousts a rouge monster, she either convinces them to leave or beats them up a little. When the Order comes, they usually just burn everything within a square mile of the monster sighting to the ground.”

“Oh…”

The two of you worked in awkward silence until Pica and Halitt returned.

~~~~~~

	Soon the four of you were laughing and eating around a roaring fire. Pica had brought some wine, the first alcohol you had had since your arrival. It was a robust and hearty flavor, but had a strange aftertaste. It didn’t bother you too much. The wine may not even be made of grapes after all.

With an exaggerated sigh, Pica collapsed back into the grass and looked up at the sky. She wiggled and squirmed, eventually propping her head up with one arm to look at you.

“Hey, hey Anon, can you really use magic?” she asked.

Magnara stiffened.

“Yeah.”

“What can you do? Mag said you almost killed a bunch of stuff already.” said the hybrid kicking her feet a little.

“Pica! Please don’t talk about magic until we get to Admaz.” said Magnara.

“But I wanna knoooowwww!” whined Pica falling back into the grass and flailing her arms above her.

“I just kinda shoved some amazons and am arachne away.” you say.

“Satisfied?” said Magnara folding her arms. “Now can we please change the subject.”

“Fiiiinneee. But I’m gonna hear more later.” said Pica.

She stood up and trotted over to the rock you were sitting on. Moving behind you, she planted herself behind you and pressed her chest into your back. Her thin legs folded around you so that her feet were resting in your lap, and her arms wrap around your torso.

“Hey! What are you doing…?” you protest.

“Pica! Get off of him!” scolded Magnara.

“Soon, soon. I just wanna hear…” she pressed her lips against the back of your ear. “What kind of GIRL you’re chasing…”

“Huh?” you reply weakly as you try to shrug her off. Her arms tighten around you.

“Mag told me that you were looking for true love, you charmer. But I wanna know what gets you GOING. That’s what I wanna know most. Scales? Claws? Legs? Teeth? What’s she look like, your perfect girl…”

You were now violently erect. The feeling of Pica’s toned body constricting you while her modest chest gently massaged your back with every breath she took was diverting the blood you needed for answering into your dick. You let out a grunt as she suddenly squeezes you and then relaxes again. You look up with desperate eyes at Magnara.

She looks concerned, but you can tell she’s curious.

“Ooh~ Maybe someone like ME is your type huh?” said Pica as she reached down a hand to grope you. “Hey, if you tell me I’ll let you go. Come on, hurry!”

“Pica… stop it, let him go…” said Magnara. Her tone was flat and forced; she was enjoying this.

“I don’t see YOU trying to pry me off. Admit it, you want to know just as much as me!”

You try to pry Pica off of you but she’s much stronger than she looks. Her arms don’t budge as you pull at her slender wrists.

“Magnara, get her off!” you cry as you thrash in your captor’s grasp.

“Just tell her and she’ll let go!” Magnara retorted.

You should have expected that; one of the books described matchmaking as a common pastime of succubi.

“I… I don’t know! I like a lot of them! I haven’t chosen yet!” you shout as Pica began to attack your crotch with her feet.

Pica removes her feet from your lap and loosens her grip on your torso. You let out a sigh of relief.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Pica sliped her arms under yours and put you into a full-nelson. She leans back taking you with her until you’re lying on top of her.

“Give me a species! We’ll start from there if you’re so shy!”

“HELLHOUND, WIGHT, DRAGON, INARI, DEMON, SUCCUBUS…”

You begin to rattle off a long list of every monster you ever considered marrying. When you finished Pica wordlessly released you and you sat up panting. She got up and sat next to you, properly this time. You couldn’t help but notice that she was blushing a bit; probably because you had mentioned dhampir as one of the species you were attracted to.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding huh…” said Pica staring into the fire.

“Well, it’s a choice I never thought I’d have to make.” you said.

	“Hey, I noticed you mentioned vampires in that list. Don’t go for them. It won’t end well for you. I’m not just saying that as a dhampir. You seem like a nice person; and that’s the kind of person that gets eaten alive by vampires. Not literally or sexually, but the only thing you’d be wearing is a collar, if you understand what I’m saying.” said Pica. For the first time her jovial smile was replaced with a look of genuine care and concern.

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on marrying any girl but the one I choose. If anything tries to get between me and the love of my life, I’ve got the magic to stop them.” you said.

	“Be careful Anon. Just because you have magic doesn’t mean that you can just do whatever you want. Most monster mages could easily defeat you in a magical duel.” said Magnara. You noticed that she had written what was presumably a list of all the species you had just mentioned. Several were circled, some were underlined, and some had footnotes and arrows pointing to them.

“Well I can still hold my own against most species right?” you say posing with your hands outstretched.

“Probably not. If mamono knew that you were capable of magic, they wouldn’t charge at you headfirst. They would just wait until you were asleep or ambush you.” said Halitt. “Also, considering you have a habit of blacking out after casting ONE spell, all any monster would have to do is dodge the first blast and then drag your unconscious body away.”

	That’s true. Only being able to blow things up put serious limitations on defending yourself with magic. It completely drained you, and the blast guaranteed that more monsters would be attracted to the explosion. Most importantly, you didn’t want to kill or maim anything, just make it go away.

“Just leave the fighting to me. Normally I don’t mind if my charge wants to help me fight, but I think that a scrawny little thing like you would just end up getting raped on the spot.” said Pica.

As much as you would like to, you just couldn’t think of a good response to that. She was right. Against a capable foe, you were helpless.

The conversation wound to a close and everyone pitched their tents for the night.

~~~~~

Much like the caravan, the days on the wagon became long and boring. You enjoyed the conversations and language practice, but it became a chore after several hours every day.

Your party rolled on unimpeded for a few days before the road abruptly disappeared. The packed, barren earth that had defined the road had become rockier and unkempt as you traveled north, but now it was indistinguishable from the field around it.

“Hey, where do we go now?” you ask.

“Straight.” replied Pica.

She drove the horses onward through the tall grass. It was slow going, but after an hour or two you made out a faint vestige of a road ahead. The horse’s hooves connected with dirt again and the wagon pulled onto a new road.

“That was the territory between monster and human territories. No one lives there. Too close to monsters for humans, and not enough men for monsters to bother settling there.” quipped Pica.

“How much further until we see a monster settlement?” you ask.

“We won’t be seeing any other settlements before Admaz.” said Magnara. “The city has generously agreed to shelter and protect you. Other mamono towns may not be as… liberal with your freedoms.”

Yeesh.

“We’ll be at Admaz in four more days. Just don’t get abducted until then, ok?” said Pica.

“I’ll try not to.” you reply sarcastically.

To bad. It would have been nice to visit some beautiful country towns along the way, but there would be plenty of time for sightseeing later. With your wife.

You daydream about dining in a tiny tavern with the woman of your dreams as the cart trundles on.

~~~~~~

The first contact you had with another monster was two days later. Another cart was heading down the road towards your party. You could see a plain looking woman driving. A troll by the looks of her.

“Chapicatus…” said Magnara.

“I know, I see her. Don’t worry, she isn’t any trouble.” said Pica without taking her eyes off the other traveler.

You hunched over and raised your hood to conceal your face. As the woman approached, she waved to the others and said hello. Pica gave a silent wave. The woman smiled, but became confused when she saw you hunched over in the back of the wagon.

“Is he alright?” she asked. She was passing behind you, and you could no longer see her face with your hood lifted.

“He’s fine, thanks.” replied Pica curtly.

The woman spoke again as your wagon passed her. Her voice slid behind you from left to right as her wagon passed.

“Are you sure? I would be happy to give him some herbs o-“

“I said he’s fine.” said Pica.

You kept your head down for a few more seconds before glancing behind the wagon. The other cart was moving away slowly into the distance. The woman was too far away to see.

“Two more days of this…” muttered Pica.

~~~~~

	The next two days were just like the ones spent on the caravan. You spent all day under your hood and silent so as to avoid the interest or gaze of other mamono. Carts and travelers became increasingly frequent as you neared your destination. Pica’s stern words kept them at bay, and you wondered if she had escorted men through mamono territory before.

	The hardest part about keeping your head down was not being able to look at the scenery. The further you went, the more alien the landscape became. At first it was a few errant plants, or strange terrain. But as you pushed further into what must be a demon realm, the world morphed into a strange and fantastical landscape. Beautiful and exotic plants grew in massive stands. The ground contorted in bold new ways. Through the trees you caught glimpses of strange and sometimes terrifying new beasts. Even the grass itself had shifted from a bright green to a lush, myrtle green. Pica and Magnara often had to scold you for not concealing yourself better around other travelers.

“Come on Mag, give him a break. This is his first time seeing any of this remember?” said Halitt.

“What a strange concept.” said Pica. “I can’t even imagine what this must be like for you. Having to learn about a whole new world… I wouldn’t even be able to eat without poisoning myself.”

“What’s your favorite part so far Anon?” asked Magnara.

“I like the plants.”

Pica snickered.

“The plants?” said Magnara.

“Yeah, they’re beautiful. We had beautiful plants on {Earth}, but the flora here is just so… fantastical.”

“You know, there’s an entire school of study devoted to plants at the college of Admaz. You should look into some of the courses when you apply.” said Halitt.

“Sounds interesting. I just hope I can handle a course about plants that aren’t native to my dimension.” you said.

	“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of mamono to help you along at every step of the way. The college will pay for food, clothing, shelter, protection, and education as long as you continue your studies and teach us about your culture. There may be some other things that they need you to do, but that won’t be for a very long time.” said Magnara.

“Maybe I can get a job to help cover expenses. I don’t want to leech off of others for the rest of my life.” you suggest.

Halitt and Magnara glance at each other. The ‘he doesn’t know’ glance.

“Just focus on studying for the first few months. Alright?” said Halitt.

	You decide to drop the subject. Clearly they didn’t want you working; the least you could do is abide by their wishes. They had taken good care of you so far. Hopefully they could continue to care for you; it felt like you were getting a cold. You cough as the wagon continues towards your final destination.

~~~~~

“There it is: Admaz.” said Magnara.

You prop yourself up a bit to see the city coming into view on the horizon. A fresh bought of coughs racks your body and you lie back down.

You had been sick for the past day and a half and your condition was only worsening. You were constantly coughing and sweating, and hadn’t managed to eat anything in more than a day. The herbs that the Marrics had given you had done nothing for the fever.

“Don’t worry Anon, we’ll get you some medicine in Admaz.” said Mangara.

“Yeah…”

“Hey, look on the bright side: no monster is going to try to rape you while your sick.” said Pica.

	Magnara glared at her but you let out a hoarse chuckle. You certainly wouldn’t miss traveling this way, but you would miss the Mariccs and Pica. Magnara said she would go back to teaching at the college, but you had no idea how much you would see of her.

	You watched the sky pass over you. This demon realm was a strange place. Clearly Admaz was a center of conventrated demonic energy. The plants and land around you was now absolutely different than when you were in Stream’s Edge. But it wasn’t as dark as you would have expected. It wasn’t the absence of light so much as it was a muting of all brightness. You could look across the world without squinting. Shadows seemed to be a bit bigger than usual, as if there was more than one light source creating the silhouettes. You suspected that if you took off your clothing that you would not be burnt by the gentle rays cast from this strange sun. As you stared into the clouds, a figure wheeled overhead.

The speck circled the wagon a few times, far above you. Soon another joined it and the duo circled together.

“Magnara…” you croaked pointing to the figures.

Your companions all looked up.

“They’re here!” said Magnara. She gave a wave and the figures shot out of the sky with incredible speed.

With thunderous flaps the winged women slowed themselves and hovered near the wagon. Dark Valkyries.

“Hello, professor Magnara. I see that you have brought the human. You did well to get this far.” said one.

“Thank you. It’s such a relief to see you here. I was worried that if we got much closer he may be discovered by some unsavory individuals.” said Magnara.

“Ufufu… Who says he didn’t?” said the other Valkyrie as she moved to hover over you.

Pica shifted in her seat.

“Don’t scare him! He’s been through a lot and he’s sick right now anyways.” protested Magnara.

“Fret not, our commander is waiting for us near the gate. She will ensure you reach your destination unhindered.” said the first Valkyrie.

You coughed hard and retched. The fever was getting worse by the minute. It was getting hard to think.

“… We shall see to it that medical personnel are prepared to examine and treat him…” said the Valkyrie. She nodded her head towards the city and the other sped off through the sky.

“How is he?” asked Pica.

“Worse. He needs some real medicine soon. Whatever he has, it isn’t a common illness.” said Halitt.

You closed your eyes and tried to relax. Soon, you heard the thunder of hooves approaching you. A new voice called out.

“Hail, Magnara. We have arrived to escort you. I hear that your charge is unwell.”

You couldn’t see who it was, but the way they spoke conveyed authority and respect. It was probably the guard captain.

“Yes, he’ll be alright once we get him some medicine.” said Magnara. She sounded less sure of herself every time she said that.

With a hacking cough you spat out a few flecks of dark, gooey liquid. You stared at the specks in the crook of your arm before Halitt wiped your mouth.

“What the…” he muttered.

You coughed again, and more liquid sprayed out of your mouth.

“What is it?” asked Magnara.

“I… I think it’s demonic energy…” said Halitt.

“What is?” asked Pica.

“What he’s coughing up. It looks like gobs of demonic energy.” said Halitt rolling a bead of goo between his fingers. Eww.

“Is that what’s making him sick?” asked Pica.

“It shouldn’t! I-“

	Halitt’s explanation was cut short by a stream of vomit leaving your mouth. You rolled onto your side and did your best to prop your body up, spewing a stream of dark, thankfully tasteless sludge from your mouth.

	Your vision faded and your head swam as another torrent of slime exited your body. It made you feel better though. A strong vertigo came over you, and you slumped over into the puddle of vomit as voices shouted above you. They were shaking you, trying to tell you something. But you just wanted to rest. Whatever wanted they could tell you when you woke up. You open your eyes one last time to see the arch of the city gate flying past you overhead. The city. You were in the city. What was it called again? You’ll ask when you wake up.

~~~~~~

You don’t feel so good.

Maybe regaining consciousness was a mistake. You still felt like shit, but at least the pain was bearable now. Your stomach had settled and your fever had gone down. Opening your eyes, you inspect your surroundings.

	It looked like a hospital. You were on a comfy bed, propped up by some pillows. The sheets and were smooth and soft, and the mattress was pleasantly plush. Sun streamed in through the window, falling on a room full of empty beds and nightstands that continued to the only door into or out of the room. The exception to the uniform pattern of furniture was broken by a table next to your bed. The table had apparently replaced the bed to your right, which was shoved hastily against the next bed in the row.

The architecture was unusual for a hospital though. A high, vaulted ceiling allowed for massive windows and ornate chandeliers. It was a very Gothic looking building. Just where had they taken you?

“Hello?”

Your voice seemed smothered by the vastness of the room. Where was everyone?

A faint rhythm began at the end of the room where the only door was. As it grew louder, you surmised that it must be a large monster to make so much noise from so far away. The door burst open and a flustered unicorn stared at you.

She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Her hair was tangled and messy, and her clothes were wrinkled and stained. As she rushed towards you, you could see that her eyes were bloodshot.

{You’re awake!} she said.

Looking down you see that the amulet of articulation had been removed from you in your sleep. They had also changed you into some pajamas. You hope that you didn’t miss anything by being asleep…

{Ah! Right! Uhh… I think the amulet is around here somewhere…}

She began rifiling through the stacks of papers and books on the table. After a few moments she produced your necklace. You reached out for it, but she simply slipped the amulet over your head.

“Better?” she asked.

“Yes. Thank you. Where am I?” you asked.

“You’re in the Admaz College of Sorcery’s medical ward. You were quite sick when you arrived. And quite lucky the college was here. I don’t think a regular physician could have treated you.” She said scribbling something on a piece of paper.

“What was wrong with me? Did I catch some disease?”

“No; you were poisoned.” She rang a handbell on the table. “I doubt anyone has experienced what you went through in decades. A century perhaps.”

“Someone poisoned me?!” you shouted.

“Not intentionally. Your body had an adverse reaction to the ambient demonic energy of the demon realm. Normally men metabolize demonic energy without any complications, and overtime adapt to larger and larger doses. Since you came from another dimension, your body went into shock from the surplus of DE.”

The door burst open and a succubus stared at you with wild eyes.

“He IS awake! Wow!” she said, her tail waggling behind her.

“Please go fetch him some food and water. Make sure the meal is prepared to the specifications we set.” said the unicorn. The succubus hurried off closing the door behind her.

So you were poisoned. Just like someone coming into contact with a virus they had never encountered before.

“Now that I’m here, that means I’m safe, right? I won’t die just walking out into the street?” you said.

The unicorn pursed her lips and fidgeted. “We managed to stabilize you, and we’re doing everything we can to force your body to adapt to the DE, but you are still very vulnerable to it’s forces. We had to have a local wight scoop out your tainted spirit energy and use some Order artifacts from a museum to help purify you. The whole ward has been sealed off to minimize your exposure to demonic energy.”

A bead of cold sweat rolled down your forehead. “Am I trapped here forever…?” you ask weakly.

“No! Of course not! You being awake means that your body must have finally been able to process a small amount of demonic energy. We’ll continue to exercise your tolerance; you’ll be able to leave in no time.” she said.

You sigh in relief and fall back onto the bed. Thank God. Living in a hospital bed was not how you wanted your time amidst the mamono to end. Where were the others anyways?

“Can I see my friends?” you ask.

“No. unfortunately, the only mamono that are allowed in this room are ones with exceedingly low demonic energy output. If someone entered with too much DE, you would begin to die again.”

“Could you tell them that I’m awake?”

“Of course! I’ll tell them anything that you want me to. You could even write them a letter! I hear that you’ve been learning how to write common.”

“Alright, I’ll do that. I could use the practice anyways. I haven’t been able to practice in a few days after all.” you said reaching for a pen.

The unicorn shifts and turns away. “You were… unconscious for more than a few days…”

You freeze with the quill and parchment in hand. “How long?”

“Two weeks…”

Oh. Maybe that’s why you were so hungry. You set the stationary down on your bed.

“Can I have some food?” what a strange question to ask.

“Yes, your meal should be here soon. We have to prepare it in a very specific way to limit your DE intake.” she said with a grin.
Great. A diet. At least the food would taste good.

The succubus returned with a rolling cart full of food. Most of it was completely foreign to you. It didn’t matter, you were too hungry to care. With no regard for pleasantries or manners you grab the closest plate and began to shovel its contents into your mouth.

The pair of nurses watched you eat; it made you a little uncomfortable.

“I hope you enjoy it, Anon. Just stay strong and you’ll be out of here in no time!” said the succubus.

“Yeah” you said between bites of some sort of vegetable. “I can’t wait to see what the city is like.”

“It’s beautiful! The way it overlooks the lake, the architecture, the college rising above it all…” swooned the succubus.

“The residents are all kind and caring as well.” said the unicorn.

That reminds you of the reason you came to Admaz in the first place.

“Nurse, if I find a monster I… ‘love’ will there be any problems?”

The unicorn’s face shatters. The succubus looks equally devastated and looks down at the floor. The horse-woman takes your hand and looks at you with pitying eyes.

“Anon, because of the way your body reacts to demonic energy… you cannot have sex with a monster until your body is tolerant enough of DE.”

You drop your fork.

“…And even then you have to avoid intercourse with mamono who produce more DE than usual. Just being in the vicinity of a dark-matter or a Baphomet could put your life in jeopardy.”

No way. You arrive in MGE world, only to be cock-blocked by some fucking black jelly? You let out a strange noise, a hybridization of a wheeze and a moan. The noise of a man who has just realized that his dream of doing the monster mash has been put on indefinite hiatus.
The nurse squeezes your hand.

“Have hope Mr. Anon! You will be able to love the one you hold dear in time! We will do everything we can to expedite your resistance to demonic energy!”

	You look up at her. She’s just as beautiful as the other mamono you had seen. Why were you pouting? You were HERE. You made it. So what if you had to wait a little longer to be with your waifu? Later would come eventually. There was a whole new world to learn about and explore. Looking out the window you could see a magical landscape extending to the horizon. Adventure was out there.

Hell, you still had to find your wife in the first place.

You squeeze the nurses hand a little in return.

No, this was not the end. This was a new beginning.

~~~~~~~

End of Act 2: Distance