Here's chapter 2, please njoy and review! :)

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

I spent the next few weeks getting to know the rest of the team, which Wicked told me later was called Dark Phantom, and training. By training they meant killing strange-Iooking things called monsters which left 'loot' behind once they were dead. didn't really know for what but Wicked and all the others insisted that it was good for us. It wasn't like I did any of the fighting anyway; becoming a priest had been for the reason that I disliked hurting people. Even if they weren't real.

And since I was a newbie in more ways than one, who was I to argue?

They had devised a system on how to train the best - since if they stayed in one area for too long the monsters would all be gone, they rotated which allowed them enough time to 'spawn'.

Today Wicked announced that we would be training on Broken Mountain which was right next to Rampaging Dragon Valley. We started toward our destination as soon as everyone was online - we had to go through the Valley to get to the Mountain.

As always, Miwa took the lead. I had the feeling that he wanted to impress Wicked with his skills who didn't seem to notice at all. Instead he just indulged in everything Miwa wanted which was just as well - his fits weren't a pretty sight.

Wicked, Playboy and I were right behind him while Marksman hung back, also as always. I still kept closer to Wicked's side though. Even after getting to know Playboy who was actually quite decent underneath his flirty exterior, I still felt most comfortable next to Wicked.

We were just crossing a patch of rocky terrain when we heard a lot of battle noise coming up in front of us. There was a lot of very loud roaring - from dragons as I had learnt to recognise - and clanging of weapons as well as a great amount of shouting.

"Wow. That sounds like there are a lot of dragons." Playboy commented, impressed when we saw a couple of them fly off into the sky but the noises continued.

"At least twenty of them." Marksman added, listening intently. Wicked drew his eyebrows together in thought.

"Really? That's interesting. We should find out how whoever it is managed to lure so many."

"Let's go, then!" Miwa shouted, storming ahead. We all looked at each other in alarm before following him hastily. For some reason he always charged ahead into a situation without checking first. Wicked believed it was part of his rebellious stage - I believed that it was just that he wanted to be equal to his brother in any way possible.

When we caught up to him, Miwa was waiting for us with a glint in his eye.

"What took you so long?" he hissed and Wicked rolled his eyes at his display.

"If you wouldn't have run off without any warning…"

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go look." he interrupted impatiently and whipped back to the front, leading us closer to the source of the noise. Wicked shrugged in apology to Playboy's exasperated glare and we continued onward; the noise in the meantime had turned into angry shouting and exclamations of pain.

We passed through a cliff and were greeted with a sight matching the sounds. A wolf beastman, a female elf, a celestial little girl and a human were all standing around and watching a white-haired elf beat up a purple-haired devil much taller than himself.

We all stood there, dumbfounded, until Miwa found his voice.

"Hey! You Guys!"

The fighting pair halted and looked at us the same way we had before. The white-haired elf gave us a scrutinising glare without letting go of the poor devil's throat. Then he did the most astonishing thing - throwing the devil aside, he ripped off a piece of grass, stuck it in his mouth and struck a gangster-like pose. Unfortunately it looked completely misplaced; his features were anything but gangster-ish.

"Whaddya wan' wi' us, girly?"

Miwa stiffened at the words directed at him.

I blinked and then glanced over at the others who nodded in agreement. We slowly backed away, waiting for the explosion to happen.

"What did you…just say?" Miwa asked, his voice eerily calm. The elf's face froze and he mirrored our actions. I couldn't blame him; Miwa's angry/throwing a fit face was frightening, even more so if he had magic powers like here.

The elf stammered and stumbled over his next words, attempting to get him to calm down. Unfortunately, he only made it worse by keep calling Miwa a girl in some form or another.

As predicted, the explosion didn't wait for long and soon the poor elf was writhing on the ground in pain. His team was there to defend him in an instant and the biggest surprise of all was the devil. He strode up to Miwa after making sure the elf was alright - and actually punched him to the ground. Miwa cried out as his side made contact with the hard ground and rolled onto his stomach.

I let out an involuntary gasp - but not at Miwa, I'm ashamed to admit. It was the devil's eyes, eyes of such a rare colour I only knew one other person beside myself who had them -

I felt Wicked tense up beside me and laid a restraining hand on his arm. At his annoyed look I shot him warning glance.

"Leave him be. He doesn't want or need rescuing."

He clenched his jaw but didn't move. The devil went up to Miwa once again and stood one foot on his back, causing him to cry out again.

Wicked shook off my hand in one motion and strode up to the devil, his stance calm but radiating anger. Unsheathing his sword, he held it right up to his throat as I watched helplessly along with Marksman and Playboy.

"Release Ming Huang." he commanded, his voice calm but carrying a dangerous edge.

The devil only glared right back at him, not budging in the slightest. It was then that the white-haired elf finally spoke again, pointing an accusing finger at Miwa trapped underneath the devil's foot.

"You b***d…why'd you kick me? What did I say wrong?" he shouted, gaining volume as he stood up unsteadily, the rest of his team mates gathered around him and glaring daggers at us. Miwa tried to squirm out from underneath the devil's foot but didn't succeed. He gave up but still looked livid.

"You damn sissy can't even tell a guy and a girl apart! I'm a guy!" Miwa yelled, his face turning redder by the second. All of the other group dropped their jaws simultaneously, their eyes widening in shock and surprise.

I could sort of understand why they were surprised. If you didn't know Miwa personally you would think that he actually was a girl - at first glance. But his personality would soon convince you otherwise; besides, I was convinced he would grow into his looks eventually.

Another scuffle with the devil ensued into which Wicked interfered immediately by forcing him back with a swift strike of his sword - effectively throwing him off Miwa and toward the rest of his group. They all gathered around him and Miwa finally got off the ground. I rushed forward, grabbing him by the arm.

"Come on, let's leave." I urged him but he threw my arm off. I stumbled back and he straightened up, baring his teeth at them. The rest of us stiffened up behind him and automatically assumed our fighting stances. That just shows how often this happens.

Miwa glared at them as they scattered a little to reveal that the devil was whole again.

"I'll send you all to hell!" Miwa cried, raising his staff toward the heavens.

And with that, 'hell' broke loose.

My alarm clock sounded and I slipped the goggles off with an impatient sigh.

It had started at just the right time; after all of us except Wicked had died in that Rampaging Dragon Valley incident, we had held a 'meeting' in one of Sun City's taverns where Miwa had sworn revenge on Odd Squad as they were apparently called. Even the usually silent and indifferent Marksman had agreed while Playboy, being who he is, only had thoughts for Odd Squad's thief Lolidragon. Wicked's only comment was that he had sent Odd Squad a challenge letter which would take place in the Adventurer's Tournament. Before anyone could ask my opinion, my alarm had rung and I had logged off.

I carefully hid my gaming goggles and then got ready for my day. It wasn't like I needed to go anywhere - just like my school education grandfather insisted that I study my university courses at home - but I had a strict schedule to follow.

Afterward I came down for breakfast, preparing myself for another boring, routine day of personal tutors droning on and more 'lady lessons' - yes, they were still effective much to my dismay. The subjects my grandfather had chosen for me didn't help make my day more interesting; they were as boring as my hired tutors. I had often wondered how I had managed to not fall asleep while they taught me things.

At the end of the day, I was bored out of my mind as usual. Even though I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, I went into the dining hall for dinner anyway.

I was surprised to see my grandfather seated at the table when I entered the dining hall. I immediately straightened my back, folded my hands and walked toward the table as gracefully as I could manage.

"Good morning, grandfather." I greeted him pleasantly, smiling at the butler in thanks when he pulled out a chair for me. I glanced at my grandfather at his silence but didn't expect him to answer. He never did.

"I do not wish for you to be on such terms with lowly servants." his voice sounded calmly from behind the newspaper. I suppressed a flinch and threw an apologetic look over at the maids and the butler who remained stoic.

"Yes, grandfather." I replied obediently as I folded a salad leaf and placed it in my mouth delicately. I was beginning to wonder why he was sitting here; it was very rare that he was even in the same room with me, apart from his office. The last time had been when I was fourteen when he told me I had a fiancée.

"I'm sure you are wondering why I am wasting my time with you." grandfather remarked casually, laying aside his newspaper and taking a sip of his red wine as he scrutinised me intently through his delicate gold frame glasses.

I lowered my head slightly at the comment as I swallowed, trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. I really should have gotten used to this by now. Thankfully, I wasn't expected to answer.

"An Yu, I am sending you to live with your father for a while."

I nearly choked on my water. Attempting to keep my eyes dry, I stared at him.

"Why?"

He raised his thick, white eyebrows at my question and I quickly turned my attention back to my half eaten dinner. I was expecting him to ignore me like always but to my surprise, he didn't.

"I believe it would be a good experience for you to meet new people. You have been isolated for so long, you are lacking any social skills. You will need those in the future, even if you do not take over the family business. You will need to stand by your husband's side and support him. " he informed me and it was all I could do to not forget chewing before I swallowed hastily.

"How does living with father help me do that?"

I hadn't seen my father for years; since I was eight to be exact.

This time grandfather did glower at me and I froze in fright.

"I believe you know the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'? You should ponder over its meaning while you pack." he said chillingly as he finished his red wine and grabbed his newspaper before walking toward the exit. He stopped in front of my maid who straightened her already straight back even more. "Help An Yu pack for her eight o'clock flight to T City."

My eyes widened the slightest bit when I heard that. Lost in thought, I dimly heard him order the chauffeur to drive me before he finally left. I finished the rest of my dinner silently, forcing myself to swallow each remaining bite. I was usually the hungriest in the morning and then wouldn't eat much, if at all, for the rest of the day but grandfather's sudden news had ruined what little appetite I did have.

I pondered over his words as I absentmindedly packed my things with my maid. Not knowing how long I would stay was a problem so I asked her to get my flight tickets from the chauffeur.

My stomach dropped when I saw it was a single flight; was he so keen to get rid of me? I fought back my tears at that thought. He would just give me to the man who had abandoned us over a decade ago without so much as a goodbye or any contact at all. How did I even know that he knew I was coming to live with him?

I distracted myself from that by continuing to throw clothes into my suitcase until none would fit anymore. The maid left after I told her that I wanted some time to myself before I would leave. After making sure that the door was firmly closed, I hid my Second Life equipment underneath all my neatly folded clothes and the gaming goggles deep in my carry-on bag beneath all my lecturing notes. The flight to T City was ten hours long and I would rather see my In Game friends than watching TV or studying.

All too soon, my maid and chauffeur helped me carry my luggage into the car. I halted before getting in and asked the butler at the door about my grandfather; I wanted to say goodbye to him before leaving indefinitely.

"I am very sorry, Miss An Yu, but he has gone to an important business meeting."

"Of course." I answered after I managed to choke down the lump in my throat. That seemed exactly like something he would do. "Well, then. I do hope we will see each other again."

The butler nodded and even allowed himself a small smile at my wobbly one. My smile then broadened, becoming genuine. That was one of the first times I had actually seen any of the staff look at me with anything but a blank expression.

"Goodbye." I said warmly and he nodded. I attempted to get the same reaction out of my maid but failed. Then I finally got in the car, already anxious about what would await me in T City.

"A new member?"

I looked over the table at Wicked, Playboy, Marksman and Miwa in surprise. Wicked nodded.

"Yes. I ran into a human warrior earlier and he told me how unsatisfied he was with his current team. And since we still need one more member to enter the Adventurer's Tournament I offered him to join us."

I nodded at his lengthy explanation and then looked around the tavern.

"Where is he?"

"Where is who?" an unfamiliar, deep voice asked from behind me. Startled, I whirled around and came face to face with a tall, amused looking man. He was wearing Han-style clothing with a fan in one hand and his long brown hair bound in a high ponytail. His dark brown eyes twinkled from behind the fan mischievously as he looked me up and down. Immediately wary of him, I moved a step backwards.

"Is this your priest you told me about?" he asked, glancing around me at Wicked.

"Yes." Wicked answered, getting up and standing beside me; I instantly felt safer. "This is Black Lily, a celestial priest. Black Lily, this is Feng Wu Qing."

"What pretty wings you have." Feng Wu Qing murmured, leaning in close as he lightly touched one of the dainty white wings that grew out of each side of my forehead. I gulped, my wary feelings from before resurfacing.

"Thank you." I said evenly, taking another step backward. I couldn't see his mouth but from his eyes I was pretty sure that he was grinning.

"You get easily flustered, don't you?"

"You better hear this from me, Wu Qing. Wicked and Miwa are pretty protective of Black Lily." Playboy warned the warrior while slurping from his mug. Miwa growled at him and Wicked only shook his head in exasperation. Marksman was silent as usual.

"That's because you needed a warning, Playboy." Wicked reminded him before turning back to us with a serious expression. "Well, then. Let's sign up and train for the Adventurer's Tournament one last time."

Chapter 3 up next!