"She seems like a nice person." I said nonchalantly. "Oh yeah. And very, very friendly." Karla chimed in. "You two seemed to hit it off wonderfully." Karla said exaggerating and emphasizing the word 'wonderfully'. "I didn't do anything, she's the one that came on so strongly." I said defensively. Karla whipped around and put her hands on her hips. "You didn't seem to mind. I'd even say you were enjoying it." Karla retorted.

"I just said she seemed nice. What I mean is that it surprises me that she is out here by herself, as in, not in a guild and not partying with anyone. A nice person can usually get along with other people, and eventually get invited to join in an adventure, and even make friends. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would party with her, she'd simply have to ask." I explained.

"It's not that simple Wolf. We've met different people in here and they're not all nice and friendly. Some just lack basic social skills, but others can be downright mean and abusive. For the girls it's even worse. There's so few of us that we're easy to spot and become a target for some of the more shady personalities. It's ironic, you'd think that we'd have the choice of which players we would party with, and some do, but the rest of us are simply an afterthought, picked to join only as a last resort. It's not because we're in a game that people act differently. True nature always has a way of surfacing." Karla Said.

"Ok, I get it. Maybe she decided to go solo." I said but I couldn't really believe myself. I shook off any thoughts I had of Opal and looked at the area around us. "Are we still good for some hunting?" I asked Karla. "Yeah, I guess so." Karla said shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "We can go in a little more, but I think the creatures here seem just about the right difficulty. We'll have to stay alert, there are so many places where the creatures can hide in this forest." Karla worried.

We spent a good part of the day in a fairly small area. The creatures on this floor were more of a grind than those we were used to on lower floors. Many of the animals were simply higher leveled versions of those we had encountered before, wolves notably, but also bears and foxes, and of course a fair share of less savory creatures like kobolds, pixies, and woodland monsters.

It turned out to be a good thing that we didn't go in too far. Wandering too deep into this forest made you lose your bearings. We were out of sight of the road only the time it took us to defeat a couple of kobold scouts. As a result we had lost the road, we couldn't tell which way we were pointing. It took us a good twenty minutes before we stumbled on a path from which we could see the edge of town. We were going to need something to help us get our bearings.

A little shaken, we made our way back to town to find a place to stay and explore the shops that could supply us with healing items, and other consumables. We found the usual mix of armor, weapon, food, and general goods merchants, but among the general wares a floor specific item was available: a compass. It not only told you your orientation, it also kept your map aligned, that way we'd go in a straight line instead of round in circles. We'd have to use it practically all the time when traveling to prevent getting lost.

"Let's each buy one." I suggested. "Why, only one person needs to lead, it seems like a waste of money." Karla objected. "I don't care. What if we get separated? This way we can each make it back. We already nearly got lost. As soon as we go deeper it'll just get worse. I have a feeling we're going to need them." I reasoned. Karla shrugged her shoulders and purchased one for herself and I did the same.

Map data of the floor was also available, so we picked that up. Mostly the main roads, the small villages and the river itself were detailed. The path to the dungeon was also indicated, but generally the rest of the floor only showed hilly forests everywhere else. Probably good for hunting as few players had mapped any other areas. On the other hand, not all players were willing to share what they knew, especially if they'd found good hunting grounds.

"We need to find a place to stay before it gets dark." I said. "Oh! I saw a sign near the waterfront I want to look at. Lets go now." Karla proposed. A movement caught my eye and I turned my head to look down one of the streets. "Wolf, do you still need something in the market? " Karla asked. "No. I just thought I saw something ... never mind." I said as I couldn't put my finger on it anyways.

We went to the waterfront and saw the sign Karla was talking about. It read : Riverside Inn. Not a spectacular name, just clear and to the point. The one that designed it simply mustn't have given it too much thought. In contrast the building was quite attractive, with lots of windows decorated with flowers. The roof had lovely carved eaves and the door had polished brass hinges and latch. The inside had a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. The common room walls were painted with floral patterns and leaves of all sorts. The tables were adorned with lace edged tablecloths, and the chairs each had a cushion. A large fireplace set i the wall, surrounded by four chairs, completed it's inviting feel.

"Two rooms please." Karla requested from the NPC innkeeper. I stared at the pop up window waiting for my reply. We had spent so much time sharing a room that it didn't occur to me that we would take separate rooms. "I just thought we might like to each have a little privacy, just being friends and all." Karla said. She must have noticed my disconcerted look. I nodded my head and accepted the purchase.

The inn's food was of good quality, but also a little pricey. I opted to save my col and eat a simple meal of bread and cheese. Karla's choice was a meat skewer drenched in a sweet sauce. There was no need to sit while we had supper so we wandered through the market place as we ate. We did a little window shopping, chit-chatting about what upgrades we wanted to get next.

"I'll cut in early and we could do some hunting early tomorrow. That way I might be able to pay for some of this stuff." Karla giggled. "Ok. I'll sit at the fireplace a little while and turn in a little later." I said. We headed back to the inn and with a little wave, Karla headed up to her room, and I headed to the common room to relax a little.

A few players were at the tables discussing the pleasures and pains of their situation. Some simply sat and stared blankly, spacing out after a day doing whatever it was that they did. The fireplace chairs were empty. I sat down and leaned back with my feet stretched out in front of me. I stared into the crackling fire losing myself in thoughts of battles and rewards that come with them. I did not hear the footsteps of the person that came up behind me and was startled when she asked:

"Mind if I join you?"