Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Jools

After having a short but informative conversation with Lara, James starts running in the direction of Ulmsville where he would apparently meet up with George. Jools body is not all that different from James’ only significantly more fit and with bright orange hair. Being a stamina build agility warrior, Jools has no problem running significantly faster than most for extended periods, much to James’ enjoyment.

A little after noon, Jools stomach starts growling and he decides to take some food out of his inventory. Unlike some long-time players who're drowning in wealth, Jools, as a relatively new character, still relies on the cost effective recovery items that mostly take the form of food. Just as he decides to take out a large piece of roasted mutton, it fails to manifest in his hands. Trying again two more times, only yields the same disappointing result. James realizes the problem is that inventory is now a spell and that neither James nor Jools have any real experience with mana. Searching Jools memories, the solution is to stop running and focus entirely on accessing the inventory. Even after trying that, he is only successful at the second attempt. Satisfied by finally achieving it, he decides to eat the food.

“This isn’t even good.” he says exasperated. Deciding that it is not worth the effort to pull something better out of the inventory, he finishes eating it with a slightly worse mood. Afterwards he continues his run with a full stomach.

It’s not until the late afternoon that he enters the town. People seemingly avoiding him, he has to search for the mentioned inn instead of simply asking for directions. Only after running though half the town, he finds the inn. Opening the door, A young lady with green hair and sharp ears snaps her head towards him and promptly falls on the floor.

---

“Jools” I say out loud, not bothering to raise myself from the stable floor. “Put on some clothes.”

“George?” He says, standing stock still while looking at me.

“Zena. And seriously how can you stand showing off so much skin? I mean your body is wonderfully muscled, but still, have some decency.” I answer while slowly standing up and holding my head to calm the dizziness. 

“Great to see you too, but are you drunk?” He walks over, pulls up a chair and sits down at my table.

“Kinda, with how the day has been, it probably is for the better.” I say as I wave over the proprietress. I give her a gold coin and tell her to give Jools a room and a meal and give me more mead, to which she happily obliges. After that we sit in silence until she returns with the same meal she got me and two glasses of mead, his tankard being larger than my wooden cup. Deciding to break the silence before eating, Jools asks “What’s up with the mirror?”

“Wouldn’t you like to look at yourself after today's events?” I answer as I move the mirror to hover opposed to him instead of me. He simply stares at his reflection while making some simple moves, before taking a large swig of his drink. “Yeah, I am probably better off drunk as well…” he says to no one in particular, causing me to giggle. “What’s so funny?” he asks me, almost confused.

“The big strong muscly naked warrior is having an existential crisis.” I say whilst continuing to giggle.

“Hey! I am wearing clothes.” He says indignantly.

“That speedo and boots combo doesn’t count.” I say breaking out into full on laughter at the look on his face. He simply takes another swig, ignoring my slowly subsiding laughter and starts to eat his meal.

We continue drinking, joking and reminiscing for a while, desperately trying to avoid confronting the current situation. As the hours pass, more patrons come for their supper and the place gets noisier and chaotic. The table next to us seems to be filled with some of the town’s militia and they look like they intend to become drunk. I slowed down my drinking after the third glass, not intending to become completely plastered, though Jools seems less reserved in that matter. James was always timid, despite being as tall and almost as fit as Jools, though the time we got drunk together he threw away all his inhibitions and started to throw his weight around. He didn’t start fights or anything like it, instead he went all buddy-buddy, using his muscles for hugging and improving the mood all around. I’m also pretty sure he was flirting with some of the other muscular people, all two of them anyway, given that most people in the community tended towards being unfit. And sure enough, he starts introducing himself to the previously mentioned table. Probably thanks to them being big and close. 

Taking him scooting his chair over to their table as my cue to take my leave, only to realize after a few to many steps that I forgot my mirror. Turning around and fetching it before returning to my journey, only to realize that I don’t know where the room is after almost as many steps. Stopping and sighing, I ask the proprietress for directions and she happily answers that it is the fancy door at the end of the hallway upstairs. Arriving upstairs, there is indeed a fancy door at the end of the hallway, looking almost out of place in this rustic looking inn. Closing and locking the door behind me, I stumble over and collapse in the soft looking bed. It’s slightly more comfortable than George’s bed back on earth, and probably a fair bit bigger, though that might just be this body being smaller. After debating for a moment if it is worth it to get back up to undress, I stand back up only to realize that my outfit has no seam. Panicking slightly, I think back to how I swap outfits in the game. It was always done in the inventory, which is now a spell, so maybe the unequip button is also a spell. Once again Zena’s memories come to the rescue and show how it is done, and with a thought, I now stand naked in the room. In a moment of curiosity, I once again summon the ‘Angles reflection’ and take in my new body. The young woman stares back at me, her short, but sharp ears slightly red from the drinking, her stance swaying lightly courtesy of the fairly sweet mead. This feels weird. Seeing someone not George in the mirror is different. It was easy enough to accept when I only focused on the face, but seeing the entire body brings mixed feelings. I quickly unsummon the mirror and jump into the bed, slowing down just before hitting it.

Before having any time to process today’s events, my intoxicated mind falls asleep.