Avilien

Friday

Luke entered his bedroom with hellish fury, the force he used to open and close the door shocking Nebs awake. He stretched his legs and yawned as he stood up on the wardrobe. Sensing his master's frustration, he remained silent and gave him a little time to think as the front door of the house opened and slammed shut. Sharon had re-entered and returned to her cave in the living room.

"That woman!" shouted Luke as he paced the small area of his bedroom. "She's detestable. How on earth did my dad find that thing and fall in love with it?"

"Well where else do you find dragon eggs?" asked Nebs."Adults do silly things. Not as silly as some of the stuff you do, but silly all the same. Perhaps Dragon Lady Sharon used to be nice and your dad fell for her. Now she is all 'bleh' and nasty." Nebs raised his front paws and showed his fangs to mimic a vampire.

"I've never once known her to be nice. I don't get what her game is. Any luck with our stalker, at least? Please tell me that you spoke with him, her, or it?" Luke started to calm down as Nebs gulped.

Due to being up all night fixing the monitor, Nebs had taken a little more than a catnap and had slept all day. Mr. Stalker had indeed returned to the room while Nebs slept and drew a pen-marker outline around him on the top of the wardrobe. The stalker knew they knew about him and didn't care, and now mocked them...or rather found pleasure in mocking Nebs.

Nebs inspected the strange outline of what he could tell was him. He didn't even know he could sleep in that strange position. It looked like he had broken every bone in his body.

"Can't say he returned for sure," said Nebs with shifty eyes as he licked his paw and started to scrub away at the marker."Sorry, master, but nothing appears to be out of the ordinary," said Nebs as he licked his paw again and tried to rub away more of the outline.

"Okay, well maybe he's scared now that we know. I doubt it, but maybe this stalker business is done with. Now, if my dad doesn't return before the update, then I'll have to find him in Avilien, I guess. It's what I originally planned to do anyway. He's due home any day now, but I don't think he's coming. It won't be too hard to find him in Avilien, right Nebs?" Luke looked up at Nebs, who was cleaning his black paw.

Even now he was keeping his promise of keeping the room clean, thought Luke.

"It will be like finding a red potato in a whole ocean of brown potatoes. I don't think you realise how vast Avilien is. Beyond the starter zones, even us game guides have no knowledge other than the size of it. We'll update as we travel and our battle, loot, and lore logs will fill up. Avilien is too big a place to try and find one lone person."

"At least I can try. I need to get Ethan away from that woman before the update, too."

"Why?" asked Nebs, curious as to what Luke was getting at.

"Because he's my little brother, and Sharon will get the two of them deleted," said Luke as he sat down at his computer desk.

"Once you get to Avilien, it will be the two of us only. Everyone gets separated and placed into random places within the two starting zones. Preferably, near level-one areas. Grabbing your brother from the witch's clutches will do nothing. Like your dad, you will have to find him in Avilien." Nebs leapt down off the wardrobe and onto the soft bed.

"Wait!" Luke spun around in his chair, this sudden information striking him like a hot iron poker.

"Everyone in the world gets split up? So what about young children like Ethan? He cannot fend for himself in a place like that."

"Seven and under end up staying with a parent. Any older than that, and it is like you said." Nebs licked his mane and started to clean himself.

"How can you be so calm about this, Nebs? The fact that millions of people will be in danger is enough to cause major worry."