Short Story: [Emberfate] Tilted

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the delay on this post. I thought I had posted this already but I just realized today that I did not. 😭 This is the short story post meant for September's reward, so another short story will be coming later in the month for this month's reward. 

I hope you enjoy this silly little story!

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"Licorice, move! Damn it, I said move away from the group before it explodes —" The first thing you hear upon stepping out of the bedroom you share with your partner, Chris, is the sound of their frustrated tone coming from the next room, followed by a sharp sigh. 

Yawning and still sleepy from your nap, you quietly head down the hallway and poke your head into the gaming room. As expected, Chris is seated in front of his computer, and even though his back is facing you, you can feel the exasperation rolling off him in waves.

"Everything okay?" You whisper, trying not to disturb whatever dungeon he's in the middle of. Chris' head jerks towards you, and a small smile graces their lips even as the crease in their forehead remains. "Yeah. Gimme one second."

"Let's take a break. Regroup in five minutes." You hear Chris bark an order to their team before muting their microphone and taking out their earphones, letting them clatter to the desk. 

"What dungeon are you running?" You walk up to your partner as he leans back in his chair, ignoring the ominous creaking as he stretches his arms above his head. You rest your hands on his shoulders, squeezing lightly, and Chris groans in approval at the impromptu massage.

"The Crimson Caverns. We're still on the second boss." He lets out a tired exhale, shaking his head. You cock your head in surprise.

"Why are you running that? You've gotten all the drops you want from that dungeon, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but didn't you say you were missing a cosmetic drop from there the other day?" Chris gives a cough, averting their gaze in embarrassment at the admission. You let out a small aww and lean down to press a kiss to his lips. "That's so sweet, but you didn't have to. The drop rate is way too low for it to be worth it."

"Yeah, well." He shrugs with a sigh. "Too late now. I've been stuck in here for what, an hour now? God, I should have known better than to run with a group of random PUGs, but they were the only group recruiting for that dungeon."

Chris stands from their chair, wrapping their arms around you and burying their face in the crook of your neck with a frustrated growl. "I don't know how many times I have to explain the mechanics to them. How hard is it to move outside of the group if you have a giant red X above your head? Are they playing with their eyes closed or something? And the healer — I swear his finger is glued to the '1' key. That's all they do — just mash the Recover button over and over! Oh, someone's poisoned? Sorry, no Purify for you, just Recover!"

You bite back the amused smile threatening at the corner of your lips at your partner's ranting, schooling your expression into one of proper sympathy. Soothingly, you stroke their hair, listening to them continue to vent their frustration. "I swear, I haven't been this tilted since that time we were one second short of beating Dragonlords' record for clearing RoR because Alan messed up and died too early! God, I'm almost tempted to quit the run like the enchanter already did, but that'd leave them without a tank, and I'd feel bad."

"Well..." You glance at the clock. There's still a bit of time left before you have to leave for your scheduled appointment, which means you could theoretically join him on Emberfate for the rest of the run, if it goes fast. 

Perhaps not the best idea, but you have to admit, between your work and theirs picking up lately, it's been hard to find time to sit down and play some Emberfate together, and you're really starting to miss the duo runs and fun shenanigans you got up to together on the game that brought you to each other.

"Is your party still missing a person? I can fill in if you want." 

Chris pulls back slightly, looking surprised. "Huh, really? You want to join this disaster of a run? Do you not value your own sanity?" He jokes with a hint of seriousness. 

You grin, reaching forward to wrap your arms around him with a little squeeze and another peck on the lips. "I do, but I also value your sanity more. If my partner tilts off the face of the Earth, where would I find another one?" 

They bark out a laugh as you begin moving towards your own desk next to theirs, booting up your computer. "Are you sure there's enough time? Don't you need to go soon?"

"Yeah, but that just means we have to be quick and smash our way through the dungeon." 

"With this party? Are you sure? Don't say I didn't warn you." 

"Psh, it's going to be fine once I'm there. I'm sure between the two of us we can carry hard enough." You flash him a confident smile as you load up Emberfate, quickly typing in your password. "Now get back in your chair and throw me an invite. I'll show you how it's done!"