Hard Mode Awakening Challenge

Ian just had to shake his head. Ashlyn was an absolute monster. She had added Socks and Spot to her pack, and they had both quickly surpassed the level one hundred milestone. She was currently taking turns with Nia on handling the workers as the party found them.

Ashlyn would use her spirit arrow, which blew holes straight through the horkers, while Selenia would just hit them with giant ice shards. If any of the horkers survived the initial hits, Mara's pack would descend upon the injured creature with impunity. Ian watched as the other two were slowly catching up to Mara in size. It wasn't a big difference, but she had definitely put on a bit of mass since they had entered, as well as a couple of extra inches in height.

"Alright, I think it might be time to call it for the day," Ian said, as they finished the loop around the village.

"Probably a good idea," Claire added. "I think we could do this all day, but I think everyone deserves a bit of a break."

"Yeah, the dungeon will be here tomorrow," Tram agreed.

"Aww, we are just getting the hang of this," Ashlyn said as she came back from looting the last horker. "Though I feel kinda weird having skipped the low-tier starting dungeons."

"Nothing is stopping you from doing them," Claire said. "You're only level 378 right now, and Mara, Socks, and Spot make you stronger than any normal group in that range. Without Ian, none of us has permission to enter any of the dungeons outside of our normal level range, but other than that, they are all open to you."

"Yeah, I just don't want to go alone," she said with a wistful look. "You all are what make the dives special."

"Oh! Would you let me join you?" Selenia said, a look of excitement crossing her features. "We could do that goblin dungeon that Ian ran! We could, what did you call it earlier? 'Pew pew' them down while our prowler friends help clean up the survivors."

"Hell yeah!" Ashlyn said, giving Nia a hug.

"There you go," Claire said with a smile. "I'd actually join too, but I have dinner plans."

"Oh?" Lana said. "Hot date?"

"I wish," Claire said with a laugh. "I got in an argument with my mom a few days ago, and now my dad wants me to come and try to patch things up. So, nothing as fun or exciting.

"What about you? What are your plans?"

"I think I'm gonna go for a jog, actually," Lana said. "I used to go running every day, and afterwards I would go to this really nice little coffee shop. It isn't too far from the AO campus, and they make the best scones."

"Mind if I join you?" Ian asked.

"What!? You aren't going to murder goblins with us?" Ashlyn said.

"It's my down day, remember?" Ian replied. "Besides, goblins are really strange. Their bodies always contain so much more blood than they should—and it goes everywhere!" Ian shuddered before turning to Lana, "So, mind if I tag along?"

"Please do. I'd love to have some company. Tram used to come along, but I think that was because he had a crush on my old running partner."

Tram looked over at Lana and open his mouth to argue before closing it and shrugging, "Yeah, Trisha was hot."

"And way out of your league," Lana said with a snicker.

"I'd argue, but she is already up in the mid-tier," he said with a sigh. "Oh, beautiful goddess of running, how I miss the motivation you used to give me."

"God damn it, Tram. Stop being such a perv. We are on stream right now," Lana said, giving him an exasperated look.

"I know," Tram said, giving Ian a wink. "We have something like ten or a dozen drones floating around, that's why I made sure to be so dramatic and expressive. Gotta make sure she knows how vital she was at setting such a high bar for my future forms of motivation."

"Nice," Ashlyn said with a smirk before giving Tram a high five.

"Don't encourage him!" Lana snapped.

"But it is good for women to know that a man thinks they are attractive," Selenia said, walking next to Spot and Socks while rubbing their ears. "It allows them to make an informed decision when it comes to pursuing a mate. Though I feel like some of you need to learn to take the initiative and—"

"And this conversation is done!" Claire said, wrapping a hand over Selenia's mouth. "We are on stream, Nia. We can talk more about that tonight after dinner if you want. Though it will be with just us girls."

"Don't worry, guys, I'll let you know who wants what," Ashlyn said in a playful tone.

"Then you aren't invited," Claire said, glaring at her.

"What I meant was sometimes things should stay between us women, and those two should just mind their own damn business," Ashlyn corrected, giving an overly dramatic glare to Ian and Tram.

Ashlyn suddenly looked down at the moon prowler walking next to her. "No, Mara, just human males aren't allowed to be there. Spot and Socks are more than welcome."

All three of the prowlers' tails began wagging at her words.

"Well, there's the portal," Claire said, drawing everyone up short of the threshold. "There are going to be reporters out there, along with a bunch of clan recruiters. It will probably be even crazier than when Ian was running by himself because we received special permission to be in here. Just remember, no promising anything to anyone, and the clans are only out there to create connections to potentially secure a party to help them raid later."

"Can I just ignore them all and walk to the car?" Ashlyn said, giving Mara scratches.

"Not gonna lie," Claire said, giving her a smirk. "I have been hoping that's exactly what everyone chooses to do."

*~*~*

It took Ian nearly twenty minutes to relax when he began jogging with Lana. He was tense, and it took him a bit to realize that he was looking for monsters behind every bush and tree. With the majority of the run going through a large, well maintained running trail through the park in the center of town, there were a lot of places that his eyes kept jumping to as he searched for danger. He had only been seriously running dungeons for a few weeks at this point, but even he had to admit that it was getting to the point that his normal actions were mirroring those of his dungeon runs.

He also quickly realized that nobody was paying any real attention to them, which was an amazing change from his day-to-day interactions with people. Here, he was just another jogger running through the park. He did notice that quite a few of the men were giving Lana a second look though. She was a very attractive woman, and there were very few people who challenged the dungeon that exercised in public anymore.

After nearly an hour and more than a few miles, Lana slowed down and pointed to a small coffee shop.

"Let's walk a bit to catch our breath, then we can head on in," Lana said. "It still shocks me how much our bodies change from hitting level one hundred. I know that we aren't really that much stronger outside of the dungeons yet, but I love the feeling of being able to enjoy working out without feeling like I am destroyed for days afterwards."

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"Yeah, it's definitely nice being able to wear myself out and get up after three hours of sleep feeling like a million bucks," Ian agreed. "I don't really notice any changes to my body, though I've only been doing this for a few weeks now. It makes me wonder if it is even possible to get huge muscles once you start diving. Most of the folks we know are really fit, but they are much more lean than bulky."

"You're pretty bulky already," Lana said, giving him a sideways glance. "Besides, you've been filling out quite nicely, even if you can't see it in yourself."

"Maybe it's just that I'm standing next to Tram and Jason all the time," Ian said, looking down at himself.

"Well, Tram has at least four inches on you and probably fifty or more pounds. So, it isn't really surprising if you feel like you aren't getting more buff standing next to him. His build is just so perfect for his role. Just as much as yours is much more suited for yours."

Ian smiled, feeling a little embarrassed. She smirked, obviously noticing.

"Sorry," he said after a moment.

"Don't be," she said. "You don't try to pretend to be anything other than yourself. After the last couple of years, you have no idea how much I appreciate you just being you. Our party is the first place I've been able to be myself in a really long time."

"Yeah, me too," Ian said before he noticed another guy giving Lana a second glance. "Does it bother you to have all of those guys gawking at you?"

"Did it bother you to have all those girls in the park stare at you?" she asked, giving him a smirk.

Ian's brows furrowed, "I didn't realize they were. I kinda thought everyone was ignoring me for the most part. It was kinda nice for once."

Lana brought her hand to her mouth as she started to giggle, "You can't be serious. One of the women we ran past missed the bench when she sat down because she was staring at you."

"What?" Ian said, not remembering that at all.

"Seriously," she said, still giggling. "We also had those two girls nearly pass out trying to keep up with us. If Tram was here, he would give you a wink and a slap on the back before congratulating you on being their 'motivation.'"

"He would, too," Ian said before furrowing his brow. "I can't believe I didn't notice any of that stuff. Though it did take me a bit to realize that monsters weren't going to attack us."

"Ian," Lana said. "You are like a force of nature in the dungeon. You throw yourself into danger like you are completely fearless." She stopped before looking around and quieting her voice. "You have so much confidence in your spear and your sword, but you don't have that same confidence in here." She reached out and tapped his chest. "I know you know it, too."

Ian looked around before shrugging.

"Kinda," he said. "It is one thing to know that I am a big, buff guy now who kills the monsters and saves the princesses. I know my skills are good enough to make all six of us forces to be reckoned with. I even know that there are at least a few women who are interested in me.

"However, I don't see that as me when I close my eyes," Ian said, not entirely sure why he was opening up to Lana but couldn't bring himself to stop. "When I close my eyes, I see the me with the broken nose and a gaunt face on the verge of starving, who brings out the disgust in others. The me trying to keep my head down because I don't want to get beaten up again for…just being alive. The me whose only purpose is to be thrown away when it was convenient by someone I thought loved me."

Ian looked down to find his hands shaking. Taking a breath, he felt a pinch in the back of his throat. He was surprised when Lana reached out and took both of his hands in hers. She rubbed her thumbs across the back of his hands for a second before looking up.

"Ian, none of us will ever throw you away," she said quietly so only he could hear. "Ever. You saved each of us, and you have shown us nothing but friendship. Please give us the opportunity to prove how important your friendship is to us. Let us help you realize your own self-worth. Whenever you need to talk, come find me, okay?"

Ian nodded and took a deep breath before letting it go. "Thanks, Lana. And I will."

"Good," she said, giving him a smile and pulling him towards the coffee shop. "Then let's head inside and get you something to snack on to help make you feel better."

Walking into the shop, Ian was hit with a completely different scene than he was used to seeing. Unlike most coffee shops, this one didn't have any displays at the tables or hanging from the ceiling. Actually, it didn't seem to have any sort of electronic entertainment at all.

"I love the old-fashioned wooden furniture and decor," Lana whispered as they got in line. "It is supposed to have been designed based on the old coffee shops where people would come to read and chat back before the dungeon system took over entertainment. They even play very low instrumentals in here instead of any modern-day music."

Ian nodded as he heard the sound of a piano and violin. He looked up and realized there was an upper viewing floor that overlooked the ordering area. The entire place looked like it had come directly out of a history book. There was even an old-fashioned espresso machine that was being used.

"This place is amazing," Ian said, turning his attention back to Lana.

"Isn't it? Wait until you try one of the drinks. I usually get a honey americano with a cinnamon raisin scone."

"That…actually sounds pretty amazing, I'm gonna get the same."

A few minutes later, Ian was sitting by himself, sipping his coffee at a table in the corner of the shop. Lana had excused herself to use the ladies' room, so he had pulled out his phone to check his texts. Hearing her sit down, he went to turn his phone off.

"Well, that was quick," he said. "It looks like Ash and Nia are—"

Ian froze when his eyes locked onto the woman across the table from him. Instead of finding Lana, he was face to face with someone he really didn't want to see.

"Hello, Ian," Avra said with a large smile. "It is good to see you."

Ian started looking around the room, moving from side to side to make sure he wasn't missing something. After a moment, Avra also looked around for a second before turning back to him.

"Are you alright, darling?" she said, showing a concerned expression.

"I was looking for the camera crew, and I am not your darling," he replied in a neutral tone. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I was getting coffee and noticed that you came in," she said with a smile. Ian didn't miss it when she leaned over the table and crossed her arms under her breasts to give him a view. "I figured we could take a few minutes to reminisce about the good old times. Surely you remember the fun times we used to have?"

Ian shook his head. "No, I don't remember any good times, nor would I want to sit here and talk to you about them if I did. Seriously, Beth, why are you trying to talk to me?"

"Don't be like that," Avra said, giving him a smile as she tilted her head down and batted her lashes at him. "Being able to see you on stream lately has made me realize how much I miss us being together. I miss how in love we were, and how much we cared about each other. The different things we used to do together," she paused before saying in a sultry voice, "and the things we did to each other."

Avra winked at him, and he just had to wonder how crazy she really was. She kept going before he could put an end to it.

"I was thinking we could get back together, maybe take things a little slower this time? My contract ends in a couple of months, so we could start running dungeons together again. With your skills, it wouldn't be hard to get me all caught up to you, and we can finally do what we talked about when we first started running together. I can be your healer and take care of you in the dungeon…then take care of you later when we get back home." She bit her lower lip as she leaned far enough forward to start giving him a wide-open view of her cleavage.

"Yeah, that's a no-go," Ian said, looking her dead in the eyes. "It will never happen. My party is full, and we already have a healer. Besides, you wouldn't be welcome in it even if we needed one."

"We could just replace whoever would have a problem with me being there. You know that I have a dedicated healing inherent skill. There are very few people who have as much potential as I do at healing."

"Honestly, you could have the best inherent skill in the world, and I wouldn't let you join," Ian said, his tone cold. "I don't want you near me, and I would prefer it if you don't bother me ever again."

"Darling, there is no nee—"

"He said to leave him alone," Lana said, walking up to stand next to Ian. "It boggles my mind that you think he's stupid enough to ever give someone like you a second chance."

"Please, you are just mooching off of his potential," Avra said, turning to Lana with a sneer. "You didn't even pull out your bow today, so everyone already knows how useless you are in their party. I could easily take your spot. Besides, there is no way a man would want your body over mine."

Ian turned to Lana and met her eyes. With a smirk, he slowly ran his eyes down and up her body before turning back to Avra.

"Actually, I'd say Lana is absolutely perfect the way she is," Ian said with a big smile before he looked at Avra. "On top of that, why would I replace an amazing healer with a crappy one?"

"Excuse me?" Avra said, her face warring between anger and confusion.

"Thank you," Lana said, taking the coffee and scone Ian handed her.

"Of course. Let's get out of here," Ian said, standing up and sliding in his chair.

"Hold on a moment," Avra said. "Where are you going? We still have so much to talk about."

"There isn't anything to talk about, Beth," Ian said, no anger in his voice. "I can't stand you and want nothing to do with you. I'm off to live that 'zero's future' you told me I deserved. I was never stupid, just in love and incredibly naive. Now…now I'm neither."

Ian held the door open for Lana and followed her out, leaving Avra standing next to the table with a shocked look on her face. After they were back in the park, Ian sighed.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable in there," he said after a moment.

"Don't sweat it," she said, nudging him with her elbow and giggling. "The look on her face when you checked me out was priceless. It was like she was internally screaming in rage and terrified all at the same time. She may be appealing on the outside, but there's nothing pretty on the inside."

"No, no, there isn't," Ian said with a shudder.