Sam’s eyes widened as he looked over the glowing figure. First her silhouette appeared. Coming in at around five and a half feet, the woman was slender. Slowly her body filled out with ample assets, but when she shifted, he noticed a thick tail protruding from her lower spine. Several inches wide, it thinned as it came to its end at nearly three feet.

  Sam gulped as even more details became clear. First the light started to recede, and the woman’s tanned skin started to show through. That’s when he realized she was naked with some sort of shimmering liquid over most of her body.

  After the light faded more, he found flowing dark pink hair trailing down her back. It was tangled and knotted, and had the same substance clinging to it.

  Then came her facial features. A small button nose and full lips were only dwarfed by shimmering crimson irises. Long lashes fluttered over her eyes as she blinked several times. Slowly the light came to an end and her feet touched down onto the ground.

  Her tail was covered in pink scales and from a glance, he could tell that part of her back and sides also had the same feature. Her stomach surprisingly didn’t have any, but her chest had a smaller display that curved around and up her neck, finally stopping on her cheeks.

  She shifted from one foot to the next, her eyes closed as she ran her hands over her sides. Slowly she crossed her arms, and held herself tightly.

  “I’m free…” she whispered in a voice that was serene, yet tender.

  “Free?” Sam asked.

  The odd woman nodded and opened her eyes, which widened as she looked Sam over.

  “You’re human!” Covering her mouth, she stifled a gasp.

  “I am,” Sam said while rubbing the back of his neck. “And you are naked and covered in something.”

  Looking down at herself, she shifted her hand from her arm to touch the shimmering substance. When it stuck to her fingers and pulled from her skin, her eyes started to water, and she dropped to her knees.

  Sam moved on instinct, dropping to the ground and resting his hand on her shoulder. “You’re safe,” he whispered.

  The woman started to cry in earnest as she covered her eyes with her free hand. The slime continued to shimmer, and Sam noticed the distinct scent of death coming from her.

  He knew the scent all too well.

  Sam kneeled next to her for several minutes as she tried to gain control of her emotions. This was the first flesh and blood person he had seen in ten years. What was he supposed to do?

  “I have a shower,” he said softly.

  Blinking a few times, the woman looked up. “A shower?”

  “If you want to clean up…”

  “My name is Eski,” she said with a forced smile.

  “Samuel Tinner,” Sam said. “Most people call me Sam.”

  Still kneeling, she smiled for real, her eyes softening, despite being puffy and red.

  “Can you show me?” Eski asked.

  Sam nodded and stood. Holding out his hand, he waited for her to take it. Once she was up, she stumbled on unsteady legs and leaned into him.

  Tensing, Sam felt her bare flesh brush against him and for the first time he realized that he was alone with a naked woman. And he was eighteen. Also, hormones sucked.

  Clearing his throat, he guided the woman into the bathroom while supporting her as best he could. When he showed her the bathtub with the curtain draped in front of it, he explained, “I’ll turn on the water. Turn the handle to the left if you need it warmer and to the right for colder. There’s soap and shampoo in the bottles on the shelf. If you need anything, call out to me.”

  Lastly, he took a towel down from the nearby shelf and set it on the back of the toilet. Flipping on the water, he quickly left and closed the door behind him.

  His heart thundered in his chest while a clearly growing problem was happening below his waist. “Holy shit…” he whispered. “Hopefully my clothes fit her. I don’t think I’ll survive her being naked for longer.”

  Moving to his dresser, he pulled out boxers, pants, and a shirt. He didn’t know if it would work with her tail, but this is what he had.

  Knocking on the bathroom door, he opened it a crack. “I brought you clothes,” he called out.

  “Thank you,” Eski said over the running water.

  “I’m going to leave them on the sink,” Sam said before quickly setting them down. The shadowy figure of her body showing through the curtain made his blood race a second time.

  Quickly closing the door, he moved to his computer. Closing his eyes, he dug into meditation to calm himself.

  “I have to buy her a bedroom,” he stated before opening his eyes.

  Turning to his computer, he started pulling up the layout of his domain. The bird’s eye view showed him the living room with the kitchen and bathroom, while the second room attached to it was his bedroom. Scanning the market, he found a pre-furbished room that he could add for five thousand Dux, just like he did for his own.

  Before he could click buy, the shower turned off. “I should wait,” Sam muttered. “She’ll need clothes as well.”

  Rubbing his eyes, he reminded himself to calm down. So what if he hadn’t been around another person in ten years. And it didn’t matter that she was gorgeous. He was an adult and could handle this like one.

  A few minutes later, the door opened and Eski stepped out. The pants were pulled down slightly in the back as her tail made itself known. Her shirt was baggy, but her pants were tight. He pretended he didn’t notice certain assets that were hard to ignore.

  He felt like a little kid just hitting puberty all over again. She was the first woman he had ever met, or at least it felt like…

  “Thank you for the clothes,” Eski said while moving over to his side.

  Her voice was like music to his ears as he realized how much he craved conversation with someone other than his AI.

  “You’re welcome,” Sam said before distracting himself by turning back to his computer. “We should buy you your own clothes.”

  “It’s fine. I can wear yours until I help you earn money.”

  Sam turned back to her. “What do you mean?”

  Eski frowned. When her brows furrowed for a moment, she looked lost in thought. Once they softened, she asked, “Did you just finish the tutorial dungeon?”

  Sam nodded. “Yes.”

  “I’m your first summon?”

  Sam nodded again. “You are.”

  “That means you don’t know anything about the dungeons or the system,” Eski sighed. “I was the same way when I was first integrated. The gods only give us the barest amount of knowledge to get us started.”

  “The books didn’t explain everything?” Sam asked.

  “Did you know you would get companions?” Eski countered.

  “No…” Sam trailed off.

  Moving to his side, Eski sat on the arm of his chair and let her tail wrap around his back.

  Sam stiffened from the contact but forced himself to focus on the conversation. “You’re my companion?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Eski answered. “A companion can be summoned from the deceased that have died previously in their own dungeons. Since I failed in my task to finish my dungeon, I’m now a companion. Your companion.”

  “You’ll fight with me?”

  Eski nodded. “That’s my purpose.” Turning her head, she looked over his computer. Suddenly her eyes widened. “How the fuck do you have over ten thousand Dux?”

  Sam winced at the shrill outburst. “I got lucky,” he said innocently.

  Looking around the room, she pointed to the mining pick. “What were you doing with that?”

  Sam shifted to look over her legs. “Mining,” he answered casually.

  “Where the hell were you mining?” Eski demanded.

  “In the dungeon…” Sam trailed off as Eski’s mouth fell open.

  “In the dungeon? You mined in the dungeon?” she asked erratically.

  “Yes…” Sam didn’t know how else to answer.

  “And now you have over ten thousand Dux?”

  “Actually, I’ve already spent about ten thousand,” he said with a weak chuckle.

  Pinching the bridge of her nose, she exhaled roughly. “Fucking figures I would be stuck with someone new that pulls money out of their ass.”

  “The walls actually,” Sam said lightheartedly.

  Eski opened her eyes and glared at him, making him feel small. Pointing to the door, she asked, “Is that a second room? And is that a full set of armor?”

  Sam nodded. “Yes, and yes. I feel like you are making a big deal about this—” he cut himself off as she growled.

  “It took me six dungeon runs to be able to afford a second room,” she snapped. “How the hell have you been able to buy one after finishing the tutorial dungeon?”

  Sam shrank in his chair, unsure how to handle this hostility. He was excited to be interacting with someone, but… he didn’t know if his heart could handle the intensity coming off her.”

  “I was going to buy you a room too,” Sam said.

  Shoving her finger into his chest, she growled again. “Of course you have enough for a third room!”

  “And your clothes… maybe a weapon and armor,” Sam tacked on.

  Throwing up her arms, she curled her tail around his side, crushing him into the arm of his chair. “I’m fine! I’m fine…” she said slowly. “I’ll be able to handle this… I won’t freak out…”

  Sam’s eyes widened. This wasn’t her freaking out?

  “We should finish our shopping cart,” Sam probed, hoping she would relent.

  Eski rubbed her temples before turning back to the computer. Grabbing the mouse, she stared at the screen as if it was going to bite her. “I have no idea how to use this thing.”

  Sam took the mouse from her and moved to the main market. “What sort of weapon do you use?” he asked.

  “Mace and shield.”

  Quickly typing in the search bar, he found a cheap mace for five hundred Dux. Adding that to the cart, he also found a shield for a thousand. Once he finished those selections, he moved to clothes.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Umm… what race are you?” Sam asked. “You’re clearly not human.”

  “I’m a dragonkin,” Eski huffed.

  Blowing out a slow, uneasy breath, Sam narrowed his search parameters. When clothes started to populate, Eski pointed out some basic clothes that only cost ten Dux each. She selected three outfits with undergarments before crossing her arms.

  “So…” Sam muttered as he clicked purchase.

  The room shook as a second new door appeared next to his, signaling the arrival of a new bedroom. With a plop the box of goods came out of the portal, and the two stared at it.

  “What class do you have?” Eski asked, not bothering to leave the arm of his chair. Her tail still held him down, so he couldn’t retrieve the box either.

  “Miner,” he stated.

  “What the hell kind of class is that?” Eski snapped.

  “One that makes me money?” Sam shrugged. “I can see in the dark and find mining nodes easily.”

  Running a hand down her face, she grumbled something under her breath.

  “Something wrong?” he asked meekly.

  “Nothing,” she groaned. “I’m an Iron Guard, so I’ll do the fighting for us. I specialize in strength and dexterity. I see that you are level one, which doesn’t surprise me.”

  “I specialize in strength and recovery,” Sam said.

  “Okay.” Rubbing her face again, Eski turned towards him and scooted in the chair until more than half her thigh was on him. “Listen closely, Sam. In a few days your first real dungeon will be ready. It’s going to take me that long just to recover from being dead. I can explain many things during that time.”

  “Like companions?” Sam questioned.

  “Yes, and attributes, leveling, dungeon types, vacations, and my fighting style. There are plenty more topics that we can cover, but I’ll start simple for now.”

  Sam nodded and pointed towards the box. “Can you stop sitting on me and unpack…”

  Shifting her hips, Eski giggled. “No, I cannot.”

  ***

  Eski suppressed her smile as Sam’s face turned crimson. Even his ears changed to a nice shade of pink and if she could guess, there was a certain reaction happening in his pants that she enjoyed.

  “What am I doing?” Eski asked herself. “Just because I haven’t seen another person in years doesn’t mean I should push so hard just after meeting the man.”

  Scooting off the chair, she heard Sam let out a held breath. Facing away from him, she smiled before moving over to the box.

  “What do you want to know first?” Eski asked.

  Sam shifted in his seat, making the chair protest and creak as he crossed his legs to hide his growing problem.

  “Attributes,” he answered.

  Eski nodded and bent at the waist to open her box. She knew exactly where his eyes were going to be focused, and she even swayed her tail slightly.

  “I can’t stop myself…” Eski mumbled in her head.

  Ripping off the tape, she continued to sway her tail as she answered. “As you know, there is strength, dexterity, and recovery. The three attributes control everything with our bodies. Following me?”

  “Yes, I think so…” Sam said softly.

  Pulling out her shield, she smiled. It was a light round shield that was about two feet in diameter. It would be perfect to get her started. “Strength is obvious,” she started. “It controls the strength of our muscles, but not the size. Our attacks will hit harder, and we’ll be able to survive more hits as our body hardens and reinforces itself. Our stamina will also be higher, which will come in handy for certain uses—”

  Shaking her head, she cut herself off. “There is something seriously wrong with me.” Looking over her shoulder, she examined Sam. “He’s skinny. Far too skinny. But his face is handsome, so he earns a few points. He’s taller than me, so there’s another point. Am I really this vain?”

  “Sounds like strength is something I want,” Sam said, not realizing her thoughts.

  “Yes, strength will keep you alive, but dexterity will need to balance with it in my opinion. Dexterity determines your speed, flexibility, and your ability to hit your target. If you have all strength and not enough dexterity it doesn’t matter how strong you are. Monsters will dance around you.”

  “Ah…” Sam muttered.

  Smiling to herself, Eski assumed he didn’t add his free points to dexterity. “Recovery is also important. That’s the attribute that will determine how fast you heal, regain stamina, and recover your energy.”

  “Isn’t stamina and energy the same thing?” Sam asked.

  Looking back, Eski smiled. He was indeed staring at her butt. “Energy is well… the energy you use to enact active skills. We don’t have mana like monsters and can’t cast magical skills like fireballs and ice bolts. But we do have battle skills. I can empower my mace to hit several times harder at the cost of energy.”

  Sam glanced away when he was caught. “I see…”

  “He’s so cute!” Eski screamed in her head.

  Shaking her head, Eski turned back to the box and pulled out her mace. It came with a belt and sling to put it in which was beneficial. She would need armor though.

  “Those are the basics of the attributes,” Eski said. “Although when you reach the milestone of twenties, something drastic changes.”

  “Milestone of twenty?” Sam asked.

  “Yes. As you place attribute points, you gain little increase to your abilities. For example, if you add to recovery, you will need to eat less, sleep less, and feel more energetic. But at the first milestone, you will feel a sudden increase that rivals all the other points. You’ll feel like a whole new person.”

  “Strength and dexterity are like that as well?”

  Standing up, Eski moved her mace and shield to the side of the room. “We’ll need stands for our gear.”

  Eski turned to Sam. “Yes. All of the attributes have huge bonuses for reaching the milestones. But don’t rush to them either. You want some semblance of balance. At least that was my experience.”

  Sam shifted his legs so they were crossed the other way around before leaning back in his chair.

  Smiling, Eski narrowed her gaze on his waist. “He has certainly rose to the occasion.”

  Sam shook his head. “The tutorial felt easy, yet the boss was insanely hard. He asked me for my mana crystals.”

  Eski froze. Her eyes scanned Sam’s face for any hint of humor. When she found none, she asked, “He asked you?”

  “Yes. He wanted one mana crystal to let me live.”

  Eski swallowed hard, any sense of amusement gone. “Monsters can’t talk, Sam.”

  Sam’s eyebrows rose. “It sure sounded like he was talking.”

  “You said mana crystal? What’s a mana crystal?” Eski asked.

  Sam pulled out a shining blue crystal that shimmered with whites, blues, and sparkles.

  “It’s beautiful,” Eski said as she moved to his side. “I thought you sold all of your mining goods?”

  “I have three of these that I’ve been holding on to. The boss made them seem to be really important.”

  “What purity are they?”

  Sam turned the computer and moved to the appraisal page before setting the crystal in the scanner.

  “Ninety-nine percent pure…” Eski trailed off as she read over the description. “Wait!” she suddenly shouted. “Have you only been selling these for three hundred Dux and ounce?”

  “Yes?” Sam said as a question.

  Smacking her forehead, Eski ordered, “Pull up the market for mana crystals and check their purity levels for the asking price.”

  Sam complied and sat back as they read over the purity. “Only five percent?” Sam questioned.

  Eski groaned. “You should be making over two thousand Dux for this quality of mana crystal, you dolt!”

  Sam winced. “I’m new to this…”

  “You’re such a dummy head!” Eski growled. “I don’t care that you are saving these mana crystals. Put them up for sale, right now!”

  Sam started nodding his head vigorously before scanning two more crystals. When they both came back at the same purity and nearly the same size, he sold them for twenty five hundred Dux per ounce.

  They sold immediately.

  Sam’s Dux account climbed to over sixty thousand.

  Eski’s eyes widened as she read the number. “I hate you so much…”

  “What?” Sam gasped.

  Eski sat on the edge of his chair again and inched close enough that her entire leg was on his arm. “I haven’t had any food in years.”

  “I have cereal,” Sam said.

  Eski gave him a blank look. “Don’t you have meat, vegetables, fruit, anything?”

  Sam slowly shook his head. “Oh, wait! I have yogurt and granola!”

  Eski groaned. “Let’s start with a shopping list. I’m assuming you can’t cook.”

  By the way Sam’s head hung, she had assumed right.

  “We’ll do this together,” she told him. “Let’s start with meat, and I’ll cook for you. It would be great to get the cooking profession.”

  “Profession?” Sam asked.

  Eski groaned internally. “Professions are jobs that you can do such as smithing, leatherworking, alchemy, enchanting, and several others. You can have three, and if you want to learn a fourth, you will have to drop one of the ones you already know.”

  “Can I learn smithing?”

  Eski nodded. Smiling, she wrapped her tail around his side. “You can, but you are going to need more money to set up a station. I’ll help you when the time comes. But if you are mining, it would be better to turn your ore into goods for more money.”

  Sam rubbed his hands together, showing a face that Eski had never seen before. His eyes sparkled with interest, and she swore she heard him mutter, “…Money!”

  “R-right,” she stuttered. “But first, we’ll grocery shop.”

  Moving the mouse around the screen, Sam had opened the shop up to foods from his planet. “How can we speak and read the same language?”

  “The gods,” Eski answered simply. “We are part of their little system that spans the entire universe. If we couldn’t communicate, what good would we be?”

  When Sam started hovering over what looked like cake, Eski smacked his hand.

  Growling, she pointed to the search bar. “We are searching for meat!”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Sam gulped.

  Smiling to herself, Eski felt pleased. “Professions can level up as well. Just like attributes, you gain perks every twenty levels. I don’t know how high the levels go, but I do know that you get different blueprints and stuff for reaching milestones.”

  “Blueprints?” Sam asked.

  Eski nodded and squeezed his side with her tail. “Yes. I’ll explain more once you get a smithy.” Tapping the screen, she added, “Focus. We have to buy stuff!”

  ***

  Sam watched as Eski carried her new clothes to her room. Much to his enjoyment and annoyance, she was purposefully adding sway to her steps. Her tail swayed from side to side as if drawing his attention to her butt.

  “Why am I like this?” he muttered to himself. “I finally have another person in my life and all I can do is stare at her butt"

  Thankfully his growing problem had calmed, and he was able to move to the empty box. Breaking it down, he threw it in the trash before moving to the new box with their groceries.

  While Eski put away her clothes, he organized their food and set out the meat that she claimed she would cook. He also added the vegetables and fruit she wanted as well.

  “What is she making tonight?” he asked himself.

  Breaking down the second box, he tossed it before grabbing the broom and dustpan. Moving around the room, he swept up any dust and debris that had started gathering from the last few days.

  Eski stepped out of her room just as he was getting the mop ready. She didn’t say anything as she moved to the kitchen and started pulling out pans and pots. She also grabbed more ingredients from the fridge before heating up the stove.

  Sam ignored her as well as he moped the floor and made sure it was shiny once again. The remains of blood and dirt were finally gone.

  Dumping the bucket, he rinsed it out before hanging the mop to dry. With one task done, he slipped on white gloves and grabbed his duster.

  Eski shot him a weird glance as he started moving around the room, dusting the furniture and counters. Once he thought they were clean, he ran a gloved finger over their surface and found that they still had a few spots that needed to be touched up.

  The heavenly scent of roasting meat and boiling potatoes filled the air as the dust was removed.

  With the dusting done, he pulled out his cleaning wipes and started disinfecting all of the surfaces. That was what broke the dragonkin.

  “You have to be kidding me!” Eski snapped.

  Sam paused in the process of wiping down his desk. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’re cleaning like a freak! Are you a germaphobe?”

  “No…” Sam said in confusion. “What’s wrong with a clean house?”

  Eski closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. “There’s clean and then there’s whatever the hell you are doing. What’s next, detailing the bathroom?”

  “Yes actually,” Sam said. “I have to polish the tiles and delime the shower. I also need to scrub down the shower curtain so it doesn’t mold.”

  Eski’s mouth fell open as she gaped in a wordless response. Shaking her head, she turned back to her cooking while he continued to wipe down his desk.

  Just as he was about to move to the bathroom, Eski stopped him.

  “How long have you been alone?” she asked softly.

  Sam froze. “Ten years,” he whispered.

  Eski touched his arm and when he looked over, her eyes were filled with sorrow. Her expression was soft, lost was the annoyance of her previous outburst.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered back.

  “It’s fine,” Sam said with a shrug. “I’ve had a lot of time to get used to the loneliness. Plus I had Martha.”

  “Martha?” Eski asked, her brows furrowing.

  “Martha,” Sam called out.

  “Yes, Samuel Tinner?” The AI asked.

  Eski jumped at the hidden voice. “What the hell?”

  Sam laughed. “Martha is my AI that helps me run the house. She cleans our clothes and takes out the trash. She’ll also clean all of those dirty dishes you are making.”

  Eski nodded and for a split moment she smiled. Then she frowned and started rubbing his arm. “Why were you alone for so long?”

  Sam shook his head. Instead of answering, his shoulders slumped, and he entered the bathroom. Closing the door behind him, he started cleaning.

  ***

  Eski watched the bathroom door shut, a shuddering breath leaving her. “He was only eight when he entered his domain,” she said to herself. “Why would a god do that to a child?”

  Shaking her head, she moved back to the stove and stirred her sauce. As it thickened, she drained the potatoes and began mashing them with butter and cream. Seasoning them with garlic and cheese, she smiled.

  The smile didn’t last.

  Looking at the bathroom, she felt horrible. She had lasted a few years in the void, but Sam had survived on his own since he was a child. No wonder he cleaned religiously.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine what Sam was like when he was a kid. He was probably just as scrawny as he was now.

  That small thought made her smile. He deserved happiness, and she had been flirting with him for hours. That’s when she realized that he had likely never had a girl flirt with him before.

  Running a hand down her face, she groaned. “What is wrong with me!”

  Shaking off her conflicting emotions, she continued to cook.

  “I need to ease him into our partnership,” she thought to herself. “He doesn’t know what it’s like to have a woman around him, and if he was alone since he was eight, he likely lost his planet at that time. What does he know about the universe?”

  With a shaky sigh, she pulled the pans off the burner. The simple steaks were ready, and she plated them up. Drizzling sauce over them, she added mashed potatoes to the side before scooping glazed carrots onto the plates.

  Setting down the dishes on the counter, she pulled up her character sheet.

  Eski

  Class: Iron Guard

  Tier 1

  Level: 1

  Strength: 3

  Dexterity: 3

  Recovery: 3

  Free Points: 0

  Skills: Aura of Retaliation, Power Strike

  No new professions were listed, and she had already added her free points to her attributes. She’d likely have to cook many more dishes before she gained the cooking profession.

  Turning her thoughts inward, she looked towards the bathroom door. “I should get him. He needs to eat and if he wants to clean afterwards, I’ll leave him be.”

  Moving to the door, she knocked twice before inching it open. Sam was in the shower, spraying a foam over the tiles before scrubbing.

  “It’s time to eat, Sam,” Eski said softly.

  Sam smiled as he turned to her. “Let me wash my hands and I’ll be right out.”

  Eski closed the door and moved back to the kitchen. Picking up her plate, she sat against the wall near the portal. She only had to wait a minute before he joined her.

  Sliding to the ground next to her, he continued to smile. “Thanks for cooking,” he said earnestly.

  “You’re welcome,” Eski muttered.

  Her thoughts were jumbled. “I don’t know how to interact with him now.”

  Digging into her food, she groaned, but not as loudly as Sam. He paused for a moment, and Eski watched a tear drip from his eye. Then he dug into his plate, devouring the food, hardly pausing to chew.

  Eski felt her eyes widen as she realized this was likely the first time in years that he had a home cooked meal. Her hand clenched into a fist as her heart broke for him.

  She hid her fear of the void in order to focus on him. She wanted to be the best companion she could be to the young man. Who knows how much he had suffered. Hopefully she could be the balm that he needed.