“What does it say?” I asked, trying not to resent Liam for how superfluous I felt.  “I’m supposed to go gather enough fuel for the Crystal for at least a week. It suggests investigating a cave system nearby and looking for resources that might suit.”  “It hijacked your communications suite to give you quests,” I said, incredulous. “You have to explore a local dungeon to find natural treasures to replenish the Crystal’s magic.”  “If that’s how you want to think of it.” His lips quirked sideways with bitter humor. “I never played many video games, but it’s not exactly my first mission.”  Maybe one day she’d work up the nerve to ask him about what sorts of things he’d done before they — laughably, impossibly, and hopefully temporarily — married. “Are you going to accept it?”  “I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here unprotected while I run off into the woods,” Liam said slowly, “But I doubt anything good would come from refusing, either.” “You could take me with you,” I pointed out, more sharply than I’d intended. “Instead of leaving me here to twiddle my thumbs.”  I could see him considering it, but I knew what he was going to say. “We don’t know what’s out there, but we know it’s dangerous enough that the last adventurer died.”  “Maybe he wouldn’t have if he had someone to watch his back.”  “How much combat training do you have?” Liam asked quietly. “Have you ever fired a gun?”  I'd never so much as gotten into a fight, but I didn’t let that stop me. “It’s a cave, not a war zone, Liam. There aren’t any other _people_ out there.”