“Run!” She cried. “I will hold them off!”

I swore. Cursed the God that gave me this power in my magicks and extracted in exchange the strength of my body. The body that could not bear the touch of metal plate lest it burned when I called fire from my soul. The body so lightly clothed in cloth of magic while my loved one stood in full plate and took the brunt of each battle.

She turned her back to the hoard and urged. “Run in the shelter of my armor.” Protecting my body with her own.

“No!” I felt the hoarse cry wrench from my throat in desperation. “You can make it to the zone alive. Leave me! I will only slow you down.”

“Gate then!” She cried as she turned back and showed her sharp steel again to the zombies. “And I will run to zone.”

Curse you, Innoruuk! 3 fizzles on Evac. And only when I most desperately need it.

“Harvesting.” I cried desperately, gathering strands of mana to myself. "We will evac. I will not leave you."

She grinned. My blood-drenched bride. A reckless flash of white showing beneath her helm as she battled undead zombies, steel flashing in the gloom of the dungeon.

“So we die together.”

I prayed feverishly now. Prayed as fiercely as I had cursed Innoruuk. I watched my bride’s assault on the undead zombies increase in ferocity as she went into a berserker fury. My pride swelled in her strength and skill with the sword. A glory to watch even in this desperation.

I stood. Twisting the strands of mana together, I bent the pattern to my will and created a shimmering portal of light, shouting my triumph as the dungeon faded…

LOADING, PLEASE WAIT.

In a fantasy setting, I explored gender role reversal with a female warrior physically protecting her man. Again, using imagery from the world of EverQuest.

"Loading, please wait." is the screen message you received when changing zones, as a teleport would cause.