by Paul Bellow
I glanced over and saw Sarah approaching with a smile on her face.
She held up a leather-bound book.
“Is that it?” I asked.
She nodded excitedly.
“Level two, here I come…”
“We should get going,” Bernard said. “It’s getting late.”
“This is such a cool game,” she said. “Except for trapping us in here and everything.”
Benji tilted his head and stroked his beard.
“You’re speaking that strange tongue I don’t understand again,” he said. “Are you two going to kill me?”
I laughed.
“We’re not going to kill you,” I said.
“At least not yet,” Sarah said. “You’ve been helpful so far.”
“Ruthless,” Benji said. “I love it.”
He grinned, showing his yellow teeth.
“Let’s go,” Sarah said. “I want to get back and read this book.”
She walked between Benji and myself then climbed onto the cart. I took the same seat I’d had before. Benji took the reins again.
As we turned the cart around, I heard a young boy scream on the other side of the encampment. Benji and Sarah both turned.
Three vicious dogs chased a boy dressed in plain, cotton clothes.
“Hyenas,” Benji said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Your Monster Lore Skill Has Increased!
Monster Lore Basic Level 2 of 10
Sarah shook her head.
“We need to help that boy,” she said.
I nodded and hopped off the wagon.
“She’s right,” I said, drawing my sword.
“That’s what I meant,” Benji said. “We need to save the boy.”
I stepped toward the frightened boy.
“Battle formation,” I yelled even though we didn’t have one yet. “We need to save that boy.”
Sarah stopped and cast a spell. A moment later, golden bolts of energy shot out of her palms, striking a hyena dead on.
“Attack!” I screamed, rushing forward with my sword held high.
Without a proper tank in our party, I needed to step up and fill the role. Benji drew his mace and yelled somewhere behind me.
The boy darted to the left, narrowly escaping the hyenas.
“Over here,” I yelled. “Come and get it.”
The vicious beasts stopped and turned toward us.
I slowed down to a walk but kept moving forward.
A forcefield went up around the tents.
I guess the other wizards aren’t helping us. Time to kill or be killed.
“Die, yapping beasts,” I yelled as I swung my sword.
Your slash HITS the hyena for 9 damage.
The hyena is dead!
Benji ran up beside me and struck one of the nasty beasts on the snout with his mace. The hyena yelped. Energized by the battle, I swung again.
Your slash GRAZES the hyena for 5 damage
A hyena snarled, turned, then lunged at me.
I dodged to the left, getting out of the way.
The hyena misses you.
As Benji continued battling the one in front of him, I delivered a killing slash across the back of the hyena in front of me.
Your pierce HITS the hyena for 8 damage.
The hyena is dead.
I turned to see the last beast fall lifelessly to the ground as several more energy bolts hit it. A notification screen popped up.
The hyena is dead.
Combat is Over!
You get 1,288 xp divided by two party members.
You get 644 xp – 10% OOC penalty.
You get 580 xp.
You have 2,205 xp.
* * *
Welcome to Level Two Rogue!
* * *
To advance to level two, you can choose a trainer (quicker and more thorough) or use a training manual. Seek Gord-En the Rogue to advance beyond level three. See help files for more on training.
Not too shabby. At least Benji isn’t getting a cut as an NPC.
Maybe that’s why he wants in our party?
But why would an NPC want experience points?
I pushed the thoughts aside as Sarah walked toward the boy. He’d curled up in a fetal position on the outskirts of the encampment. I followed her, looking around for any new threats.
“We might need your healing, Benji,” I said then waved him over. “But keep your eyes open for more hyenas.”
“Or gnolls,” he said. “The hyenas had leather armor on which isn’t a good sign. I think the rumors are true.”
“We’ll worry about that in a minute,” I said, stopping near the boy.
Sarah had knelt beside him and was rubbing his back.
“Are you okay?” she asked in a soothing voice.
“No,” the boy sobbed. “They killed them all.”
His pain pierced my hobgoblin armor.
“Who killed who?” I asked.
“Tell us what happened,” Sarah said. “We can help.”
Cautiously, the boy sat up.
“The monsters are moving into the forest,” he said. “I tried to warn my family, but it was too late. When I ran away, the dog-men saw me and sent their pets after me. I almost didn’t make it.”
He burst into a fresh round of tears.
“The gnoll rumors are true,” Benji said.
“What rumors?” I asked.
He frowned and shook his head.
“I’ve been hearing rumors in the taverns that there’s a band of gnolls wanting to set up a community in Shockly Forest,” he said. “This is probably an advanced scouting team.”
“We should investigate,” I said then glanced down at Sarah.
She stood and took a deep breath.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Sounds like something we need to do.”
“Will you help us, Benji?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said. “What kind of priest would run away right now.”
“It’s settled,” I said. “We’re going to take out these gnoll scouts before there’s an infestation.”
A notification screen popped up.
New Quest – A Hunting We Will Gnoll
* * *
Stop the gnoll advanced scouting party from setting up permanently in Shockly Forest. On completion of this quest, you will receive 2,000 experience points and all their treasure.
“You get that?” Sarah asked.
I nodded and opened my mouth to reply in-character—but before a sound came out—I heard a deep, throaty voice yell out in an unknown language.
Sarah looked around.
“What now?” she asked.
“Gnolls,” Benji said, pointing across the field. “Can we negotiate my payment now? Maybe some hazard pay?”
I grinned but kept my mouth shut as the terrified boy leapt to his feet and ran toward our wagon.
“Wish those wizard friends of yours would help,” I said, nodding my head toward the tents protected by magic.
“It’s not their fight,” she said. “Besides, we’ve got this.”
“Easy,” I said, drawing my sword again.
Across the field a gnoll warrior with two hyenas at his side approached.
“Let’s do this smart,” I said. “Kali, get a hyena or two if you can. Benji, back her up. I’m going for the big guy. Ready?”
Sarah nodded then cast a spell. Her golden bolts of energy killed another hyena outright. Benji ran forward, keeping the other hyena busy.
I ran to meet the gnoll warrior head on. The longsword in his hand was larger than mine, but it was all about how you used your weapon.
As he swung, I dodged to the left, almost avoiding the blow.
The gnoll scout GRAZES you for 6 damage.
You have [25/31] health remaining.
This is it. Do or die.
I screamed and swung my sword with all my might.
Your slash SCRATCHES the gnoll scout for 2 damage.
Aargh. That
won’t do it.
I dodged as the gnoll swung again.
The gnoll scout MISSES YOU.
I slashed again, hoping the others were okay.
Your slash HITS the gnoll for 9 damage.
A little better, but...
“Watch out!” Sarah yelled.
I dodged at the last moment as three energy bolts shot by.
The gnoll screamed and went down to the ground.
Combat is Over!
You get 1200xp divided by two party members.
You get 600xp
You have 2,805 xp
You need 2,195 xp for level three rogue.
“Everyone okay?” I asked, scanning the battlefield.
“Fine here,” Sarah said.
“I’ll be fine,” Benji said in a strained voice.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, walking over.
“One of the hyenas bit me,” he said.
“Use one of the healing ointments,” I said.
“You would do that for me?” he asked.
“Give him a healing potion, Sarah.”
She walked over to Benji and handed him a vial. He took off the cork and downed it all. Immediately, his bleeding stopped.
“That feels better,” he said then grinned.
I glanced around.
“How’s the boy?” I asked. “We should get back to the city for the night and plan on how to best tackle the gnoll encampment.”
“I’ll go check on the boy,” Sarah said. “He’s cowering by our cart.”
While Benji went to check the gnoll for any loot, I followed Sarah. We found the boy huddled under a pile of straw in the back.
“Are you okay?” Sarah asked.
The boy sat up, eyes wide open.
“Are they gone?” he asked.
His head whipped back and forth.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “We killed them.”
“Thank you so much.” The boy relaxed.
After scooting to the edge of the cart, he hopped down.
“Do you need a ride back to the city?” Sarah asked.
The boy turned to examine our ride.
“Will we be safe in this cart?” he asked.
“We’ll be fine,” Benji said as he walked up.
“Did you find anything of value on the gnolls?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said.
“Okay,” Sarah said. “Everyone in the cart. We need to get back to the city before we run into anything else.”
The boy scrambled back onto the cart, sitting in the back with his legs dangling over the edge.
While Sarah took a seat next to him, I walked around to the front of the cart with Benji.
“Mission successful,” he said as we took our seats.
“We got her book,” I said. “But we still haven’t found our friend.”
I picked up the reins and got the mule in motion.
Thankfully, the ride back to Fishguard went quietly.
We reached the gates of the city at dusk. Two guards watched as we rode by, our cart about to fall apart.
Back at the Half-Full Inn, we went to our room. The boy curled up on one of the beds, hiding under a blanket. I closed the door then turned around.
“We should get a fresh start in the morning.” I looked at Benji. “Can you take the cart to get fixed in the morning?”
“Sure thing, boss,” he said, as eager as ever.
“I need to go find a book of my own,” I said.
“Tonight?” Sarah asked. “Can’t it wait?”
“It’s important like your book,” I said, not wanting to go OOC.
“Oh…” She nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Benji shifted his weight from one leg to another.
“I can help,” he mumbled.
“Thanks, but a priest can’t help someone like me train,” I said.
“I have a Rogue Training Manual.” He dug into his sack and pulled out a thin, leather-bound book. “You’re welcome to use it.”
“How come you have a Rogue Training Manual?” Sarah asked.
“Someone donated it to the parish, and I kept it because...I thought it looked nice, and I might sell it someday.”
I glanced over at Sarah then back to Benji.
“Something fishy,” I said.
Benji emphatically shook his head.
“Not at all,” he said. “Unless you meant the Order of the Fish, the parish where I worked before you found me?”
I stepped toward him then took the leather book. Flipping through the first few pages, I saw instructions for leveling.
How did an NPC have access to a Rogue Training Manual for player characters? I glanced up and said, “Looks legit.”
Benji smiled nervously as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
“I need to go see a man about a horse,” he said. “Or a drink. I’ll be back later tonight. See you two later.”
As Benji turned and left the room, I stared down at the book in my hands.
How long will it take to level?
“I’m going to bed,” Sarah said. “Don’t stay up too late.”
“Huh?” I glanced from the book to her. “Oh, yeah. I won’t.”
She smiled, knowing the excitement of achieving a new level. We were trapped in the game, but it didn’t matter as much.
Later that night, after finishing the first chapter, I pulled up my character sheet to look at the new numbers.
>> Stats
* * *
Name: Drexmao (“Drex”)
Race: Human (Special)
Class: Rogue
Level: 2
Experience Points: 2805
XP for Next Level: 2195
Alignment: +85 (Quite Good)
Health: 31(31)
Strength: 75 (+10%)
Dexterity: 75 (+10%)
Constitution: 75 (+10%)
Intelligence: 75 (+10%)
Wisdom: 55 (+0%)
Charisma: 44 (+0%)
Not bad. Could be better. I need to buff up my stats before I level again.
Looks like I get 20 hit points each level with a bonus?
The hidden game mechanics intrigued me. I wanted to min-max my way to greatness—at least until we got out of the game. I had to keep reminding myself we were trapped and needed to get out. We still hadn’t found Josh either.
I took a deep breath.
Sitting on a chair near the window, I leaned back on two legs. When my eyes closed, I drifted off to sleep right away.
Once again, my dreams combined real world memories with memories from inside the game.
Both haunted me.
10
Monster Hunting We Will Gnoll
SARAH
As I opened my eyes and realized we were still in the game, I sighed. Would we ever get out? I sat up in bed and looked around the room.
The boy we’d rescued had taken off sometime during the night. I got up to check my sack for our potions and gold. Both were safe.
“We almost got robbed,” Benji said, startling me.
I looked toward the window where he stood.
“You scared me,” I said. “Where’s the boy?”
“He tried to rob us, but I scared him off.”
“Did you hurt him?” I asked.
“No,” Benji said in a hurt tone. “Of course not.”
Eric snored from a chair near the other window, and I smiled.
“Let him sleep a bit more,” I said. “Are you going to fix the cart?”
“Yeah, sure,” Benji said in the most non-NPC voice I’d ever heard.
“Thanks,” I said.
He mumbled something then left the room.
As Eric slept, I checked my level two stats.
>>Stats
* * *
Name: Kali Tracaryn
Race: Elf
Class: Mage
Level: 2
XP: 4695
XP for Next LeveL: 2805
Alignment: +75
(Very Good)
HEALTH: 12 (12)
MANA: 48 (48)
Strength: 72 (+10% To Hit Melee, +2 melee damage)
Dexterity: 96 (+35% To Hit Ranged,+35 Armor Class)
Constitution: 52 (+0%)
Intelligence: 93 (+30% INT saves, +6 mp every level)
Wisdom: 43 (+0%)
Charisma: 44 (+0%)
Any new spells?
>> Stats Spells
* * *
Spells: Level One
* * *
>> Fish Slaying (1mp) Slay fish in ten foot radius.
>> Golden Bolts (2mp per bolt up to 4+ lvl of caster) Golden bolts of energy shoot out of your palms.
>> Glorified Cloaks of Bronze (2mp per armor adjustment up to 4+ lvl of caster) Golden energy surrounds the target of the spell, improving their defense by 10%
The game also offered me a new spell to learn.
Choose one new first level spell from the following list:
* * *
>> Ritual of Clean Helms
>> Conjure Bronze
>> Illusion of Earth
>> Negate Speaking
>> Ladder of Dwarven Earth
>> Identify
* * *
Tip: At level three, you will gain one second level spell and one more first level spell.
Sweet. No second level spell yet, but a few useful first level ones. Negate Speaking is so tempting, but I’ll go with Identify.
Eric snorted and shook. As his chair fell back on all four legs with a thud, he leaped up, fists raised for a fight.
“Calm down,” I said, laughing. “Everything’s okay. You overslept.”
He reached his arms above his head, yawning and stretching.
“Feel good to have the use of your legs?” I asked.
“So nice,” he said. “Where’s Benji?”
“He went to fix the cart. Did you sleep okay?”