by Paul Bellow
“Yorg, wait up!” he shouted as I turned to leave.
I sighed them turned, knowing I would never get away when I stood taller than most of the city’s other inhabitants. He stopped in front of me, stroking his greasy black moustache.
“What’s going on?” I asked then added, “I can’t talk long.”
“This won’t take long,” he said. “I’ve got information for you.”
“What kind of information?”
“The good kind,” he replied then smiled.
“How much do you want for this information?” I asked.
“Nothing physical,” he said then lowered his voice and leaned closer. “I want you to throw a fight.”
I stepped back to avoid his foul-smelling breath.
“No thanks,” I said. “That’s against the rules of battle.”
“You’re already cheating,” he said flatly, studying my eyes.
I glanced around then lowered myself to his height.
“You best keep your mouth shut,” I said. “The Four Wizards will make short work of you.”
He pushed me away then brushed off the dingy leather armor covering his chest.
“I’m not throwing a fight,” I said.
Tommy Two-Toes frowned, his brow furrowing. As he opened his mouth to say something, I saw the Four Wizards stumbling toward us. This won’t be good.
“What are doing out here?” Thom yelled, drunkenly slurring his words.
“Nothing,” I said as they stopped around us.
Tommy Two-Toes glanced over his shoulder then looked at me.
“You leave our fighter alone,” Sherlock said, wagging his finger.
“I was just leaving,” the salty gladiator said.
He stepped in between Aaron and Ferris, walking away.
“What did he want?” Ferris demanded.
“Nothing,” I lied, wanting to take care of the situation myself.
“You better be telling the truth,” Aaron said, surprising me.
He’d always seemed to be the most level-headed of their group.
“Get on your knees,” Thom shouted.
I glanced over at the angry ginger and tilted my head back.
“What? Why?” I asked.
“You will respect my authority!” he shouted as he raised his hands.
I stepped back as he waved his hands to cast a spell. A noxious cloud formed around me. I coughed as I struggled to keep my meager breakfast in my stomach.
“On your knees,” he said.
I knelt on the cobblestone road. While I hadn’t seen them drunk before, I worried they would treat me even worse in their inebriated state.
“What are you doing out here?” Sherlock asked as he stumbled toward me.
“Nothing,” I said.
Thom walked up and slapped me across the face. I took a deep breath to control my anger as he laughed and struck me with his palm again.
“Cut it out,” I snapped then moved to get up.
Ferris mumbled a spell, freezing me. Thom slapped my face a few more times, giggling the entire time. Sherlock chuckled while Aaron shook his head then threw up.
Unable to move, I stared straight ahead, still attempting to keep my emotions in check. Ferris waved his hands again, unfreezing me. I stayed on my knees. Everyone else on the street had walked away, avoiding the scene. The Four Wizards had a bad reputation.
“Go back to the towers,” Sherlock said, pointing.
I moved to stand, but he put a hand on my shoulder.
“Crawl like the dog you are,” he said.
Thom cackled, his bright red hair bobbing up and down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ferris hand Tommy Two-Toes a small pouch. Stupid, double-crossing rat, I thought as I crawled toward the Four Wizards’ towers. He’d pay for messing with me.
Did the wizards want me to lose a fight on purpose? Or was something else going on? Their actions made little sense to me. As I crawled down the middle of the street, I could hear the wizards talking quietly behind me. Some onlookers pointed and whispered amongst themselves.
I concentrated on a way to escape and find Sarah. Even Eric would be a welcome sight.
On the embarrassing journey back to my prison, I realized the Four Wizards represented four of the major sins. Ferris was pride, Thom was sloth, Aaron was envy, and Sherlock’s wrath wasn’t to be messed with on a good day. While not helpful right away, I filed the information away for later study. I needed all the help I could get if I wanted to escape them.
The other thing on my mind was getting revenge on Tommy Two-Toes without anyone knowing about it. Revenge against him would be sweet regardless, but I wanted to savor it even more by not even letting him know it was me behind his downfall.
I would need help, but I knew of a couple of gladiators who wanted him dead as much as I did. They would assist.
While I wasn’t sure exactly how I would take him down, the idea became even more important than escaping the Four Wizards. If I had a small victory against Tommy Two-Toes, I might be lucky enough to come up with a plan to get away from my captors. All the extra buffs they secretly hit me with before my battles in the arena had me doubting myself.
Back at their tower complex, they teleported me into the room with no windows or walls. I sat with my back against a rough wall, pondering my fate in the Tower of Gates. Sarah hit my thoughts once again. I struggled to picture her face. So much time had passed since I had seen her. I wanted to hug her so badly, but I needed to think.
My first step was to figure out a way to get back at Tommy Two-Toes without it being obvious that I would hurt him. The players I had met in the game took it seriously, and I needed to do the same. I leaned my head back and stared up, pushing Sarah out of my mind. With the preferred outcome for Tommy Two-Toes in mind, I needed a plan.
25
Brains of the Brute
Josh
Revenge was usually best served cold, but I didn’t have a lot of time. Tommy Two-Toes needed to pay in a big way before word got around that I was a chump. I wouldn’t put hurting me past the other gladiators if they thought they could gang up on me. Even the Four Wizards wouldn’t be able to help me if that happened.
I leaned against my preparation cage underneath the arena, ready to put my plan into motion. Like most of the other slaves who fought in the arena, Tommy Two-Toes would expect me to come at him physically. Instead, I had thought long and hard about ways to make him pay without resorting to physical violence—at least not directly.
“Hey, Treemore,” I said, lifting a hand in the air.
The weathered human warrior stopped and turned in my direction. I motioned him over with a nod of my head. As he approached, chest glistening with oil, I wondered if I was making the right choice. One miscalculation could get me in a lot of trouble. Treemore stopped in front of me and crossed his arms over his barrel chest.
“What’s up?” he asked in a gruff tone.
“I need your help,” I said then motioned him closer.
“Spit it out,” he snapped. “I’m about to go into the arena.”
“Did you hear about Tommy Two-Toes and Melinda?” I asked.
His eyes widened. “What?” he asked.
“She’s been cheating on you with him,” I said.
He furrowed his brow and dropped his arms to his sides.
“I’m gonna kill ‘em both,” he grumbled.
“Hold on,” I said. “There’s a better way to get him back.”
“Yeah?” Treemore tilted his head back. “Like what?”
I grinned, hoping my plan would actually work.
“Take him out in the arena,” I said.
“But I don’t fight him today,” Treemore said. “I want to kill him!”
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed. “You need to be smart about it, buddy.”
He furrowed his brow as he studied my face. I kept an even expression.
“You know I’m fighting him today, right? Go to the guards and tell the
m Tommy Two-Toes is going to throw the fight against me.”
“They’re not going to care,” Treemore said.
“Maybe not, but I think they will,” I said.
If I could get the dumb fighter to ask the guards to change up the matches, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything tying back to me personally. At the same time, I wouldn’t have to worry about Tommy Two-Toes trying to kill me by cheating. The Four Wizards hadn’t given me my normal buffs as a punishment.
“Are you sure?” Treemore asked.
I nodded and put my huge green hand on his arm.
“Think it through, man. I’m just trying to help you out.”
He nodded, his face contorted as if the act of thinking was painful.
“You need to do it now, though. There’s not much time.”
“Okay,” he said then turned. “I’ll do it now.”
As he walked away, I took a deep breath. With him asking to have the fight line-up changed, the Four Wizards and Tommy Two-Toes wouldn’t have any suspicions about me. And once he died in the ring, hopefully, I would be in a better position. The Four Wizards would need or at least want to work with me again instead of killing me.
I hated being their possession, but I couldn’t change how the entire city operated, at least not until later. Once I found Eric and Sarah, we might have a chance to change things for the better if we found ourselves still stuck in the game. Until that time, I had to do everything I could to stay alive, even if it meant hurting other players.
* * * * *
Right before my match for the day, a guard came up to my cage with an irritated look on his face. He stopped in front of me and said, “There’s been a change.”
“Oh?” I asked as innocently as I could manage.
“Yeah,” he said. “You’ll be fighting Gringore instead of Tommy Two-Toes.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Don’t you worry about it,” he said then turned and walked away.
I grinned, loving it when a plan came together. Defeating Gringore without magical enhancements would be difficult but not impossible.
“Come on,” the guard yelled over his shoulder. “You’re on.”
I grabbed my sword leaning against the cage then headed toward the ramp leading up and into the arena. Tommy Two-Toes stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“What are you up to?” he asked.
I tilted my head to the left and asked, “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean,” he said. “How did you get the fights switched up?”
“I had nothing to do with it,” I said.
Treemore stepped up and said, “He didn’t. That was all me.”
“What’s your beef with me?” Tommy Two-Toes asked.
I hoped Treemore kept his mouth shut about his woman.
“You’ll find out soon enough in the arena,” Treemore said.
“If you two will excuse me, I’ve got a fight,” I said then walked between them.
They continued arguing as I headed up the ramp and into the sunlight. Gringore would be coming out of the opposite side of the arena, giving me a bit of time to prepare. After so many battles buffed beyond belief, I hoped I would make short work of the other fighter.
I raised my hands above my head, my massive sword in one of them. The crowd went wild. For whatever reason, they loved rooting for the half-orc underdog. As the announcer rattled off the rules, I saw Gringore appear on the far end of the arena.
He held a hatchet in each hand while wearing studded leather armor. Without the Four Wizards’ illegal buffs, I needed to be smart about battling him. He’d be easier than Tommy Two-Toes hopped up on who knows what, but I still needed to be careful.
“Fight!” the announcer declared, sending the crowd into a fury.
I lowered my arms as Gringore charged across the field between us. I stooped down and picked up a handful of sandy dirt with my free hand. He continued yelling and running toward me as I straightened up and prepared myself for his attack.
When he reached me and swung one of the hatchets, I threw the sand into his eyes. He screamed, rubbing his left eye with his left shoulder. I used the opportunity to swing my sword, hitting him on the left bicep.
* * *
Your slash DECIMATES Gringore for 34 damage.
* * *
He yelled, still struggling to clear his eyes. I felt no mercy as I continued striking him. The crowd got to their feet and cheered loudly as I cut him down. After striking him repeatedly, he fell to the ground, a bloody mess. I finished him off and collected the experience points.
My fans chanted my name, making me feel good. I soaked it up a full minute before heading to the ramp leading below the arena. Tommy Two-Toes glared as I passed him, but he kept his big, fat mouth shut for once. I hoped Treemore killed him during the next battle.
Back at my cage, I saw Ferris and Sherlock standing, talking to each other. I slowed down, struggling to hear them over the roar of the crowd the loud talking of the other fighters preparing for the battles. They both turned and stopped talking as I approached.
“How’s it going?” I said. “They changed my battle today, but I won.”
“We’re happy,” Ferris said. “We should’ve buffed you this morning.”
“Yeah,” Sherlock added. “We can’t afford to lose you.”
“Good to hear,” I said, not meaning it in the least.
They would pay for making me their slave.
No matter how long it took, I would get my revenge.
“We do appreciate you,” Ferris said, shuffling his weight from one foot to another. “We got a bit too drunk last night, and things got out of hand.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “The fights make me feel good. I like you four.”
The lies fell from my lips naturally as I fed them what they wanted to hear. I needed to get back into their good graces and regain permission to search the city on my own. Praising them hurt in some ways, but it would all be worth it in the end.
26
The Dragon of Truth
Josh
One day, while strolling through the streets, I stumbled across a familiar face. When I saw Wiley’s red, scaly head lift up over a crowd, I dropped my rat-on-a-stick.
He’s not dead? What’s going on? Maybe he can help me.
I rushed through the crowd, pushing anyone who got in my way. As I reached the center of the courtyard where he sat on his haunches, I stopped and yelled his name. The dragon craned its neck around to see me then dropped closer.
“Do I know you?” he asked in a gravelly voice.
“Yes,” I said. “Yorg. Don’t you remember?”
“I think you have me mistaken for another dragon.”
A few people in the crowd gathered laughed.
“You’re Wiley, right? You don’t remember?”
“Sorry,” the dragon said. “I’m busy telling a story.”
“Do the Four Wizards know you’re here?” I asked.
Extra smoke poured out of the dragon’s nostrils as he moved his head closer.
“Why would my presence in Midgaard concern them?” he asked.
Had they wiped his memory with their teleportation spell?
“I just thought…”
The dragon lifted his head and shot fire into the sky.
“You thought what, half-orc?” he said after bringing his head back down.
I raised my hands and took a step back.
“No offense,” I said. “We were friends at one time...in other realms.”
I didn’t want to get an OOC penalty, so I was being careful.
“You’re talking nonsense,” the dragon said. “Are you drunk?”
The crowd laughed again, eating up the situation.
“No, we were prisoners together. The Four Wizards…”
“Enough!” the dragon interrupted with a thunderous voice.
I kept my hands held high.
“The Four Wizards are evil,” he said
. “I don’t want anything to do with them. They were friends in the past, but no more. Something changed in them. They became too evil for my taste.”
“Do they know you’re here?” I glanced around. “That might not be good.”
Wiley laughed deep and hard then said, “I’d like to see them try something.”
“But what are you doing here?”
The dragon shook his head.
“What does any player do when they come to Midgaard?” He glanced to the left. “Party!”
All the men, women, and children nearby cheered. I noticed several clay jugs being passed around. Wiley moved his massive head to a nearby barrel. He picked it up with his teeth, tossed it in the air, then swallowed all of it. A rush of fire came out afterwards.
This isn’t the Wiley I remember. What’s going on?
I stepped back, disappearing into the crowd. The drunk dragon didn’t mind as he interacted with everyone nearby. Were they all players? I stopped at the edge of the courtyard and continued watching. Something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t figure it out.
A bell rang four times in the distance, announcing the start of the day’s arena battles. I didn’t fight until later in the evening, but I still meandered in the direction of the coliseum, which was in my collar’s allowable range. The dragon roared behind me.
Was Wiley a prisoner in the real world? I had never asked him before the Four Wizards separated us. The scene of the giant glowing gem shooting a bolt of energy at him had stuck in my mind. I replayed it many times, but I couldn’t see how he survived.
At the coliseum, I stepped through the entrance for high-level gladiators. We had proven ourselves one way or another, either by killing lots of opponents or other means. I had thought about telling someone they were buffing me a few times, but I never did it.
The spells they cast on me had become a part of my daily routine. While only a level eight barbarian, I had insane powers on the battlefield for short periods of time. That made me a hero in the city of Midgaard. And who didn’t enjoy being a hero?