by Phoenix Grey
Though he didn't see the door to the house open, Azure could no longer sense Uden's presence. A chill rolled down his spine as he thought about the incredible level of stealth the half-imp had. Dangerous, that one was. Definitely not an enemy that Azure wanted to make any time soon.
Azure continued on to the barn, still not pleased that he hadn't earned a bed. As soon as he opened the barn door, the familiar scents of straw and animal manure flooded his senses. They made the air feel somehow heavier than it did outside. It was still strange to him how real everything in the game was—how he experienced everything as if it was just as genuine as the outside world. The surrealism of it all was slowly starting to wear off, though. If Azure played the game long enough, all of this would eventually become normal to him, and that made him a bit sad.
Trying not to linger on those thoughts for too long, Azure took off his quiver of arrows and settled against the wall where he had first woken up. This was the longest beta he'd ever done for Radical Interactive as far as time went. Usually, he'd only be testing a function or two of their software, going over the same short segment of a program over and over again. Even with a time-accelerating function, he must have been in the game for at least a good thirty minutes. But if it were only that long, then it wouldn't make sense for him to have to use the bathroom yet.
It was difficult to wrap his head around the thought that the time he'd spent in-game had passed so quickly. There were so many conversations, and the quest to kill the dark sprites had definitely taken over an hour.
The Realm was unlike anything he had ever seen in his lifetime, and he had always tried to stay up on the latest innovations in the gaming world. This was leagues above everything else. The gaming of the future. Pride surged in Azure's chest to know that he was a part of it.
With a smirk and contented huff, he refocused his attention. Exhaustion had seeped into every cell of his body. His shoulder ached from pulling back the bow so many times. If the game stayed accurate to realism, he'd be sore tomorrow.
Azure lounged back on the straw, resting his head on his crossed arms like a makeshift pillow. It was uncomfortable to say the least, the hard surface beneath him and the straw poking through his clothing. The chirping of insects and an owl hooting in a nearby tree could be heard outside, working as a noisy lullaby.
His eyelids grew heavy, and his mind swam with the adventures that tomorrow would bring. If he was allowed to even play through into tomorrow. It wasn't likely, given the nature of his job. For now, he wanted to savor these last few moments of consciousness inside of the game. Perhaps sleeping was the logoff function. It was the only thing he had yet to try, and he was crazy tired.
CHAPTER SIX
THE REALM – Day 2
Something hard pressed into Azure's side. He felt his body roll slightly before falling back into place. The next nudge wasn't so gentle, and it was followed by a familiar voice, “Get up, you lazy fuck.”
Was that one of his co-workers? The cool air around him made Azure shiver. Radical Interactive was definitely an ice box. He reached to tug on the collar of his hoodie and snuggle into it and immediately felt something prickly sticking to his arms. Clarity came back to him with a tormenting slowness. The air was heavy again, filling his nostrils with the scents of the barn.
Azure forced an eye open, half expecting to see the speckling of black on his white desk, his head resting on it while he napped during one of his breaks from work. He gazed up at a towering form standing over him, arms crossed and an irritated look on the man's face. It only took a second for Azure to realize it was Uden.
“Am I dreaming?” he asked. How was it possible to wake up still in the game? Had he even slept at all, or had he just closed his eyes for a moment and his brain had advanced the time into a new day? The light streaming through the open barn door told him that night was over. He didn't remember dreaming, and once more, this felt too real to be a fantasy of his imagination.
The half-imp rolled his eyes. “You are a moron. I wonder how long it's going to take for you to get it through your thick skull that this is all real.” He crouched down and gave Azure a hard tap on the forehead that made him flinch. Now, he was definitely awake.
“Have you always been an asshole?” Azure rubbed where Uden had poked him, sitting up and edging away.
This made Uden grin. “I've been called many things.” He stood. “Get up. We need to go to Cragbell to prepare for tomorrow. It's a few hours away, and Lonnell wants to return before nightfall. I would normally prefer to stay at the inn, but Lonnell is a cheapskate like our father.” His lips twisted with distaste.
Considering that he always spoke critically of him, it seemed that Uden wasn't very fond of his brother. Or perhaps he was just overly negative about everything.
After a hearty breakfast of eggs and ham and a quick restocking of Azure's arrows from the barrel in the shed, the three men set off towards Cragbell together. It reminded Azure of the hiking trips he had taken with his parents as a kid, except this time there was a destination, not just some paved loop sketched out on a map. The forest was dense with tropical foliage, but there was already a well-worn path large enough for a horse and cart between Manny's farm and the destination. Lonnell told him that they traveled it frequently to stock up on supplies and sell their harvest.
A rabbit skittering off the path had Azure drawing his bow. He took a second to Analyze it, not that it was really necessary to see that he was overpowered against it. The thought of killing and earning more experience gave him a rush, but Lonnell placed a hand on his shoulder, dissuading him before he had a chance to nock an arrow. “We can hunt on the way back if you like. For now, let's focus on the task at hand.”
Trying not to frown, Azure placed the arrow back in its quiver, wondering if Lonnell was always going to be this much of a buzzkill. He certainly wouldn't have minded carrying the rabbit around all day. Maybe he could have even sold it at the market.
“You should have let him kill it. He needs the practice.” Uden gestured absentmindedly at his brother as he took the lead.
He wasn't wrong. Azure was still a noob by all accounts. Any extra bit of experience that he could earn would benefit the entire party in their upcoming quest. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had he shot the rabbit anyway. It was too late for that now, though. The rabbit had disappeared into the forest, escaping to live another day.
A few miles into their journey, the path converged with a much larger dirt road. After they rounded a corner about an hour's walk later, Cragbell peeked into view, reminding Azure of something he'd seen in western movies where the main road was lined with stores and stalls as if the town had been built around it. Some of the stalls were manned, some empty. Most of the vendors looked bored, only perking up when their eyes landed on the newcomers, though they seemed to avert them just as quickly when recognition hit, their quick smiles turning to scowls. Azure's excitement at the thought of shopping turned to unease as he realized that something wasn't right.
Uden spun on his heels, walking backward a few steps with his arms outstretched. “Unimpressed?”
“I hadn't known what to expect,” came the honest response. This wasn't too far off the mark, though. How much could one expect from a small island town?
“Let's sell our shit and get back to the farm.” He turned back around, proceeding towards a cart where a burly man had set up shop—the only vendor who actually still seemed happy to see them.
As Uden forged ahead, Azure picked up his pace to follow, but a hand on his shoulder pulled him back. Lonnell's grip was firm, his expression that of concern. “Those dark sprite wings would come in handy when speaking to the Tree Queen.”
Azure had expected this thanks to Uden's warning.
“Why don't you tell him that?” He thumbed back to Uden, who was already pulling his share of the dark sprite wings from a small bag at his waist.
Lonnell huffed in irritation. “My brother listens to no one. I
don't think he cares about breaking the curse. It's not worth the fight.”
“We need supplies to go on this quest. We can't go unprepared.”
“Nature will provide a lot of what we need. I will take care of the healing. Uden is a skilled fighter. You're basically just going for back-up. There's nothing that you need here right now,” Lonnell insisted. “Certainly nothing worth jeopardizing the quest over.”
Lame! Oh man, this guy is good at laying on the guilt. There's a fault in his logic, though.
“What good will it be if I keep mine but he sells his? Won't the Tree Queen want all of the wings?”
Lonnell lowered his voice so that Uden couldn't hear him. “He's a half-imp. It's in his blood to lack morals. They will not expect him to do the right thing. In fact, I would have preferred we left him behind, but if the sprites are infected, we'll need him.
“Everything is a gamble in this. But the odds of her speaking to us will be more on our side if we have something to offer to show our sincerity. Should the sprites all be infected, you could always sell the wings when you return here after our quest.”
It was a catch-22 situation. If all of the dark sprites were infected, then Azure would regret not selling his share of the wings to buy better armor. But if they weren't, selling the wings would put them at a disadvantage. He needed to choose carefully.
“Fine,” he said with a sigh and roll of his head, deciding that keeping the wings was probably the smarter choice. As Lonnell had said, if the sprites were all infected, he could always sell them later. Still, it was going to be hard watching Uden shop while he stood by the wayside seeing all the things he would undoubtedly want but not be able to afford.
They continued on to the cart where Uden was examining a small blade, turning it over against his palm to admire the sheen of the metal. His dark sprite wings were sitting on the counter with eight small silver coins next to them. Azure could only assume that was his payment for the wings. He wondered how much he would have gotten for his own share.
“What do you think?” Uden showed the blade to Lonnell.
“A fine blade.” His brother nodded.
“I'll take it.” He slid four of the silver coins over to the vendor.
The man had a satisfied grin on his grisly face as he collected the payment then handed Uden five copper coins in change. He was in his mid-years, tall and stout, with a wide nose, thick jaw, and smallish brown eyes, one of which had a scar over it. More than likely, he had been a thug or warrior in his past life, Azure surmised.
Hanging from the roof of the stall were various dried herbs. Potions and small blades were laid out on the counter. It was a small selection, but it still made Azure itch to buy something. While he was appreciative of the bow on his back, he could definitely use a dagger as well.
“This is Ruthren. He's a traveling merchant that brings wares back from the mainland,” Uden introduced the man.
“Azure.” Azure extending his arm, his hand landing in a grip that was strong enough to nearly crush his fingers.
“A newcomer,” Ruthren said with a smile that showed the gap where one of his teeth was missing. “Here for a visit or moving in?”
“Just visiting, I think.” Azure wanted to go to the mainland, but he knew he had to finish his business here first.
“No one has more unique and interesting items than this man,” Uden praised the merchant.
“And no is a better customer than you.” Ruthren threw a compliment back.
“I'm sure I'm one of the few people who are actually interested in the bizarre here.” Uden grinned, the way of which gave Azure the idea that not everything Ruthren sold was on the up and up.
“I prefer the word unique.”
“That, too.” Uden nodded, placing the dagger in his belt.
“Speaking of unique,” Lonnell chimed in, “you wouldn't happen to have any books on speaking Sprite, would you?”
“I do.” Ruthren's smile brightened as he reached behind his stall and pulled out a thick tome. The title read Speaking Sprite for Idiots.
“Excellent. I'll take it.” Lonnell grabbed the pouch at his side to start digging through it for the payment.
“That will be one silver and two coppers,” Ruthren told him.
After handing the merchant the required coin, the book exchanged hands. Lonnell placed it in his bag. Though it barely fit, as soon as it was in the bag, it seemed to melt into nothing.
“Is that a bad of holding?” Azure asked, familiar with it from other games.
“Yes.”
“I want one,” he said almost reflexively.
“You should sell your dark sprite wings then.” Uden clapped him on the shoulder before stepping away from the stall.
Casting a glance at Lonnell, Azure couldn't help but feel sullen. While he didn't have hardly any items to carry at the moment, he knew he would need one of those bags eventually. They were a staple of just about every game he'd ever played. Increasing the number of items you could carry without increasing their weight was always important.
Smelling another sale coming on, Ruthren leaned over his stall, focusing his attention on Azure. “Would you care to look at anything?”
“No, I suppose I wouldn't,” Azure replied with a long sigh, glaring at Lonnell while he spoke.
“I believe our business is concluded here,” Lonnell told Ruthren, completely ignoring Azure's foul mood.
“Shall we head back?” Uden stretched as he waited for the two men to catch up with him.
Casting a glance at one of the empty stalls, Lonnell's face seemed to sag. “I was hoping to see Bronna today.”
“Bronna,” Uden parroted as if the name tasted like sulfur.
“Who's Bronna?” Azure asked.
“The woman I'm going to marry,” Lonnell replied with unwavering confidence.
“She's an annoying bitch.” Bitterness rolled from Uden's tongue.
The mood instantly soured. There was a stiffness in the air that was palpable.
“Don't talk about Bronna like that.” Lonnell narrowed his eyes at his brother.
“I only speak the truth,” Uden replied nonchalantly.
“Why do you think she's a bitch?” Azure could only guess that Uden had no good reason. It seemed like Ruthren was the only person he'd met that Uden didn't despise.
Gesturing to Lonnell, Uden said, “Tell him, brother.”
Lonnell's whole body went rigid, and guilt was plain on his face. Perhaps Uden had a good reason after all. “I told her that Uden is a half-imp. It was supposed to be confidential information.” He sighed. “To make a long story short, she told her father, and the information spread. Now the town is blaming Uden for the curse even though he's lived here for most of his life.”
Still not entirely understanding the situation, Azure asked, “Why would they think that you caused the curse?”
“Imps are notoriously known for causing mischief,” Uden continued the explanation. “Once they hit adulthood, creating chaos seems to be their main drive.”
“But Uden hasn't been an adolescent for a long time, so it makes no sense that this misfortune would be because of him. To my knowledge,” Lonnell gave Uden a pointed look, “he doesn't have the magical capabilities to infect the sprites with darkness.”
“Imps have an affinity for dark magic, so it's easy enough to blame me,” Uden told Azure. “Plus, I have never been quiet about my desire to leave the island and study magic. And I wasn't always the best...neighbor. It makes me an easy target for their anger.”
“But you didn't have anything to do with this.” Azure was uncertain if it was a question or a statement. Remembering how Uden had allowed a portion of his father's garden to be destroyed, he couldn't help but see where the townspeople's suspicions were coming from.
“No,” Uden replied. “I've done many a shitty thing in my day, but this wasn't one of them.”
“Many a shitty thing,” Lonnell agreed with distaste.
“Bronn
a is probably in the tavern,” Uden said, changing the subject and nodding towards the tavern.
“We should go in for a minute then.”
“I think I'll just stay out here.” Uden kicked lightly at the dirt.
“Nonsense. Where I am welcome, so is my brother. We shall all go together.”
“It is not a good idea, brother.” The look Uden gave Lonnell shown pure discomfort at the idea.
Lonnell walked over and placed a hand on Uden's shoulder. “They need to understand that you didn't do this. If you keep avoiding them, it will only make them feel that their suspicions have merit.”
“I don't care what they think of me,” Uden began to argue before Lonnell cut him off.
“Then come. There's nothing to fear as long as we're together.”
“I do not fear them either,” he mumbled, but Lonnell was already walking away, and it was obvious he wasn't taking no for an answer. “Shall we then?” Uden gestured for Azure to go before him.
Azure had a feeling that this wasn't going to be pleasant, though there was also a bit of excitement attached to it. Perhaps he'd receive saving Uden from a bar fight as an interrupting quest. It would be highly amusing to hold that over the half-imp's head later.
They walked in a line towards the tavern. As soon as Lonnell opened the door, the sounds of chattering voices rushed out to greet them, boisterous with the flourish of alcohol. Long wooden tables sat in rows, littered with bar patrons. The merrymaking ceased as soon as everyone saw who had entered. Heads turned. Even the bartender paused midway through wiping down the cup in his hand before averting his gaze and whispering to the man sitting in front of him.
Much like it had been outside, there was only one welcoming face. This one, however, didn't belong to a grizzled vendor but instead to a petite young woman who was standing at the back of the room with two tankards in her hands. Muddy blonde curls were held atop her head in a messy updo, a few loose strands cascading to kiss her shoulders. She was so squat that Azure found himself questioning if she was human. The crown of her head barely reached his chest, her body round with seemingly exaggerated proportions. Wide hips led up to a pinched waist and an ample bosom that was practically falling out of the plain brown dress she was wearing. Her smile went on for miles as she gazed across the tavern at the three of them, but Azure knew that it was mostly meant for Lonnell.