Openings

by Thomas Davidsmeier

  “Troops fight as groups. They are unit for big fights, like parts of army. Militia are workers who fight when have to. Can’t work when fight. Belong to town. Town can’t produce as much when militia away.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Are the warriors a troop?”

  “No, need ten to have troop. They separate.”

  Chris admitted to himself that he needed to study up on the Civ-like fighting mechanics of the Game. He wondered how the Hero Class people would effect a fight. He assumed his combat would go the same if he fought a whole troop, but he did not know for sure. That was probably something he should figure out before he attacked the village.

  Watching for a little longer, Chris was finally satisfied that he had learned as much as he could without giving away their presence. He really preferred to have surprise on his side in his first major battle. So, as quietly as they could, they poled away from the open water and back toward the bridge.

  Chris guessed that the whole trip back to the bridge from the goblin village took about an hour. It was difficult for him to tell without a watch or clock. He had looked all over his Game interface for a system clock, but could not find one. It kind of made sense because this was not actually a computer game, but it was annoying. Just like the lack of mini-map and group chat. He would have loved to be able to check in on Olivia and Leo to see how they were doing. Though he still wanted to help and protect them, the scale of the Game was starting to convince him that it might not be possible. He could barely manage the tasks set before him, let alone help two full other sides.

  Once they got to the bridge, they hauled the boats up out of the water one at a time and dragged them into the reeds as far as their tired limbs would let them. Chris had to admit that Ku was helping just as much as he and Nathaniel were, which was odd given their size differences. Scout was no help at all. He just splashed around in the water then shook himself dry all over the rest of the party.

  “Guess a Strength score is a Strength score,” he said to himself as they set off on the cart path back to Fenton and Brother Aleksandr’s church. The sun was low in the sky to their left as they approached the village.

  Wary of causing any trouble in a village he hoped to soon rule, Chris suggested, “Let’s swing around the village so we don’t go walking right down Main Street with a goblin in our group. Prisoner or no, people might not like it.”

  The others gave their assent, and the group headed off the road toward the river. As they passed the village and approached the ford where Chris had fought the skeletons, Scout’s neck began to bristle.

  There was a splash at the edge of the ford, and the large dog began to bark. A little humanoid darted out of the shadows by the bank close at hand. Chris was surprised for a moment, but Ku reacted instantly.

  As the short creature dashed across the ford kicking up splashes with ever step, Ku sprinted down the little slope and into the river after him. Even if Nathaniel could have caught his spiked collar, Scout was not going to be denied a chance to have a good chase.

  The huge dog shot off like an arrow after Ku and the mysterious stranger.

  Recovering his tongue before his legs, Nathaniel commented, “That sure looks like a goblin, doesn’t it?”

  As he started to follow Ku and Scout, Chris called back over his shoulder, “Sure looks like it. Hope everything in the village is ok...”

  It was not exactly easy to run through water that was above your ankles. This was especially so when it was flowing over round river stones. Still, Chris managed to make it across without tumbling, but he had lost ground in the process.

  Thankfully, it looked like Ku and Scout were not losing ground on their quarry. Even as Chris a was struggling up the river bank and starting toward them, Scout lunged over the final gap, and Ku jumped in moments later. By the time Chris caught up, Ku was sitting to the side with a dagger picking his teeth, and Scout was sitting atop a goblin who looked a little blue for lack of oxygen.

  “Good dog! That’s the way to do it!” Chris effused approval at his canine party member. “Now, let’s get up before we kill him and can’t question him.”

  Laconically, Ku puffed, “Ask. No answer.” The goblin convert was still breathing heavy from the chase.

  Chris guided the dog off of the goblin and grabbed the prisoners wrists. “What do you mean, Ku?”

  “No tongue.”

  “What? What did you do to him? Did you need a snack?”

  Glaring at Chris with hurt, Ku clarified, “Already gone long time. Look and see.” Slowly, Ku sat back and put his hands over his head, breathing deeply for awhile longer. “Need add points to CON.”

  Sure enough, the prisoner was mute by someone’s violent choice. Nathaniel walked up as Chris was staring into the goblin's empty mouth.

  The boy just shook his head. “Let me guess, in addition to the Fletching skill, you’re trying to pick up Dentistry so that you can do that yourself too...”

  “Har, Dee, Har, Har. I was was just confirming what Ku told me. This poor wretch has no tongue. Someone cut it out. Guess they really want to keep him from squealing on them. He seems pretty much terrified.”

  “I thought he was just afraid you were going to try to give him a root canal.”

  The goblin was wearing a leather jerkin and britches, nicer apparel than the villagers Chris had seen, but not armor like the warriors. On a strap across his shoulder was a leather satchel sown with thick stitches. His dagger sheath was empty at his side since Ku had disarmed him.

  “Take that satchel and see what he’s got,” instructed Chris as he held the goblin by the arms.

  Nathaniel pulled it off of the struggling green creature and opened the flap. “Well, I guess we know where he’s been. It’s full of potions. Looks like three health, a mana, and some green one that I don’t recognize.”

  “Well, let’s go see Marcus.”

  ***

  The apothecary answered the door to his hut with a puzzled look on his face. “What can I do for you now, Paladin?”

  Chris had come into town alone, leaving Nathaniel, Scout, and the two goblins down by the ford in the river.

  “I was just wondering if you were missing anything?”

  “Uh... Missing? No, nothing that I know of.”

  Chris produced the satchel from behind his back. Marcus’s eyes widened in surprise. With a proud flip of the flap, Chris open the bag to reveal the little bottles with rags stuffed around them for cushioning. “There are five of your potions, I believe. That is unless some other apothecary with the Alchemy skill has set up shop around here.”

  Marcus seemed too shocked to respond for a moment. “Not that I know of...”

  “We caught a goblin thief with them on him and thought we could return them to you. I’d actually love to buy some of them if I could.”

  Marcus seemed to snap out of his stupor. “A thief? Did you have to kill him to catch him?”

  “No, our hound pounced on him and pinned him pretty good. Now, about these potions, are any of them available for sale?”

  “As the wronged party, I demand that this thief be put to death immediately. I’ll do it myself.”

  “Whoah!” Chris was startled by the vehemence of Marcus’s reaction. When Chris’s bike had gotten stolen in the Seventh Grade, he had never wanted to kill the offender. Beat them up, maybe, but never kill. Of course, the offender had turned out to be Jeremy. He had given it back eventually. Maybe Chris should have...

  Chris put his hands up in the universal ‘Slow down’ sign and said, “Where I come from, stealing isn’t a capital crime.”

  “We are not wherever it is you come from, and you are not the mayor of this town yet.”

  “Neither are you, Marcus. So, let’s just wait to pass sentence on this fellow for a bit. Maybe I can help calm you down by giving you a bunch of gold for some of your recovered potions? What is this green one?”

  Marcus gritted his teeth for a moment longer, and then seemed to h
ave a wave of relaxation flow over him. “Ah, that is a strength potion. Adds three to your STR for a couple of minutes. Fifty gold. The healing potions are each ten and the mana is fifteen.”

  Chris whistled a long, low whistle. “Well, I guess demand has increased and so have your prices. I’ll have to think about most of those. But, I will take two of the healing potions for sure.”

  The paladin reached into his pouch and pulled out twenty gold. He was getting low, but he needed to equip Ku with some potions if he turned out to be trustworthy.

  ***

  Apologetically, Nathaniel asked “You understand, don’t you?”

  Ku nodded. “New man on inside. Still look like monster on outside. Can read books?”

  This last was directed at Brother Aleksandr who was looking on from across the parsonage’s study. “Oh, certainly. Be my guest. But, please don’t damage them.”

  As Nathaniel closed and locked the library door, Ku promised, “Be very careful!”

  Turning to the paladin, the squire growled, “There, are you happy? First night as a Christian and he’s being locked up like a criminal.”

  Brother Aleksandr tisk-tisked. “If he is a true convert, he’s not the first, nor the last, to be locked up, as you put it.”

  Chris defended his decision simply, “I’m just not certain yet, and I want to make sure.”

  Sighing in defeat, Nathaniel accepted the situation. “Fine, Ku will show you. But, what about Tongueless? What are we going to do with him?”

  The goblin prisoner was sitting in a corner of the little room, staring into space.

  Brother Aleksandr looked at the creature long and hard. “I’ll take care of him.”

  Shocked, Chris blurted out, “You mean you’ll kill him for us?”

  Horrified, Brother Aleksandr looked at Chris. “What?! No, I mean I will feed and care for him and make sure he does not escape or cause trouble to the best of my abilities. Why would you think he should be killed? He was only trying to steal supplies from an enemy in war. At worst, he is a prisoner of war. I lived late enough on the Earth to think such men deserve fair treatment.”

  Chris wondered aloud, “Even if the other side doesn’t follow the same rules?”

  “Then it gets... dicey, I believe is a term you might use. But, I can only answer for my own actions. I will keep him here. At least until Fenton becomes a town with a proper jail.”

  ***

  Everyone was up early, and Ku was released from his literary prison. He came out making amazed proclamations. “Did you know that Jesus loved everyone? Even the ones who killed him, he loved them? But, it says he’ll still judge them. It is like a father with his children. Though I do not know if he loved the ones called Pharisees.”

  “Your English is a lot better!” was Chris’s response to this. “Did you talk to yourself all night?”

  “No, but I read a Bible. I knew the word from the missionaries back... you know where. I wish they were here, I have all sorts of questions.”

  Brother Aleksandr was interested in discussing spiritual topics with Ku to verify whether or not he was a true convert. He and the goblin were soon wading into spiritually deep waters in the little library.

  Chris and Nathaniel went straight to the breakfast table where Brother Aleksandr had left bacon, eggs, and a goblin prisoner waiting. Nathaniel, now a full grown man, whispered in a falsetto voice, “AWK-ward...”

  Avoiding the situation, Chris mumbled, "I'm gonna check on some notifications I've got from the Game."

  You have slept on it, and the experiences of yesterday have had a lasting effect on you:

  Skills unlocked:

  Stealth (N)

  Fletching (N)

  Skills improved:

  Armor, +8%, now 30%(N)

  Weapons, +12, now 48%(A)

  Shields, +7, now 25% (A)

  Monster Lore, +22%, now 47% (N)

  Leadership, +47%, now 8% (A)

  Soldiers of the Light Aura, +39%, now 61% (A)

  Healing Light Aura, +10%, now 96% (A)

  "Yeah! I got some organic growth! Awesome!" Chris looked around the table and avoided eye contact with the prisoner. Certainly the next time he levelled, he would be able to snag three or maybe even four skill level increases by splitting up his 100%'s.

  Unable to avoid looking over at the poor creature, Chris realized his treatment of others probably had directly lead to him increasing his Leadership skill. Maybe he needed to be more thoughtful about that. After a minute or two thinking it over, he finally scooped up some food on a plate and set it in front of the goblin. The prisoner's hands were still tied, but he happily leaned down and ate food a bite at a time.

  Since Brother Aleksandr and Ku were in the study debating Bible passages and the prisoner was already breaking decorum pretty badly, Chris and Nathaniel put manners aside and had a discussion around, over, and through their eggs and bacon.

  “What are your adult stats?” asked Chris. He was eager to figure out what class his follower would be.

  “I got strength of zero, a DEX of two, a CON of zero, INT of three, wisdom of one, and charisma of zero. Clearly not indicative of my actual rugged good looks.”

  “Maybe it’s compensating for your insufferable pride?”

  “As you said yesterday, Har, Dee, Har, Har. I could be a wizard or a mage of the light…”

  “You want to be a glass cannon? Come on. We can’t afford deaths in this game. I don’t even know what happens to you if you die. Do you respawn?” Chris’s eyes looked off into the distance as he tried to find an answer in HELP!

  “If I’m a player’s follower and I’m in their party, yes. We respawn at your spawn point. It is like we’re in adventure mode or something. But, if you assign a follower to do something else, like lead a different group or be a governor or something, we can die and that’s it.”

  “That’s good to know. But, I still don’t want you playing one of those one-hit-wonders. Look at those starting Health numbers! Eight to start and four per level is going to get you killed. I wonder how many times Olivia has died as a wizard?”

  “If she’s in a good party with people she can trust, probably zero. There’s nothing inherently wrong with playing a high damage, low health class.”

  Chris paused as he refilled his plate and the goblin prisoner’s. The prisoner looked like a five-year-old on Christmas morning when he got seconds.

  The party leader went on. “I don’t know. I liked the idea of you playing somebody that could deal damage at a distance, and you know rules enough to be good at using Mana. Have you looked at the Archer class? You can charge arrows and do trick shots.”

  Nathaniel’s eyes rolled so far back in his head, he could see last Tuesday. “Ugh, no, please! I’m not gonna play Robin Hood. Besides, I think they’re too dependent on specific weapons. Same thing for Rangers.”

  Chris took a mouthful of eggs and looked through the HELP! output on the different classes to remind himself. He blurted out, “Battlemage!”

  “Yeah, I saw that one, but you only get like three spells for your whole life. Too limited.”

  “Did you look at the progressions? The spells grow. They turn from touch to charge to line to area of effect. And, you get Martial Prowess like I do. We’ve got no idea about equipment availability in this Game. Though, we know right now we don’t even have a blacksmith’s shop available.”

  “Yeah. I’ll get a set of equipment I get to pick too.”

  “That will be true for our goblin convert as well, right?” Chris looked back at the study. The goblin and the man were waving their hands about, pointing at the Bible open on the table before them, and then waving some more.

  “Does that mean you’re going to accept him? You really believe him?”

  “Anybody that can carry on that long of a conversation with an ex-monk and not get called out as a fraud has got to be authentic. Look at them still going...”

  “Yeah, I was a Christian from when I was...” Nathanie
l trailed off as he caught himself. “I’m just sure he’s probably got a lot of questions. I’m gonna look up Battlemage again.”

  After a moment, Nathaniel relented. “Fine, I looked at the Battlemage stats. You’re right. The spells get a lot better with age. It is especially good because I’m going to start at Level 2 because of all the XP I’ve gotten over the last couple days.”

  “Really? You’ll be able to charge weapons right away? That bow we got from the hunter is going to come in real useful then.”

  “I was thinking I’d get one as part of my equipment that might fit my current size a little better. I could pass the short bow down to Ku if you’re going to make him a class that uses one.”

  “For sure, he’s gonna be a Man-at-Arms. Easier to play.”

  Nathaniel put down his fork. “I’m going to make my decision then and allocate my skills. Which spell should I up to Apprentice? Fire for burn damage, lightning for stun, or ice for slow?”

  Chris looked at the text in front of himself as he scanned over the information. “Hmm, the slow lasts twice as long as the stun and the average damage is a little better.”

  “Yeah, but you can automatically crit a stunned enemy in melee, and the lightning damage max is higher than the ice damage max.”

  “I wonder if fire can cause enemies to panic? I know I’d be going nuts if I got set on fire.” Chris was squinting as he tried to compare numbers in his head.

  Nathaniel spotted something in the descriptions. “Slow does work on undead, but stun doesn’t. There is that to consider too. I know fire works on most things unless they’ve got resistance.”

  Nathaniel’s eyebrows shot up. “Oooo, I just got Monster Lore as a skill! Was that just from spotting that fact about undead?”

  “It could be, I got it from just reading about monsters in a book.” Chris set his fork down. “I think stun for now. You’ll have two melee fighters going to town in front of you. We’ll crit anybody you stun. We can always level ice next time. Plus, my light damage is going to fry any undead from here on out. I get the feeling you’d be best off trying to get to area of effect on all three skills as fast as possible.”