by Pdmac
“Yes, Mam.”
She was halfway down the corridor between the cubicles when the epiphany hit Marc. “You’re putting Drew into another game.”
Shaking his head, Jackson rolled his eyes. “Duh. By the way, hotshot, what game are you immersing into?”
Taken aback by the question, Marc stiffened with self-righteousness, giving him a condescending stare. “I’m immersing into Legendary Hero.”
“Figures,” Jackson snickered, “an MMORPG, though I do have to admit the graphics are killer awesome. Still,” he chuckled, “never took you for a risk taker. Figured you go into some corporate game like Chairman of the Board or something equally boring.”
“Well that shows how much you know,” he sniffed. “And what about you? What game are you going into?”
Jackson broke into a wide grin and his eyes twinkled. “Harem Quest.”
“Harem Quest” Marc scoffed with a disapproving frown. “You’re going to spend the rest of your life pursuing sex.”
“Yup,” Jackson triumphantly replied. “And as soon as I can get the kinks out of Bridge Quest, I’m outta here.”
“You’re pathetic,” Marc sniffed in disdain.
“Look who’s talking?” Jackson shot back. “You’re gonna spend the rest of your miserable life getting stomped on by better players than you. You’re gonna end up a lackey for some two-bit Don Quixote wannabe, carrying his satchel full of wasted dreams. In fact, I’m gonna start calling you Sancho. Now don’t you have work you have to do, instead of bothering me, Sancho?”
His nostrils flaring, Marc whirled around and stomped off, his mind racing as to how he could get Jackson immersed into an S&M game.
Chapter 3
Karl had admonished the group to tell no one when they were leaving, so when the time came, it was just another day as seventeen humans, elves and dwarves assembled outside the main gate as the sun burned off the morning’s mist.
Karl gathered them to the side to give last minute instructions. Looking over the assembled group, he couldn’t help but notice a subtle separation: Raquel and the core team stood apart from the rest.
“You all know what we’re about to do,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy. You’ll notice that we had a much larger group before Drew’s disappearance. Those who chose to stay believe that their cures will happen very soon and they prefer to stay here. I can understand their reasoning. It’s safe. But it also assumes an answer we don’t know for sure is true. That said, if anyone else wants to stay here, do it now. It’s not going to bother me or anyone else who has made the decision to go. It would be far better for all involved that you go now than regret your decision two days from now when we’re fighting gnolls and who knows what else.”
He folded his arms and waited, silently watching the faces of those who had chosen to stand with him. Then he observed two women elves share a look. One shook her head and picked up her gear.
“I can’t,” she said with a guilty sigh. “I’m just not ready.”
“It’s OK, Sara,” Karl soothed. “We all understand. Go in peace.”
There were tears in her eyes. “I’m just not ready,” she repeated.
The other woman elf picked up her gear and edged closer to Sara. She said nothing, but her intentions were clear.
“That’s fine, Jessica,” Karl said with a comforting smile. “Like I said, it’s better you make the choice now than two days from now.” He caught the eyes of the others. “You all need to be one hundred percent certain.”
When no one else moved, he stepped to the side and let Sara and Jessica slip past and back through the gate.
“Anyone else?” Karl challenged. “This is the last call. Go now.” He waited then placed his hands on his hips. “Alright. A few final things to remember. One, we travel in silence. This isn’t a stroll in the park. We all know there’s danger out there. We need to listen to every sound, noise, or bump in the night. That means we pay attention. Second, we travel until an hour before nightfall then dig in. That means we prepare a perimeter defense. We’ve all been through this, but now it’s time to put it into practice. Third, we wait for no one. If you can’t keep up, you’re on your own. I know that sounds harsh, but everyone has a responsibility to the group and that means keeping up.
“What about that ‘no man left behind’ stuff?” Ross, a human Ranger, challenged.
“There’s a difference between being hurt and needing help,” Karl intoned, peering intently at Ross, “and being unequal to the task. If you can’t keep up, you don’t belong with the group and you jeopardize the entire group. Any other questions?”
When none came, he said, “OK. Let’s see who we have left.” Scanning the group, he counted seven humans, four dwarves, and three elves, already arranged into three teams.
The first team, Team Alpha, consisted of Sakura, an attractive human assassin dressed in black: Bruno, a tall elf who decided he’d rather be a thief than one of the traditional archetypes: Sharyn, an elven paladin; Jill, a dwarf druid: and Wendell. The second team, Team Bravo, was composed of Dieter, a hulking barbarian of enormous size: Carole, an elf lore-keeper; Ross, a handsome human ranger; Kendra, another dwarf healer; and Conrad. The remaining team had Raquel, Annabeth, Lana, Brad and himself.
For the most part, Karl was pleased with the mix though he hadn’t a clue what to do with Carole. What exactly was an elven lore-keeper and how was that going to help them when they ran into trouble? Still, she was here, ready to be part of the group, even if she was a little ditzy.
“OK. Listen up. Order of march is Raquel and Annabeth out on point, Conrad and Wendell rear security. I’ll be in the middle. Brad and Lana, I want you close to me. That leaves two teams of four each. Team Alpha is between me and the point team, with Bravo team between me and rear security. Take note of who is close to you. Ready? Let’s move out. And keep your distance. Don’t bunch up. Be far enough away to still see the person in front of you, but close enough to render assistance if necessary.”
Raquel and Annabeth led the group around the city walls then headed west through the farm fields then into the thick forest and along the coast line. Karl noted that the day was like every other day so far, sunny, clear skies and warm. A sea-scented breeze blew in from the ocean, reminding him of his other life when he was healthy and whole, when a day at the beach was a welcomed respite from the job.
Though the forest was thick with tall trees and overlapping branches, shafts of sunlight penetrated the canopy, illuminating the forest floor and providing more than enough light to guide them. Raquel and Annabeth kept a moderate pace and the group made good time, the initial fears of the unknown fading in the relaxed ambiance of the day.
It was mid-afternoon when the two women on point jerked to a halt. Annabeth scampered back.
“There’s a house up ahead. It looks deserted.”
Karl motioned for Sakura, the Alpha team leader, to come to him. Sakura was a Level 3 assassin, with short black hair and dressed in a tight black body suit that accentuated her athletic body.
“Take your team and scout around the house and the surrounding area. We’ll come up behind you.”
Sakura nodded and silently collected her team.
By the time she had scouted the surrounding forest, Karl had the rest of the group arrayed in a perimeter around the house.
Though the stone home looked deserted, it was not dilapidated or in disrepair. It was a small house, with two fireplaces. A small yard consisting of low cut grass and flowers surrounded the house. The thatched roof looked to be well tended and trimmed. It looked like the quintessential fairytale house set in an enchanted forest, which caused Karl to shake his head and wonder why the developers placed this house here. Sakura materialized and hunkered down next to Karl, causing him to startle at her sudden appearance.
“There’s a well-worn path leading from the house deeper into the forest,” she said. “We followed the path for a ways, but didn’t want to get too far away. We didn’t
find any other trails or paths.”
“Then I guess we better find out if anyone is inside. You come with me.” Turning to Raquel, he said, “Pass along the word to stay in place. You’re in charge, should anything happen to me.”
As Raquel passed along the mission via hand-signs, Karl and Sakura stood and approached the home, finally standing at the front door. Karl looked once around, shrugged then knocked. When he heard no response, he knocked again then tried the door, which opened easily.
The inside of the home was tidy and organized with a rough-hewn table in the center surrounded by four wooden chairs. A fireplace was tucked in one corner with a cooking pot dangling from a cooking iron. Shelves filled with leather bound books lined the walls. A trestle table layered with scrolls and large papers sat against a side wall. Another door faced them on the opposite wall.
“Check it out while I see what else is here,” he said then watched and marveled at her silence and grace as she slipped through the door.
He walked over to the trestle table and rummaged through the various papers. The larger flat ones were maps and he twisted them around to study the lines and features. It was the second map that startled him for it showed the city of Marbeck with the surrounding farmland, and then pinpointed the gnoll strongholds when his screen popped up.
Congratulations: You’ve discovered the Maps of Dairnach Forest. These will help you safely navigate the forest. Caution. Sometimes the trees seem to move.
He again startled when he realized that Sakura was standing beside him.
“I hate it when you do that,” he fussed then grinned at her impish smile.
“It’s just a bedroom,” she reported, “one bed big enough for one person, chest of drawers and a wardrobe. I checked the chest and wardrobe. Nothing in either. One thing I did notice though was the remnants of thick spider webs. Someone’s obviously gone to a lot of trouble to clean the place.”
“Look at this,” he said, dipping his head at the map.
Sakura bent her head to study it then uttered a surprised, yet quiet, gush. “This map shows the route all the way to Abeloft, along with the gnoll positions.” She looked up at him. “Wonder who lives here.”
“Hopefully we’ll find out. Get everyone together. We’ll stay inside here tonight.”
Watching her slip out the door, he returned his attention to the maps and then the scrolls. He picked up a scroll and unfurled it.
Congratulations: You’ve received a scroll of weapons enchantment. It increases your weapon’s damage by 10%. A level 3 mage or sorcerer is required to enact the enchantment. Enchantment enacted for one battle only.
Sighing at the unsolicited message, he thumbed the ‘X’ on the screen and wondered if the occasional informational message might not be helpful in the long run. Still, there had to be a better way than appearing all of a sudden. He slipped the scroll into his belt and shuffled through the rest of the scrolls, none of which he could read, deciding that Lana probably could make more sense of them. He was leaning on the table, studying the maps when the rest of the group silently filed in through the door and dropped their gear. They stood in the main room, waiting for him to finish. Standing up, he nodded with satisfaction.
“We stay here tonight. Find a spot to settle down. You can talk, but quietly. We need to hear what’s going on outside. Raquel and Lana,” he said, catching their attention. “I need you here.”
While the rest of the group found places to get comfortable, Conrad and Wendell stretched out in a corner, propped against the wall. Conrad pulled out a long stemmed pipe and filled the bowl, offering the tobacco pouch to Wendell who gladly tapped the cut tobacco leaves into the bowl of his own pipe. Before long, the sweet aroma of chocolate permeated the room.
Brad walked over to stand above them, shaking his head. “That is just so wrong,” he complained with a grin. “I haven’t had a good piece of chocolate since I was a kid.”
“If you have a pipe, I’d be glad to share some,” Conrad offered.
“I don’t smoke,” he replied. “And anyway, I’d rather have the chocolate.”
“Can’t help you there, but this is the next best thing. Tastes the same and doesn’t fill you up.”
“You poor dwarf,” Brad commiserated. “Nothing tastes like chocolate.”
Karl flashed them an indulgent smile then returned to the maps and scrolls. “Lana, I need you to go through these and see what we can use.” He filled her hands with eight scrolls, each one loosely bound with ribbons of different colors.
As she went off to peruse the scrolls, Karl and Raquel focused their attention on the maps. He showed her the screen message.
“So what does the warning mean? Sometimes the trees seem to move.”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.”
Karl glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. “You’re like a caged animal,” he said, turning to gaze at her fidgeting.
“I can’t help it,” she replied. “I’m a ranger. Being cooped up in small places like this makes me uncomfortable. I can’t see beyond the walls of the room.”
Karl looked out the window. “We got maybe an hour of daylight left. You wanna take a patrol out?”
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation.
“Pick who you want and scout to the southwest. Be back before night falls.”
“Thanks.”
Raquel found Sakura and Annabeth and the three women went out to scout the area.
Finished with the scrolls, Lana came over. “These are all enchantment scrolls for weapons, armor, jewelry and things like that. Some of them require a level 5 or higher mage to unlock.”
“Anything you can use?”
“Not me specifically. I can help with some of the lower tier enchantments.”
“Good,” he said, pulling out the scroll he had sequestered. “Here’s one more.”
Unrolling it, she read the contents and rolled it back up. “I’ve found two more that increase battle damage 15%.”
“How many do we have like that?”
“We have four that we can use, all concerning weapons enchantment. Two more are for armor, one’s for jewelry and one is for flying,” she added with a puzzled smile, “but you have to be a level 12 to use it.”
“Can you enact the enchantment for the weapons scrolls?”
“Yes.”
“Good. When Raquel and the others get back, use two scrolls for her and Dieter, one for me, and save the last one. Make it a 15% one.”
“OK.”
Karl went to the front door and stepped out, taking note of the position of the house and the time of day. Poking his head back in, he looked around for the Bravo team leader and found Dieter staring out the window on the opposite wall.
Dieter was a seven foot tall imposing barbarian whose weapon of choice was a double-edged battle ax. His shoulder length blond hair was secured by a thin brown leather headband and a plain twisted iron torc adorned his neck. He wore a sleeveless leather jerkin and leather leggings revealing massively muscular arms and legs. His thick leather boots, laced with thin leather strips, came up to just below his knees.
“Dieter,” Karl called out.
“Yes, Boss?” Dieter replied, his piercing azure blue eyes sparkling with the excitement of adventure.
“How about taking Bravo team and scout west for a bit?
“Roger that,” he happily nodded then motioned for the rest of his team to move out.
Karl stood at the door and watched them stealthily slip among the trees. The aroma of chocolate catching his attention, he turned to the two dwarves amiably chatting in low conversation. Grinning at them he commented, “You’ll make pipe smokers out of us all. If I had a pipe, I’d be tempted to join you.”
“Easily remedied,” Conrad said. With a flourish, he produced another long stemmed pipe.
“How many of those things do you have?” Karl asked, walking up.
“More than enough for those who wish to partake.” Conrad f
illed the bowl and handed it to Karl then struck a match to light the tobacco.
The tobacco had a mild flavor, but a strong aroma and the smell of chocolate permeated the house. Karl stepped back outside to wait for the patrols to return. The first to arrive was Raquel and company. Karl frowned when he saw only Raquel and Annabeth.
“Where’s Sakura?” he asked then looked to his left to see her standing next to him. “How do you do that?”
“I’m an assassin,” she replied with a nonchalant shrug. “I’m not supposed to be seen.”
“We found nothing,” Raquel reported. “The road leading away from the house goes on for a while, forest on both sides. There are numerous trails that crisscross in the woods. We followed a number of them with no result. It’s too quiet out here, if you ask me.”
“I agree,” he nodded. “Dieter’s out scouting the area to the west.” He looked up at the darkening sky. “He should be back any moment now.”
Annabeth looked beyond his shoulder and saw the towering barbarian lumbering towards them. “Well?”
“Nothing,” he answered. “It’s too quiet around here. There ought to be night sounds or something.”
“Let’s get back inside,” Karl said. Once inside, he ordered, “Close and lock all the shutters. Light a torch.” Then, with a puzzled frown, he walked over to the fireplace, peered inside the pot then down at the hearth. Reaching into the pot, he felt the smooth interior.
“What’s up?” Annabeth asked, walking up to stand beside him.
“This whole set up,” he answered. “Look.” He pointed to the fireplace and cooking pot. “This pot looks like it’s never been used. Also, where’s the wood for the fireplace? There are two pieces of charred wood in the hearth, but look at them then look at the fireplace. There’s no soot marks, and the charred wood looks like it was placed there. I don’t think anyone really lives here.”
“What about the road?” Raquel pointed out. “It looks like someone uses it.”
“I don’t know,” Karl said, shaking his head then turning to the group. “OK folks. We’re somewhat secure in here. I want a rotating watch. At least two people awake at all times. There are fifteen of us. Team leaders, designate a rotation. The rest of us will fill in where you need.”