Rogue Games

by Angie A Huxley

The rope had been a good idea and he would have to remember that the next time he slept rough. Others had left the tarp behind for reasons Alejander couldn’t determine, but he considered whether or not he could collapse the shelter and bring it with him. It would come in handy, and he could always find a way to hang it from Greta’s saddle. It had protected them both from the rain, and though the weather was fine right now, didn’t mean it would stick.

  Perhaps it was selfish not to leave it behind, but Matthew had made it this far on that alone, and while Alejander was supposed to open up new avenues and choices for him, he was still the same person at heart.

  Mind made up, Alejander picked up his wet cloak and shirt, tucking the meat and daggers inside, and made his way back to camp. Greta had calmed, though she shied a little as she saw him before settling down and nickering at him.

  Alejander wanted to start a fire, more to warm up than to cook anything, but the smell of the stag was already starting to get to him; he didn’t want it to get so bad that it attracted other creatures that Alejander had no hope of taking down.

  Struggling with the tarp was the next challenge; twenty feet was quite a height to tug something down from and explained why it was still up. Taking down the rope and using it to tie the tarp to Greta, he walked her down to the river, cursing when the tarp snagged, and she couldn’t go further.

  “Hang on,” he said, brushing a hand down her neck.

  Eventually, he managed to free the tarp with some effort and could start on back to the river. By the time Greta was free to drink, and the tarp had mostly come away from the trees, Alejander was exhausted, the pain in his body equal to that when he quit the game and was left in Matthew’s body once again.

  You have lost 10 stamina

  Current Stamina: 13/25

  It was a lot of stamina to lose in one hit, but Alejander had something a little more protective to keep him and Greta safe from the elements. It would take the place of the bedroll he had left behind when collecting up his inventory.

  You have acquired: 1 WaterRepellant Sheet

  Crafted by: Fader1934

  Durability: 25

  Usage: Null

  Quality: Great

  Now that he could look at it properly, Alejander realized that it had been crafted; intricate leaves all stitched and positioned together. He ran his hands over it, and while there was the occasional bump and stitches coming away, it was an excellent job.

  Folding up the sheet was difficult, but it would be easy enough to drape over the saddle. While the sun was out, he would try and walk in his shirt and trousers as much as possible, soaking up the heat, and the cloak he could settle on top of the tarp and dry it out. Being black, it shouldn’t take too long.

  Once Greta was sated, and the meat packed away in part of the sheet, Alejander started away from the camp. Flies were already starting to settle on the body of the stag and Alejander didn’t want to stick around any longer.

  He noticed the path he had followed to find the shelter picked up a little better the other side, curving around the same way as the river. It was clearly the best idea; Alejander risked drinking the water as he walked, the sun beating down on his back and parching his throat. He didn’t get an alert that he had lost HP, so it couldn’t be too dangerous. With the river so close he could refill as much as he needed to.

  Eventually, he had to stop, though the trees weren’t getting any thinner. They weren’t getting thicker either, and until they did, he wouldn’t panic. He had to relieve himself, and though Matthew had spent years doing so in a cell, having to do so outdoors still made him a little uncomfortable. With a quick wash up in the river, Alejander decided to give Greta a rest. He dropped the sheet onto the floor, tied her reins to a tree, and let her eat to her heart’s content.

  The meat was still wrapped in the sheet, and as Alejander spread his cloak out to make the most of the sun soaking through the trees, he gave his surroundings a cursory going over. The path wasn’t as well trodden as the main path that had wound through the forest when he had first set off, but he doubted that it would remain empty all the time. It must have been noon or thereabouts with the amount of walking he had done.

  Long enough to get a rest in. His stomach rumbled, and he decided that lighting a fire during the middle of the day wasn’t ideal, but he couldn’t eat the meat as it was.

  Alejander used up one of the matches to light a small fire. It took a few tries to light the sticks and twigs he had gathered, so next time he would have to find proper branches and whittle them down. For now, he had a small enough fire to cook and smoke the meat, and to spread heat in their little clearing. Starting a fire amongst trees probably wasn’t his best idea, but he had the river nearby if he had to put it out.

  Using his twine, he managed to create a makeshift spit and settled it into the ground above the fire.

  You have acquired a new skill!

  Utilizing the natural world to cook, clean and/or craft tools has given you the Survival skill!

  Skill Points: 45 + 6

  {Dagger +3

  Poisoned Dagger: +3)

  Existing skills: Riding {10}, Stealth {10}, Lockpicking {10}, Perception {10} Survival {5}.

  Unexpected and appreciated. Alejander wondered how a survival skill would manifest. So far, he had been using ingenuity and common sense, but perhaps the more he improved in the skill, the better he would be at staying alive in the wilderness.

  Hanging strips of meat from the spit, he stretched out his legs, testing his shirt for damp patches. There were a couple, and his cloak was still wet along the bottom, but between the fire and the sun, he hoped that by the time he was ready to set off again, they would both be dry.

  Keeping a part of his attention on the surroundings, trying to remain alert to danger, Alejander studied his map. Though it was good for the continent, it didn’t go into much detail for the smaller areas. The forest was just a dense blob of green. He couldn’t imagine the entire forest would be devoid of sellers and barterers in amongst the trees. The forest seemed like a good way to level up, and if he were playing a trader, he would want to maximize on the goods people would inevitably pick up.

  The fire crackled, breaking him out from his perusing of the map, and he cursed, checking the meat. Thankfully he hadn’t been too caught up in the map to let the meat burn, though he was angry that he had let his attention wander from the forest. He had already been beset upon by a goblin and a stag – the last thing he needed was to take damage from something else.

  The meat was perfect, some still sizzling as he tugged it from the spit, wincing with the heat. He dropped it from hand to hand and ended up having to rest it on his knee, grateful that he had at least washed them in the river that morning. Replacing the strips, he folded some up in one of the bandages and stuffed them into his pouch. They wouldn’t last till the next morning, but it would be enough for him to pick at occasionally. The rest he would cook until they were dry and chewy. It wouldn’t be very appetizing, but at least they would last a little longer than the fresher ones.

  Sating his hunger with stag meat wasn’t something he could have foreseen, but it really was nice. While as his avatar, it was something he would have to get used to. Though some people in the city had been eating lavish meals, heading for dungeons and forests and spending most of his time trying to find loot enough to sell wasn’t going to make for comfortable nights and eating habits.

  By the time the second lot of meat had cooked enough for Alejander to take off the spit, the sun was already low in the sky. He cursed, determined to find somewhere better to spend the night. He couldn’t go too much further; he still had to put the sheet up and protect himself before he logged off.

  Greta waited patiently as he put the sheet over her flank, the wrapped meat and his cloak resting against her neck as he mounted, deciding to ride the rest of the way. He didn’t know how much his stamina depleted when he wasn’t riding or wrestling with WaterRepellant sheets, bu
t he didn’t want to risk anything.

  The only thing that bothered Alejander about riding in the forest was the lack of something to do to occupy his mind. At least in the prison cell, he had books and papers. They hadn’t let him have pens – couldn’t let him improvise a weapon – but he had managed good behavior enough to be allowed cards and small wireless radio. Which, now that Matthew knew what had started to exist in the world, was a cruel joke.

  If he could find a seller or house somewhere, he would have to see if he could barter for something entertaining. Studying the map had already lost its appeal, and though he could talk to Greta, she couldn’t answer back. When he had been breaking into safes and stealing for a living, Matthew had never had time to get lonely. He’d been preoccupied with working out the best way to reach his goal. It gave him confidence that when he was finally a high enough level to break into dungeons, it would at least be more thrilling than a ride through the forest.

  The road forked away from the river and, while having the river close had been advantageous to Alejander, he figured that moving away might bring him back toward the main path. Though sellers and traders might very well be in the forest, most would stick to the main throughway.

  As he cleared through the trees a half hour later, he made it onto the main path as another horse came galloping down the path. He managed to get Greta out of the way as whoever was riding passed, throwing up a hand in thanks.

  “Five seconds and already I’ve seen someone else,” Alejander told Greta, though he doubted she cared. The path itself was scuffed, plants and gravel trod into the mud. Trees were lined either side of the road, branches stretched out above the road and making a sparse canopy. It wouldn’t protect anyone from the elements, but it made for a picturesque sight as they rode.

  Coming upon a crossroads, Alejander was relieved to see an inn and a trading post pointed out. Deciding the inn was better for the both of them, he guided Greta down the path, picking up her speed a little with eagerness to have a soft mattress under his head. Greta seemed to appreciate the stretch of her legs, and Alejander felt a little guilty. Giving her the reins, she stretched into a gallop and he felt the breathlessness, the exhilaration of a fast ride. He barely resisted the urge to let out a whoop and was disappointed as the inn came into view.

  A plain building, wooden in structure with a slated roof, the inn wasn’t all straight lines. Part of the roof was bending beneath the weight of the slate, and there was a stable that was built of a different material stacked against the inn like an attachment rather than an extension. It looked roughly as large as the hotel Matthew was currently staying in; the top floor had several windows thrown open, sounds of laughter and shouting spilling from every level. The door was open, and the usual sounds that accompanied a drinking establishment could be heard.

  Bringing Greta to a halt outside of the inn, Alejander was reluctant to leave her outside. Thankfully, as he led her over to the stable, he could see a young stable hand mucking out one of the stalls. He was a teenager, scruffy and dirty, but he looked like he was working hard enough.

  “Hey,” Alejander said, resisting the urge to laugh when the boy jumped.

  He gave Alejander a brief look and then his eyes widened in surprise and awe. “You’re a rogue! Out here?”

  “Uh-huh,” Alejander said. Choosing a rogue as his class had been a benefit. “I was hoping to find a bed for the night, and a stable for my horse. Could that be arranged?”

  The boy stared at him for a beat and then nodded, leaning his shovel against the wall. “I’ll go ask dad and make sure that’s okay.”

  Alejander wondered what possessed people to play someone as young as the boy, especially if they were playing as the son of an innkeeper. A few minutes later, the boy returned.

  “Dad says it’s a silver piece for you and one for the horse. If you wanna feed the horse, it’ll be an extra silver.”

  Alejander raised his eyebrows, but giving the inn the once over, and with a quick reminder of his coin, he didn’t see anything wrong with the amounts. “Alright. I’ll stable her with food.”

  Alejander waited until the boy had disappeared back into the stable with an, “I’ll get the stall ready,” before settling his close tighter about his shoulders and going into his pouch for his coin.

  You have relinquished: 3 silver

  Total Currency: 27 silver, 25 gold, 5 electrum

  Handing over two of the silver pieces when the boy returned, Alejander dismounted, taking the sheet and the wrapped meats in his arms. He gave Greta a parting pat to the face and then nodded at the stable boy. “Take care of her.”

  “I will, sir.”

  Alejander was looking forward to a good night’s rest at the inn and perhaps a meal if it was the same value as the night. The inn itself wasn’t overly busy, but there were about twenty patrons of varying levels of drunk. A dwarf behind the bar and a human barmaid wandering through the tables.

  Approaching the bar, navigating his way through tables piled with drinks, food, and the occasional game, Alejander gave the dwarf the best smile he could muster. “You’re the boy’s father?”

  “Aye,” the dwarf said, narrowing his eyes as if waiting for a comment. Alejander didn’t have one to make; either in game or out, they had clearly elected to play as father and son. When it was clear Alejander wasn’t going to say something, he let out a huff. “You want a room?”

  “Please.” Alejander placed the coin on the bar. “I assume there is an extra charge for food and drink?”

  “Aye,” the dwarf said again. “A cold meal will be five copper, and a hot meal will be a silver. Drinks vary.”

  Water would be enough; Alejander was certain that his constitution for alcohol would be tied into his stats, and at level one, he wasn’t confident of his ability to not get drunk. It was overly cautious, but he was new enough to the game that he wasn’t going to risk losing anything he had gained thus far.

  “I’ll take a hot meal if possible. Whatever you think is the most edible.”

  The dwarf huffed a laugh, and despite his initial demeanor, he seemed like an amiable man. “I’ll have Andretta show you to your room and I’ll have the meal ready.”

  “Thank you.”

  The barmaid looked a little harried, but she gave Alejander a quick smile and started up the stairs.

  “How long have you been traveling?”

  “A couple of days. I came from Klister.” Alexander needed to be careful exactly how much he gave away, even to a barmaid. “Is that usually the case?”

  The barmaid nodded, gesturing for Alejander to follow her down the corridor. “Coming from or going to usually. This forest is a throughway for most places. Dander set it up in the hope that it would get a lot of traffic.”

  “I almost missed it,” Alejander admitted, pausing as Andretta opened the door. “I was in the forest.”

  Andretta gave him a smile as he passed in front of her, dropping the sheet and wrapped meats onto the bed. “Here’s your key,” she said, handing it over. “I’ll leave you to sort yourself out. Come join us when you’re ready.”

  “Thank you,” Alejander said, wondering whether he should give her any money.

  Andretta left before he could offer. The room itself was sparse, only a bed and a dresser, but it looked warm and comfortable, which was all that Alejander needed.

  Leaving most of his belongings in the room and locking the door behind him, Alejander took enough coin to last him a few days just in case and kept the wrapped meats on the small dresser. The inn was still bustling as he made his way to an empty table in the corner, well away from most of the other patrons.

  Andretta brought over a steaming plate of what looked meaty stew, with two huge chunks of bread. Alejander had no idea what kind of meat it was, but he was only too willing to eat it. Handing over a silver piece, Alejander tugged the plate towards him.

  You have relinquished: 1 silver

  Total Currenc
y: 26 silver, 25 gold, 5 electrum

  It was a simple meal, but hearty, and cooked well. Though he was fascinated to discover the different kinds of people in the game, Alejander was tired, and he was conscious of having to log out of the game, especially as he had set no alarms.

  Remembering that he had been getting a fridge delivered almost tugged Matthew from the game, but before the screen could activate, Alejander left the table and headed up to his room. Only when he was safely in bed did Matthew tear himself away from the game.

  LOGGING OUT…]

  When Matthew pulled off the headset, he was once again thrust into his old, abused body. He sighed as his bones creaked with movement, trying to stretch them out before standing. He paused, but couldn’t hear anything, not even the neighbor who tended to play their music a little loud.

  His hair had long since dried, and though he was only dressed in a towel, the regulated heating had come on. Grabbing a shirt and pants from the pile on the chair, he pulled them on before opening the door. Just outside, leaning up against the wall, was his fridge with a note taped to the top.

  Tried to call three times! Not my fault if it goes missing!

  Annoyed, Matthew tried hefting the fridge, realizing too late that he wasn’t Alejander out here; he figured he would probably have a minus strength stat. Shaking his head, he managed to shove and maneuver the fridge inside, shutting the door on the rest of the world.

  Chapter Six

  Fridge set up, food bought, and the rest of his jobs done for the day, it was nearly noon before Matthew could pick up his headset again. Before putting it on, he flicked through the manual again. There was a section on character choice which he would probably give a read through before bed tonight, fascinated as he was by people’s choices, but Alejander and the in-game world was far more enticing than reading about it.

  [LOGGING ON…

  Alejander came awake to the sound of laughing and shouting filtering up from below. He buried his face in the pillow and groaned, expecting to ache from the day before, and was surprised when he felt fully refreshed.