Rogue Games

by Angie A Huxley

  “Oh god,” Alejander said, swallowing down bile. His pack was in the dirt a little way ahead and Alejander grabbed for it, digging for the bandages and the healing potion. He uncapped it, pouring half in the cub’s mouth.

  Almost immediately, the cub started to breathe a little easier, and its eyes seemed more alert. Alejander took the time to explore the rest of the cub, making sure it – she, apparently – was healthy elsewhere. Satisfied, he downed the rest of the potion and grabbed a couple more bandages.

  You have replenished: 5HP.

  Greta was still in the copse, dancing from hoof to hoof, and it was only now that the sounds of the fight had stopped that he could hear her whinnying in distress. Gritting his teeth against the pain still throbbing in his leg, he made his way over to the water, determined to clean his wound before wrapping his injury, but also to ease Greta’s distress.

  By the time he’d managed to do both things, and the cub had made her way over to lap at the water, sinking down to the ground, Alejander turned back to the corpse of the lion. He would deal with the stat points he still had to assign later. For now, he needed to see if there was anything to take before someone came upon them. He would also have to do something with the body; he didn’t want it attracting attention.

  He would have to use the rest of his stamina on making a makeshift shelter and would protect the copse as best he could. At least with the cub, and he would think of a name while he was working, he had some protection. He couldn’t hold it for long but given how quickly they had been attacked by the Saber-Toothed Lion, he wasn’t about to put himself in a position of danger over a prolonged period. He’d spend the night here at most and then try and find somewhere to heal up and rest.

  By the time the shelter was up, he was almost out of stamina completely. Sinking down to the ground, he let the cub curl up next to him and stroked Greta’s neck as she did the same, folding her legs beneath her and nuzzling her nose into the cub’s neck.

  The lion was still lying out on the ground, blood pooling beneath it, and Alejander waited until he had enough stamina to cut it up, skin it, and bury it in the copse.

  You have acquired: Lion Tusks

  Durability: 10 {unprepared}, 30 {prepared}

  Usage: Many applied

  Quality: Good/Great

  You have acquired: Lion meat

  Replenishment: ? {uncooked}, 10HP or 5 stamina {cooked, each}

  Usage: 20

  Quality: Good

  You have acquired: Lion Pelt

  Durability: 15 {untanned}, 35 {Tanned}

  Usage: Many applied

  Quality: Great/Excellent

  “Right,” Alejander said, covering over the body with dirt and smoothing it down with his shoe. He was exhausted, and as he collapsed under the tarp, resting his head against Greta’s side, he let out a slow breath and closed his eyes. He couldn’t even get excited about having leveled up twice, not with the damage to both him and the cub, and the prospect of having to sleep in the open where anything could be upon them in seconds.

  Resigning himself to not getting much rest, Alejander studied his map, poring over it to find the best hamlet. There were a couple dotted around. There was one close, which would probably take him most of the next day. But he could make it in good time. There would be issues with the cub, and he would probably be down to low stamina and HP again, but it was the best that he could do.

  ...LOGGING OUT]

  Chapter Ten

  [LOGGING ON...

  The cub was licking Alejander’s face when he woke.

  You have replenished: 20 HP

  10 stamina.

  Current Stamina: 30/35

  Current HP: 65/80

  Satisfied that he had enough sleep, Alejander stretched out, wincing. His leg wasn’t completely healed, but as he peeled back the bandages, Alejander could see that it had started to heal. The cub seemed to be completely healed, and as Alejander ran his hands over her jaw and neck, he could feel a little bump, but nothing that gave him concern.

  “What say we get out of here?” Alejander climbed to his feet, using the last of the stag meat to feed the cub, and gave Greta the last of the apples. She had been eating grass and now that they were on the plains, there would be more for her there, but he knew that in one of the hamlets or towns, he would hopefully find some hay and food for her.

  Taking down the shelter, he kept his eye on both Greta and the cub as he did so. Now that he was level 4, he was that step closer to getting to the Urbane Bank and he felt a thrill run down his spine. Sardonya had recommended he be level 6 or 7 by the time he went to a dungeon, but he was desperate to do it now. The worst that would happen was that he would find out what happened when a character died – hopefully not bad enough that he would have to start from scratch. That would require living somewhere without cover, and he didn’t trust anyone not to steal his headset even while he was playing.

  Greta shook out her mane as Alejander mounted, almost causing him to fall, but he managed to keep his balance and swung into the saddle. The cub took one last lap of the water and then kept pace with Greta as Alejander steered her back onto the main path.

  As they rode, his leg didn’t bother him too much, but he was still hoping to arrive at a town before too long. He could max out his HP and stamina, use the rest of his skill and stat points, and find some more food and supplies before attempting to tackle a dungeon.

  The plains really were open, and though she had reclaimed her stats, the cub seemed happier close to Greta, with her ears flat and her eyes on the horizon. Alejander was doing the same thing; he didn’t want to be ambushed again and was determined to keep them all safe. There was still a little bit of a thrill at the thought of something else attacking them and Alejander having the chance to attack it. It was a strange feeling, and not one he had experienced yet, even with the number of animals he’d slain so far.

  Not that he had a huge tally to his name, but it helped to think of it that way to give himself the courage he was sure he would need in a dungeon.

  The weather wasn’t as hot as the day before, with cloud cover quite thick, but it wasn’t dark enough to cause Alejander worry. He was grateful; he wasn’t sure he would want to ride in the rain, and it wouldn’t help with his injuries. The trail was more worn and traveled the further down it that Greta cantered, and by the time the gates surrounding the town came into view, Alejander was feeling the pain start up again in his calf. The cub was tiring again, and they had already stopped twice to give both the cub and Greta some time, though Alejander had wanted to push them.

  The town wasn’t overly large, not in KLISTER’s range, but it was small enough. There was a large sign hanging from the main gates, listing the town as GRANGE TOWN and Alejander slowed Greta to a walk as they approached. There were guards posted outside the town, not as heavily armored as the KLISTER guard but still impressive.

  “Is it safe to enter?” Alejander asked.

  The guards nodded, standing aside and gesturing for the gate to be cranked open. Alejander dismounted as a clanking sound rang out and the gates started to open. There were no signs that indicated that this was a safe area, so Alejander kept a hand on his satchel, and made sure the cub and Greta were close as he entered the town. The guards ran their eyes over the cub and Alejander narrowed his gaze. The cub would offer experience and Alejander expected people to attack her at any given opportunity. Having been rescued by her, Alejander wasn’t about to allow that.

  The town was busy, despite its size. The road through the town was littered with market stalls and carriages decked out in wares. There were inns and shops of all shapes and sizes, but that was all Alejander could see so far. The noises washed over him, yells and laughing and curses, and as he walked further into the town, the doors starting to close behind him, he kept a hand on the scruff of the cub’s neck, the other tight around Greta’s reins. His first port of call was a stable, then he could find somewhere that would help h
im heal his wounds.

  He was torn about the cub. He couldn’t always keep her with him, but he didn’t want to have to leave her to her own devices either; he didn’t want to have to find her slain. People saw him pass, though none of them seemed to linger on him for too long, and Alejander relaxed a fraction. He could see a couple of places he wanted to visit, some with food, others with potions, and though he doubted his purse was excessive, he still had the pelts and the tusks to do something with.

  The stable was large, a wide space for horses where a couple of destriers and a foal were currently nose-deep in hay bags. The stable itself stretched out away from the center of the town. There were a couple of visible creatures that Alejander could see, though he didn’t think any of them were horses. It was an interesting concept and made him wonder if the wolf cub would be big enough to ride someday, though given the size of her mother, he doubted it.

  “Hello there,” someone said, a chipper elf with a wide grin and dirty breeches. “Looking for somewhere to stable your animals?”

  “Both of them?” Alejander asked, eyes flicking to the cub unconsciously.

  “Sure,” the elf said again, grin still in place. “Little bit more expensive for the wolf given their nature, but I’d be happy to stable her for a while.”

  “I thought people would try and kill her,” Alejander admitted slowly, still not sure if this was a con. As someone practiced in them, he wasn’t entirely sure about the elf.

  The elf nodded, leaning against the fence of the paddock. “That’s fair and might be true if you were outside town walls, but in town, ain’t nobody able to kill it.”

  Alejander floundered for a second, learning something new all the time. “I didn’t see the indicators.”

  “Towns don’t require ‘em,” the elf said, seemingly affable enough to share information. “They’re automatically safe.”

  “But people can still rob you?”

  “Oh yah,” the elf said, smile turning into a shark-like grin. “That’s always fair game.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Alejander said, dryly. He was relieved to know that the cub would be cared for. “How much for the both of them?”

  “Depends how long you’ll be here. For a day, it’ll be 2 silver for the horse, 4 for the wolf. If it’s a week, 1 gold for the horse, 1 gold and 5 silver for the wolf.”

  Those seemed fair prices. Alejander rooted around in his satchel and gave the elf enough for two days.

  You have relinquished: 12 silver

  Total Currency: 16 silver, 22 gold, 5 electrum

  The elf nodded, leading the way into the stable, and Alejander followed, the wolf whining, but Alejander forced himself to ignore it. The stable was tidy and didn’t smell too bad given some of the creatures there. Alejander was happy with the conditions and led both Greta and the wolf into their respective stalls.

  “I wondered if it was possible to get them cleaned?”

  The elf shrugged. “You can do it yourself if you’d prefer.”

  Alejander nodded, and the elf pointed out the cleaning supplies and brushes. Alejander made a mental note, and would do so before they left, but for now he had other things to take care of.

  “Thank you so much,” Alejander said, leaving the stable, satisfied that they would be both well taken care of.

  The rest of the town was scattered and cluttered, but it was easy enough to navigate. Alejander found the potions stall he had seen before, noting both the healing potions and some other that didn’t have labels. The stall owner, a gnome with a scowl and hair pulled lightly back into a bun, was seated in the cart itself, folded legs and reading a scroll that Alejander couldn’t decipher.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Sure, I’d like to buy some healing potions.”

  The gnome let out a soft breath and gestured harshly at the potions. Alejander raised his eyebrows, wondering how the gnome got any custom with the attitude. Alejander wisely kept his mouth shut, pointing at the unlabeled bottles.

  “What are those?”

  “Potion of strength,” the gnome said, gesturing at the larger of the two bottles. “That’s a poison for blades, arrows and other weapons.”

  “I’ll take three healing potions, the poison and the strength potion.”

  The gnome’s eyes shot up, but Alejander held his gaze, determined not to give anything away.

  “Sure,” the gnome said, sounding out the words slowly, as if trying to gauge Alejander’s mood. “You didn’t ask for price.”

  “No,” Alejander agreed. “I didn’t. What are you asking for?”

  The gnome pursed his lips, eyes narrowed, but he shrugged. “Healing potions are 3 gold each, the strength potion is 2, and the poison is 10 silver.”

  That was a little more than Alejander was willing to pay, and he knew better than to act as if he had enough money to pay for them outright. He didn’t want to put himself in a position of offering himself up for robbery. “I’ll give you 7 for the potions, 2 for the strength potion and 6 silver for the poison.”

  The gnome’s lips twitched, apparently capable of other expressions aside from scowling. “You’ve got spunk. Alright, I’ll bite.”

  Alejander shook the gnome’s proffered hand.

  You have relinquished: 9 gold, 6 silver

  Total Currency: 10 silver, 13 gold, 5 electrum

  You have acquired: 3 Healing Potions

  Replenishment: 20HP or 20 stamina

  Quality: Great

  You have acquired: 1 Strength Potion

  Bonus: +10 to Strength

  Usage: 1 day

  Quality: Great

  You have acquired: Poison

  Bonus: +5 to weapons

  Usage: 10

  Quality: Good

  The potions were of a higher grade, clearly, than the one Alejander had obtained after killing the Forest Goblin. It was fortuitous given where Alejander was about to go, and though he would probably need a little more in the way of supplies, his purse wouldn’t be light for long. Either of them.

  Turning away from the stall, he wondered if there was anyone in the town who would be willing to buy the tusks and pelts. The more he managed to get rid of, the lighter his journey would be. As he perused the market and some of the shops in the town, he mentally ran through his stats and decided to use up those he’d acquired at Level 4. As soon as he’d had a good night’s sleep, he was going to set out for the dungeon. His mind was made now.

  There were a few benches shoved out of the way, with a couple of drunks collapsed on one – something that had Alejander raising his eyebrows. Why spend your time in game getting drunk? Shaking his head, he settled on the bench at the end, which was only occupied by a cloaked figure. It was an ostentatious cloak, so Alejander didn’t think it was for stealth, and given the pouch on the belt and the staff resting against the bench, Alejander assumed a magic caster.

  Magic didn’t interest Alejander in the slightest and he wished them luck with it. Letting out a breath, he concentrated on the skill points.

  YOU CURRENTLY HAVE 20 UNSPENT SKILL POINTS AND 5 UNSPENT STAT POINTS> Assign?

  The five stat points were spread out on every stat except endurance. The constitution would be good for injuries and to defend himself in the dungeon. The deftness and efficiency would be useful in battle. Acuity didn’t make much sense but given the unknown of a dungeon, Alejander wanted his spell reaction speed to be decent – just in case he ran into spellcasters. He silently thanked the magic user on the bench for making him think of it. His strength stat was pitiful, and the added point wasn’t going to make much of a difference, but it would no doubt help anyway.

  The skills were easier: Stealth and Lockpicking would be invaluable; Perception needed to be better given the incident with the lion; and he could always use the added Survival bonus in a dungeon.

  You have assigned:

  Acuity: 6

  Constitution: 5

  Deftnes
s: 6

  Efficiency: 7

  Endurance: 5

  Strength: 3

  You have added: 5 points to Lockpicking, 5 points to Perception, 5 points to Stealth and 5 points to Survival

  HP: 65/80

  Stamina: 30/35

  Skill Points: 75 + 10

  {Dagger +5

  Dagger: +5)

  Existing skills: Riding {10}, Stealth {20}, Lockpicking {15}, Perception {15} Survival {15}.

  Satisfied, Alejander focused back on the town, and started looking for somewhere to stay.

  ...LOGGING OUT]

  Chapter Eleven

  Matthew rubbed at his eyes as he woke, still tired and mentally wrung out from the game. He had been playing the game itself for a while and though the effects of playing hadn’t seemed to bother him much before, they were starting to get to him. His eyes ached, and he had a headache blossoming at the base of his skull. It would make sense to take a break, but he was coming up to the best part, the whole reason for playing the game in the first place.

  Stomach rumbling, Matthew stretched as he swung his feet over the bed, standing slowly and carefully. His back gave a painful twinge and he scowled, grabbing some painkillers from his pocket and tossing a couple back. He could almost see his mother’s expression if she discovered that he wasn’t taking care of himself probably, but this was important; what his mother wanted didn’t matter much anymore, and Alejander – Matthew, he reminded himself sternly – was doing what he had to survive.

  If that meant spending most of his time with a headset on and getting a cramp in his lower extremities, then so be it. There was some food left, and checking on his money, Matthew wrinkled his nose. He would have to get some food soon, but for now, he wanted to get back into the game.

  Matthew had managed to sidestep a lot of the addictions that had plagued some of the people he’d had in his life, from drugs to gambling, but it seemed that his undoing was to be a virtual game.