The Cursed Codex

by Matthew S. Cox

  Keith bonked Yzil in the chin with his shield. “Down here, pal.”

  The wraith raised its right hand, another glowing icicle forming.

  Fearing the Dark Wizard intended to shoot Sarah a second time, Keith swung his shield like a club, knocking the creature’s arm to the side the instant it released the Ice Lance. The shimmering bolt of bluish magic careened off the side of the cliff, hurtling into the sky toward the ocean. Some poor random fish was about to have a rather bad day.

  Another arrow hit Yzil in the face with a splintering crack. For two seconds, the green energy around the shaft flared from deep within the Dark Wizard’s eye sockets, overpowering the violet light.

  Keith’s heart swelled. Sarah had to be okay. Go Elliot!

  Ashur roared, a dervish of moving blades attacking the shadowy wizard from the right side. Yzil lost a few more scraps of darkness before turning and glaring at the boy. A ghostly web of pale necromantic energy surrounded its right hand. Yzil reached out with a beckoning gesture, and a blast of glowing white vapor burst out of the boy, rushing into the Dark Wizard’s grasp.

  With a wheeze, Ashur dropped to his knees.

  Keith bashed his shield into the creature, forcing him away from Ashur. “Medic! El! Ash is down!”

  Ashur wheezed, “Ow.”

  “What the hell was that?” yelled Carlos, as another fire bolt flew down the hill into Yzil’s chest.

  “Death strike,” shouted Sarah. “10d8 ‘drain’ damage, Physical save for half.”

  Keith blinked. “Wait, that’s the Death Strike?! What’s the double claw thing?”

  “Did he make his save?” asked Carlos.

  “Double strike is just a big attack,” yelled Sarah. “And yeah, he made the save. He’s not dead.” Sarah fired another arrow, which disappeared entirely into Yzil’s smoky form.

  Ashur wheezed, “Eep.”

  “It can only do Death Strike twice a day,” shouted Keith.

  “Which means it’s got one more,” yelled Elliot, running up behind them.

  Tira came out of nowhere behind Yzil. She yanked her hand out of the Bottomless Bag, holding the glowing crystal trap from the bronze gate.

  Oh crap!

  Keith rammed his shoulder and shield into the wraith, knocking the Dark Wizard toward Tira before backpedaling fast to put some distance between him and the explosion he expected would soon follow.

  Tira held the crystal high over her head in one hand, a brilliant flicker of light emanating from between her fingers. After a suitable dramatic pause, she hurled it like a grenade and dove flat into the grass. The instant the crystal struck the ground, it shattered with a deafening boom, releasing a physical shockwave. A painfully bright streak of lightning as thick as a man’s arm leapt straight up, conducting through Yzil before streaking into the sky out the top of its giant head.

  Two smaller sparks shot over the grass. One nailed Keith in the left foot, kicking his leg out and dumping him flat on his chest. The other hit Elliot twenty feet away where he knelt beside Ashur.

  “Ow!” roared Elliot, jumping up and doing a shimmying dance.

  For the three seconds the electricity roasted the Dark Wizard, the magic highlighted a slender skeletal figure inside the darkness. When the lightning ceased, Yzil let out a bellowing roar, though Keith barely noticed it, his ears still reeling from the sound of the detonation. Shafts of white vapor bristled out of the Dark Wizard’s chest, multiplying and multiplying until the huge wraith became painful to look at due to the glare.

  With a great, concussive whump, Yzil exploded into a cloud of black ethereal scraps that floated like ashes on the wind. One serpentine tendril of wraith shadowed into the sky, streaking off toward the horizon while emitting a baleful cry of anguish.

  The storm abated; angry clouds and howling winds gave way to a calm, overcast sky and still air.

  Keith picked himself up, staring as the smudge disappeared into the distance.

  Soft thuds came at him from behind.

  He turned around an instant before Sarah crashed into him with a tearful hug.

  She clung for a little while before leaning back and making eye contact. “Whoa. I never even considered… My friends let me go. They all left. I didn’t think we had a chance to take him on. They didn’t even suggest trying. I’m so sorry.”

  “You guys are amazing.” Keith squeezed her tight while smiling around at the others. “Don’t feel bad. I don’t think your friends’ characters could’ve handled the fight. And I guess we kinda cheated.”

  “Cheated?” Sarah leaned back enough to make eye contact again. “How?”

  “Well, I found Kyra’s sheet and used her as an NPC. She’s level eleven. This module was meant for level one characters… plus, we have a Tira.”

  Tira set her fists against her hips and beamed.

  Elliot helped Ashur up. “How much damage did that lightning trap do?”

  “No idea.” Sarah shrugged. “That wasn’t part of my game.”

  “Diamond crystal lightning traps start off at 8d10,” said Tira. “And I don’t think that was a weak one. But Sarah ripped him apart. The spell she used on her arrows adds extra damage on undead, and she never missed once. Even got crits a few times.”

  “Crit? How can you crit black smoke and bones?” asked Ashur.

  “The game doesn’t have called shots or location hit rules. So every time she hit him in the face it had to be a critical.” Tira ran over to Ashur and hugged him.

  Sarah looked down, misty-eyed. “My friends just left me here. They didn’t even hesitate or tell me not to do it.”

  Keith grasped her shoulders and waited for her to meet his gaze. “No we didn’t.”

  “What he said.” Elliot pointed at him.

  Sarah grinned and wiped her tears.

  “Guys!” shouted Carlos. “It’s gonna close. Move it!”

  Keith took Sarah’s hand and sprinted up the hill toward the portal, which had already begun to destabilize, shaking and throwing off multicolored sparks of magical energy.

  34

  Experience

  Keith flew up the dais and leapt at the portal, diving into his bedroom. He hit the rug on his chest and slid, crashing against his bed. Sarah landed next to him emitting a soft oof. Elliot, Ashur, Carlos, and Tira walked out of his closet like sane human beings. He sat up and glanced around, relieved to see his room unchanged. The plastic cups still stood on the table where he remembered them.

  Keith sighed with relief. Whew. We weren’t gone long.

  “Whoa,” said Elliot. “That is the ugliest shirt I’ve ever seen.”

  Everyone looked at Sarah, more specifically, her T-shirt with horizontal stripes of dark blue, red, green, and white. She also had on a coffee-brown jean skirt, but no shoes. Ashur, Tira, Elliot, and Carlos once again wore their normal clothes, no longer looking like a bunch of cosplayers. Ashur seemed disappointed that his armor had disappeared.

  “Aww. This sucks.” Tira gestured at her hip. “The Bottomless Bag is gone. I love that thing.”

  “My shirt isn’t that ugly,” said Sarah. “Lots of people wear shirts like this.”

  “Maybe they did back in 1980-whatever. Not now.” Ashur cringed. “That thing could cause a car accident.”

  “That looks more like something outta the 70s,” said Carlos. “My parents wore crap like that as kids.”

  Sarah blinked at the computer on Keith’s desk and gawked at his room. “Oh, no… you weren’t pulling my leg. It really isn’t 1987 anymore, is it?”

  Everyone shook their heads.

  Carlos waved his hands in a dramatic fashion while babbling. “Aww, damn. No more magic TP.”

  “We made it.” Keith grinned at Sarah.

  Before he could try for a kiss, his door flew open.

  Both of his parents tried to barge in at the same time and nearly became stuck.

  “Keith!” shouted his father. “Where on Earth?”

  “Where have you been!” yelled hi
s mother.

  “Uh oh.” Elliot glanced at Keith. “Someone’s in trouble.”

  Keith’s father ran over and dragged him into a hug. “You scared the hell out of us. You’ve been missing all weekend.”

  His mother grabbed him, fighting back tears. “It’s Tuesday. Where were you all?”

  “All of your parents are going nuts!” said his father, still squeezing him. “The FBI has been here.”

  Keith gurgled from how tight his parents squeezed him. “You guys really wouldn’t believe me if I tried to explain.”

  “Who’s that?” His mother pointed at Sarah.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Sarah. She’s my girlfriend.”

  His parents’ mouths hung open.

  The Gamemaster’s Codex levitated off the card table, floating several feet in the air while wobbling. A glowing black swirl of energy seeped out from the pages.

  “What the hell?” His father tilted his head.

  Keith’s mother screamed.

  “Everyone back,” yelled Elliot. He took a step toward the book, raising a hand. “The power of Hæm commands you!”

  “Dude, that doesn’t work in the real world,” muttered Carlos.

  The book glided up toward the ceiling, the blackness seeping out from between its pages forming a tiny storm around it. Lightning crackled across the roiling vapor. Everyone stared in awestruck silence for a few seconds before the cloud imploded with a dull pop. No trace of the Gamemaster’s Codex remained.

  “Looks like I need a new copy,” deadpanned Keith. “Preferably one without a black magic curse that wants to eat us.”

  His parents stared at him.

  Tira cleared her throat. “So… how much XP do we get for killing the Dark Wizard and saving the princess?”

  Keith’s father gestured at the spot where the book had disappeared. “What was that?”

  “Magic.” Keith shrugged. “You know that whole ‘you’re never going to believe me’ thing?”

  His mother looked at him. “All right, let’s say that our minds have just been expanded a bit. Try us.”

  “All right.” Keith sat on the edge of the bed, holding Sarah’s hand.

  He explained everything that had happened, with the others chiming in to add details or confirm what he said. His father kept glancing at the spot where the book had been throughout the story. Finally, after recounting the fight with Yzil and their running through the portal, Keith walked over to his computer and pulled up the pictures he’d saved of Sarah’s missing child poster from 1987.

  His mother almost fainted, but managed to guide herself to land seated on the bed.

  Sarah cried when she saw it. “This really happened… I’ve really been gone so long.”

  Keith hurried to her side and put an arm around her.

  “Well, yeah. Look at that hideous shirt,” said Elliot.

  “So what do we tell the FBI?” asked Keith.

  His father rubbed his chin. “That depends on if we all want to wind up in a nice little room with padded walls.”

  “Went hiking in Minstrel’s Grove and got lost?” asked Elliot. “As a cover story. And we don’t need to tell the FBI about Sarah at all. They gave up looking for her years ago, and wouldn’t believe it anyway.”

  “Minstrel’s grove works. The woods are deep enough that it’s possible the sheriff’s people might’ve missed you.” His father nodded. “Did I find you all or did you make your way home?”

  “Keith found the way back.” Elliot clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Aww, guys.” Keith stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’m not like the hero type.”

  “Sure you are,” said Ashur. “Ask Sarah.”

  She turned beet red.

  “You are.” Tira smiled up at him. “You protected all of us.”

  Keith raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I found the way home.”

  “I’m going to make a few phone calls, get your parents over here.” Keith’s mother stood. “We’re going to tell them what really happened.” She pointed at the computer. “And show them that picture. It’s only fair that they know, even if they don’t want to believe it.”

  Keith sat on his living room sofa, holding Sarah’s hand. Carlos and his parents sat together on the nearby loveseat. Elliot stood beside his mother who sat in a cushioned chair, while the Zuabi family clustered near the front window, all on their feet. Tira hadn’t let go of her mother the whole time Keith, Elliot, and Keith’s father told the story of the Cursed Codex. When they finished, Sarah holding up her thirty-year-old missing child poster had knocked the other parents silent.

  “This will take time to process,” said Mr. Zuabi.

  Mrs. Gardner dabbed at her eyes with tissues, hugging Elliot’s arm like a doll. “I’m just glad he’s—they’re all back and safe.”

  “Is this sort of thing going to occur again if they keep messing with that game?” asked Mrs. Zuabi.

  Tira gasped. “No! Mom, please don’t tell us we can’t play anymore. It was a bad book, not a bad game.”

  “It won’t.” Keith looked up. “I don’t know what happened, but she’s right. That particular book was cursed somehow. The game didn’t do it.”

  “And the book destroyed itself.” Keith’s father re-explained how it floated up and popped.

  “Guys.” Carlos pulled out his smartphone. “I got a couple pictures of the book eating itself.”

  His phone made the rounds, stunning the parents even more than Sarah’s poster had.

  “All right.” Mr. Zuabi picked Tira up and hugged her. “We will go with the story that they became lost while exploring the woods.”

  “Oh, sweetie, if you’re too upset, you can stay home from school tomorrow,” said Mrs. Gardner.

  Elliot shrugged. “I already missed two days’ assignments. The make-up work’s gonna suck bad enough already. Actually, going to school would feel nice and normal.”

  “Yeah,” said Keith.

  He remained on the couch as his friends and their parents left. His folks spent a few minutes outside talking with the other parents, working out the details of the story that the kids simply found their way home after wandering lost.

  A little while later, his parents came back in and stood before him, eyeing Sarah with confusion.

  “Can I walk her home?” asked Keith.

  “Is she why you asked me about what you asked me about a couple days ago?” His father smiled.

  Keith nodded. “Does a kid my age running at a giant, soul-sucking wraith count as doing something reckless for a girl?”

  His father half-shrugged. “Maybe. That depends. How wide was the level gap?”

  While his mother appeared confused, Sarah and Keith cracked up laughing.

  “All right,” said his father, chuckling. “Where does she live?”

  “Mrs. Norris is her grandmother.”

  “Oh.” He nodded. “She doesn’t have any shoes on… maybe I should drive you?”

  “It’s okay.” Sarah glanced down at her feet. “I always go outside barefoot in the summer. I can walk a couple blocks.”

  His mother ran over and got clingy. “You had me so worried.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t intend to get trapped in an alternate dimension.”

  She laughed. “Don’t be a smartass.”

  “C’mon, Vicky.” Dad tugged on Mom’s arm. “I think the two of them want a little time to themselves.”

  “He just got here!” said his mother, loud.

  “I’m gonna walk her home and come right back.” Keith stood. “Umm. If like Mrs. Norris freaks out, can Sarah stay here?”

  “Freaks out?” asked Sarah.

  “Well, you’re still fourteen. She might like have a heart attack or something.” Keith cringed, trying to make it sound as ‘nice’ as possible.

  “We can talk about that if need be.” His father glanced at the door. “Are you sure you don’t want a ride?”

  “It’s only a couple blocks.” Keith
stood.

  “Come right home,” said his mother.

  “I will, Mom.”

  Sarah stood, fidgeting. “Oh, I’m nervous.”

  “What for? Your grandmother’s nowhere near as scary as Yzil.”

  She shoved him with a playful grin. “Turdling.”

  35

  Complicated

  Keith’s heart swelled. Holding hands and walking with Sarah down the tunnel of trees leading to her house made him feel all kinds of strange, happy, and distracted. Not even two hours after facing down a Dark Wizard, the experience barely felt real, little different than any other game session. All the fear, pain, and adrenaline had compressed into a little place in his memory.

  But, Sarah was real.

  The touch of her skin, still as soft and warm as the first time he’d taken her hand through the locked gate, left him light-headed.

  “Wow. Look at these cars,” said Sarah, the first thing to come out of her mouth since they’d left his house. “Everything looks so different. It really is 2015.”

  “2017,” said Keith.

  “Whatever.”

  He paused where the sidewalk passed in front of Mrs. Norris’ house. Sarah glanced around, biting her lip.

  “The house is different, too. Dad’s car isn’t here.”

  “Neither is he.” Keith squeezed her hand. “He’s dead.”

  “You said that.” She looked down at her half-painted toenails. “Hearing it and seeing are different. I guess I’m still a little sad. He was my father, after all, but I didn’t like him. When it finally sinks in that Random is gone, I’m going to cry like an idiot. I don’t think I’m going to cry over my father.”

  Rand—oh, her cat.

  Keith took out his smartphone and handed it to her. “This is an Android phone.”

  “Whoa.” She gawked at it, her face tinted bluish in the light from the screen.

  He showed her a few apps. “It makes telephone calls from anywhere you can get a signal. You can even go to the internet from it, and there’s some games… a calculator, and I’ve got music on it, too.”