He wore loose-fitting clothes that looked made from a soft, handwoven fabric. His cloak had a hood, but it was down for the moment. Leather straps that continued up his calves tied his sandals to his feet. The outfit would have been at home in ancient Greece or maybe even Rome, but neither of those options felt exactly right.
Looking over the werehyena again, Tim realized the creature was almost Egyptian. The shirt and leggings were a dull, practically colorless material, but the beast had a sash that went over one shoulder and hung below his waist that was dyed vibrant colors marking his wealth or position in society.
It made a certain kind of sense. Their next stop was in a desert after all.
Holy shit, were there going to be pyramids?
Tim started to get excited as he turned away from Jabari’s Chosen and looked for who was in charge. It didn’t take him too long to spot Jon. He made his way over to the man and extended his hand in greeting. “What’s going on?”
Jon looked relieved as he clapped Tim on the back. “Thank Eternia you’re finally here. This thing demanded the right to deliver a message to the one who opened the passage. He hasn’t been taking our efforts to keep him here while we summoned you very kindly.”
“Let’s find out what he has to say.” Tim motioned for the group to come with him.
Jabari’s Chosen took one last bite of his fruit and tossed the rest away. A quick flick of his wrist shook the worst of the juice off his blade. The werehyena looked satisfied as he tucked the dagger away before picking up his spear and moving to stand by the cobra.
His eyes moved over the new arrivals with a cold and calculating gaze. As their group turned and made their way toward the creature, Jabari’s Chosen watched their progress like a cop outside the bar at two in the morning.
Holding his back straight and full of pride, Jabari’s Chosen addressed Jon. “Is this him? The one I’ve been waiting for?”
Tim smirked. This guy better watch that shit, or Cassie would rip him a new one. He might have been their de facto leader, but it was wrong to assume it couldn’t have been any of the women. There was no way in hell he’d be anywhere in this game without the superior play of the women around him.
Not to mention the fact that because Cassie’s death didn’t count due to her resurrection, he was the only member of their party to die in combat. Pretty nice badge of honor that none of the people he was tasked with keeping alive had met a grisly death.
Not that there weren’t a few close calls.
Still, he was in charge for now, and it was time to accomplish leaderly things.
“I speak for the Blue Dagger Society,” Tim called. It was easy enough to put on a brave face when he had Cassie standing between himself and the danger. Normally there would have been an assassin right by the tank’s side, but she was conspicuously absent.
Wait, where was ShadowLily?
When the going got tough, the stealth got going. That was something his buddy Captain Waffles used to say when the stealthers would drop out of combat and leave the rest of the group to die just to save a few gold on repairs. In this case, Tim knew ShadowLily wasn’t abandoning them to save a few repair fees. The assassin was simply putting herself in a position to attack from behind if he failed to handle things diplomatically.
Smart lady.
Still, the fact his girlfriend thought so little of his conversational repertoire was slightly disheartening.
The werehyena stepped forward and slammed the butt of his spear onto the tile three times to make sure he had their group’s full attention. “I have a message for you from Jabari the Great, second only to the Pharaoh himself.”
The werehyena gave a barking laugh. “The people of the desert are happy with the way things are. If you enter our territory, it will be considered an act of aggression and will be dealt with accordingly.”
Tim smiled as he thought about what the messenger said. He wanted to be pissed off that the ruler of a kingdom wanted to bar their access before even meeting them, but all his mind kept shouting over and over was the word Pharaoh. Pharaohs meant pyramids, mummies, traps, and all the things that made games like Tomb Raider and The Prince of Persia great.
Get the fuck out of the way Indiana Jones. I’ve got this.
Tim was pretty sure the rest of the group felt the same way he did. All he wanted to do now was get to the deserts of Naroosh sooner and find out how it would have felt to be alive way back in a time where everything seemed magical.
Plus, it wasn’t like Promethia couldn’t survive for a while without them. Ernie would send them a message if things went sideways back home or if Gaston got into too much trouble cavorting for Lady Briarthorn. The healing shack was in Judy’s capable hands, and Paul had promised to send someone of sufficient worth to make sure people were healed in his absence.
With access to the portal system, they could return to the city in a flash and deal with any drama before heading back to the desert equally as quickly.
Tim pulled himself out of his thoughts of the future and addressed Jabari’s Chosen directly. “Please inform Jabari the Great we cannot abide by his proposition. We have business to complete in the deserts and cannot be dissuaded from our course of action.” Tim offered a small bow. “I’m sorry you’ve had to travel all this way. Maybe we can find you some fresh water and food for your return journey.”
He felt a little poke in his ribs and knew Lorelei told him to tone it down a little.
The werehyena looked over them dispassionately. “Jabari the Great.” The messenger paused to look up as he made a symbol over his chest with the fingers of his left hand. “He who is wise in all things anticipated your response and has already devised a response of his own.”
The creature sprang into action and stabbed a soldier that let his guard down. As the were pulled the spear free from the body, he stared boldly at the soldiers. “Death is all that waits for you in the deserts of Naroosh.”
The cobra darted forward and sank its fangs into a man’s arm. A second later, ShadowLily cut the snake’s head off. Being dead didn’t stop the cobra’s venom from tearing a strangled cry from the monster's last victim. Before the poison could cause any further harm, Tim cast Cleanse on the guard, quickly followed by Healing Orb.
Cassie was engaged with the werehyena when he turned. Her staff made the perfect match against his spear. Their tank moved with precision, slowly backing the creature away from the wounded soldier so the others could get him out. A few men took wounds as Jabari’s Chosen threw some kind of tacks at them as they retreated. It was the perfect time for Tim to cast Healing Storm. The relief on Jon’s face as his men made it to safety, healed and alive, was palpable.
Now all they had to do was take care of one last problem.
Cassie circled the messenger until his back was to ShadowLily. Somehow the hyena must have sensed the assassin’s presence. The beast threw its spear at Cassie, grabbed its sword, and spun a slashing strike behind it. An arrow plinked off the blade, sending the sharpened iron into ShadowLily’s arm instead of her throat.
His girlfriend went down faster than someone facing Iron Mike in the ring.
A strangled cry erupted from Tim’s chest as he ran toward her. A Healing Orb was already flying from the tips of his fingers as Jabari’s Chosen pulled his blade free.
Cassie stopped the next attack from ending ShadowLily’s life with her staff. During the ruckus, Lorelei moved into a flanking position and was presently filling Jabari’s Chosen with enough arrows to make his back look like a pincushion.
With enough arrows sticking out of you, one would imagine that fending off a fireball was probably impossible. Tim smiled as he thought about how right those people would have been as the flaming ball slammed into Jabari’s Chosen, instantly vaporizing most of the were. Whatever magical protection the messenger had employed must have ended.
Tim cast a quick Cleanse on ShadowLily, in case the messenger’s blade was poisoned, then he put every ounce of his strengt
h into making her whole again.
Her eyes fluttered open as the muscles of her arm knit back together. “JaKobi’s right. This shit hurts.”
Tim kissed her and pulled her to her feet. “Tell me about it.”
“You two can canoodle later. Right now I only want one thing from you.” Cassie looked at them expectantly. “Just say we're going to the desert to kick this guy’s ass.”
The tank waved away Tim's concerned look. “Of course I mean in the morning, you giant turd muffin.”
JaKobi grinned. “People need to find out what happens when you fuck with the Blue Dagger Society.”
ShadowLily put an arm around Tim and led him away. “Sleep now, decisions on who and what to kill later.”
“I guess we’ll talk about it at breakfast, but I don’t see any reason to delay our trip,” Tim called as she dragged him from the courtyard.
Sleep was important, but there had to be another reason she was pulling him away from the victory. “What’s up?”
“Oh, I know you heard the word Pharaoh and lost your shit. If I didn’t get you out of there, the others would have convinced you to leave right now. I’m not ready to give up our last night with a bed and a roof so easily.” ShadowLily smirked.
“You just named three of my favorite things.” Tim started to pick up the pace.
“Oh yeah, what are those?” ShadowLily giggled.
Tim couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. “You, me, and the word bed.”
She slapped his shoulder. “You’re lucky I’m into you.”
Didn’t he know it.
Chapter Two
“What’s that wonderful smell?” Tim rolled out of bed.
After stumbling into the next room, he saw the pot that must contain the sweetest of life’s blessings.
Coffee.
He poured a cup and looked back at the bed. ShadowLily was gone, but she’d left behind his favorite drink in the hope of rousing him. Tim appreciated the gentle touch after the violent poking attack she’d subjected him to earlier. The scent of fresh-brewed coffee did the trick that a thousand pokes would never accomplish.
It got him out of bed with a smile on his face.
Tim never missed the chance for another cup of coffee. It was kinda funny to think he could still catch a buzz from his morning cup of java inside a game, but he could, and he didn’t have plans to stop that particular ritual anytime soon. Coffee was his autopilot drink for the morning. Some people wanted juice, but not him.
It was coffee or nothing at all.
One sniff of his armpits confirmed that addressing his caffeine addiction wasn’t the only thing Tim needed to take care of that morning. A bath before breakfast was probably a good idea unless he didn’t mind a few stares and pinched noses. A small sigh escaped his lips as he dug his toes into the thick rug and stretched his back. It was a shame the inventory trick only worked on his weapons and equipment.
He had to scrub the rest of himself clean the old-fashioned way.
And baths. Tim hated baths when he came into the game, and while they had grown on him slightly, what he really wanted was a shower. It wasn’t until right now he realized how much he missed the one back in his room at the Blue Dagger Inn.
Maybe the people of Tristholm didn’t know how great showers were.
Who knew, with Joe and Seraphina spending more time together, maybe he could get the restaurateur to put in a good word for him. Or it was time to buy a place in Tristholm. With a place of his own, he could put in as many showers as he wanted.
A shower in every fucking room.
Tim chuckled to himself as he sipped his coffee. Every room might be a little excessive. Still, it always paid to have your space.
What he didn’t have time for was taking on another project. Between the healing shack, the slums, learning to smith, and his adventuring, he didn’t have the time to take on something else. He already kind of felt like he was half-assing four things instead of focusing on one. That didn’t mean he wasn’t having a lot of fun.
It just meant he was busy.
Maybe being busy wasn’t such a bad thing. Idle hands were the devil's plaything, or perhaps it was a drill sergeant's worst nightmare. Either way, life seemed to be better when he was busy. Between school and work it didn’t give him a lot of time to get into trouble, and somehow he’d found a way to stay so busy in the game that trouble would have to seek him out. Maybe it was time to start being a little bolder and a little less planny.
There was a point when he assumed that his entire time in the game would revolve around his adventures in the capital city of Promethia. Revitalizing the slums and the healing shack were long-term projects that he now realized he might not always be able to attend to himself.
Thankfully, the game made managing those projects easier. Instead of having an interface he had to watch constantly, he had contacts in the form of Mr. Applebottom and Paul the High Priest. While he was out of town or detained on other business, they made sure that things went smoothly in his absence.
At least that was how it worked in theory.
The last replacement at the healing shack hadn’t exactly been up to the task, but this was new for all of them so he’d expected a few bumps in the road. What was life without a few hiccups?
Smooth sailing didn’t build character.
Tim slipped into the warm bathwater and let the sudsy liquid wash away any lingering worries. What was there to be worried about? He had some of the best people in the world in his party, all of them wanted the same things out of their time in the game, and somehow his favorite place to eat was now only a portal hop away.
A deep sigh escaped his lips as his muscles relaxed. Tim reached out with a wet hand and found his coffee cup on the stool next to the bath.
Who said you couldn’t have your cake and eat it too?
A few delightful mouthfuls later, Tim’s brain started to move at a more desirable rate. This was the perfect time for him to go over his skill increases and select his item from the city guards’ stockpile.
The list of items offered from the guards’ armory had a rather pitiful selection of things that might be useful to his class. Most of the stuff was geared toward fighters, which made sense considering the source. It was kind of nice not to have to look over every item and scrutinize which might be best. In this case, there was a clear winner, and it wasn’t even close.
Tarnished Circlet of Divine Wisdom
Luther The Great once wore this circlet. After hundreds of years of less-than-worthy successors, the circlet now finds itself in your hands. Will you be the one to return this item to the splendor of its heyday?
+3 Wisdom +1 Intelligence
The Tarnished Circlet of Divine Wisdom can be upgraded twice. Once to Circlet of Divine Wisdom, and again to Polished Circlet of Divine Wisdom. Each time the item upgrades, its stats will increase.
To reach Circlet of Divine Wisdom, you must heal five hundred people.
Whoa!
Tim knew that the game had a few upgradable items because one of his group members had received something similar. While he knew this particular item wouldn’t be with him at the endgame, it was nice to have something to work on while he worked toward whatever the endgame ended up being.
If The Etheric Coast had upgradable items at endgame, that would be super cool. Sometimes it was nice to have something to work on during a raid encounter besides beating the boss. Upgradable gear was another way to deepen the endgame experience, but to have the items while leveling was some next-level stuff.
It was so cool when you were a huge fan of a game, and the developers dropped some good news on you. Sometimes it felt like all the devs did was rain on your parade, but now and then they could make you smile too.
This was a time to grin like an idiot.
Tim pushed away his thoughts of what might be coming down the pipeline for them as they continued to level. The last thing he wanted to do was go down the rabbit hole of possibilities only to
get yelled at for taking so long. Plus, his coffee was starting to run low, and he didn’t see anyone magically appearing to refill it no matter how hard he wished for it to happen.
Before climbing out of the tub, Tim decided it was a good time to look over his stats and skills.
Interesting.
The system now sorted his skills from lowest ranking to highest. Tim wondered if he could change it to the other way around but decided to worry about finding out if the system had options later.
Skill Increased: Quick Feet
Rank: Novice level four
You used this spell to get out of danger, and that’s the right way to do things. Keep using this spell to see further increases.
Quick Feet saved his ass from George the Lizard rat. Sometimes a small burst of speed made the difference.
Skill Increased: Night Vision
Rank: Novice level six
It’s now five percent easier for you to see in low light conditions.
That little bit of extra light made things easier under the mountain and in the tomb. He would have to start spending more time in dark places to drag the skill up to the apprentice ranks.
Skill Increased: Flame Burst
Rank: Apprentice level four
You don’t use this skill often, but when you do, it’s always in new and unexpected ways.
It wasn’t that Tim deliberately forgot to use this spell. It was that Divine Light was a more effective offensive strategy. The skill was pretty damn handy when he used it, and getting it up into the journeyman ranks would be a major boost to his limited offensive capabilities.
Skill Increased: Behold My Power
Rank: Novice level nine
This skill is so close to the apprentice ranks you should almost be able to taste it. Keep doing what you’re doing and reap the benefits.
Deserts Of Naroosh Page 2