by K R Dimmick
“I will return to the elves and look forward to seeing you there,” she said before she vanished.
I received a notice telling me her previous quest had failed as Mikael confirmed she’d left the party.
“Mikael?” I said as he looked at me questioningly. “Time to leave the party so you can get out of here,” I added, since he didn’t seem to be catching on.
“How are you going to get Allion out?” he asked, crossing his arms.
“I don’t know for sure, but I figure if we use the portal stone, we’ll at least get out of the prison,” I replied. “Hopefully, that will then give him the option to leave the guildhall.”
“Fine,” declared Mikael. “I’m coming along in case you need the help, though. I can leave the party anytime if I need to.”
“Well, Andrew and the rest of the guild are all out on some quest, so there should be no one out there trying to stop us,” I said, smiling and motioning for them to follow me as I walked around the partition. “Just touch the stone and think about leaving.”
They both vanished. Something about this seemed too easy, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I followed them out of the prison.
The entire place was deserted.
“Do you have everything you arrived with?” I asked.
They quickly checked their inventory to find that they still had all their weapons.
“What about your guild menu? Can you leave the guildhall from here?” I looked at Allion as he shook his head to show he was still stuck here.
“Okay, follow me and let’s see if you can simply walk out of the entrance.” I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of trying that myself yet. I hoped this would work, or I had no idea how I was going to get him out of here.
As we walked, I pulled Mikael aside.
“I know this didn’t go down very well last time, but could I give you a couple of things to keep safe for me?” I asked. “As soon as I can leave the guildhall, I’ve decided I’ve had enough, and I’m leaving. I don’t care about the consequences anymore, I’d rather not have anything to do with this guild for a second longer than I have to. Even if it means I die.”
Mikael looked at me with his eyebrows raised.
“As a traveler, I have six days to solve a riddle that gets me some kind of mark. I don’t know what yet. If I don’t manage it, I die. I don’t mean like a usual traveler death where I just come back, I mean permanently. Andrew offered me a potion as part of my guild membership that stopped my countdown timer, but I bet if I leave, it will restart.”
“I can see how that would be hard to refuse,” nodded Mikael. “It’s a lot clearer why you joined now. I guess I might have done the same. I’ll hold on to whatever items you need me to and make sure you get them back when you leave.”
Relieved, I handed over the ring from my inventory. I made a split-second decision to unequip my necklace, handing it to him along with the three lock picks.
“I’ll come and find you in Milgate as soon as I can. If you need to run, leave word with Kailu about where I can find you.”
He looked surprised, but nodded.
We reached the entrance and Allion was the first to place his hand on the portal stone.
“It seems that it will allow me to leave,” he stated. “I thank you and offer you my assistance for when you manage to leave this guild. I will wait for you in Milgate for a week before I return to Elvenwood, as you humans call it.”
“What do you call it?” I asked out of curiosity.
“El Silvam,” Allion said. “It is the place my heart calls home and I humbly declare it to be the most beautiful place you’ll ever set eyes on.”
Well, that didn’t sound very humble, but I did hope to see it one day, nonetheless. Every book I’d read growing up had described elven settlements as beautiful and I’d always wanted to see one.
“I hope to pay it a visit one day, Allion.”
With another over the top bow, he vanished from sight.
Mikael was the only one left.
“Thank you. I owe you my life,” he said, his usual cockiness gone. “When you leave the Dragon Hunters, I will help you however I can. You have my word.”
Before I could say anything, he vanished.
First, I had to return the prison key to Andrew’s office. He’d obviously notice the missing prisoners, but with luck, he wouldn’t double check his desk drawers and find the journal or my ring gone. I’d better warn Suri, just in case.
After that, it was time for me to get my gear and leave.
24
Time to Get Even
“Suri?” I peered around the kitchen door. “Are you there?”
“Where else would I be? Now what can I… Oh, it’s you.” She said.
“You need to get that journal out of here as soon as you can. Today, preferably. I’ve just released the prisoners and I have no idea if Andrew will check his study.”
Suri’s face went white.
“Aliz is dropping off more potions tomorrow morning, it’s the fastest I can meet up with her.” Suri said, clearly shaken up.
I hadn’t thought this through. Hopefully, this wouldn’t come back to bite me, or worse yet, get the journal destroyed.
Suri took a deep breath
“As long as I don’t look guilty or worried, there’s no reason he should search for it. It’s not like the prisoners could have gotten into his office. I’ll give her the journal tomorrow morning, and once I’m sure she’s safe and away from Milgate, I’ll leave the guild,” she said. “Thank you for the warning, and you’d better make sure you’re far away from here, too.”
Okay, that’s one thing off my to-do list. Now it was time to return Andrew’s key and leave the guildhall before he got back.
Leaving the kitchens in stealth mode, I crossed the guildhall without seeing another soul. I crept up the stairs to Andrew’s study, silently thanking whatever gods might be listening for the entire guild’s absence. This would have been impossible on any other day.
I reached the top of the staircase and put my palm on the door opener. The heavy oak door swung inwards, revealing an empty office. All I needed to do was hang the key on the side of Andrew’s desk and I’d hopefully buy myself enough time to get away.
Three steps over the rug and I was level with the ornate desk. I pulled the heavy key from my pocket and hung it carefully on the nail. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. That was easier than I’d hoped. For some reason, my mind had been giving me a running litany of all the things that could have gone wrong. I’m safe, I thought, smiling.
Suddenly, the door slammed. I jumped. Looking up, I saw a very angry looking Andrew standing by the door.
I could almost hear my mind saying: ‘Told you so.’
I felt an insistent pressure inside my head. A party request popped up in my vision.
Andrew Hoetford has sent you a party request.
You will be able to see each other’s health, mana and stamina while in a party.
Do you accept? Yes / No
The thought yes jumped into my mind, almost like it was someone else’s. Why on earth had I joined a party with him? I tried to leave, only to be overcome with the idea that leaving was not what I wanted to do. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t persuade myself to leave the party.
I noticed a tiny drop of sweat from my forehead hit the plush rug and soak into it. I looked up. Again, not by choice.
“Follow me,” Andrew commanded as my stomach turned to lead.
He turned around and walked out, somehow knowing I couldn’t fight his request. Too late, I remembered what Allion had said about someone in our guild being able to use Mind Magic. Obviously, that person was Andrew and I’d simply let him take control without offering any resistance.
I fought his command with every ounce of Fortitude I had. The only visible result was another single drop of sweat hitting the floor as my feet took one step after another toward the door. Andre
w walked down the stairs, looking like a coiled spring about to explode. I’d realized too late just how dangerous he was. I followed him, fighting each step to no avail. As we reached the bottom step, my head came up. There, gathered around the bottom of the stairs, was the entire guild. Some people looked slightly confused, while others looked furious. Saris was present as well, standing off to one side, looking extremely pleased with herself, like she was expecting a halo to appear over her head at any moment.
So, she knew about this. Was this payback for helping Kailu? Was she the one responsible for putting Mikael in the prison? No. My mind was simply providing me with farfetched ideas.
“We have a traitor in our midst!” shouted Andrew, pointing at me. “I’ve nearly completed the artifact that will set us free and allow us to progress to the next zone. Instead, this traitor has destroyed my resources. Resources that had taken me weeks to obtain.”
An angry murmur came from the audience. Andrew’s timing was perfect, he knew exactly how to control a crowd. I idly wondered if it had something to do with his Mind Magic skills.
“I took her into this guild in good faith. You spent your precious time power leveling her. And she drank the reset potion that saved her life.” Heads were nodding in the crowd, and a few fists were being clenched. “Just last week, I had to warn her when she placed the well-being of an NPC over all of you.”
Everyone in the crowd was now looking like they wanted to murder me.
“I forgave her and, again in good faith, I offered her a second chance. All she had to do was work off the value of the resources she had so casually given away.” Andrew paced back and forth in front of the crowd, leading them into mob-like self-righteousness.
“Today, while you were all out protecting the innocent NPCs from the monsters the elves have so recklessly corrupted, she released an elf I was holding in the prison.”
The crowd gasped in shock.
“I was going to interrogate him and discover the source of this corruption, but no!” Andrew paused for effect, looking over the angry crowd. “Instead, he has been allowed to escape while the honest NPCs in the surrounding villages have their homes ravaged by these wild beasts.”
“Should we give her another chance to destroy this world we hold dear?” he somehow managed to look like he was considering trying to forgive a murderer.
“No!” yelled someone from the back of the mob.
“Kick her out!” yelled someone else.
“I say it’s time we stood up for what is right and decent in this world,” Andrew said, lifting his hand and silencing the crowd. “Bring me the Restart potion.”
I could even hear the capital letter in the name as the group collectively gasped once more. Several of the guild leadership team ran off in various directions.
Some of the guild looked around nervously, while others talked in hushed tones. Saris at least had the decency to look like she was second guessing her choice. I, on the other hand, was simply rooted to the spot, unable to move even a single finger.
A few minutes later, Joe arrived, carrying a disgusting looking, reddish-brown potion that was still bubbling away. Every time a bubble reached the surface, the smell of rotten eggs assaulted the air. Someone at the back of the crowd retched.
Another member of the leadership team showed up, holding a lock box that I assumed must hold my old gear.
“I tried my best to help you,” Andrew said sorrowfully, “but you just couldn’t be helped. So, it’s time for you to leave the Dragon Hunters.”
A ragged chorus of agreement echoed from the crowd.
“Return the gear you borrowed and take back the gear you came with.”
The lock box was thrust in front of me and I found I could move my right arm. I opened the lid and placed the contents into my inventory. With a thought, I equipped my old gear and bow and took off the shoulder pads, belt and head tie that hadn’t been replaced. At least I no longer looked like I was wearing a Halloween costume. I handed over my unwanted gear.
“I want you all to place this traitor on your blacklists.” Various hands waving in the air showed people were accessing their interfaces to block me. “I don’t want you to have to suffer any further if she tries to come crawling back, begging for help. This way, you won’t see her messages.”
The members of the group nodded along with everything Andrew said.
“Drink this. It will stop your XP being donated to the guild, since you’ll need all the help you can get to survive the next six days. It will also reset your timer, so you’ll now need to solve the riddle you received when you entered this game in order to live. If you manage it, you will be the first person in recorded history to do so. I wish you the best of luck. Drink the potion.” Andrew commanded
My hands, which weren’t under my control, lifted the noxious potion to my mouth, and I downed it in one go.
Horrified, I watched the little green bar at the bottom of my vision go from 95% of the way to level 7 to 0%. I’d lost nearly a whole level, and given that I had to get to level 10 in the next six days, that was a significant step backward.
“That’s the price of crossing me,” Andrew leaned over and hissed in my ear. “Welcome to your new, much shorter, life.”
“Your guild membership,” Andrew shouted, dramatically swiping something on his interface, “has been revoked. You are no longer a Dragon Hunter.
You have left the guild: The Dragon Hunters
“No one is allowed to invite this traitor back into our guild.” Andrew proclaimed, pointing at me. “No one is allowed to bring her back into the guildhall in a party, either, and if I catch anyone doing that, they’ll be kicked out as well.”
He glared at everyone in front of us until they started to look uncomfortable.
“I’ve always said the better man forgives his enemies. Being stabbed in the back by one of our own, however, is a hundred times worse than being attacked by an enemy. And so, if you would deceive us, we will forgive, but first, we will get even.”
A cheer went up from the crowd.
“Time to get even,” Andrew yelled.
He did something on his interface, and suddenly, all the names over the heads of the people in the crowd turned from green to red. I was now in a PvP (player versus player) situation.
Unable to move at all, even to close my eyes, I watched in horror as they came charging toward me, weapons raised. A little corner of my mind noticed that at least Saris and Baynor were simply standing there with their eyes wide and mouths open.
Pain tore through me as I watched my health plummet to zero.
Commiserations! You Are Dead.
You will respawn in 5 minutes at your last spawn location
All stats remain the same after respawn.
Please note that death penalties are level dependent.
Have a nice day and Rest in Peace.
ERROR: No respawn point set - rerouting to starting point for this zone: Milgate.
25
Hunting Wabbits
The black nothingness cleared from my vision and I found myself experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu. Once again, I was back lying on the cobblestone floor in Milgate village, after having just died.
Since I never wanted to see another error message again, I quickly set my spawn point to Milgate.
After that, I decided it was time to take stock of everything and find out where I was. I was back in my old armor with my cursed bow, but I desperately needed to see what had happened to my stats and level as a result of the Restart potion I’d been forced to drink. I pulled up my stats sheet and unclicked the red circles so I could see exactly what I had to work with.
STATS, ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS
NAME: Orianna
RACE: Human
LEVEL: 6 (Progress 0%)
HEALTH (HP): 275 (10 x 25 + 25 + 0)
MANA (MP): 365 (10 x 34 + 25 + 0)
STAMINA (SP): 275 (10 x 25 + 25 + 0)
STRENGTH: 25 (25 + 0)
&nbs
p; DEXTERITY: 46 (25 + 21)
INTELLIGENCE: 34 (10 + 24)
TOUGHNESS: 25 (25 + 0)
ENDURANCE: 25 (25 + 0)
FORTITUDE: 37 (16 + 21)
WISDOM: 40 (18 + 22)
KARMA: 30
BONUSES:
+10% effectiveness to Fire Magic
+10% effectiveness to Spirit Magic
Physical Combat Skills:
Archery: 8 (Progress 52%)
Dodge: 7 (Progress 54%)
Hand to Hand: 2 (Progress 10%)
Stick Fighting: 2 (Progress 0%)
Non-Combat Skills:
Bargain: 2 (Progress 0%)
Eavesdrop: 1 (Progress 10%)
Inspect: 1 (Progress 75%)
Perception: 3 (Progress 66%)
Stealth: 2 (Progress 17%)
Crafting Skills:
Alchemy: 10 (Progress 0%)
Gathering: 10 (Progress 0%)
Herbalism: 10 (Progress 0%)
Leatherworking: 9 (Progress 50%)
At least you obviously couldn’t lose a level in this game, thank goodness, and since I’d already lost all my progress to the next level, I hadn’t lost any further XP from dying. Thankfully, something had worked out in my favor. It looked like I’d gained 30 Karma as well, for freeing the three NPCs, so that confirmed I’d done the right thing. Now I just had to cope with the consequences. Interestingly enough, I’d also managed to get an extra point in Fortitude. That must have come from trying to resist Andrew’s Mind Magic, even though I hadn’t managed it. It would be nice to be able to resist it next time we met, so I was definitely going to be putting more points into that as I leveled. Unfortunately, I really needed to focus on putting points into Intelligence if I seriously wanted to be a magic user.