by Dale Britton
The Map took up an entire third of the basement. It was a three-dimensional representation of their game world. It showed the location of every campaign they had ever played over the years. Models of cities, towns, and dozens of other features dotted The Map. It showed mountains, hills, rivers, forests, even the Great Southern Ocean.
As Sarah stared at The Map, Ollie tried to gauge the reactions of his friends to her presence. Ian was watching her nervously, obviously not comfortable that she was here. George and Johnny stared at her openly as if they had never seen a girl before in their lives. Only Jordan seemed angry. She watched Sarah with outright hostility.
"What is it?" Sarah asked.
"It's a map," Ollie said.
"Yes," Sarah replied impatiently, "I can tell it's a map. But what is it a map of? And what is it for?"
"Here, Ollie," said George. "Let me explain." Ollie sighed inwardly. George's explanation wasn't likely to reflect well on him and his friends.
"This is Valoria," George said. "It is a world of endless wonder." He pointed at a collection of buildings near the center of The Map. "This is the human capital, the great city of Couriam."
"Human capital? Does that mean there are non-humans living there too?"
"Oh, yes, of course," George affirmed. He pointed to different structures on The Map. "See, this right here is a dwarfish settlement. They work in the nearby mines. And here, this is where some minotaurs live. You'd probably want to stay away from there. And this," he was pointing at a large spiral tower, "this is where a goblin warlock lived until we defeated him. But my favorites are the elves."
"The elves?" Sarah prompted.
"They're the most populous species in Valoria after the humans. They have settlements all over the place. They even have their own language. I made it up myself."
"Way to look like a nerd, George," Ian groaned.
"I am a nerd." For George, it was a source of pride.
Sarah tore her gaze from The Map and turned to Ollie. "So, this is the game you guys play? It's a role-playing game?"
Ollie had never felt so embarrassed in his life. "I shouldn't have brought you over here, Sarah. There's no way you could understand."
"No. I think this is really interesting."
"You do?" This was either the cruelest joke ever perpetrated, or else it was the answer to every dream Ollie had ever had.
"I have some friends that do cosplay," Sarah said. "This seems kind of like that."
"Well, we don't dress up or anything," Ollie said.
"Not usually," George amended. Ollie felt like punching him.
"I'd love to see how you guys play. You don't mind if I watch, do you?" Ollie could tell that Sarah was used to getting pretty much anything she wanted. He certainly wasn't going to say 'no' to her.
"Sure," he said. "It's fine, right guys?"
George and Johnny nodded their heads almost too eagerly. Ian shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. Jordan just sat silently and stared at a random point at the far side of the room.
"Well, that's settled then." Ollie led Sarah over to the gaming table. "Would you like to play too, Sarah? We have a lot of extra stock characters. You could borrow one."
"I think I should just watch you guys this first time," she said. Ollie felt a thrill go through him. "This first time" seemed to imply that there would be other times in the future. "I just want to see how it all works."
The others took their places at the table with differing degrees of enthusiasm, and the assault of the abandoned fort began.
Chapter Five
"While you were gone, we went back to the town," Johnny said. "We had to fight off some werewolves, and the zombies had regenerated, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle."
"What town?" Sarah asked.
Ian pointed at the northwest corner of The Map. "It's right there. We've been focusing on this region lately. It's one of the few areas we haven't completely charted out yet."
"So, what's going on? What are you guys trying to do?"
"Here," Ollie said, "Let me give you a brief overview. George has been running a campaign for a few weeks now. That means he invented the quest we're on. Somebody has been reanimating the dead in this part of the world and using them to attack people and destroy villages. Our job is to find him and to stop him. We've been searching the area, looking for clues and fighting monsters, and we've finally tracked him down to this old abandoned fort. We're getting ready to fight him."
"You've actually come into the story at a very exciting point," George said. "The final battle. One small party of heroes against countless hordes of undead."
Ian groaned. "Countless hoards? Really?"
"Well, not literally countless," George admitted. "I know how many there are. I was just going for dramatic effect."
"I know that," Ian said a little too patiently. "I just think you're laying it on a little thick."
"Anyway," George said, pointedly ignoring Ian. "The courageous heroes are on their way now to see if they can overcome the forces of darkness that have been arrayed against them. It's classic good versus evil."
"And you all play a different character?"
Ollie nodded. "Ian is a paladin. That's a kind of holy warrior. Johnny's using his dwarfish fighter for this campaign."
"Like Gimli?" Sarah asked.
"You've read Lord of the Rings?" George asked.
"Well, I've seen the movies. Legolas is my fave."
"Of course he is," Ian muttered.
"And Jordan," Ollie continued, "She always uses the same character. She's a barbarian warrior princess."
Sarah studied Jordan for a moment where she was still brooding in her seat at the table. "I can totally see it. What about you, Ollie? What's your character?"
"I'm playing a wizard this time," he said, then quickly added, "but not like Gandalf. A young handsome wizard."
"Come on guys," Johnny said. "At this rate, we'll never even make it back to the fort. I want to see what George has for us."
"All right," George said. "You're traveling from the town to the fort. It's a six-mile journey." He rolled a pair of dice and consulted his binder again. "Well, this is a surprise. After three miles of travel, you are approached by a single figure wearing a black hooded robe. You can't see his face."
"Shoot him," Jordan said. They were the first words she had spoken since Sarah had entered the room.
"Shouldn't you find out who he is first?" Sarah asked.
"He's wearing black, he came from the fort, he's evil," Jordan said. "No sense waiting around and letting him hit us with a curse. Kill him."
"What if he's here to help you?" Sarah asked. "And you don't know if he came from the fort. This whole region's uncharted, right? He could have come from anywhere!"
Ollie looked at George, but his friend was too interested in the girls' argument to offer any clues.
"You don't even know how the game works," Jordan said.
"Why don't we have a vote on it," Ollie said. "Who thinks we should talk to him?" He raised his hand and was joined by Johnny.
And Sarah.
"You don't get to vote," Jordan objected. "You're not even playing."
"She has a point," Ian said.
"But you shouldn't just kill someone," Sarah said. "What if he has a family? You'd be leaving all his kids without a father. And what about his poor wife? It just isn't right."
"All right," Ian said. "I change my vote. Let's talk to him." The glare Jordan gave him would have melted steel.
Ollie sighed in relief. "All right. George, we attempt to parlay with the black-robed figure."
"The figure approaches. He lifts his arms, removes his hood, and reveals himself to be an elf."
"I knew it!" Sarah exclaimed. Jordan grunted in disgust.
"'My name is Lylor,' he says."
"Lylor? Really?" Ollie said.
"Yes. Lylor," George said. "If you don't like it, make your own campaign."
"Does he have a family?" Sarah ask
ed.
George thought for a second. "Yes. He has a wife, a beautiful daughter, and a son who died in battle against a horde of skeletons."
"That's horrible!" Sarah exclaimed.
"Valoria is a dangerous place," George said.
"What does he want?" Ian asked.
"He wants to join you. He's an elvish ranger, and he wants revenge against the evil creature who attacked his settlement and was responsible for the death of his son."
"Well, Lylor," Ollie said, "Welcome to the party."
Chapter Six
The party arrived at the fort without further adventure. It was a warm day in this region of Valoria, but the forest was silent. No birds called. No animals moved in the undergrowth. Instead, there was an uneasy silence and an oppressiveness that overshadowed the bright sun.
The first assault came from the moat of dark water that surrounded the ruined building. When the party was only a few yards away, the water erupted, and a swarm of zombies rushed out to greet them. Most were normal human zombies, but several exotic ones were mixed in as well, including a zombie centaur and a zombie fire giant. It made for a difficult battle, but Lylor proved to be a valuable ally. He single-handedly defeated ten zombies, while Ollie used a fireball to clear out several others. Jordan beat the zombie giant in single combat, and the party emerged victorious. They were forced to use a number of their healing potions afterward, but they were mostly unscathed.
After an ill-advised swim across the moat–it was poison, of course–the group finally stood in front of the main entrance. There, their enemy was finally revealed. He was a vampire lord, one of the most feared creatures in Valoria. He was accompanied by a host of servants that included ghouls and lesser vampires, each of which would be dangerous opponents on their own.
The battle that followed was everything George had promised and more. By the time they had finished, half the group was unconscious, and everyone had taken serious damage. They had been smart to stock up on potions. They had also been lucky to find an ally. Without the presence of Lylor to add an extra attacker, their victory would not have been likely.
"After the defeat of the vampire lord and his minions, you discover his treasure trove."
"Ooo–treasure!" Sarah exclaimed. "What did we find?"
"We?" Jordan murmured.
"You find 500 gold coins, 50 platinum coins, and a ring."
"Nobody put that ring on until we get it identified," Ollie ordered. "It could be cursed."
"You also find a sword that seems to glow with its own light," George said.
"This is just like Lord of the Rings," Sarah said. "Magic swords and cursed rings."
"Good one, George," Ollie said. "I like a campaign that takes a while to develop."
"So next time it's your turn, Ian," George said. "Is your campaign ready?"
"Um, just about," Ian said. "I'm still working on it."
Johnny rolled his eyes. "You haven't even started yet, have you?"
Sarah was looking at her cell phone. "Hey, guys, I need to get going. My mom needs me."
"Would you like me to walk you home?" Ollie asked hopefully.
Sarah smiled. "That's sweet, Ollie, but she's coming to pick me up. She should be here any second."
"Well, I should probably get going too, anyway," Ollie said. "I'll walk you to the door." He turned to wave goodbye to the others as he led the way up the stairs. "I'll see you guys at school tomorrow."
Before leaving the basement, Sarah turned to call out. "Thanks, guys. That was literally the most fun I've had all week. Bye." And the door closed behind her.
"Does she realize it's only Tuesday?" George wondered.
"Well," Ian answered, shaking his head, "In her defense, she probably has a lot more fun than we do."
"That was really different," Johnny said. "I don't know what to think."
"I do," Jordan said. "I hate her."
Chapter Seven
"What's wrong?" Johnny asked. The rest of the group had been gone for a while now, and he and Ian were getting ready for bed. "You've hardly said anything all night."
"Nothing." Ian reverted to silence.
"Is it Sarah? You didn't seem real happy she came over."
Ian sighed. "I like Sarah. Everyone does."
"Yeah. I got that before. I don't think Jordan would agree with you."
"Well, of course not. Jordan has a crush on Ollie, and Ollie's too stupid to see it. He's blinded by Sarah."
"Ollie's the smartest kid in school," Johnny protested.
"This is a different kind of smart, and Ollie doesn't have it."
Johnny froze as a horrible idea occurred to him. "Do you think this could ruin the game?"
"I think the game might already be ruined."
"Why? Because of Sarah?"
Ian shrugged his shoulders. "I just can't figure out why she would want to come over here. She seemed to be having fun, but it could be some kind of game–her own game I mean."
"But she's so nice."
"That's what everyone says," Ian countered. "I don't really know her that well."
"You think she's going to tell everyone about the game, don't you?"
Ian looked down at the floor. "It's not that I'm ashamed of it, or anything, but my friends already make fun of me for hanging out with those guys. I don't know if I can handle it anymore."
"You can't quit the game! We've been playing for forever. What would George do? Or Jordan? They aren't like you, you know. They don't have any other friends."
"I don't know, Johnny."
"You can't quit, Ian. I love the game. We need you to play."
"Maybe Sarah can take my place."
"I think Jordan would end up killing her. Then we'd need even more new players."
"You're probably right." Ian sighed again. "Look, I'll do my campaign, then we'll see how it goes."
"Maybe Sarah really likes Ollie," Johnny said hopefully. "Maybe she really is as nice as she seems."
"Yeah, maybe." But it was obvious Ian didn't really believe it.
Chapter Eight
George walked out of physics and headed to PE. It was his least favorite class. None of his friends were in it with him. Instead, somehow, he had ended up with a bunch of jocks. If he was lucky, they would just ignore him. The main goal at school was to pass unnoticed. Just make it through the day and get your homework done as quickly as possible. Then you could spend as much time as possible on things that were really important.
He was still basking in the glory of the triumphant end to his campaign. That might have been the best one he'd ever made. And somehow, having Sarah there had made it even better. It was like her presence had added a new dimension to the game, like a breath of fresh air. It had made him run the game differently than he would have.
Take Lylor, for instance. George had intended him to be a throwaway character. He was supposed to be an escapee from the ruined fort that would give the party some information about the enemies they were going to face. But when Sarah had insisted on knowing more about him and had suggested he might have a family, George had changed his mind on the spot. Lylor–which was a name that he'd also made up on the spot, after his uncle Lyle–had just seemed more real that way. Fortunately, he'd had a character sheet he'd been able to quickly modify to fit the character, and the adventure had been a lot more interesting with the elven fighter as a member of the party.
Now if only his friends would learn the elvish language...
Someone shoved against George, nearly knocking him into the lockers. "Watch where you're going, nerd," said Richie Young, one of his habitual tormentors. George just ignored him as he walked past, laughing. It was always worse when you tried to say something.
By the time he had changed and walked into the gym, his mind had returned to the game. They were planning to play again on Friday. Maybe he would use Jared, his half-elf fighter again. It was one of his favorite characters. He was the result of forbidden love, the union of an elvish princess with a
human hero. He had the strengths of both races but was accepted by neither. Yes. He would use Jared.
A ball flew out of nowhere and slammed into the side of George's head, almost knocking his glasses off completely.
"You're out, runt."
George didn't mind at all. He spent the rest of the period sitting in the bleachers, going over plans for the next campaign when he would be in charge. It was going to be hard to top the last one, but he had a cool idea for a castle and a gold dragon. It was going to be great.
Chapter Nine
It was the end of the school day, a frigid wind was blowing, and Ollie was walking outside with Jordan. Ollie had always felt a little protective of her. Not that he was in a position to offer much protection, but still. He knew she'd had a tough life, even though Jordan never talked about it. He always walked her home, even though it was a little out of his way. Sometimes George walked with them too, but he hadn't shown up today.
They were just outside the building when Sarah rushed up to meet them.
"Hi, Ollie!" she bubbled. "Where've you been hiding? I haven't seen you all day."
Ollie was acutely aware of that fact. He'd been watching for her since the moment he'd set foot on the school grounds. They didn't have any classes together–all of Ollie's classes were AP, and none of Sarah's were. They didn't have lunch together either, but he usually saw her at some point during the day, most of the time surrounded by lots of other popular kids so that he would have had no chance to talk to her anyway.
"Hi, Jordan," Sarah said before Ollie could come up with something intelligent to say.
Jordan muttered something and looked away.
"So," Sarah said, drawing out the word, "when are we going to play again?"
"We? You want to play the game with us?"
"I thought it was super fun last night. I'd like to try my own character next time."
"Well, we're going to get together Friday night," Ollie said. "Do you know what kind of character you'd like to be?"