by Dale Britton
"That's what I was thinking, too," Ollie said. "The elves might know more about what's happening, and they might be able to help us. Didn't you say they had a magic shop and a training center, Johnny?"
"Yeah," Johnny said. "That means there are probably some pretty strong magic users there. They might be able to send us home."
As the group slowly made their way back to the outpost with their now heavy bags, the sun slowly began to set behind the trees of the forest. There was a pleasant breeze, and the songs of the birds were relaxing. The scent of the flowers was stronger than ever. There was a dreamlike quality to their journey.
That was why the attack took them completely by surprise.
The grass suddenly rustled at the side of the path, and three things rushed out from the undergrowth. They looked like bugs, but they were way too big, each practically the size of a small dog. They were covered with armor-like plates, and they were fast. Really fast.
Before anyone could react, one of the creatures reached the group and grabbed onto Johnny's leg with its vicious-looking jaws. Johnny screamed in pain and terror. His silver bow flew to the ground. He tried to hit the thing that had latched onto him, but his hands bounced off the creature's hard shell. Blood started to pool on the ground underneath him.
The other two monsters reached the group seconds later. Sarah screamed and dropped her bag, scattering coins everywhere. Ian dodged out of the way of one of the monsters. George recoiled from the beasts and fell sprawling to the ground. One of the monsters raced toward Ollie, then abruptly turned away from him and went towards Jordan.
Jordan stood her ground, and when the creature reached her, she swung her mace as hard as she could. She hit the creature on the side of its shell, momentarily knocking it backward, but otherwise doing it no harm. It turned to face her again, readying for another charge.
Ian pulled out the short sword they had found in the treasure trove. He wanted to run to Johnny's side, but the third monster stood in his way. The creature seemed wary of Ian's weapon and was weaving back and forth, looking for an opening to attack.
Ollie pulled out his dagger. He was terrified, but he needed to help his friends. He circled around so he could reach Johnny. The sight of his friend's blood sickened him, and for a moment he was afraid he would pass out, but fortunately, the dizziness passed. The monster sensed his approach and turned from Johnny to face him. It moved toward Ollie so fast that he couldn't even raise his arms fast enough to meet it.
But then, just before the monster reached him, it veered to the side.
And then Ollie understood.
Meanwhile, Ian faced a creature on his own. George hadn't managed to pick himself off of the ground, and Sarah was frozen with fright. When the monster charged, Ian managed to hold up his sword in front of his body just before the thing reached him.
For just a moment the sword glowed bright red, and the creature screamed with an inhuman voice as the weapon pierced his body.
"Everybody come close to me," Ollie yelled. "These things don't like the talisman!"
Ollie moved so that he was standing over Johnny, who was crying out in pain. Again, the sight of so much blood was almost more than Ollie could take. He examined Johnny's leg.
"Does anyone have a belt?" Ollie yelled. "He's losing blood."
Jordan had managed to hold off the monster that had gone after her with her mace, but she was getting tired. The weapon was heavy, and she wasn't used to fighting–at least not in real life.
"Over here," Ian shouted to her, and she backed her way in a circle until she had joined Ollie and the others, who had also gathered around Johnny.
The monster Ian had stabbed was lying on the ground, twitching. The other two circled the group but were reluctant to get too close. Sarah stood behind Ollie, watching the giant bugs with horror. These were not beasts that you could reason with.
"It's the talisman Father Peter gave me," Ollie said. "It's repelling them." Ian had given Ollie his belt, and Ollie tied a tourniquet on Johnny's leg around the thigh.
"How is he," Ian asked, moving to Johnny's side. His face paled when he saw the damage to his brother's leg. There was a horrible gash, and blood everywhere.
"He's lost a lot of blood," Ollie said. "He needs help. We need to get him to the church."
The two monsters, still reluctant to approach the group, instead returned to their fallen companion and started tearing into him. In only minutes they had devoured the unfortunate beast, leaving only a small pile of shells and legs.
"That's just wrong," George said.
The monsters approached the party one last time, then abruptly gave up the attack. They scuttled into the grass with their deceptive speed, and in moments they were gone.
"Come on," Ollie said. "We have to get out of here."
"Johnny?" Ian said. "Are you all right?"
"Hurts so bad," Johnny mumbled. "Hurts."
"Don't worry, Johnny," Ian said. "We'll take care of you. You'll be fine."
"We have about a mile and a half to go," Ollie said. "Everyone stay close together."
He and Ian lifted Johnny so that they could carry him between them. It was awkward, but they could do it.
Ian looked over at George. "Too bad you weren't the one who got hurt," he grunted, panting from the exertion of carrying his brother. "You're the scrawniest kid I know."
"I resent that," George said.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The next hour was the longest of Ian's life. He and Ollie carried Johnny, while the others carried their belongings. The journey was much more somber than it had been before the attack of the giant bugs. The only thought now was getting Johnny back to the church. Nothing else mattered.
"Are you all right, Johnny?" Ian asked for the twentieth time.
For the first time, Johnny didn't answer.
"Johnny?" Ian started to panic.
"He's breathing," Ollie said. "He's unconscious. Just keep moving."
"I'm so sorry," Sarah said. "I was totally useless."
"At least you didn't fall down," George said.
Sarah was staring at the ring on her finger. "This thing's stupid," she said. "It's literally the most worthless thing ever."
"Try putting it on Johnny," George said. "Maybe it's a ring of regeneration."
Sarah took off the ring and slid it onto one of Johnny's fingers. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what would happen.
Unfortunately, after several minutes, it became clear that the ring was having no effect whatsoever. The wound on Johnny's leg looked as bad as ever.
"Darn it! I really thought that would work." Sarah took the ring and slipped it back on her own finger. Once again, she felt a faint vibration from the thing. It was doing something, but what?
"Well," George said, "at least we know the sword is magic. That was pretty cool."
Johnny moaned and stiffened between Ollie and Ian before relaxing again.
"Hang in there, Johnny," Ollie said. "We're almost there."
It was early evening when they finally arrived back at the outpost, and then to the church. When Father Peter saw Johnny, he ran over to help carry him over to one of the makeshift beds.
"What happened?" the father asked. Johnny had gone very pale, and his breathing was shallow.
"Giant bugs," Ollie said. "Not sure what kind. Can you help him?"
"I'll do everything I can," Father Peter promised. "Talia! Bring me my bag."
The girl obediently appeared, carrying a bag similar to the ones that the party had carried on their journey. Ollie expected the priest to take out ointments, or medicine, or something else that was obviously a medical implement. Instead, he pulled out a small book.
"What..." Ian started, but Ollie put his hand on Ian's shoulder and shushed him.
"Let the man work," he whispered. "He's a priest." Priests were powerful characters in the game. Hopefully, this was also true here.
Father Peter quickly thumbed through the book until
he found the page he was looking for, then kneeled down at Johnny's side. "We are fortunate that the creatures were not poisonous, or you would not have reached me in time."
The priest put his left hand on Johnny's wound, and Johnny grunted in pain at his touch. Father Peter began to chant something in a language that the teens had never heard before and yet sounded familiar, like something from a dream. He repeated the words over and over, falling into a trance.
At first, nothing seemed to be happening. The words floated in the air and time stood still. After a moment, however, a white glowing light formed around the father's hand, illuminating Johnny's leg with its light.
And then the miracle happened. Johnny gasped, then went rigid. Before their eyes the ugly wound closed, knitting itself together until only a faint scar remained. Father Peter quickly removed the belt from Johnny's leg, and color began to return to his body. Johnny sighed and fell into a more relaxed sleep, and just like that the danger was over.
"That's the best I can do for now," Father Peter said wearily. "He will need to rest for some time in order to regain his strength. A serious injury such as this requires much energy to mend. Fortunately, I am still able to handle mundane wounds such as this. If it were the dark malady..." He glanced over at the stairway to the upper room and fell silent.
"Thank you," Ian said. His eyes were filled with tears.
"That was amazing," Sarah said. The others were just as impressed.
The priest sat down on a nearby chair. It was clear how much his effort had worn him out. "I see you were successful on your quest," he said.
The friends told the father about their journey and their encounters with the blink dogs and the giant insects. They showed him the treasures they had found. Father Peter agreed that the ring was magical, but he wasn't able to identify its properties either. They offered to give him some of the gold they had found, but he refused.
"You will need every resource you can acquire," he said. "Especially if you plan on visiting the elves. They are good beings, but they will not give anything away for free. You'll have need of your gold. I am a simple priest. I have no need for riches."
After a short rest, the priest left to go prepare the evening meal. Sarah offered to come along to help him, but once again he declined. "You've just returned from a dangerous and difficult excursion. Talia and I can manage in the kitchen. Please, sit down and rest."
"That is one amazing man," Ollie said when they were alone. Johnny was breathing easier now. Ian sat at his side.
"What he did to Johnny," Sarah asked, "was that magic?"
"Yes," George said. "The best kind."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Johnny woke with a start the next morning. It took him a moment to realize where he was. It took another moment before he remembered what had happened to him, then another to understand that the wound on his leg had disappeared. It then took one more moment before he realized that he wasn't alone.
Jordan sat in a chair beside his bed.
"Good morning."
Johnny carefully sat up. "What happened?"
"Ollie and Ian carried you back here, and Father Peter healed you."
"Wow." Johnny flexed his leg back and forth. "It doesn't even hurt anymore. Where is everybody?"
"In the back washing up for breakfast."
"Oh, good. I'm starving."
"Johnny," Jordan said, and something in her voice made him pause. She hesitated, struggling to talk. "I... I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Yesterday, when you tried to talk to me. I was really mean. And then, when you got hurt. I thought you were going to die. I... I'm sorry."
"It's all right, Jordan. Really. I understand."
Jordan's eyes flashed. "No, you don't." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But I shouldn't have got so mad at you."
She turned and started to walk away.
"Jordan?"
She looked back. "What?"
"I'd like to understand."
She gave him a long look, shook her head, and then turned and silently walked away.
Johnny tried to stand up to follow her, but a wave of dizziness swept over him and he was forced to sit back down.
Well, that went really well.
Chapter Thirty
There was a happy celebration when Jordan ran back and told the others Johnny was awake. They spent the morning eating breakfast and filling Johnny in on everything that had happened after he had passed out.
"It's hard to believe," Johnny said. "My leg looks perfect. You can't even see the scar."
"I know," Ollie said. "You should have seen it happen. I could really get used to magic."
"Have you looked at the spellbook that Wendall gave you?" Ian asked.
Ollie nodded. "I started reading it last night before we went to bed. It's rather complicated, but I think I'm starting to understand it a little. To do magic, you have to be able to access the energy of the world and channel it to do what you want. There are all kinds of equations and calculations involved. It's almost like a new branch of physics. It's really interesting."
"If you say so," Sarah said. "It sounds like school to me."
"Ollie's one of those weird kids who actually like school," Ian said.
While Johnny rested in bed and Father Peter made his rounds among the sick people in the outpost, the others made a trip to the outpost's mercantile. If they were going to be stuck in this world they were going to need some supplies–most notably new clothes. The only clothes they had were what they had been wearing when they came into Valoria, and a lot of those had been torn in the fight with the giant bugs. Besides, they didn't really fit the local style. The teens were starting to suspect they might be here for a while.
The store was small and didn't have too much in the way of inventory. The selection of clothes was notably puny.
"Looks like leather tunics are all the rage here," Sarah said.
"Don't forget the leggings," Ollie said.
For one gold piece, they were able to buy two sets of clothes and sturdy boots for their entire party, plus enough food to supply the church for a month. Father Peter might not accept their money, but they could at least make sure that their presence wasn't a burden on him and his family.
In the afternoon Johnny felt well enough to get out of bed. He and Ian decided to go out into the back yard and try out the silver bow. They chose a large tree as a target and retreated about fifty feet from it.
"Looks like we have twenty arrows," Johnny said, examining the quiver. He pulled out one of the arrows and examined it. The arrowhead was made of silver, like the bow. "Wow. Look at this thing. I almost feel like we shouldn't shoot it."
"Let's just make sure we get it back when we're done," Ian said.
"All right," Johnny said. "Here goes. I'll aim for that knot on the trunk."
He lifted the bow and was surprised by how light it was. He notched the arrow and drew back the bowstring, aimed, and released. The arrow flew straight to the tree and embedded itself directly into the knot.
"Whoa," Ian said. "Nice shot, bro."
They walked back to the tree and retrieved the arrow. It came out of the tree surprisingly easily, with almost no effort.
Johnny and Ian took another twenty shots at the tree between them. Not once did they miss their target, not even when they had retreated to over three hundred feet away.
"Now that's some real magic," Johnny said.
"You think so? You don't think we might just be that good? Even though I've never shot an arrow in my life? I might just be a natural, you know."
"Right," Johnny said. "And I'm the queen of England."
Chapter Thirty-One
That night, Father Peter didn't join the group for dinner. His wife had taken a turn for the worse, and he spent the night at her side. They had sandwiches in the kitchen with Nicolas and Talia, who ate with little appetite.
"Will Mumma be all right?" Nicolas asked.
&nb
sp; "Father will fix her," Talia said. "He can fix anyone.”
"Of course she'll be all right," Sarah said. But the friends looked at each other uneasily. They'd seen how Father Peter had been able to heal Johnny's leg in only minutes. What could be so bad that it was able to resist the priest's healing powers for so long? How many other people in the region were suffering from the same thing?
After dinner Johnny, Ian, and Jordan went out back to clean the dishes, leaving the others to tidy up in the kitchen. Sarah removed the ring again and studied it. It didn't have any markings that might reveal its secrets. She was tempted to throw it into a fire, like in Lord of the Rings. She put it on again. She could feel... something.
"It's doing something," she said to Ollie, who sat next to her. "I just can't tell what it is."
"There are over fifty different kinds of rings in the game," Ollie said. "Not counting the cursed ones. At least we know this one isn't cursed."
"What do cursed rings do?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, all kinds of things," Ollie said. "Make you clumsy, or stupid, or maybe attract monsters to you. All kinds of unpleasant things. But they also won't come off after you put them on."
Sarah pulled the ring off again. "Definitely not cursed, then."
"Maybe we could experiment and figure it out," Ollie said. "We can already rule out a lot of them, like invisibility and displacement. Do you feel any stronger?"
Sarah tried to lift the table and found it just as heavy as usual. "Nope. No stronger."
"Let's see, then. Maybe a ring of fire resistance?" Ollie used a pair of tongs to pull a hot coal out of the fire in the kitchen. "See how close you can hold your hand to the coal."
Sarah reached out her hand, but when she was only an inch from the coal it was already too hot for her. She pulled her hand away.
"How about a ring of flying or levitation?" George suggested. He'd been watching their experiments.
"How would that work?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know," George said. "Just try to fly."