A Player in the Greenwood: A LitRPG Novella

by Galen Wolf

  With the anchoring lifted all the ghosts were able to leave to resurrect. I saw Achilles and Ajora vanish as well as the ghost of Loki. No doubt he wouldn't let me get away with this but it was my job now to improve and to beat him again. And again. And again, until he learned not to mess with me and my friends. In fact until he learned to stop picking on little guys who just came to the game to have a good time.

  We left the Royal Palace. Outside I looked up at the sky. There was still an aerial battle going on, but it looked like most people had retired to lick their wounds. Elfhair stared down the Royal Avenue towards the centre of Horrabia square. From the flashes, there was still fighting going on there. I guessed finally most of our troops had withdrawn, leaving the stubborn and those who hated Horrabia so much they just wouldn't give in. The Horrabians would be mopping up those who couldn't get away. I wanted to help, but we were battle scarred. There was no way I could go to help that many. We just didn't have the resources.

  "How can we get out of here?" Elfhair said. "I don't have teleport pills, and I don't fancy walking through that." She gestured toward the fighting.

  I beamed. "Listen." I whistled and, from afar, the speck of a bird grew bigger from the south-east until it was circling over our heads. A Golden Eagle came to land at our feet in a thunder of mighty wings.

  "Is this yours?" Asked Elfhair wide-eyed.

  I nodded with a big smile. "Yes, I just got the skill to call it, but let's see if I can fly it."

  I leaned forward to speak to the magnificent golden feathered bird and said, "I name you Aquila."

  As we climbed onto the eagle, it flapped its huge wings to lift off taking us into the skies above Horrabia, and Elfhair said, it's nice that you named the bird. I think it's much better when you name your pets rather than just leaving the default names.

  I winced. "Yeah, but I think wolf, will still be just Wolfie, and Tiger will probably be Tiger."

  As we soared in the sky over the Midnight Lake, she laughed her delightful, musical laugh.

  #

  As we sat around the campfire at the Rangers Guild on the landing platform. I looked over at the assembled company. All my friends gathered around me there. There was Griffin and Ahn and Ajora and sitting next to me, Elfhair and next to her the rogue Achilles. Both were there as honored guests and they'd accessed the Guild house by teleport pill – official teleport pill. Ahn was toasting marshmallows and handing round mead.

  He said, "This isn't over, you know. Loki and the city of Horrabia will not let this rest."

  "It was a magnificent victory," said Griffin.

  "It was that," said Ajora.

  "But, all our cards are marked now. We will be special targets for any citizen of Horrabia. And especially for the Thieves Guild. They can't tolerate us humiliating them and their city in this way."

  "It was a fantastic fight," said Ajora. "We took on their best, and we won. And best of all." She pointed at me. "This Level 10 defeated the guild master of the Thieves Guild."

  "I was level 9 for most of the fight," I said.

  Everyone laughed.

  "But I couldn't have done it without you guys."

  Elfhair cocked her head and asked me, "Are you still thinking of quitting the Greenwood?"

  I looked at the Guildhouse and the treetops stirring in the breeze. I smiled and shook my head. "No, I'm here for the long haul. I know it's not the real world, but The Greenwood has taught me a lot about honour, friendship and perseverance. I want to practice those skills. And maybe level them up."

  "Sounds like a plan," Elfhair said and reached me a toasted marshmallow from the fire.

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  Stories Set in The World of The Greenwood

  1. A Player in the Greenwood

  2. The Runesmith

  3. War in the Greenwood

  4. The Bard

  5. Plague in the Greenwood

  6. The Necromancer

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  Galen Wolf.

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