“Unless,” Alyssa said, slowly.
“Unless what?” Luke asked.
“Unless they want us to get The Orb. Maybe things in the great afterlife or whatever they called it aren't what they thought they would be. Maybe they want to get back into Bloodfeast as badly as we want to get back to Boston.”
The friends stood around and pondered that idea for a minute. Then, they all turned their attention toward The Orb.
“We can try to figure this all out later,” Stephanie said. “Right now, we should probably grab The Orb and get out of here before the Rock Dragon wakes up. I'm guessing its not gonna be too happy when it does.”
“You're right,” Mitch said and they walked over to The Orb.
The four of them stood in front of the Orb of Displacement, looking at it in absolute awe. That little orb was responsible for everything they'd been through. Mitch picked it up and carefully put it in his pack. Then, they quickly exited the cavern and began the long journey back to the surface.
Once they felt they were a safe distance from the dragon, which was much too large to fit through the hallway, they stopped in the tunnel to take a much-needed rest. The four of them all took long naps, had something to eat, and healed their wounds. As exhausted as they were, all of them were beyond happy to finally have found the Orb of Displacement.
Chapter 17 - Now What?
The friends traveled back up through the tunnels, eventually getting back to the surface. After being underground for so long, they took a few minutes to relax and breathe the fresh air.
“So, now what?” Alyssa asked.
“Now that we have The Orb, we need to figure out how to use it,” Mitch said.
The four friends looked to each other and all shrugged their shoulders, one after the other. None of them had even the slightest idea of how to proceed.
“Back to the goddamn drawing board,” Luke said.
“Why don't we head back into town,” Mitch said. “We'll do the same thing we did to figure out how to find The Orb: Talk to anyone and everyone we can until someone gives us something to go on.”
“So we're looking for anybody anywhere to tell us something about anything,” Luke said with a smirk. “Got it.”
They all laughed and started walking back to downtown Northwind. The first place the friends went was to The TavInn for some food, drinks, and to talk to people. Like before, it was mostly filled with women and Luke enjoyed questioning several of them. His friends would've been much happier, though, if he was questioning the women about how to use The Orb like he was supposed to. Instead, he was flirting with the locals.
“So I'm guessing you two lovely ladies have never been in a threesome?” Luke asked the women at a table in the back he sat down with.
“I haven't, no,” an elven wizard answered.
“Me either,” the other woman at the table, a human fighter, answered.
“You know,” Luke said, putting a hand on one of each of the women's and flexing his muscles, “you really should try it sometime. I bet the three of us could have a lot of fun. I'm not sure how long I'm gonna be in town for, but we could get a room at the inn and...”
“What do you think you're doing?” Alyssa interrupted, standing behind Luke.
“What?” he replied, looking up at her.
“You're supposed to be asking about The Orb. Not trying to corrupt the good women of Northwind.”
“Why can't I do both?”
Alyssa looked at the two women and said, “I know he's a handsome, muscular warrior but I feel I should warn you: An evil witch put a curse on his cock. It makes all the hair and fingernails fall out of whoever he has sex with. Do what you're gonna go, but don't say I didn't warn you.”
The two women looked at Luke, then looked at each other. They grabbed their drinks, got up, and walked away from the table, shaking their heads.
“Ladies! Come on! She's kidding!” he said, but the women kept walking away and took a seat at the bar. Luke turned his attention to Alyssa and said, “Fucking cock blocker,” and got up from the table. She didn't reply. Alyssa just flashed an evil grin, quite pleased with herself.
The friends continued to spend the remainder of the day questioning people about the Orb of Displacement. They asked everyone they came in contact with, players and NPCs alike. At the end of the day, they had nothing. No one in Northwind was able to tell them anything about how to use The Orb. Discouraged, they went back to the TavInn to get some food and drinks before getting a room for the night.
“Now what?” Stephanie asked.
“I think we should head back to Lakewind,” Alyssa replied.
“I agree,” Mitch said. “When we got transported into the game, our characters were all just south of Lakewind. Maybe we'll have better luck getting some answers there.”
“It can't be worse,” Luke said, finishing his third mug of ale. “We didn't learn shit today. Actually, that's not true. We learned that Alyssa likes to cock block her friends.”
Alyssa opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. There was a lot she wanted to say but didn't want to give Luke the satisfaction.
“Alright,” Mitch said. “Let's settle in for the night and meet back here at first light. We'll grab a quick bite to eat then head south to Lakewind. Hopefully we'll be able to get some answers there.”
* * *
The next morning after having breakfast, the friends left Northwind. They headed south down the road going between the two mountain ranges. The morning was more-or-less uneventful, aside from running into some other adventurers along the way. They questioned everyone they met about The Orb, but no one was able to tell them anything.
The afternoon brought more of the same. They continued walking toward Lakewind, making good time. Just when the town came into view off in the distance, Luke stopped suddenly and raised his sword.
“Don't move,” he said.
The others weren't sure why Luke had stopped. Not at first, anyway. But when he started creeping slowly ahead, they saw what he was going after – another suicide squirrel.
Luke kept slowly moving forward, being careful not to make any noise. The squirrel hadn't noticed him yet and was busy chomping away at some kind of nut. It was facing the other way and Luke got right behind it. With a smile on his face, sure that he was finally going to kill a suicide squirrel, Luke prepared to swing his longsword down and chop it in half.
Suddenly, just as he was about to attack, Luke watched a arrow come out of nowhere and pierce right through the squirrel. +999 Exp floated out of it as its eyes closed and it dropped the nut it was eating. Luke's smile quickly turned into a look of intense anger. Stephanie's face, however, had a proud ear-to-ear grin on it.
“What the fuck!” Luke screamed, dropping his sword. “I was just about to kill it!”
“I'm sorry,” Stephanie replied. “I thought it was gonna run off so I took a shot at it.”
“Yeah, a lucky shot. Another lucky shot. What a bunch of bullshit. That squirrel was mine. Mine! You stole my kill, you snaky little elven bi-”
“Watch it,” Mitch said, interrupting Luke, standing between him and Stephanie. “Do not talk to her like that. She killed the suicide squirrel fair and square and you're just mad because she beat you to it. You're the one being a little bitch right now.”
Alyssa and Stephanie were both afraid to see how Luke was going to react – or overreact, as he was known to do. He slowly walked right up to Mitch, their eyes locked. Luke was significantly taller than Mitch and towered over him. As scared as he was, Mitch didn't back down. He stood his ground as Luke approached him and they stood toe-to-toe, staring each other in the eyes, silently. Though Mitch had never been good at standing up for himself, he had no problem defending Stephanie.
“You're right,” Luke said, breaking the silence. “But it was a lucky shot. Let's keep going. We're almost to Lakewind.”
He stepped away from Mitch and walked over to pick
up his longsword. Both Stephanie and Alyssa breathed a sigh of relief. Neither of them wanted to see Mitch and Luke fight. Between Luke's strength and proficiency with his longsword and Mitch's ability to shift into a wolf, it wouldn't have been pretty.
They continued down the road to Lakewind, arriving in the town shortly thereafter. The friends went to the tavern to get some food and talk to people. Just like in Northwind, no one was able to tell them anything about how to use the Orb of Displacement.
“Now what are we gonna do?” Alyssa asked. “We've got The Orb but have no idea how to use it to get home. And neither does anyone else, apparently.”
“Maybe she knows something about The Orb,” Luke said, looking at an attractive young half-elf who just entered the tavern. “I'd better go find out,” he continued, then got up from the table and started walking over to her.
Mitch and Stephanie looked at Alyssa, expecting her to react like she usually does.
“What?” Alyssa said.
“No head shake?” Mitch asked.
“No ‘He's so disgusting?’” Stephanie followed.
“Nothing?” Mitch asked. “You always have something to say about Luke's antics.”
“Yeah and it's no secret why,” Stephanie said and smirked.
“What are you guys talking about?” Alyssa asked, angry at the insinuation.
“Come on, Alyssa!” Stephanie answered. “We all know that you have a thing for Luke.”
With a half-confused, half-angered face, Alyssa replied, “You're kidding, right? You think I like Luke? Both of you?”
“Yeah.”
“Yup.”
“Get the fuck out of here!” Alyssa yelled.
“See, you're even starting to sound like him!” Stephanie said.
Her and Mitch started laughing. Alyssa became very angry, very quickly. It bothered her so much because she knew - on some level - that there was at least a drop of truth to it. Alyssa did the best she could to remain calm, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.
“I don't have a thing for Luke,” Alyssa said, calmly. “The truth is, I can barely stand him. He's so...”
“Disgusting,” Mitch and Stephanie both said at the same time and again, laughed.
“Well, he is,” Alyssa concluded, then changed the subject.
They spent the rest of the evening in the tavern eating, drinking, and asking everyone they could about The Orb. At the end of the night, the friends still didn't have any idea of how to use it. No one was able to offer them any information at all.
After a long day of traveling and a long night of drinking, Mitch, Stephanie, and Alyssa all got rooms at the inn. Luke had already left, getting a room with the half-elf he was supposed to question about The Orb. Eventually, he did get around to asking her – after they had sex on his bed, then on the floor, and again outside near the outhouses. Not surprisingly, she didn't know anything about using the Orb of Displacement.
All four of the friends slept soundly that night. Sure, they were worried about trying to figure out how to use The Orb so they could get home. But between all the ale and the mutton they wolfed down – literally, in Mitch's case – the friends all fell right asleep as soon as they laid down. Even Luke fell right asleep, despite the half-elf's attempt to get him to go for a fourth round.
Chapter 18 - Gnome-Man's Land
“So, what's the plan?” Alyssa asked as the four friends ate breakfast at the tavern.
“I was thinking,” Stephanie replied with a mouthful of mutton, “maybe we should go talk to Larilda again. You know, the crazy crat lady. She knew about the Orb of Displacement. Maybe she knows something about how to use it to switch out of the game.”
“It's certainly worth a shot,” Mitch said. “I can't think of anything better.”
“Nope. Me neither,” Alyssa said. “I guess we're off to see the crat lady again.”
They finished eating breakfast and gathered their belongings. Though the friends weren't overly optimistic, they went looking for Larilda to see if she knew anything about how to use The Orb.
It didn't take them long to find her. Larilda was pacing around anxiously near the weaponsmith. This time, she had two crats with her – one in her arms and another one resting on her shoulder. Larilda looked even more disheveled than before, wearing a tattered sweater that hung down all the way to her knees. She was rambling incoherently and the friends just stood there and listened to her, trying to make sense of what she was saying. None of them could. Eventually, Stephanie approached Larilda.
“Excuse me,” she said in a soft, shaky tone. “Larilda? May we ask you a few questions?”
The crat lady stopped rambling and looked at Stephanie. Their eyes locked for a few seconds before Larilda looked away and resumed her babbling. Luke, frustrated with Stephanie's passive approach, walked right up to her. He put his hands on Larilda's shoulders and shook her – not hard enough to hurt her, but certainly hard enough to get her attention.
“Hey!” Luke yelled. “Crazy lady. Snap out of it. We need your help. I need you to focus for a minute. Then you can go back to talking to yourself like a psycho.”
Larilda got quiet and looked up at Luke. He towered over her and assumed she’d be at least a little intimidated by him. Most people were. The others looked on, eager to see what she was going to do. Much to their surprise, she started speaking calmly and clearly.
“What can I help you with?” Larilda asked.
Alyssa walked up to her and said, “The Orb of Displacement – The one we asked you about before. Do you know how to use it? We want to use it to, um...”
“To displace the gods,” Stephanie continued. “We want to use it to get to the great beyond.”
Larilda didn't answer right away. Her eyes looked down to the ground and she stroked her chin, as if lost in thought. The friends stood around her, eager to see if she could help them. Finally, in typical crazy crat lazy fashion, Larilda launched into a manic tirade.
“Displace the gods? You want to displace the gods? Only a fool would try to displace the gods. Ohhh, but they're no gods at all, are they? If they're the gods, then what does that make me? I guess I'm a god, too! That orb is dangerous. Too dangerous, if you ask me! No one should have that kind of power. One minute you're here, the next minute you're there. No warning. Not even the slightest hint that your entire reality is about to be turned inside out. It's not fair! But then again, nothing is fair in this crazy, mixed up world. You won't find fairness in this...”
“Do you know how to make The Orb work?” Mitch asked, interrupting Larilda.
“A spell, of course!” She answered. “But not just any spell. You won't find the spell that you're looking for in any old magic book. Oh, no. It's a spell that must be cast on each person crazy enough to want to displace a god. Don't say I didn't warn you, though. They're not my gods. That's for sure. Cast the spell, touch The Orb, and then you'll get to the great beyond. Beyond, for sure. But I don't know about great. I wouldn't even call it the good beyond. The question is, is it better than this? Better than here? Cast that spell and I guess you'll find out.”
“What spell?” Alyssa asked. “Where can we learn this spell?”
“It's not an easy one to learn, mind you. Most wizards, witches, warlocks, mages, and magicians have never even heard of it. And the few who have? Oh, they almost always wish they never came across such a wicked incantation. But if you insist on looking for the words that will send you to the great beyond, you must travel to Gnome-Man's Land.”
“No man's land?” Luke asked. “Where's that?”
“No, no, no!” Larilda replied. “Not no man's land. Gnome-Man's Land.”
“And that would be...” Alyssa asked.
“In the forest south of here. But don't ask me where exactly. I've never been. Why would I? I'm not wicked enough to cast such a evil spell. It's really more of a curse, if you ask me. You wouldn't know what it's like to be on the receiving end. But m
e? Let me tell you, it'll turn your entire world upside down. Or downside up, depending on where you're at to begin with. But the only place to find that malevolent incantation is down in Gnome-Man's Land in the northwestern part of the forest south of Lakewind. Don't ask me where it is precisely, cause I don't know. What I do know is that it's written on a tree. Which tree? That's for you to figure out. Not a task I'd want. You know how many trees there are in that forest? What you're looking for is a needle in a haystack, really.”
“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Stephanie asked.
“I can tell you that whether you're here or there, you'd almost always rather be there than here, or here than there. The grass is always greener, as they say. What do I say? I say stay put. No need to be displacing anyone. Just be happy with what you've got, where you've got it. Or don't. That's up to you. Me? I'll be staying right here, thank you. Unless I end up getting displaced!”
Inside Out_Bloodfeast Book 1 Page 13