Digitized Online

by Richard J Thorn

  250 x3 (x2) xp gained

  500 (x2) xp gained

  Nice! Just a bit over 1k experience to level 8.

  I sat down to take a breather and have a bit of Patch's famous ale. The cold liquid went down smooth and after a few minutes I was ready to get back to exploring.

  "That was a close call. We're going to have to be ever vigilant down here."

  Esmerelda picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulder. "Hmm. I wonder. Those rats seemed a bit out of place. Could that have possibly been sent by the AI?"

  "I don't know. I hadn't thought about it."

  We picked through the dead rats, taking anything of value we could find. Other than a gp that we split between us and the leader’s rusty machete, there wasn't much else. Esmerelda pocketed a mana potion.

  "If she's sending massive rats like that, she's stepped up her game."

  We both chewed on that thought as we continued our dungeon dive. I grabbed all the arrows I could. Even though I had several hundred, they'd all eventually break at some point or other.

  We carefully made our way down the corridor, Esmerelda holding her torch out. I wondered what we were going to come across next. Were there still other hidden quests we had yet to find? How big was this place, anyway?

  "Shh..." Esmerelda whispered and placed a finger on her lips. "I hear something up ahead."

  I listened as hard as I could, but only heard the distant dripping of water. "What do you think it is?" I whispered.

  She shrugged. "Hard to say. Come on, let's go find out."

  I nocked two arrows and readied my bow.

  We followed the musty passageway until we came to another fork.

  "Well, which way?" She asked. She walked back and forth in each direction, shining her torch, but they were both just passageways as far as we could see.

  "Let's flip a coin." I suggested and fished out a silver piece. "Heads or tails."

  "Tails, of course..." She purred and grinned.

  I laughed and looked down. Sure enough: tails. She wagged hers in my general direction and chose to continue the way were were going. I swatted her ass and followed her.

  Moments later we came upon a barred door.

  "Wonder what's behind there?" I asked.

  "Maybe we should knock and see who answers?" Esmerelda smirked.

  "Yeah. Let's say we did and don't." I pointed down the hall. "Let's try the other way, maybe that'll provide us with some answers.

  "What?" She rubbed my neck and shoulder muscles. "You mean you don't want to bust down the door and show me what a strong man you are?"

  I shivered at her light, sultry kisses in my ear. My cock twitched in my pants when she snaked her tongue down into my ear canal and breathed hotly.

  "I have a feeling the goblins wouldn't take too kindly to us making out right outside their door." I smiled.

  "Yeah, well. Let them stew in their own hatred..." She giggled, but turned and led the way back the way we came. "Let's see what's down passageway number 2."

  With bow and spell at the ready, we slowly worked our way through the spooky corridor. We could see flickering light ahead, indicating something was up there. What it was, neither of us had any clue.

  My heart sped up as we got closer and I actually began recognizing words. Broken words, to be sure. But words. We could also hear a crackling fire.

  "What do you think it is?" I whispered.

  Chapter 13

  "I don't know. Come on, let's find out." She set the torch down so that it wouldn't give away our presence.

  As quietly as we could, we snuck upon the disembodied voices. When we saw what they were, we both looked at each other, eyes wide.

  "Centaurs?" Esmerelda mouthed. "In here?"

  Neither one of us knew whether they were hostile or not. The last thing we wanted to do was kill friendlies. But just exactly what were two centaurs doing way down here?

  "Cover me. I'm going to talk to them." Esmerelda said and slowly advanced on the two centaurs. One appeared to be a woman and the other a man. Though it was a bit hard to discern as other than the long hair they shared a similar body shape.

  They were sitting comfortably in front of the fire, picking at something that looked like a dead rat. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they looked a bit distressed.

  The second Esmerelda cleared her throat and held her hands in the air, the two Centaurs sprung nimbly from their sitting position. It startled me so bad that I nearly lost control of my arrows.

  They had their weapons out before I could even blink and I suddenly wondered if this was a good idea.

  "Who goes there!" The taller, sleek-black Centaur bellowed out, his voice filled with uncertainty and fear.

  "Uh..." Esmerelda suddenly looked panic-stricken and her voice seized up.

  I stepped forward, my bow trained on the man's chest. "We're just adventurers looking for gold. Who are you? And why are two Centaurs so far away from the forest?" I narrowed my eyes even as my fingers twitched.

  The male Centaur stood there, his own bow at the ready. I could see the muscles on his arms bulging as he sized us up.

  "That's right!" Esmerelda suddenly found her voice. "We're not here to hurt you - as long as you're not here to hurt us."

  "Oh, go on Elmer." The lady Centaur spoke up. "Put down your weapon. They look harmless enough. Besides, maybe they can help us."

  "Help you?" Esmerelda shook her head. "Help you with what?"

  The male - Elmer - stood stock still, no doubt wondering if his mate was correct. It wasn't until she placed a hand on his shoulder did he relax and lower his bow.

  "You're probably right, Juniper." He sighed deeply as though he'd been holding his breath the entire time.

  I lowered my bow and stepped forward, hand outstretched. "My name's Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe Darkwolf. This..." I indicated behind me, "Is Esmerelda. It's a pleasure to meet you."

  The four of us shook hands. I was impressed by Elmer's strength. I didn't say anything, but his casual handshake nearly crushed my hand. I had to shake the feeling back into it.

  "So, what's this help you two need?" Esmerelda asked, rubbing her hand. "We'll help in anyway we can."

  "Well..." Juniper stepped forward, wringing her hands. "We were out hunting one day and our prey slipped into this dungeon. By the time we had killed it and were ready to leave, we couldn't find our way out. We've been living down here for Gods' know how long. Isn't that right, Elmer?"

  The larger Centaur nodded. "So..." He swallowed hard. "We need your help getting back to the surface. I'm afraid my direction sense in this infernal underground place is lousy."

  "That...that sounds reasonable. You just want help finding the entrance? We just came from there." I said.

  Juniper nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. "You don't know how grateful we'd be for the help."

  "How are you guys doing for food and water?" Esmerelda asked, warming her hands by the fire. "We still have some leftover gull meat that we'd be willing to share. And it may not be much, but we have some ale."

  I noticed that Elmer's eyes widened.

  Juniper smiled. "You'll have to forgive Elmer. Gull meat is his favorite. But sure, if you have any to spare, we'd take some. It's been awhile since we had anything but roasted rat down here. And that's getting a bit stale."

  "Sure!" I said and brought out my pack. I grabbed a few gull meat fillets, noting that I was nearly out and would have to go hunting soon. The lady Centaur took them from me and roasted them over the open flame.

  We shot the shit, talking about all kinds of things. I got the impression that they didn't realize they were NPC's in a sophisticated computer simulation.

  And I certainly wasn't going to be the one to break it to them. Not that it mattered much.

  The large horse people gratefully drank of our ale. I could tell they needed more than our tiny wine-skins could hold, but they left us enough for ourselves.

  "We'll reward you handsomely." Elmer paced
back and forth in the room. "I just feel so stupid getting us lost down here. Juniper warned me not to chase anything into the cave. But I wouldn't listen."

  The Centaur matriarch trotted up beside him and patted him on the back. "It's okay, Elmer. You couldn't have known."

  After eating the delicious meal, I stood and patted my stomach and slung my pack on my back. "Are you two ready to get back to the surface?"

  They both nodded. "Thank you again, kind people."

  "Don't mention it." Esmerelda blushed.

  Hidden quest: Centaur Escort

  Objective: Escort the Centaur family to their home

  Reward: Unknown

  We escorted the two centaurs single-file through the dimly-lit corridor. I wasn't exactly sure how they were going to manage climbing up the ladder, but they surprised me by nimbly doing just that.

  I just had to shake my head at the absurdity of watching a Centaur climb up a ladder. This game never ceased to amaze me.

  "So this is where we came down!" Juniper exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands together. "We thought we'd never see the light of day again."

  Rounding a corner, we came upon a patrol of goblins. To my surprise, Elmer drew out his bow and his wife rushed them, kicking and flaying her legs. Before either Esmerelda or I could get a shot off, the goblins lay sprawled on the floor, their heads stamped with hoof marks.

  "Holy shit!" Esmerelda cautiously stepped toward the bruised, battered and beaten bodies to check them for loot. "I'm glad you're on our side."

  15/100 Goblins slain

  16/100 Goblins slain

  17/100 Goblins slain

  We still had a ways to go to finish that quest, but I was confidant we'd do it before too long.

  200 x3 (x2) xp gained

  Congratulations! You have gained a new level. You are now level 8!

  An impromptu celebration broke out as everyone clapped and congratulated me on my accomplishment. I looked at my hp bar and saw that it had jumped to 120. Those extra hp would really come in handy.

  The dead goblin bodies gave up only a few measly silver. We offered them to the Centaurs, but they weren't interested. So, we looted them, split the coins and moved on.

  It took us another 10 minutes before we reached the entrance of the cave. It was still lightly raining and the earth smelled absolutely delightful.

  April whinnied at me.

  "Well hello to you, too!" I replied. I fished out some more oats from my pack. I hand-fed her a handful and she seemed to like that.

  “You…uh…wouldn’t happen to have any more of those oats, would you?” Elmer asked sheepishly.

  I laughed and gave him some.

  "How much further is your camp? Should we bring the horses?" Esmerelda asked, stroking Moxie's back.

  "Oh, it's not far. You can leave them here if you like." Juniper said. "If you feel comfortable, you can ride us. I promise we'll go gentle.'

  I looked at Esmerelda and shrugged.

  "Sure, why not?" She agreed for the both of us.

  It was a trip riding bareback on a Centaur, let me tell you. Even going slow I felt like I was going to fall off at every bounce. But at the same time, it was awesome. How many people could say they've ridden on a Centaur?

  A few minutes of bumpy riding and we came upon their camp. It was just the two of them as they were starting to get on in age, juniper explained.

  Hidden quest complete: Centaur Escort

  Experience gained: 2500 (x2)

  They handed us each a pouch with 20 gp each in it. Holy shit! I wasn't expecting that.

  This time it was Esmerelda's turn to ding next level.

  "Congrats!" I said and looked at her level. "Holy shit! You're already level 10!"

  "Yeah!" She pumped her fist in the air.

  "You get talent points at level 10, right?" I couldn't believe that she'd out leveled me. I was going to have to up my game.

  She nodded. "I'm taking this little guy." She activated a spell and a small fire elemental imp popped out and began dancing around. "He'll make a great distraction."

  "Cool! I wish I had some kind of pet to help me out."

  "Don't worry, you'll find something."

  As she puttered around in her talent tree, I looked around the small camp, more to kill time than anything else. It looked to be a nice, cozy place. Out of the way, yet easily accessible.

  I was puttering around, killing time when I came across a very large - and very intriguing egg. When I say large, I'm talking about knee-high. It was light blue with red speckles.

  I don't know why, but it intrigued me. Greatly.

  I was about to turn and ask about it, when Elmer trotted up behind me.

  "Like it?"

  I nodded. "It's very...intriguing." I admitted. "What is it? I haven't seen a bird around here that it could possibly belong to."

  He shook his head. "It belongs to no bird." He explained.

  "What then? I haven't seen any large reptiles."

  "It belongs to a rare specie of raptor that live in a small valley north of here in the mountains."

  I stared at the Centaur for several minutes, not believing my ears. "You mean there are dinosaurs here?" For some reason that caused me to palpitate.

  "Oh yes!" He smiled fondly. "There are all manner of raptors and some say even larger dinos."

  "So..." I turned back to the egg sitting on the table. "That's a raptor egg?"

  "Uh huh!" He nodded enthusiastically. "Mama says it's going to hatch any day now. She's been waiting anxiously."

  I shook my head. "I don't understand. Why would you want to hatch a raptor?" Try as I might, I could not wrap my head around the idea.

  "Oh! Raptors are known for their fierce loyalty. Once they're imprinted on you, they're easy to train and are particularly good at defense. They're the best pet a hunter could hope for."

  "A hunter?" I arched an eyebrow.

  "Yes. They're strong, cagey, vicious creatures with a damaging bite and a tenacity to rival any beast. Put simply, they distract the prey while you shoot it at your leisure."

  "Wow! I hadn't thought of that. Easy to train, you say?" Now I was really intrigued.

  "Very. You know..." He leaned close and lowered his voice. "We can't express how much you helping save our hides means to us. I don't think June would have a problem with me offering this as payment for your extreme kindness."

  I stared, slack-jawed, at the Centaur. "You're kidding, right? You said yourself she's been waiting for this for awhile now. I can't just --"

  "June!" He hollered.

  "Wait, no!" I tried to protest, but he waved me off.

  "June. I think for their help we should give them our special raptor egg. I know you've been looking forward to hatching it, but we can always get another one."

  Juniper thought about it for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "You know what? You're right. I was wondering how we could ever repay them. This is perfect!" She picked up the giant egg, turned to me and handed it over expectantly. "Here."

  "No, I couldn't possibly..."

  "I insist! It's the least we could do." She practically put the egg in my hands.

  "But...I don't know the first thing about raising a raptor."

  "Meat." Esmerelda came up behind me. "Lots and lots of meat."

  "So the consensus here is that I should take this raptor, raise it and make it my hunting pet? Do I have that right?"

  Everyone nodded.

  Reluctantly, I took the heavy egg. I really didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do with it. It's not like it came with instructions or anything.

  "How long would you say until it hatches?" I asked as I ran my fingers over the bumpy shell.

  Juniper shrugged. "Anytime now I suspect." She smiled warmly. "Just talk to it. Tell it that you're its new master. Raptors love that. They don’t necessarily believe it, but they like hearing your voice."

  Esmerelda laughed as my cheeks colored. "Talk to the raptor." I was starting to feel mor
e and more stupid as time went on.

  "Yes. Tell it your name." Elmer suggested. "You don't have to use a baby voice or anything. Go on, try it."

  I looked at Esmerelda and she nodded her head, though she was trying her best to hold back from laughing.

  Feeling awfully stupid, I looked down at the egg, closed my eyes and gulped.

  "Hello there, my name is Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe Darkwolf."

  I nearly dropped the fucking egg, when - to my complete surprise - whatever was inside responded and it moved.

  Very Rare, Secret, Hidden quest: Raptor Egg

  Objective: Hatch the raptor egg

  Reward: Baby Raptor Pet

  Esmerelda giggled and Juniper smiled broadly.

  "I think it's hatching now. Talk to it some more. Don't be shy! He or she will be your personal, loyal companion, willing to follow you anywhere and everywhere. It will fight for you, protect you and be your best friend. Or, make you its pet. Either way is fine."

  "Well, if you put it that way." I moved away from the crowd and sat down against a tall tree, the raptor egg in my lap.

  "Hey little guy...or girl." I chuckled to myself at the absurdity of what I was doing. Was I ready to become a raptor mommy? I didn't think so, but whatever. A quest was a quest, right? What could possibly go wrong?

  For the next half-hour, I talked to the little guy, told him that I was his new master and that we were going to make a great team. And - yes - I even sang to it.

  The little guy was starting to rub off on me. Thankfully neither Esmerelda or the Centaurs bothered me as I bonded with my...egg.

  Every time I talked to it or made a noise at it, the egg would move a little. Soon, it started to crack. That's when everyone became excited and came over to see what was going on.

  Esmerelda started to help the little guy out of his shell, but Juniper stopped her. "Don't. He needs to do this all on his own." She turned to me. "Encourage him. Tell him he's a good raptor. He needs to hear your voice."