Quest into Hidden Realms

by Tom Gallier

  "It's true," Alisara said. She stood up from behind an overturned table. "Lord Seth heard they were asking questions about his lost castle, and you know how he feels about that."

  The Officer of the Watch nodded, but gave Killum a stern look. "There's still a fine for fighting inside the city walls and a clean-up tax."

  The Watch took all eight purses, and the dead mens' arms and armor. Killum found it interesting the fine and tax equaled all of their foes' worldly possessions. So he and his friends gained nothing from the fight.

  "Let's get out of here before trouble finds us again," Killum said.

  Chapter 25

  The mouthwatering smell of roasting meat filled the early morning air. The cold clung to her bare skin, forcing the sorceress to curl up close to the fire. Then a rustling sound, followed by the crack of breaking wood, roused Asha from her sleep.

  Asha rose up on one elbow, facing the fire, while she knuckled sleep from her tired eyes. Deidra was busy feeding their campfire with small branches she was snapping into six inch lengths. A skinned rabbit was spitted over the first. To the ranger's side was a pair of wide leaves with small piles of wild vegetables.

  "Why is it so cold?"

  "It's not really all that cold. Maybe upper 60s," Deidra said. "I guess if feels cold because of how hot it was when we went to sleep."

  The elven sorceress converted Deidra's "upper 60s" to 20 degrees Celsius. It felt colder than that, but she was barely covered in her Elven Sorceress Dress, while the ranger was covered head to toe in her soft ranger leathers. The outfit was Bound to Deidra so returned to her on a command shortly after they escaped, just as Asha's elven sorceress dress could never truly be taken away.

  I need to get a set of warm clothes for early morning, Asha thought. Maybe furs.

  "How far is Knaresburg?"

  Deidra looked northward and frowned in concentration. "About two hours ride."

  "We should've continued on last night instead of stopping to camp," she said. "A room in an inn would've been so much nicer."

  "I didn't realize we were so close until I went hunting his morning," the ranger said. "And Knaresburg is bigger, and more dangerous, than Oxenbluff. It is not as safe to spend the night outside of the town's walls. We were safer here."

  Asha frowned. She used to not worry about being safe. The sorceress thought others should worry about her.

  "For every positive in this realm, there are two negatives."

  Deidra chuckled. "Truth."

  "Is it true? Are we stuck in this realm of the Game forever?"

  "Pretty much," Deidra said, concentrating more on checking the meat. "Breakfast is ready."

  "You don't seem too concerned."

  The elven ranger shrugged as she tore off a hind leg and placed it on one of the two wide leaves. "I like it here. My life sucked in the real world. I'm living my dream in this world."

  Deidre handed the leaf piled with meat and veggies to her. Asha accepted it gratefully, because the hunger pains were starting to make themselves known.

  "But you were captured and about to be sold into sexual slavery," Asha said. "It seems awful easy for our idyllic lives to take nasty turns."

  Deidra tore off the other hind leg, and sank her teeth into it. Pure bliss spread across her lovely face as she savored the juicy meat. Her low moan of pleasure spurred Asha into taking a bite, and it was just as delicious as the other elfmaid made it sound.

  "Interesting," Deidra said. "I know you just well enough to know you are Indian, and I didn't think Indians were allowed to eat meat."

  The sorceress gave her a look. Why give her meat if she didn't think she'd eat it? Was it a test or something? And why did everyone seem so concerned about what she could and couldn't eat or drink?

  "Some aren't, but I actually can," she said. "And even if I were a vegetarian, this is delicious. You are a great cook."

  Asha also enjoyed the wild carrots, greens she didn't recognize, and some nuts and berries. The ranger's foraging skills were amazing. To her surprise, Asha ate every bite. She normally didn't eat so much, but she needed it.

  "Shall we go into Knaresburg now? Killum, Tiana, Fergus, and Rand will love seeing you."

  "Sorry, Ash, but this is where we part company," she said. Deidra pointed to the east. "I live about four hours ride that way. It's a thriving Elven Community." She wagged her brows at the elven sorceress. "You'd be welcome to join the Community, but not your friends. You should think about it, because being part of a Community provides certain benefits."

  "Like what?"

  Deidra reached over and touched the wound on Asha's left forearm. The ranger closed her eyes, whispered something, and Asha felt a tingling under her bandages.

  "I'm not a spellcaster of any sort, but my Community gives me the ability to heal," the ranger said. "Go ahead, remove the bandages."

  There was no pain, so Asha did as she bid. She unwrapped the bloody strips of cloth to find smooth skin. No wound. Not even a scar.

  "You can buy a spell to do that, but it will cost a lot of mana every time you use it, while I only needed four mana to perform that," Deidra said. "It's good to be part of a Community, and especially an Elven Community. All elves are magical."

  The ranger explained how it worked. Her Community lived in homes high up in massive oaks. They farmed and hunted and fished for their food. Everyone shared the work and rewards equally. Indeed, Deidra even winked and said they shared their mates.

  It took a moment for Asha to understand. "Oh, not mates as in friends, but…"

  "Friends with benefits."

  It was tempting. Who wouldn't want to live in a community where everyone was working together for the greater good? Everyone contributed equally, and received exactly what they needed. But the free-love aspect put her off. Besides, her friends needed her.

  "Thank you for the invitation, but I have to get back to my friends. I'm not ready to settle down yet."

  They cleaned up the campsite. Deidra left the wood she collected neatly stacked for the next traveler to pass by in need of fire. That's when Asha realized it was a common place for people to stop and rest. After they saddled the horses, Deidra pulled Asha aside.

  "You rescued me when it would've been easier to just run out the door and escape," Deidra said. "For that I will bestow upon you Gifts."

  Asha tried to protest, but she silenced her.

  "First, since I know you are always getting into trouble, I Gift you the Power of Healing," Deidra said, placing her right hand over the sorceress's heart. Warmth flowed out of that hand and spread quickly through Asha's body. "The spell is yours forever, and you can Gift it to other spellcasters, too. No more than once a year, though. The cost is one mana point for a simple scratch, up to a hundred to replace a lost limb."

  Asha's head spun. "You mean I could replace a lost limb? Like an arm or leg?"

  "Yes, but be careful. The rush of mana out can be debilitating on really big healings. It could leave you weak and helpless for more than an hour."

  The ranger lifted both hands to the sky, closed her eyes, and whispered words Asha didn't understand. Spots of bluish light appeared between her hands, slowly elongating and materializing into a pair of elven curved swords. Their cross-guards and pommels were adorned with purple rhinestones. The scabbards were wood, with silver decorations, and painted purple.

  "I Gift you with these Elven Swords," Deidra said. "They are Bound weapons, so you will never be unarmed and helpless again."

  The ranger spoke a sharp word, and the swords vanished from her hands, only to reappear strapped across Asha's back. The sorceress immediately pulled them both, tested their weight and balance, and smiled brightly at Deidra.

  Congratulations! You have been given a Bound object Elven Swords!

  "Thank you so much! You are too generous."

  "I know. It's a problem I'm working on," Deidra said with a grin. "Notice how the rhinestones match your Princess Jasmine outfit."

  "I did, an
d thank… What? This isn't a Princess Jasmine outfit," she said. "The Game gave it to me. It's an Elven Sorceress Dress."

  "I know, but on you it makes me think of my favorite character, in my favorite childhood movie."

  Asha was too pleased and excited with her two Gifts to be mad. She did give the ranger an exasperated sigh and head shake. But it was time to go, so they hugged and Asha promised to visit Deidra's village if she passed through again. And Deidre said she could bring her friends for a visit, too.

  The elven ranger departed first, taking a barely discernible track to the east. She watched until even the sounds of passage faded away. Mounting her horse, Asha headed north to Knaresburg. Deidra said it was a couple hours up the road, but at what gait? She nudged her mount to a slow trot, a jog. The mare proved her mettle the previous day, so that shouldn't be difficult at all to maintain for a couple hours.

  After an hour, Asha dismounted and walked her mount for ten to fifteen minutes, but mostly to give herself a break. Though she did ride in RL, this realm's saddles were different from what she was used to, and she wasn't ready to ride all day in either world.

  The sorceress was just about to take another walking break when they exited the woods and beheld farmlands. A walled town rose up on a hill, overlooking the river. She pulled up her map, and it indicated her location was south of Knaresburg.

  "About time."

  There were a lot of soldiers out and about, and even more atop the town walls and outside the one visible gate. That gave the town a more ominous feel than Oxenbluff.

  She dismounted, tied the mare to a bush she was already munching on, and moved deeper into the forest. She found a spot about a hundred paces from the road. It was high ground, under a massive oak. A beautiful place to respawn.

  You are designating a new Respawn Site. This is the location you will respawn after death. It is your responsibility to ensure it is a safe location away from prying eyes. Do you wish to continue? Yes or No?

  "Yes, I do."

  Congratulations! You have successfully designated a new Respawn Site.

  Asha quickly returned to her horse and headed toward the town gate. The elfmaid remained mounted as she approached the town. The others on the road all deferred to her and moved out of the way. She assumed having a horse in that realm meant being rich and powerful, so commoners showed all due respect to horseback riders.

  Only a few of the peasant farmers she checked out were players. They had a lot more farmers and field hands out and about than she'd seen outside of Oxenbluff. There were also soldiers on mounted and foot patrols. She was challenged by each patrol, forced to show she had money before being allowed to continue.

  These people sure don't like vagrants, she thought.

  She only passed through one of the villages. There were old men, women, and children, along with barking dogs, chickens, and two cows being milked by old men. The women were huddled in small groups sewing, weaving, or cooking. Only the children looked up at her, while the adults all kept their eyes averted. Though one group of five women she passed by closely actually stood up and bowed, while never looking up.

  "I don't like the feel of this place," she muttered.

  There were easily fifty soldiers on guard outside the gate. They watched her with cold eyes as she approached. The sorceress started to think she was making a mistake, but it was too late now. Turning around would only confirm any suspicions they had about her.

  "Smile and be friendly, Asha," she whispered as she neared the gate. "The last thing I need is to be killed again or arrested."

  Chapter 26

  It was a lot cooler outside. Tiana hadn't realized it was so much hotter inside the inn, though it wasn't really cold outside. She still considered putting on Asha's enchanted robes, but they were at the bottom of her pack.

  Fergus stopped to speak with a street urchin. The kids watching for Asha needed to know where they were going. The stable they used wasn't on that plaza. Tiana thought of it as a block over, since the stable was at the corner of the next street, but Knaresburg's twisting, narrow streets didn't really have blocks. She had a hard time figuring out when one street ended, and another started. And none of the street names were posted anywhere.

  A feminine squeal of surprise drew the thief's eyes. It was some scantily clad bimbo with a wealthy looking man. He was a rather young man, too, wearing silk robes and lots of rings. Her interest was piqued.

  Conrad. Human salt Merchant (Lvl 44). Neutral. PK: 8.

  The woman was one of three: A blonde, brunette, and redhead. The brunette and redhead were mobs.

  Poor maiden (Lvl 5). Easy virtue.

  "Damn pervy geek game designers," she muttered. The two mobs were young, gorgeous, and busty. Mostly they were perky and giggly. Very annoying. The blonde was a different animal. "That's interesting."

  Colleen. Human thief (Lvl 29). -5 Dark.

  Minus five Dark, and no kills? Tiana wondered what she was doing to be so Dark. NPCs couldn't just look at Colleen and see she was a thief, like other players could. But the salt merchant could see she was a player and a thief. Was he playing some kind of game with her?

  Colleen was wearing a two-piece silk outfit, not so different from Asha's sorceress dress, except the thief's clothes were very translucent. Tiana was surprised the local authorities weren't fining or arresting her. Then she noticed all of the gold and diamond jewelry adorning her ears, throat, and wrists. A string of diamonds hung from a belly button piercing, and even her silvery high-heeled sandals were glittering with rhinestones.

  "Maybe he's showering her with so much jewelry she'd rather sleep with him than steal," she wondered aloud. "Being a kept woman has its appeal, but he's treating her like a cheap slut."

  The merchant was openly groping her, and even pulled her top down. Colleen giggled and kissed him, and quickly adjusted her clothes. He didn't seem to mind her half-hearted struggles.

  Tiana turned her attention to the two mob bodyguards trailing behind. One was an ork warrior, while the other was human. Both were a head taller than the merchant, with lots of muscles, and lots of edged weapons strapped to their bodies. They were watching the crowd as the merchant and his girls slowly worked their way across the plaza.

  "Oh my, just tickle my fancy," Tiana whispered, her senses all on high alert. "That's the biggest purse I've seen so far. And it looks so full."

  The thief tingled all over. She wanted that purse so badly. It was a struggle to tear her eyes off it to look around. Her friends had left her behind when she stopped to watch the merchant's party. Not a problem, since she knew where to find them.

  This shouldn't take too long. Tiana wagged her brows. Time to level up on my primary skill.

  She took off on a path to place her ahead of them, right where one of the streets connected to the plaza. The thief continued to covertly watch the merchant, noticing he had more than one purse tied to his belt. The others were smaller, so she kept her objective the large purse. Just stealing that should level her up.

  The bodyguards were a little worrisome. They were unusually alert and scary looking. She found it quite thrilling. Her body tingled as adrenaline pumped into her blood, firing up her muscles for quick and decisive action.

  Tiana was so glad she didn't put on the black Robes of Concealment. Stealing that purse while the merchant was surrounded by three bimbos and two hired thugs would give her so many more experience points while fully visible to them. She might not level up if she secretly took his purse while invisible.

  I'm going to be level 20 before I leave this town.

  Reaching the street, Tiana noticed the human bodyguard watching her. So she headed up the street as if she didn't have a care in the world. The thief stopped to look over the goods that shops had out on display, each time secretly checking out the merchant's progress. The bodyguards were ignoring her. So she prepared to act when she reached a narrow, dark alley. It was always best to have two or more escape routes. The street gave her two directi
ons to escape, and the alley proved a backup third.

  Tiana's heart raced as the merchant neared with his giggling, laughing harem. The bimbos were impressive. She noticed brief mercenary looks from both of the mob women, so knew she wasn't the only woman viewing the merchant as easy prey. Even more impressive was the ease in which those three women walked so gracefully on cobblestone in sky-high stilettos, though they all needed to grab him to steady themselves at different times. Or did they do that on purpose?

  Doesn't matter. The way they are constantly bumping into him, grabbing him, stroking him, she thought. Means he's less likely to notice when I steal his purse.

  They walked up to her as she examined a display of vegetables. Pointing at the potatoes, Tiana took a step back and called out, "Hey, mister. How much for the – oooff."

  To make it appear more like an accident, Tiana stepped into the path of the brunette instead of the merchant. The woman grunted upon impact, and Tiana played it for all she was worth. She cried out in surprise and protest, as she turned and smashed into the merchant. One hand deftly lifted the overlarge purse, while the other used a razor-edge blade to cut it free of his belt. It took all of two seconds, and she was hiding the hand with the purloined purse as she spun away.

  "Watch where you're going," Tiana cried. "You don't own this street."

  The merchant tried to backhand her, but the thief slipped between the blonde and redhead. The redheaded bimbo made a misstep, grabbed Tiana's arm, but lost her balance anyway and dragged the thief down with her.

  Colleen pointed. "Isn't that your purse, baby?"

  "What the – Grab her!"

  "Cutpurse!" Colleen shouted, catching Tiana's eyes with a cold, wicked look. "Don't let her escape!"

  The bodyguards moved fast. The brunette held onto Tiana. She couldn't break free in time, and two sets of hard, strong hands seized her. One of them punched her in the belly, before they dragged her into the dark alley. Tiana was pressed up against a wall as the merchant moved up to her, a long silvery knife in one hand.