by Paul Bellow
"Think I care?" I yelled as I set the pendant on top of a flat rock.
With all my might, I held the mace down on it. Instead of smashing the gem into fine dust, the weapon ricocheted, my arm swinging back.
Eric walked over.
"Need help?"
"Be my guest."
He took the mace from me and smashed at it with the same effect.
"That's my only mace," Benji said. "Just so you know."
"It's like nothing hit it," I said, shaking my head.
"Some magic items are very hard to destroy, Kali."
"I should've guessed."
"What?" Eric asked.
"This won’t be easy to destroy. We should go. At least we have it."
"Yeah," Eric said. "Apparently, I have a friend in Harrisburg who's a blacksmith. He'll be able to help us destroy this accursed item."
"We're OOC," I said.
Benji opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"We've got to go," Eric said. "We can talk about it later."
"Fine," I said. "Let's go."
We rushed downhill until we came to the impassable section.
"Your magic ramp is gone," Benji said.
"I told you they didn't last. And I'm almost out of mana."
"Use that potion," Eric said.
"It's gone already. That's how I saved you."
Eric turned and glanced back in the direction we'd come.
"Still no sign of them."
"We've still got to get out of here."
"I know," he snapped.
"Come on, you two. Keep it together," Benji said.
"The pot-bellied one is correct, Kali."
But how? Have any bright ideas, Charlotte?
"No, Kali. Sorry."
"We're gonna have to jump. It'll hurt, but it won't kill us."
"No way," Benji said.
"Fine, wait for Snargao and the mage."
"Hold on...You can climb down, can't you."
Eric's eyes lit up.
"Great idea. Once I'm down, I'll toss the ring up to you. Just give it back."
"Settle down, Smeagol. You'll get your precious back."
Benji giggled then turned away.
There's something going on...
With no time to think about it, I let the thoughts drift away. Eric climbed down thirty feet. On the bottom of the cliff, he threw his ring up.
"Oh no, where'd it land?" I asked.
"You're kidding, right?" he called up.
"I'm kidding."
After slipping the ring on, I turned to Benji.
"I'll throw it up after I'm down."
"Please do. I'm glad you're here. Jumping down and taking the damage was not a good idea."
I smiled politely, not wanting to bad-mouth Eric without him around.
"See you soon," I said.
Even with the ring, I took longer to get down because I had no skill in climbing. Still, I made it down safely. Benji peered over the edge.
"Catch," I said, throwing the ring.
"Wait," Eric said, but it was too late.
The golden ring flew upward. Benji grabbed it.
"Are you coming, or what?" Eric yelled.
"I'm coming, boss. Not like I’ll screw over the party for a stupid, basic ring."
Benji began his descent down the cliff.
"You need to take it easier on him."
"Benji? Why?"
"He’ll leave us like the others. We should let him join the party."
"Not yet," Eric said. “Remember the warning.”
Stubborn as always.
"Made it," Benji said, jumping the last five feet. "Here's your ring."
Eric took the ring and slipped it back on his right ring-finger.
"What now?" I asked.
"Back to the mule and cart," Eric said. "We'll go to my friend in Harrisburg and have him destroy it."
"Sounds easy," Benji said.
"This easy quest just keeps getting harder."
"We've got this, Kali. Don't worry."
Is Eric enjoying being trapped in the game? Did he have something to do with it?
He smiled as I peered into his eyes, searching his soul for the truth.
"We should get going," Benji said. "I'm starving."
The three of us walked down the last hill to where we'd left Muley and the rest of our stuff.
"Where is it?" Benji asked. "All my worldly belongings were in that cart."
"Athard must've taken it," I said. "That means him and Thrukad got away."
"We should go to Mednia and hunt them down," Eric said.
"No, we don't have time for side-quests and revenge-missions."
Eric sighed.
"Fine. Let's get walking."
"All the way to Harrisburg?" Benji asked.
Eric turned to him.
"You want to quit the party too?"
"Technically, he's not in the party yet," I said.
"Great. Now I've got both of you on my back."
He walked away.
"Do you know where you're going?" I asked.
"I remember my hometown, Kali."
We walked then marched some more. I wasn't in the mood to check my stats, skills, or anything else. We had been so close to finishing the quest only to have it whisked away by powerful villains.
After rescuing it again, we had learned it wasn't as easy to destroy as we assumed. Even worse, a player-killer mage of unknown level wanted us dead.
Not fun in the slightest, but the game pulled me in even deeper. Would we meet other player characters at some point? And josh. I hadn't forgotten him.
After hours of walking, Eric stopped.
"What is it?" I asked.
"There's a cave. We should rest for the night."
"I thought we'd never stop," Benji said. "I'll go check the cave."
"We should all go," Eric said.
"You need rest, Kali."
"Charlotte and I agree."
"It's settled," Eric said. "I'll take first watch."
We went without a fire as the temperatures weren't as cold in the hills. In the morning, after a good night of sleep, my mana would be replenished.
More adventures awaited us whether I wanted them or not.
During the night, our illusory disguise wore off - thankfully.
I never wanted to be in the skin of a goblin again.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 19 ::::>
At Least We Got the Pendant, Right?
ERIC
The next morning, I woke up no longer looking like a goblin. Had my ancestors looked the same? No, my distant relative had been a hobgoblin. What does it matter?
A bit after dawn, we made our way to the main road leading north to Harrisburg. Two hours later, a farmer showed up heading in the right direction.
"We need to get our own horses," Sarah said.
"Are you saying we kill this guy and take his ride?" I asked.
"What?" She scrunched her nose. "Is that what you want to do?"
"No, of course not. This...world is getting to me."
While I wanted to say the word game, the OOC penalty concerned me. I might occasionally earn a few xp for climbing with the ring on, but I needed more.
"I know what you mean," Sarah said.
The farmer slowed his two-horse cart to a stop while staring at us.
"Friend or foe?" he asked. "I saw the cleric's get-up. That's the only reason I stopped out here in the middle of nowhere."
"We need to get to Harrisburg," I said.
"Oh? In a hurry, are you?"
"Kinda," Benji admitted. "The regional under-Bishop has requested my presence."
"Harrisburg ain't got no under-Bishop or over-Bishop neither," the man said while stroking his unkempt beard.
"My good friend is mistaken," I said, using my Sense Motive skill.
> Sense Motive
This farmer means you no harm, but he's cautious because your party looks worse for wear.
"We'
re simple travelers looking to return to my hometown. Mayor Griggsby will want to speak with me, probably."
The older man sat up and leaned forward.
"You know the Mayor of Harrisburg? What's he like?"
"He's okay enough," I said, not knowing if the man was a fan or not.
Politics had never been my thing, but in the game, they were important.
"I can't stand the man."
"Me either," I said.
With my best smile, I approached the cart.
"Could we bother you for a ride back to town? I can pay you with a gem."
I reached into my backpack and pulled out one of the orange stones from Snargao's lair.
"Will this help change your mind?"
"That's a fake," the farmer said, shaking his head. "I ain't never seen a diamond that was orange."
"It's not a diamond," I said. "Kali, back me up."
Sarah stepped forward.
"He's right."
"I don't trust elves."
"We'll stay in the back. I'll give you this whole sack of gems, okay?"
I held out the leather pouch I'd been keeping the small stones in.
"And all I gotta do is give you a ride back?"
I nodded.
"That's it."
"Fine, you get in the back. The cleric can sit up front with me."
Sarah and I climbed in the back of the wagon filled with fish.
Can this get any worse for us?
"At least we have the pendant," I said in a low voice.
The cart lurched forward, settling into an irritatingly bumpy ride.
"Yeah," she said. "Eric."
"Ugh. I was gonna go OOC earlier, but..."
"It's fine. All the xp in the world isn't worth not losing my mind."
"You and your familiar aren't getting along?"
"She's great, but we're still stuck in this game."
I saw Benji stick his head back. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
The farmer grabbed him and kept rattling on about blessing his business.
"Are you listening?" Sarah asked.
"Yes...I mean, no. Benji keeps giving me these strange looks."
"Like he's doing a deadpan into an invisible camera?"
"Yeah. Exactly."
I stared into her eyes. The wagon hit something, sending her flying into my lap.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay," I said.
She reclaimed her seat opposite me.
"I bet you love having your legs."
Why does she always bring that up?
"Yeah, it's nice, but like you said, we're trapped in this stupid game."
"It's not stupid, Eric. We're just learning the rules. This is the first level."
"Well, it's amazing too. I mean, the NPCs like Benji..."
I glanced toward the front. The farmer had him occupied.
"There's something about him. We should let him into the party."
"It's a moot point now. We're close to destroying the pendant and finishing the main quest."
"Yeah, but we said that about getting it in the first place."
"Stop worrying," I said, mustering confidence from down deep.
We spent the rest of the journey in silence.
I never found the right words to tell her my feelings.
They ran deep. She caught me staring and smiled.
Elven eyes and facial features could not hide her true soul.
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On the edge of Harrisburg, a genuine sense of homecoming came over me as the farmer stopped his cart. I jumped out of the back and stretched, my bottom sore from the ride.
Sarah joined me, also stretching.
"Benji?" I called out.
"Coming. Just thanking this nice man."
He walked around to us a few seconds later.
"Not that I noticed you paid him a lot more than you've paid me."
"We'll get you straightened out, Benji. I promise. Right after we destroy this pendant."
"Completing this quest is important," Sarah said.
He nodded.
"Very well. I trust you two to come through on your word and allow me to join your party."
I shook my head. Typical Benji.
"Let's go find my friend, John the Blacksmith," I said.
The farmer's cart rolled away, leaving us in middle of the empty street.
"Come on. It's this way."
We made it a block before Jak ran up and threw his arms around me.
"Drex, you made it back. I knew you would."
I drew back and tousled his hair.
"Didn't I say I would?"
"Yeah, but there's goblins out there in the world."
"And a bunch of other nasty creatures," Benji said.
"Who's he?" Jak asked, nodding his head at the cleric.
"He's a friend," I said. "We've got business to do right now, but we'll catch up later, okay?"
"Are you coming home?"
"No, we'll be at the Branching Tree Inn tonight."
"Aw. Why aren't you coming home?"
"I can't explain it now. Talk to you later."
The excitement left Jak's body as he turned and walked away, kicking the dust.
"He's your brother, boss?"
"No, but I treat him like one."
"Why aren't you going to visit your parents?"
"Maybe I will, but we need to destroy this pendant first."
"No, you don't," a female voice said.
My heart sunk.
"Who are you?" Benji asked.
I turned around and saw my in-game mother.
She smiled then threw her hands around me, squeezing tight.
"You ran off without saying goodbye right before your father's funeral."
"He knew I would go adventuring after he was gone."
"Yeah, but you could've stayed to help us get him in the ground."
Sarah giggled as my mother hit me on the chest with the palm of her hand.
"He's a bit of a monster," Sarah said. "I'm Kali, his friend."
"Oh, you didn't tell me you were dating."
My mother smiled as she looked Kali over.
"We've got to go," I said.
"Business more important than your family?"
She sniffled, fighting back phony tears.
"Yes, it's..."
A short man with a black vest over a white shirt ran up.
"The Mayor is requesting your presence right away, Drex."
"Does everyone know I made it back to town?"
"You're a hero, dear."
"Tell the Mayor he has to wait," I said.
My mother's eyes opened wide.
"Come on, Drex. You know how he gets," the man said.
"Fine." I turned to the others. "You want to come?"
"We should destroy the pendant first," Sarah said.
"This'll only take a minute."
Part of me liked all the attention.
"Fine," she said.
We followed the messenger in the vest a block to the west. The Town Hall stood proudly in a center square with various merchant carts set-up.
"You know the Mayor, boss?" Benji asked as we approached the three-story building.
"It's a small town," I said.
The Town Hall had been constructed at great expense. While it was the most magnificent building around, a lot of people had suffered to see it constructed.
Inside the building, we were taken to the top floor by a gnomish lift-contraption, aka a crude elevator. When the wooden doors swung open, we were in Mayor Griggsby's office.
Did he take the whole top floor for himself?
The Mayor stood behind his desk and clapped his hands. His clothes were odd, even for the magical realm we were in.
> Sense Motive
Mayor Griggsby is worried about goblin attacks and his waning popularity.
He believes being your friend will he
lp win him votes.
Your Sense Motive skill has increased to Basic Level 6 of 10.
I grinned.
The Mayor walked over to us with open arms.
"Welcome home, Drex the Hero. That has a ring to it, doesn't it?"
"Make this quick," Sarah whispered.
"And who do you have with you?"
"These are my traveling companions," I said.
He stopped and smiled like a politician.
"Did you have a good journey? And by that, I mean did you kill many goblins?"
"No, but we're going to destroy an evil item to help the whole realm."
"Is it a goblin item? They're not smart enough to craft, are they?"
"No, it's not a goblin item," I snapped.
"Interesting," Mayor Griggsby said. "None of the goblins followed you here, did they?"
"They'll never find us here," I said. "We were careful."
He straightened his posture, staring at me intently.
"But there are goblins after you?" he asked.
"Don't worry about it," I said. "We've got work to do."
"Sounds good, Drex. Your father was a great man, and you're shaping up to be one too."
“We’ve got work to do,” I said. “This pendant needs destroyed.”
“Magictology doesn’t sound too unreasonable,” Mayor Griggsby said.
“It’s run by a madman,” I said. “That’s reason enough to hate it.”
“Fine, fine,” Mayor Griggsby said. “Go destroy your pendant or whatever. I’m only trying to keep my town safe from the riff-raff adventurers inevitably bring back with them.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
We turned and left his office.
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Across town, we arrived at the only smithy in town. The game told me John Johansen, and I had been friends since childhood, so I didn't expect any problems.
Unfortunately, the game notification had left something out. When I showed my face at the open entrance of his main workshop, him and two workers stopped.
He straightened up, a good six-foot seven feet high. A snarl formed on his face as our eyes locked. I stepped forward with a smile and my hand out.
"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here," he said.
I stopped a few feet away from his towering body.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Why don't I get a telepathic spider to give me answers?