by Paul Bellow
"We're on our way to find work," Ewen said. "The people of Fishgaurd and Harrisburg don't want us."
"You know who might want your help?" I asked. "The people of Esterhollow."
"The ruins?" Evan asked.
"No, they're rebuilding. They would appreciate your help."
"That's a wonderful idea," Sarah said. "Let me give you two some gold to help out."
"No," I said. "Don't you see you’ll end up hurting them again by giving them free gold?"
"Let's not discuss politics in the game, okay?"
"I second that," Bernard said from atop the wagon.
"We'll be fine, Kali. Thank you," Evan said.
Their constant grins unsettled me.
"Come on, bozo," Ewen said. "We've got a new destination. The goblins wouldn't've liked us anyways."
"The goblins? Where were you headed?"
"Forbidden Kingdom," Evan said.
The other brownie shoved him, both still smiling.
"Keep quiet about our grand plans."
"Sorry, Ewen. Bye, Kali. See you around."
"Maybe," she said.
I hoped we didn't run into them again. Their ever-present smiles freaked me out. Sarah and I climbed onto the wagon.
"Brownies creep me out," Bernard said as he passed me the reins.
Sarah nodded and smiled.
Great. Those two will be flirting even more now. Why can't she ever flirt with me?
"You okay?" she asked.
I nodded grimly.
"Yeah. I'm fine. We need to go."
The brownies turned and headed toward Esterhollow. I snapped the reins and got our three-horse-power wagon moving toward Castle Casteel.
A mile down the road, two dozen armored men on battle-steeds blocked the way forward. I stopped the wagon a few hundred feet away.
"I'm in no condition to fight after that battle today," I said.
Sarah stared at the armored men.
"All my mana is gone from identifying so many items."
"I doubt I could talk all of them on," Bernard added.
What to do? Better to run and fight another day?
I glanced to the left then right. The plains stretched out to the horizon, offering us no place to hide.
Four of the men rode forward, their armor gleaming in the setting sun.
"Hold," I said, standing up in the wagon. "We mean you no harm."
They stopped only fifty feet away from the wagon.
"We've come for the body," one said, not raising the visor on his helmet.
"You want Captain Riggard? But why?" Sarah asked.
"Who has ordered you to do this? Are you with Castle Casteel?
The man laughed.
"We are with the true power in the realm, Magi Inyontoo. Our orders are to take the body and leave you alone."
"Take it," I muttered.
Sarah turned.
"What are you doing?"
"Keeping us alive," I said.
"We’ll need the wagon and everything else in it," the man said, pushing his luck.
> Sense Motive
The captain of the Black Guard appears willing to bargain.
He values personal gain over doing his master's bidding.
"You can have it all, but I’ll need information."
He laughed again.
"You're in no position to be bargaining, Drex."
That's what you think.
"Kali the mage would beg to differ. She took the powerful magic of Snargao and will use it against you."
"You're bluffing," the man said.
"Am I?"
I hoped Sarah went along. Her new wand of Summon Monster might help or hinder us. She stood and pointed the wand at the man.
Three of the others who had come forward moved to block their leader.
"Your ugly elf friend better drop that wand," he said.
"Or what? Are you ready to face our wrath?" I turned to Bernard who still had on his robes. "Benji, would you mind praying to turn those men into toads?"
He looked over at me with a confused look on his face.
"You know, the powerful prayers you recently learned."
"Oh, yeah," he said them mumbled a bunch of unintelligible words.
"Tell him to stop praying," the man said. "I'll give you information and let you keep the wagon and your baubles if you give up the body."
With no idea of why they wanted a dead PC body, I didn't see the harm in giving it to them if it kept us alive. On the other hand, it struck me as odd they wanted the dead body of a PC.
"That priest has ten seconds to stop praying," the man said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Be still, Benji," I said, still looking forward. "Why does your master want his body?"
"You know we can't say anything about it. Why are you being so difficult?"
"Should I pop off a shot or two of this wand and hope we get lucky?" Sarah asked.
"No," I said.
"I think we're just going to take our chances and attack," the man said. "We're allowed to kill you if necessary."
This body must be important, but I've got to let it go.
"Fine. Benji, let's get the coffin out of the back."
"Bring the war wagons out," the man called.
Three armored wagons appeared with the other men.
"Where did those come from?" I asked out loud.
"I've got powerful magic too, but it's best for us not to fight today."
"Tell us where your master is hiding out, and we'll get this over with."
"He's in the Forbidden Kingdom making plans to rule the entire realm. We're with him all the way. You have no chance of defeating us."
That remains to be seen.
I hopped off the wagon.
"Come on, Benji. Let's get this body for them."
Your Bargaining Skill has increased!
Bargaining – Basic Level 2 of 10
"Are we doing the right thing?" he asked as we reached the back of the wagon.
"Do you know why he would want his body?"
Bernard shook his head.
"Me either, so we give up the body to stay alive."
"Why isn't he killing us now?"
"I don't know. Maybe he's too cocky. Help me with this."
Bernard assisted with pulling the wooden box out of the back of the wagon.
"We've got to be more prepared for ambushes. This is too sloppy."
"I agree."
We walked around to the front of the wagon.
"Tell your men to clear a path. If a single arrow or spell comes at us, we’ll unleash a fury you've never seen before."
After the man stopped laughing, he said, "You're a riot, Drex, but we shall let you pass."
He barked an order to his men. They cleared the road ahead. I climbed back on the wagon. Bernard did the same on the other side.
"Be on the ready," I said as the wagon lurched forward.
I kept my eyes on the armored men on the Black Guard as we passed. They did nothing to stop us. Half-a-mile down the road, Bernard stood up and looked back.
"Are they following us?" I asked.
"No, they're headed north toward the Forbidden Kingdom."
"Something tells me where going to end up going there before this is all over."
"Why does Magi Inyontoo want a dead PC body?" Sarah asked, going OOC.
"I told Eric I have no idea," Bernard said.
"What happens when an NPC dies?" I asked.
Bernard looked out at the castle in the distance a moment before speaking.
"As far as I know, you get three chances as a humanoid NPC. If you mess up, you became a monster race. What happens after that, I'm not sure, but I imagine you become an animal or insect or something."
"That would make it impossible to join a PC party, and..."
Sarah's voice faded.
"Exactly," Bernard said. "This game is messed up in some ways. I've been careful as this is the second time I've been an NPC. As
for why Magi Inyontoo wants his body, it's probably some kind of magic we've not heard about yet."
"We had to do it," I said. "Otherwise we'd be stuck as NPCs."
"I agree," Bernard said. "We've got to be more careful."
"The stakes on this easy quest keep getting higher and higher," Sarah said.
I took a deep breath. "We'll be okay."
The sun set on our right as we continued south to Castle Casteel.
I hoped giving up the body didn't have in-game repercussions.
We rode in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
The poison continued coursing through my body.
▧▨▧▧▨▧▧▨▨▧▨▧▨▧▧▨▧▧▨▨▧▨
When we arrived at the castle gates, the sun had been down a few hours. Dark clouds blocked the stars and other heavenly bodies as a light drizzle hit us.
The gate opened at our approach. Rathgar stepped away from a group of men and walked toward our wagon. I pulled on the reins and stepped the horses.
"Where's Captain Riggard?" he said.
I frowned and slowly shook my head.
"Please tell me you brought his body."
"We were stopped on the way here by members of the Black Guard."
"They're humans who are supporting the goblinoids. Scum."
Rathgar spit on the ground, adding to the wet mud.
"Come inside," he said. "We've got to talk."
Does he understand or is he upset? Should we make our escape?
I glanced over at Sarah then Bernard. They were cold, wet and shivering.
"Hurry," Sarah said, nodding her head toward the open gates.
I flipped the reins. The horses trotted forward, pulling us into the castle courtyard.
Rathgar walked to the main building and went through a door.
"Let's get inside," I said. "Hopefully they won't steal anything from the wagon."
"Sounds like you're missing the most important thing," a man said as he walked up.
He stared at me with a cold, dead look in his eyes. I wasn't sure if it was the rain or anger.
"Get the horses out of the rain," I said confidently then hopped down to the muddy ground.
Water splashed up, hitting his legs. He looked down at them then back up at me.
I shrugged then jogged to catch up with Sarah and Bernard as they made their way inside.
They were standing in the great room with the long, well-used table in the center. Rathgar stood next to them. He glanced at me as I walked over, wet, miserable, and not wanting problems.
"I'm sorry about losing the body, but we had no way out of that encounter and no one to back us up."
"Don't worry," Rathgar said, waving a hand though the air. "It's fine. Just so you know, I'm next in line for Captain of the Castle and the Human Guard."
He stared into my eyes.
"Unless one of you three want to challenge me for the spot?"
"You're the man," I said.
Bernard nodded.
"Can you help us find these items?" Sarah asked while holding up the list.
"You got the ingredients for Dawn Acid."
I nodded.
"And we’ll get them all and destroy the cursed pendant once and for all."
"That's what I'm talking about," Rathgar said then clapped his hands.
> Consider Rathgar
[NPC] Captain Rathgar
This is a man who loves his life and everything in it.
His ambitions are high but not too high.
He's trustworthy if you're honest with him.
"Can you help us on our quest?"
"I certainly can." He turned to a man sitting at the table. "Go fetch Sam for me."
The man grumbled but got up, leaving his food behind.
"Sam the Cartographer will help. If you give him the list, he'll make a map of where you can find each ingredient."
"He can make a copy of the list," Sarah said.
I grinned, loving her even more. A tall, thin man dressed in an ill-fitting white robe wandered into the room with several scrolls tucked under his arm.
"This is Sam," Rathgar said. "He's the best map-maker in the land."
"Oh, I don't know about all that," the meek man said as he set the maps down on the table.
I walked over and stuck out my hand.
"They call me Drex. It's nice to meet you."
He shook my hand with semi-firm grip. I didn't squeeze too hard.
"Can you write out these ingredients?" Sarah asked.
"Not on these maps. Do you have extra parchment?"
"I don't think so," I said, removing my backpack. "Oh, wait, I do."
After pulling out one of the free maps we'd gotten back in Fishguard, Sam's demeanor changed.
"Where did you get that map?" he snapped as he snatched it from me hands.
"Back in Fishguard. Why?"
"I hope you didn't pay too much for it," he said with a snort.
"We got it for free. Why?"
"This is a cheap, mass-produced forgery by Claudio, my owl apprentice. He stole some of my maps and went off to work on his own."
"Well, you can write on the back of it, right?"
"I can, but..."
His voice trailed off.
"What?" Sarah asked.
"If you three would hunt him down and steal back my original prints, I'd be forever thankful and in your debt."
"And you'd be doing something good for the kingdom of humans," Rathgar added.
I glanced over at Sarah then Bernard. She took a deep breath. He shrugged.
"We'll keep our eyes open, but our current quest is more important."
"I understand," he said. "Give me that list.
You cast Snares of Dust!
You have 47(64) mana remaining today
You have a new Side-Quest:
Case of the Counterfeit Cartographer
If you find Sam's original map prints and return them to Castle Casteel, you will receive a reward and 1500 xp.
Not bad.
Sarah read off the list of five items. We needed tree troll blood, Gnomish War Oil (original), a chunk of a Lava Golem, the Star Rock, and two pounds of Monkey Ghoul brains.
"I'll have your map ready in the morning," Sam said.
"You give cartographers a good name," I said.
He smiled then turned and left with our list and his other maps.
"Take rooms and rest for your journey ahead is long and fraught with dangers," Rathgar said.
"Are you going to send troops to Esterhollow to help them rebuild?" I asked.
"You let me worry about politics while you finish your quest."
"He's right," Bernard said then nodded his head to the side.
Rathgar left us to ourselves.
"OOC," Bernard said then frowned. "I hate to lose the xp, but you guys need to know Rathgar used to be a PC named Ivan. He's power-mad and determined to become the highest-level NPC ever in the game."
"How did so many messed up people get in the game?" Sarah asked.
Maybe that's why my father told me to stay away?
I kept my mouth shut about my observation.
"You can level as an NPC?"
Bernard nodded.
"Yeah, but it's not the same. It's easier and safer, but the rewards aren't as good."
"He's Captain of the Castle now."
"That probably won't last, but who knows these days," Bernard said.
"I want to study these new spells I found in the ruins."
"Good idea," I said. "We might need them."
She smiled then walked toward the far end of the room.
"She's something else, huh?" Bernard asked after we were alone.
"Yeah. Why? Do you like her?"
Bernard laughed.
"You're kidding, right? I'm all about getting out of this game."
"Me too," I said.
Part of me enjoyed being a fully working human male in an exciting new world, but I didn
't want the others to know how much fun I was having playing.
I wanted to get out as much as them, but I also intended to become a power-player and confront some of the other PCs. A little PvP fun is always good for destressing.
"You two make a cute couple, though," Bernard said.
"Man, I've got ninety-nine problems, and a female elf ain't one."
He smiled and nodded at the reference.
"Do you miss the real world?" I asked. "After twenty years..."
"Yeah," he said. "I do. Not knowing how much time in the real-world has passed or why they have us in this game makes me think too. I've got so many questions."
"I hear you, brother."
"Time for sleep," he said. "Talk to you in the morning."
"Yeah. Good night."
He waved then walked away into one of the single rooms on the first floor of the main building. I wondered if he was hiding information from us. Could we trust him?
More importantly, could they trust me?
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 26 ::::>
I Think the Scar is Kinda Sexy
SARAH
With Charlotte's help, I added the new level one and two spells to my repertoire. Another a few hundred more experience points, I'd be able to cast the third level spell.
This game is sucking me in.
I'd been helpful up to this point, but my powers kept growing at an accelerated rate.
I stood up from the desk in my room and stretched.
"You're not getting enough sleep," Charlotte said.
"I'll be fine. The party needs me to be ready," I said.
"Okay, Kali. I trust you. And I love you."
I smiled. Funny how a spider loving you can lift your spirits.
After gathering my belongings, I went out to the great room. Eric and Bernard were seated at one end of the table. I walked over and sat down next to Eric.
He glanced over and smiled.
"Good morning."
"Morning," I said. "You still poisoned?"
"Nope. It's all better. They have a healer here."
"Great. How's the food?"
"About what you would expect from the military," Bernard muttered.
"It's not too bad," Rathgar said, walking into the room. "At least we're not eating horses."
Why do people keep bringing that up? Questions about the game multiplied every hour spent in it.