by Paul Bellow
ERIC
I woke to the sound of Sergeant Harris and a bunch of other soldiers talking loudly. Bernard, on the bunk next to me, sat up and stretched.
"Up and at 'em, boys," Sergeant Harris said. "We're moving out, and we need you to vacate the fort."
"We're going," I said as I rolled out of bed and stood.
Part of me wanted to question him about why they were so eager to get rid of us, but I kept my mouth shut. We had our own problems to worry about.
"Let's go, Benji."
The rogue in disguise as a cleric stood with a smile. After being trapped as an NPC so long, I'd be happy with freedom too. I also enjoyed having the full use of my body again.
Bernard and I walked through the group of men as they mumbled to each other, laughing occasionally. Outside, the bright sun hit me. I marveled again at how real the world appeared.
They had left nothing out.
"I’m hitting the outhouse. Can you get Kali up and ready?"
"Sure can. I'll get the horses ready too. The ride to Talbot shouldn't take too long."
"Have you been there before?"
"I've been everywhere in this realm at one time or another."
He walked away toward the wagon. I hit the head, missing some conveniences of the real world. Maybe we should use magic to invent plumping in the game-world.
The thought made me smile. We had a rough road ahead, but we'd learned so much. Slowly but surely, the game's secrets were being revealed.
Outside, walking to the war wagon where the other two stood, I saw masses of troops preparing to march east to Esterhollow. What have we started?
"Give me a few minutes, and I'll be ready to ride," Sarah said as I reached them.
A few minutes later, we were on the dusty trail leading toward Talbot, a new settlement started years after the Great War. The humans were on the march again.
None of us talked much during the ride. I went over the quest in my mind, wondering how the game would try to screw us over. Being prepared hurt no one.
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We rode into Talbot an hour after sundown. The collection of less than a dozen ramshackle buildings could hardly be called a town.
"I don't see an Inn, but there's a tavern" I said as we clip-clopped through the middle of the dirt trail leading through the tiny outpost.
"The Cowardly Blade, huh?" Sarah asked.
Music, light, and laughter spilled from the windows and open door of the single-story wood building. I glanced from Sarah to Bernard then got off my horse and tied it to a hitching post.
After they got down and did the same, our trio walked through the front door. Two dozen or more men, women, and children sat inside. Not many tables were open.
A blond-haired elf stood in middle of the room, gesticulating with his arms as he told a story. We stopped just inside the door and listened as he continued.
"The hobgoblin leader by this point had no idea what was going on."
"Stupid, miserable goblins," someone in back called out.
"Exactly," the male elf continued. "So, what did I do? The only thing a human-loving elf could do in such a situation. I opened the gate, let the pigs out, and they swarmed all over that goblin."
The crowd went wild, laughing and cheering. I walked toward one of the few empty tables nearby with Bernard and Sarah close behind.
"Greetings," the elf said as he walked over. "I'm Sylvar Sylvarum. You're new in town, aren't you?"
"Yeah," I said as I sat down at the table.
Sarah stepped up to Sylvar and offered her hand.
"I'm Kali, and this is Bernard, our cleric, and Drex."
"Very good," Sylvar said. "And why have you visited this part of the world?"
"That's our business," I said, staring up at him.
He glanced over at me and smiled then turned his attention to Sarah.
"Do you know where we can get lodging for the night?" she asked.
"This town is too small to have an inn, especially since no one ever visits us here. However, I may have a solution for you."
"Go on," Sarah said.
"I have a place in the woods nearby. Would you three like to stay with me?"
> Consider Sylvar
[NPC] Sylvar Sylvarum (Ranger)
This tall, thin elf wears rugged brown clothes with an elven long bow slung over his shoulder. He is charismatic. There's something off about him, but you're not sure what.
"No thanks. We'll be fine," I said.
Sarah turned and frowned.
"Where are we going to stay?" she asked me.
I shrugged.
"Come, come," Sylvar said. "You'll stay with me tonight. First, let's celebrate."
"Sounds good," Bernard said. "What are we celebrating?"
"You'll find in Talbot you don't need an excuse to eat, drink and be merry."
For tomorrow we might die, I thought glumly.
The elf had enamored the other two, but I wasn't so sure about him. As I watched Sylvar, a weasel popped out of a pouch at his side. Sarah screamed and pointed.
Sylvar laughed.
"Don't worry. Eddie here is my companion."
I rolled my eyes. Maybe it was all the traveling we'd done or the fact we were trapped in the game, but I failed to find the humor in anything lately.
"We're here looking for tree trolls," Bernard said. "They're in the forest around here, aren't they?"
Sylvar nodded, his fine hair staying perfectly in place.
"You can find them all throughout the Woodshore Forest if you know where to look."
"Can we hire you?" I asked, still not standing.
"We can discuss that tomorrow, good man. Tonight, we celebrate your overall to our fair town."
Sylvar turned around and lifted his arms. The other patrons cheered. Sarah and Bernard sat down at the table, one on each side of me. The male elf flashed a near-perfect smile.
"Have a seat," Bernard says. "This is the best welcome we've had in a while."
"Stories of you three are traveling through the realm quickly."
He pulled out a wooden chair and sat down, tipping it back slightly.
"Who's talking about us?" I asked.
Sarah sighed.
"Don't mind him. He's been poisoned a few times lately, and he's still grumpy."
Bernard laughed but quit when he turned and saw my expression.
"It's fine, it's fine," Sylvar said. "The realm is once again moving in a positive direction for humans, elves and the other higher races."
Great. We had to run into a racist elf out in the middle of nowhere.
Sylvar raised a hand into the air, causing a waitress to appear.
"My good woman," he said in a charming tone. "Would you be so kind as to bring us some chicken and mead?"
"Anything for you, Sylvar," the woman said.
She turned and walked away.
I ate and drank with the others that night, but my mind was a million miles away. Thoughts of the game, my father, Sarah, and everything else fought for dominance.
Later that evening, Sylvar led us out of The Cowardly Blade and down the dirt road leading into the forest. I heard crickets and other creatures of the night all around.
Even our horses were spooked as we led them into the woods.
Sarah and Sylvar walked next to each other in front while Bernard kept pace beside me. He stumbled on a rock and almost fell face-first into the dirt.
"Careful," I said, patting him on the back as we walked.
Sarah glanced over her shoulder but said nothing.
A few minutes later, Sylvar led us off the path and into the woods. We stopped at a massive tree next to a slow-moving stream. His weasel came out of his pocket and scurried up the trunk.
"He's so cute," Sarah said.
"I've had him since he was no bigger than this..."
Sylvar held a hand up with his thumb and index finger a few inches apart.
"A spider? That's interesting."
I watched Sylvar's face as he talked, still sensing something off about him.
"Whoa, a rope ladder," Bernard said then laughed.
The weasel had sent down a ladder of thin rope. It didn't look like it would support any of us.
"Come, come," Sylvar said. "Welcome to my humble abode."
He nimbly climbed up the ladder, stopping halfway to call down, "Don't be afraid. Follow me. It's perfectly safe."
"I'm not afraid," I said then motioned toward the ladder with my hands. "Go ahead, Kali. Elves first."
She grinned briefly then followed Sylvar up the tree.
"You going to make it?" I asked Bernard.
"That rope doesn't look like it'll hold me," he said then burped.
"It'll be fine. Just take your time."
He positioned himself in front of the ladder, giving it a few tugs with his hand.
Don't take too long, I thought, not trusting Sylvar alone with Sarah up there.
"I've got this," Bernard said.
One rung at a time, he climbed the side of the tree. I followed a few feet behind. We must've climbed at least a hundred feet into the air. At the top, I emerged on a wooden platform.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Sarah asked as she swirled around, taking in the views.
The moon above shed just enough light for us to make out the wonderful sights.
"Yeah, it looks great," I said without enthusiasm. "Where are we sleeping tonight?"
"Tuckered out already, are you?" Sylvar chuckled. "Come inside. I'll show you where you can lie down."
"I'm staying up for a while," Sarah said.
"Me too," Bernard added.
I followed Sylvar to a room with pillows and blankets.
"Here you go," he said. "Let me know if you need anything."
I nodded. He smiled then walked back to the others.
While I hated being a jerk, we'd learned more than once you couldn't trust everyone in the game.
I laid down with my eyes closed, but sleep wouldn't come easily. The sound of the others laughing and having a good time filtered through the entire tree-house.
Eventually, I found myself unable to make sense of the voices as sleep overtook me. The game took me to whatever passed for dreams and rest in its strange world.
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Deep in a dream about being chased by a bear, I woke to the sound of laughter.
They're up already?
I struggled to my feet and stretched, determined to stop falling asleep with my armor on.
The laughter and mirth continued as I walked from the sleeping room toward the voices.
"He's awake," Bernard said, too chirpy for how much he'd drunk the night before.
"Morning," I muttered then sat down at a round, wooden table across from Sarah.
She sat next to Sylvar. Every hair on his head still looked perfectly in place.
Damn elves.
"Have something to eat and drink," Sylvar said, motioning over the table with his hands.
I saw several plates stacked high with pancakes, sausages and scrambled eggs.
"He's a great cook too," Sarah said. "Can we keep him?"
All three of them laughed.
I reached across the table for a pancake, biting into it without a plate.
"We need to get this tree troll blood today."
"Indeed," Sylvar said. "It's on the agenda."
"No, I mean we should go right away. We've got to get other things too."
"Don't be rude," Sarah said, frowning as she stared at me.
"I'm not being rude."
"He's right," Sylvar said. "We can pack a nice lunch and leave now."
"We were waiting on you," Sarah said.
I stood while munching on the pancake.
"Well, I'm ready now. Let's go."
The others stood and walked into an adjoining room. Sarah stepped over.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah. Bad dream."
"I had one too. This...you know what is getting to me."
"We'll finish the quest soon. It should be our main priority."
"I agree." She grinned. "You're not jealous, are you?"
A million or more thoughts shot through my mind at once.
"No, not at all," I said.
The lie didn't cost me any alignment points, but I wondered if it hurt my friendship with Sarah.
"We should go. Maybe we can talk-talk later."
She nodded, knowing I meant OOC. We were limiting our talk out of character to converse experience points. Then again, what would happen if we went after a small mob after we got the penalty?
We'd lose an experience point or two, but it wouldn't be as bad. Had the game thought of that already? Would it penalize us for trying to bend the rules? I wished I had more answers.
After finishing our morning routine, we left the treehouse and followed Sylvar deeper into the woods. We walked in a single line, him in front with Sarah right behind. Bernard was next with me in the rear.
We had five items to get for the Dawn Acid, and I didn't want to waste any time. Sarah might get mad, but we were on a mission. Someone had to think about the whole party and not just themselves.
The line stopped. I almost ran into Bernard. Sylvar held his arm up with the elbow bent and a clenched fist. Does he think he's in a war movie or something? Maybe he's another player character.
Maybe there were ways to know without technically knowing. I kept a close eye on him. We couldn't afford someone else screwing us over, especially not him.
"Never mind," Sylvar said. "I though t heard one, but it was the wind."
He continued forward. I sighed but followed. We walked for miles and hours before he stopped again.
"Maybe your tracking skills aren't as good as you thought?" I asked.
Sarah glared at me but said nothing.
"Perhaps," Sylvar said with a chuckle.
I hated how unconcerned he acted.
"What now?" I asked.
"I'm out of spots to check, but there's one sure-fire way to attract them."
"Like bait?" Bernard asked.
"Exactly. Tree trolls love fish, but I don't think we could catch enough to make a difference."
Sarah smiled.
"Need fish, do you? Point me to the nearest river or lake. I've got just the spell."
"Perfect," Sylvar said. "Follow me."
We walked a few hundred feet to a sparkling stream running through the forest. Sarah stopped and did a dance that ended with her palms pointed to the water.
Dozens of dead fish floated to the top.
"That spell is turning out to be more valuable than I thought it would be," she said.
"Brilliant." Sylvar smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "Now, we wait."
"Wait for the tree trolls?" I asked.
A screech rang out in the canopy above.
"Get ready," Sylvar said, grabbing his bow.
"I've got to get mine fixed soon," Sarah said.
"Positions, everyone," I called out as I unsheathed my scimitar.
I looked toward the screeches as they got louder. A thin, tree-like creature dove from above, landing on top of Bernard. It bit his shoulder before leaping off.
"Get him," I yelled, running over.
Sarah began a spell as I reached the lithe and strong creature that stood at least six feet tall.
Your slash INJURES the tree troll for 12 damage.
This scimitar isn't bad, but I need a better magic weapon.
Bernard struggled to his feet as Sarah shot a disc of lava at the tree troll. It caught fire then fell to the ground.
"Brilliant," Sylvar called out. "They can't regenerate fire damage."
This is going better than I expected.
As the thought hit my mind, four more
tree trolls dropped from above, surrounding us.
"Attack," I shouted, running forward with my sword in the air.
I hacked at one of the tree-like creatures, causing bark to chip off and fly into the air.
Your slash HITS the tree troll for 8 damage.
Bernard ran for another while Sarah prepared another spell.
"Do something, Sylvar," I called out.
Instead of shooting his bow, he called out to local forest creatures.
Birds, squirrels and two mean-looking racoons showed up and attacked the tree trolls.
That's not very helpful, I thought as I swung for an arm-branch reaching toward me.
Your slash HITS the tree troll for 9 damage.
Sarah sent two more discs of flaming lava at one of the other tree trolls. Sylvar fired arrows at the last one.
We've got a chance of winning this battle.
The tree troll's claw GRAZES you for 5 damage.
You have 53(58) health remaining.
"Foul beast," I yelled, working myself into a fury.
I chopped at the arm again.
Your slash INJURES the tree troll for 12 damage.
The tree troll dropped to the ground, but it kept stirring.
"Need fire over here," I yelled as I assessed the situation.
Bernard appeared okay, but I worried about one getting to Sarah.
She cast another spell. The flaming disc of lava hit the tree troll I'd dropped.
I ran toward her, ready to chop down another.
At the sight of all the fire, the remaining three dashed into the woods, shrieking and howling.
"Should we give chase?" Bernard asked.
"No," I said. "We need to get some of the blood out of these before they burn up."
"We must put out the fire," Sylvar said. "To extract their blood."
"They'll keep healing," I said.
"I know, but you can stand there with your big sword and bonk it when it sits up."
"Fine," I said. "Get as much as the blood as you can. Benji, stand guard."
"I've got my animal friends watching out for us too," Sylvar said.
"Yeah, I saw the raccoon. Big help. Thanks."
"Cut it out," Sarah said. "And help me get a tap in its leg."
"How about this?"