by Paul Bellow
You get +500 xp
Your Alignment has Changed!
Alignment: Minus 40
Killing other player characters is not encouraged.
Your alignment is now +40 (Sometimes Good)
What? It was self-defense. The experience points and alignment shift didn't concern me as much as losing the eccentric Monde.
Eric put a hand on my shoulder as I kneeled next to her lifeless body.
"It's the way of the realm," he said coldly.
After pulling away, he walked off with Bernard.
Sylvar stopped a foot away.
"I'd like to bring her body back to Talbot," he said.
"Are you being serious right now? You're helping us, aren't you? What's your deal?"
I stood up and stared into his eyes. Had Eric been right about him all along?
"Careful," Eric called out.
Sylvar and I turned to see Bernard chipping away at the magma.
"How much do we need?" he asked.
"I don't know. Just get a few chunks," I called out then turned back to Sylvar. "Why are you so interested in leaving us?"
"I cared for Monde," he said.
Enough to bury her body in a game? Was she an NPC? Maybe he was one?
"You look beautiful when you think hard," he said then smiled.
I rolled my eyes then turned and walked over to Eric and Bernard.
"Did you get it? I want to get out of here."
"That smell is horrendous," Bernard said. "My clothes will smell like smoked octopus for a week."
"Leave her alone," Eric said. "She did good and saved us with her quick thinking."
The hilt of Monde's short sword laid on the ground, the blade half-missing.
"Should we loot the warriors and their cleric?" Bernard asked.
"Definitely," Eric said. "We've got proof we killed the lava golem, so we should be able to get the Gnome Oil easily enough in Westwood."
"Original recipe," Bernard said.
I laughed nervously, the weirdness of the game getting to me on so many levels.
We found nothing of value on the other bodies.
"Their mage must've taken off with all the good stuff," I said. "We're smart like that."
"Let's get going," Eric said. "I want to get to Westwood before the sun goes down."
"What about Monde's body?" Sylvar asked. "We can't leave it here."
"Yes, we can," Eric said. "You have a problem with it?"
He stepped in front of the elf, invading his personal space.
"No," Sylvar said then pursed his lips together tightly.
"Let's not fight," Bernard said. "We did good."
"Except for Monde," Sylvar said.
Geez. It's just a game. What is his problem?
"Let's go find to Captain Kashim and get this Gnome Oil," Eric said then walked off.
The four of us left the animals and bodies behind. Back on our horses, we galloped away from the hills and toward a sparse grouping of trees.
On the other side, Westwood and new adventures awaited. If we were lucky and smarter, we wouldn't end up like Monde, burnt to a crisp.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 31 ::::>
Westwood Side Story Letdown
ERIC
Leaving Monde on the battlefield weighed heavily on my mind during our ride to Westwood. On the one hand, doing so reminded me it was just a game. What if it wasn't so simple?
Did Sarah, Bernard and anyone else playing the game have such a hard time remembering the real world? After so many days – nearly a fortnight – I missed modern conveniences.
We emerged from the woods surrounding Westwood and found ourselves in a neighborhood outside the walls of the inner-city. Peasants and children stopped and waved as we passed.
Almost all races were present as we progressed toward the walls of the city. Except Dwarves. What was up with that, anyway? I pushed the thought aside and dreamed of enjoying the game.
"We should buy property here," I said. "Have a home base."
"Excellent idea," Bernard said as he rode beside me.
"Hold on a minute," Sarah said. "We’ll finish this quest, destroy the pendant then see what happens. The last thing we need is to set down roots here."
"It wasn't so bad after ten years," Bernard said.
"Hold," a gnome in full armor said as we approached the city gates. "Where do you think you four are going? And what have you been doing? You're a mess."
"We need to meet someone inside the city," I said.
"Not with those filthy horses, you're not. Haven't you been to Westwood before?"
"Oh, yeah," Bernard said. "No horses in the inner city. They try to keep it clean."
"You could've mentioned that,": I said then shook my head.
Bernard shrugged and smiled sheepishly.
"Can we leave the horses out here?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, there's a stable down the way." The gnome pointed to a series of wooden structures a few hundred feet away. "It's gonna cost you."
"We're be okay," I said. "My name is Drex, he who slayed Snargao."
"Uh huh," the guard said in an unimpressed tone.
"Let's go," Sarah said. "I'm dying to get cleaned up."
"I'm willing to share a bath to conserve money," Sylvar said.
Bet you are, I thought, nudging my horse toward the stables.
After paying by the pound, we walked back to the gate. The guard paid us no mind as we entered the inner-city. Miraculously, the gnomes had it going on with proper streets with no open sewage.
No smell lingered heavy in the air like in Fishguard, Harrisburg or Tablbot. But it didn't have that new-city smell like Mednia either. They had improved the city over many years, and it showed.
"How do we find this Captain Kashim guy?" I asked.
We stopped at the corner of an intersection of two busy streets full of people.
Bernard pointed his finger and said, "The market is down that way."
"That's a good a place as any to start," I said. "Let's go."
"I'll be back later," Sylvar said.
"Oh? Where are you going?" I asked.
"To attend to some business."
I bet it's not good, I thought as he lithely walked away.
"He's not in our party. Leave him alone," Sarah said.
"I've offered him to join more than once now. There's something about him."
"He doesn't sit well with me either," Charlotte said.
I flinched, still not accustomed to the talking spider.
"That's two of us then," I said. "We should all keep our eyes on him."
"You both are too paranoid, right Benji?"
Bernard nodded, agreeing with her as usual.
"Let's go to the market," I said.
We walked in the direction Bernard had pointed. The brick paved streets were wide enough for all three of us to walk side-by-side. Sarah ended up in the middle.
"Hey, look," she said as we approached the hustle and bustle of the market.
"What?" I asked.
"It's a cartographer."
"Get out of here. Where?"
She pointed. I followed the line from her finger and saw a dark-haired man with a bushy moustache leaning against a post with piles of maps around him.
"Let me sneak up on him," I said.
Sarah ignored me and took off in his direction.
"Hello, are you selling maps?"
I sighed.
"Come on, Benji, let's follow her."
"I liked your idea better," he said.
"She never listens."
"You do tend to bark orders about."
I glanced over at him a moment but said nothing as we walked after her.
"Where did you get these maps?" Sarah asked, standing in the poor man's face.
"Forgive my rude friend," I said. "We're interested in buying some of your maps."
"You are?" he asked. "They're the finest in the realms."
Sarah cleared her throat then sa
id, "How did you make them?"
"What?" the man asked.
"I said, how did you make these maps? They're not all hand-painted, are they?"
The man grinned, stroking his moustache.
"It's my magic secret," he said. "What are you willing to give me to spill it?"
Cool it down, Sarah.
"Does the name Sam mean anything to you?" she asked.
Argh. She's the worst detective ever.
The man lifted his hand, palm up, then blew dust in our direction. Most of it his Sarah. She screamed out, rubbing her eyes. I stepped back, my eyes watering.
"What was that?" I asked.
"I don't know, but I can't see."
Sarah continued rubbing her eyes."
"Don't rub them," Bernard said. "I'm not officially a healer, but you can't be helping."
"I can't stop," she said.
"We need water," Charlotte said.
"She's right," I said, loving the spider even more. "Benji, get some water. We'll flush it out."
I glanced to where the man had been standing and saw our counterfeit cartographer had taken off.
"Don't you dare tell me I told you so," Sarah said.
"It’ll be okay. We're all making stupid decisions."
"You're making most of the decisions," she said, her voice lowering.
"I know, and I'm sorry. We can do this if we stick together."
She nodded. Bernard arrived with a bowl of water.
"Here," he said, handing it to her.
I watched as she splashed water into her eyes. They were so red.
"We should visit a healer," the ever-practical Charlotte said.
"No, wait. I can see again.
Sylvar strolled up, casual as ever.
"What did I miss?" he asked.
Still suspicious, I questioned him.
"How did you find us? Were you following us?"
"Simple, dear Drex. I'm a ranger."
"An urban ranger? Hah. Like that exists."
"I'm not yet, but maybe someday."
He grinned. Was he serious?
Did he know more about the game?
"I went to make arrangements for Monde's body."
"That's sweet," Sarah said. "I felt bad about leaving her."
"We're losing and leaving bodies left and right. You won’t leave me behind if I die, are you?" Bernard asked.
"No," I said. "And I've got to admit, you might be a better person than I thought."
"Better elf," he said. "But I get your point."
"Aw, we're all getting along again," Sarah said. "Too bad it took the death of a new friend."
"Enough talk of death and dying. I've got the perfect place for us to spend the night," Sylvar said.
"Fantastic." Sarah sighed in relief. "All that horseback riding hurts."
"I miss our mule and wagon," Bernard said.
"Mule?" Sylvar asked.
"Don't ask," I muttered. "Let's go get a good night's sleep before we take off for the Four towers tomorrow."
Sylvar led us through the deeper into the inner-city where the marvels of gnomish architecture and tinkering increased with every footstep.
"I've got one more surprise," Sylvar said, stopping in front of a building. "Captain Kashim is inside."
"You're the best," Sarah said.
At least he didn't screw up like you did earlier.
I kept my mouth shut as Sylvar opened the door for her. She walked in, followed by him.
"You coming?" Bernard asked in the doorway.
I nodded.
"Yeah, hold the door."
Inside, I saw a gnome with a goatee leaning back in a chair. He dropped it back down on all four legs when we entered and stood up.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Captain Kashim?" I asked.
He put his hands on his waist and puffed out his chest.
"Yeah, I am. What's this all about?"
"General Achbark sent us here for the Gnome Oil."
"The original recipe," Bernard added.
"I see." The gnome stroked his lengthy goatee. "We have a problem."
Oh, no. What now? Can't this game give us a win?
"The wizards of the Four Towers requested it," he said. "They told me you wouldn't mind."
"We mind," Sarah said. "We've come a long way for that oil."
"Not my problem."
He returned to his chair and tilted back on two legs. Propped up by the wall behind him, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
"Why did they think we wouldn't mind?" I asked.
"They said you need to talk to them for the Star Rock anyway."
"Did they say anything else?" Sarah asked.
"Nope."
"Let's go," I said. "We won’t get any help here."
As I turned around to leave, I heard the chair drop back to the ground.
"Do you have a problem with me, son?" Captain Kashim asked.
"No," I said as I opened the door. "Let's go, guys."
"Turn around when I'm talking to you," he said.
I sighed but listened. He stared at me, nostrils flaring and brow furrowed.
"What?" I asked.
"You need to show me some respect."
"Are you kidding? You've not shown us any respect."
"Who are you?" he asked then walked closer.
He only reached my chest in height, but I doubted I could stop him from thrashing me.
"I'm Drex, the one who slayed Snargao."
"Yes, yes, I know." A smile spread over his face. "I'm only messing with you. We get little action here in Westwood. Even during the Great War everything here ran as normal."
"Do you want to come with us?" Sarah asked. "We're missing a warrior."
"No, no, I couldn't. As part of the Gnome Guard, I've got responsibilities. They're not stressful, but I still have to see to them."
"Good one," I said then turned and left the building.
The others followed, standing around me a few feet away.
"What now?" Bernard asked. "I'm starving."
"I know a great inn down the street," Sylvar said. "We can rest tonight and leave in the morning."
"We’ll get charged double for the horses overnight," I said.
"After today, I don't care." Sarah stood. "I'm going upstairs to read. See you guys in the morning."
She waved. I wanted to talk OOC with her, but we were getting so wrapped up in the game and our stupid quest to craft Dawn Acid.
"To adventure in the realms," Sylvar said then raised his mug in the air.
I begrudgingly hit his mug with mine. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
Had I been wrong in not trusting him? Only more time would tell.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 32 ::::>
Never Trust a Ranger with a Weasel
SARAH
We left Westwood and traveled south on horseback toward the Four Towers. I hoped the famed mages had the items we needed and would help us.
Keeping toward the coastal plains helped us avoid any encounters the first day and night. On the second day of our journey, everything fell apart.
"Look," Bernard said, pointing down the trail.
Out of the woods, a creature towering at least nine-feet tall lumbered out and leveled his single eye toward us. I turned to Eric.
"What are we doing? This looks tough."
"I don't want to go back around," he said, hopping off his horse. "We got this."
"Are you sure?" Bernard asked with a hint of worry in his voice.
Sylvar laughed.
I turned to him.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing," he said.
The cyclops stepped toward us.
"Let's go," Eric called out.
Bernard climbed off his horse and ran to join Eric moving toward the giant.
Unable to cast spells on horseback, I got down and walked in their direction.
"What you do here?" the cyclops asked in broken common. "This my lan
d."
Eric still hadn't drawn his sword. Bernard stood next to him. I readied myself to cast.
"We mean you no harm," Eric said. "We're simply passing through to the Four Towers."
"You know Four Towers?" the cyclops asked.
It stood about a hundred feet away from us.
"Yes," Eric said. "They're expecting us."
An arrow arced through the air and stuck into the cyclops' arm.
"What you do?" the cyclops bellowed.
He angrily pulled out the arrow. I turned and saw Sylvar riding off.
"That wasn't us," I yelled. "Please forgive him, he's not our friend."
"He came with you, and he dies with you."
The cyclops raised his massive club into the air.
Why had Sylvar shot an arrow and run away? Did he want to get us killed?
"Careful, Kali. We should cast protection."
I made the motions for Glorified Cloaks of Bronze. Eric received +10 to his armor class for a cost of twenty mana. With only sixty-six remaining, I needed to be careful.
The club as big as a young tree came down. Both Eric and Bernard dove out of the way. It hit the earth with a dull thud, leaving an impression in the ground.
"You die now," the cyclops said. "You die hard."
I chucked, having seen Die Hard 14 in the theater before we plugged into the game.
"Watch out, Kali," Charlotte said.
The cyclops stepped forward, heading in my direction with a nasty growl.
I cast Dwarven Ladder of Earth for ten mana, making a mound big enough to trip him.
While it worked, I had forgotten about gravity. The cyclops fell forward, almost crushing me.
Eric and Bernard used the opportunity to come up and strike the creature twice each.
I dashed aside just in time. The horses, spooked, took off running north.
This is not going well.
"We got this, Kali," Charlotte said.
The cyclops stood and turned to take care of Eric and Bernard.
I sent four Lava Discs toward him, all direct hits. With only thirty-eight mana remaining, I stepped back further as Eric and Bernard took the cyclops on.
With a mighty scream, it raised its club and hit Eric on top of the head.
"No," I cried out as he went down to the ground.
Bernard also yelled and went crazy with his mace, hitting where he could on the one-eyed giant's body. Eric rolled over, but he didn't get up.