by Paul Bellow
"You couldn't save him?"
He shook his head.
"It all happened so quick. He wouldn't listen when I told him we'd find another way."
"We should've let him into the party a lot sooner," I said.
"Right? The game was screwing with our heads by giving us that warning."
"We have met crazy people, though."
"Can't change the past," he said. "All we can do it carry forward."
"Do you want me to help dig?"
"No, keep guard. It'll be a shallow grave, but I wanted to do something for him after all we put him through. Maybe it will help him become a better NPC or something."
"Yeah..."
I let my voice trail off. He used the goblin's sword to dig. As he did, I took a few steps away and looked around, hoping to not see any goblins. While watching, I heard an argument, a familiar one.
"We're not lost, bozo."
Is that Ewen?
"Be careful, Kali," Charlotte said.
Evan and Ewen walked from around a bush, startled to see me.
"Are you two following me?" I asked.
"Kali," Evan said. "Good to see you."
He ran over and threw his arms around me.
"We never should've left you."
"I thought you two were in Esterhollow," I said. "When we went through there, I couldn't find you."
"They kicked us out of Esterhollow," Ewen said. "They're making it a human only city."
"What? That's crazy," I said.
Evan nodded his head.
"What's crazy?" Eric asked as he walked over.
"I said it was crazy too," Evan said.
"You said no such thing, dummy," Ewen said then pushed Evan.
"Stop it, you two," I said. "We've got to work together."
"Kali?" Evan asked in a soft voice.
I looked at him.
"Yeah?"
"Can we join your party now?"
My eyes opened wide in surprise. I looked over at Eric. He nodded.
"You sure?" I asked.
"We need the help," he said. "Even if they're brownies."
I turned to Evan and Ewen and officially invited them into our party.
They became player characters who were brownies. What?
"Whew," Evan said. "I never thought it would happen."
"Interesting," Eric said. "You're still brownies."
Ewen smiled.
"There was some method to our madness. We've seen other players with strange races that weren't available at the start of the game before, but we weren't sure."
"I was sure," Evan said.
"You were not."
"Are you two contractors working on the game too?" I asked. "Or were you in an institution?"
"No, we were in prison in Nashville, Tennessee," Evan said.
Ewen shoved him again.
"What?" Evan asked. "We need to tell them the truth."
The brownie turned to face me.
"We signed up for a test program to get out early. The game was so hard, and we were having fun as Brownies, so we settled into it. Until you came along, Sarah, You reminded us of the real world."
"How long have you two been in the game?" I asked.
"Eighty-three years and change," Evan said.
My eyes widened and my mouth opened.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yeah. How long have you guys been in?"
"Over a month now," Sarah said. "Time is so weird in here."
"So," Eric recapped. "We've got developers stuck in here, two people from a prison, and others from a mental health facility."
"None of it makes sense," I said. "Who was in a mental health facility?"
"No. Bernard lied to us. He came clean before he sacrificed himself for me."
"I can't believe he’ll become an NPC again."
"We'll find him," Eric said. "Him and Josh."
The sound of my boyfriend's name shocked me. I hadn't heard it in a while.
"Were you guys trapped as brownies long?"
"A long time," Evan said. "We liked it."
"On the outside, we were eco-warriors. When we found ourselves in the forest as brownies, we made the best of it. Players came around, but none of them offered anything better than what we had going on in the woods."
"Until you left," I said.
"We weren't going to until we met you that day," Ewen said. "I made up the story about going to Fishguard. We have been following you, in a way. Evan wanted to ask about joining your party and becoming PCs again, but we have to both decide on something before we do it."
"This is a lot to digest," I said. "And we still have to finish this quest."
"Don't worry, Sarah. With us here now, things will go great," Evan said.
I smiled.
"About your appearance..."
"What about it?" Ewen asked.
"I need to cast a spell to make you into goblins."
"Will it work on us?" Evan asked. "Is it permanent? Can I be a tall goblin?"
"Slow down," I said. "One question at a time. This won't be permanent, but it will allow us to travel more freely when we don't stick out."
"Great idea," Evan said. "Sarah."
I smiled.
"Once we get past the Great Wall, we still need to find the pendant," Eric said.
"Remember the elephant, oh wise one?"
Eric cocked his head to the side as he stared at me.
"One bite at a time."
He smiled.
"Nice."
"I thought so. You ready for this?"
"Yeah. And you?"
I nodded.
"Let's play to win and clear the level. Hopefully, we'll find out more information on this game."
"About the game and inviting you..."
His voice trailed off.
"Don't worry about it. We're good."
"Yeah?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Definitely."
After I cast become unknowable human, we finished burying Bernard. What other surprises did the game have in store for us? I wondered as we headed southeast toward Tang Province.
We had no concrete plan to get past the Great Wall, but I felt confident we would find a solution. Even with Bernard gone, our party had doubled in size. We've got a chance at this.
The two brownies led the way with me in the middle and Eric following a few feet behind.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 43 ::::>
Do You Monde if I Join Party?
ERIC
The Great Wall of the Forbidden Kingdom rose a hundred feet in the air, visible from a long distance away. I admired its beauty as we approached.
"Someone's coming," Evan said.
I turned and saw him pointing behind us.
"What classes are you two, anyway?"
"He's a rogue, and I'm a fighter," Ewen said.
I put my hand up to shield my eyes from the sun.
"A fighter, but I can't make out whether they're goblin or not. We better get ready."
"We should try to talk our way out of it," Sarah said.
"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises. We can't lose any other members in our group."
The figure drew closer, zigging and zagging like they were about to pass out.
Could it be Bernard as an NPC? I moved forward with my short-sword drawn.
"Who goes there?" I called out in goblin.
A female gnome warrior stopped a few yards away from me.
"We don't mean you any harm," I said in common.
The gnome cocked her head to the side as she stared at me.
"I'm running out of languages," I said.
Sarah walked over and stopped.
"Monde no want trouble," a familiar high-pitched voice said.
"Is that you?" Sarah asked as she stepped forward.
Monde drew a sword.
"No hurt Monde anymore."
"We don't want to hurt you," Sarah said.
I sheathed my sword a
nd inched forward.
"We can help each other," I said. "Do you understand?"
She looked from Sarah to me.
"Monde know you?"
"We met before, yes," Sarah said in a soothing voice. "It's okay."
"You no leave Monde again?"
What's with this person? An idea popped in my head.
"Do you want to join our party, Monde?" I asked.
She looked at me quizzically.
"Monde not sure."
"We can help if you join our party," Sarah said. "It doesn't hurt."
"Monde join party," she said.
"It's not working," Sarah said.
"Everyone in the party needs to agree," Ewen said. "Game rules."
"Are you two okay with it?" I asked.
Evan nodded, but Ewen asked, "Is she...okay?"
"She's fine," I said. "Odd, but she can fight."
"That would bring our party to five," Ewen said. "I agree."
[PC] Monde (Gnome Fighter.) has joined your party!
"Well, that tells us she's a person and not a computer controlled NPC," I said.
"Monde no understand."
"Do you know where you are right now?" Sarah asked.
Monde shook her head.
"We should get off the main road," I said. "There's a group of trees a half-mile back."
"No, let's keep moving forward," Sarah said. "We can talk on the way. I want to get behind the Great Wall before the sun goes down tonight."
I glanced up. We'd make it to the wall before sundown, but I wasn't sure if we would make it inside.
"Let's go," I said, turning around.
"Come on, Monde," Sarah said. "Do you have a name outside the game?"
"Monde."
"Do you remember coming into the game?"
"Monde."
"I guess not," Sarah said.
"Can you cast your illusion spell on her?" I asked.
Sarah nodded.
"Yeah, but then I'm out of mana for the day."
"Do it. We'll be careful."
I watched as Sarah danced and cast the spell, turning Monde into a pudgy goblin.
"Monde no change," she said then stomped her foot.
"It's okay," Sarah said. "It's temporary."
Monde looked at Sarah, saying nothing.
"We should get going," I said.
I turned and headed off toward the Great Wall. As we walked, Sarah continued asking Monde questions. Every one she answered with her own name.
The tones were slightly different each time, but none of it made sense. Monde offered us no new information on the game, but it would be good to have her in the party.
In another hour, we'd be at the Great Wall, and I still needed a plan.
▧▨▧▧▨▧▧▨▨▧▨▧▨▧▧▨▧▧▨▨▧▨
A few hundred feet from the wall, I noticed a huge close gate. Over a dozen archers stood atop the wall, silhouettes against the bright blue sky.
We all stopped walking. I hoped we wouldn't have any trouble getting past the wall with our illusory disguises, but I expected the game surprise us.
"That's what I call a wall," I said, still admiring it.
"I'll feel better when we're on the other side," Sarah said.
"Let me do the talking," I said as I walked forward.
The others followed. At the gate, two hobgoblins stood guard in glistening plate-mail armor.
"State your business," one said from behind his helmet.
"We're here for work," I said.
"Are these your goblin slaves?" he asked.
I nodded.
"You know you're almost at the limit, right?"
"Of course," I said. "Why are you holding us up?"
The guard's helmet faced me, but I couldn't tell what he was looking at. Seconds ticked by tensely.
"Open the gate," he said.
I looked toward at the massive gate as it slowly swung open.
"Step back," the guard yelled. "You know the drill."
We stepped out of the way. Beyond the gate, I saw a broad street leading off into the distance.
This is going better than I thought it would.
"Pass through," the hobgoblin guard said after the gate opened the entire way.
"Let's go," I called out, waving my arm for the others to follow.
I led the way through the gate and into a tunnel. The wall had to be thirty or forty feet thick at the base. On our way through, a tingling sensation ran through my body. That was nice, I thought then smiled. Things are finally going our way We'll find the pendant and destroy it.
Sarah called my name and grabbed my shoulder. I turned around and saw she no longer looked like a goblin. The others had also lost their illusory disguises.
"They must dispel magic in the tunnel or something," Sarah said.
Monde continued walking forward, heading for the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Hold on," I said.
She kept walking. On the other side of the wall, I saw several dozen hobgoblins walking and going about their daily lives. None of them had noticed us, but it was only a matter of time before they did.
"What are we going to do?" Sarah asked.
"I'll protect you," Evan said as he pulled a dagger.
"Put that way," I said. "Maybe they won't be as racist here as they were back in Taowutang. Let's catch up to Monde."
I jogged the rest of the way out of the tunnel and caught up with the gnome warrior.
"Whoa," I said.
She turned and looked around.
"Monde like it here," she said.
"That's good, but we need to stick together."
I glanced around as the others walked over and stopped. Several hobgoblins were staring, pointing, and talking. The main brick-paved street continued as far as I could see. Side roads branched off.
"Come on," I said. "This way."
As I walked toward one of the side streets, hoping to find us a quiet spot to figure out our next move, someone yelled, "Stop."
I turned and saw a group of hobgoblins in armor. The helmets on their heads glimmered in the sun.
"Take it easy," Sarah said. "We can't fight a whole city."
"I know," I said as I glanced around and looked for an escape route.
"Did you hear me?" the voice called out again.
A hobgoblin stepped forward and took off his helmet. He pointed his finger.
"I'm talking to you."
"Me?" I called out. "We're in a hurry."
The hobgoblin lifted a fist in the air and rotated it. A dozen soldiers fanned out, surrounding us and blocking any chance of escape. Ewen pulled out a dagger.
"Put those away," I said. "We're outnumbered."
"Monde no like numbers."
Time for more Intel.
> Consider Hobgoblin Leader
[PC] Prince Drekmao the Valiant (Guardian)
This hobgoblin hero appears well known in the area. You notice the armor he's wearing is familiar to what you are wearing.
Huh? A player character? Can I work with this?
"What are beings like you doing in Tang Province?" Drekmao asked. "Who are you?"
"I'm Drexmao," I said. "And I think we're related."
The hobgoblin's face scrunched up in confusion.
"I haven't seen other players in a while," he said. "But good to see you."
"We need your help to destroy the Cursed Pendant of Visions," Sarah said. "Want to join our party?"
He laughed.
"I'm too high-level, but I think I can help you get rid of the most annoying low-level player in the game."
"That's great," I said. "This is quite a coincidence."
Drekmao shook his head.
"There's no coincidences in this game. Come with me. Are you hungry?"
"Monde could eat."
Drekmao looked at our gnome warrior but said nothing.
"We'd love to eat," Sarah said. "We weren't sure how we would be accepted here."
"It would've been bad if I hadn't seen that armor you're wearing. The game must've connected us somehow. We can talk about it more at dinner."
He raised his fist in the air. The armored hobgoblin surrounding us relaxed, putting away their weapons.
"Follow me," he said.
I turned to Sarah. She smiled. The only thing that would've made it better was having Bernard around to enjoy our burst of luck.
We followed Drekmao through the city. As our quest drew to a close, I didn't want the adventure to stop. Not right away.
My legs moved my body down the virtual street that felt more real than the world I'd left behind.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 44 ::::>
You think this happens every day?
SARAH
Drekmao led us to a private residence surrounded by a massive iron fence. The odds of him and Eric's character being related were crazy, but I wasn't arguing.
First levels were always easy. We had messed up more than once since starting, but we'd made it to the final part of the quest. I hoped the hobgoblin would help.
"You've amassed quite a party," Drekmao said.
We were sitting at a round table large enough for a dozen.
"Thanks," Eric said. "How long have you been in the game?"
Drekmao smiled.
"That's always the question, isn't it?"
"We know there's a lot of messed-up people in the game," Eric said.
"Oh? You do?" Drekmao said as he nodded thoughtfully.
"We haven't run into too many other player characters," I said. "Eric and I came into the game together with a third person."
"One of you?"
Drekmao glanced around the table.
"No, he died before we found each other."
"Ouch. It's the first level, but it can be tough, especially with Magi Inyontoo."
"What's the deal with that guy?" Eric asked.
"He's a high-level player character like me, but he enjoys killing others."
"A griefer?" Sarah asked.
Drekmao laughed.
"I haven't heard that term in forever. To answer your question, I've been in the game roughly eighty-years now, I think. I was one of the first to plug-in all the way?"
"Plug-in all the way?" Eric asked. "What do you mean?"
Drekmao sighed.
"I'm a developer of the game," he said.