by Paul Bellow
"Yeah," I said, nodding my head.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to go."
Drekmao exited stage left.
"What are we going to do about Monde?" Sarah asked.
"Bury her again," I said. "Does anyone know how long the portal to level two stays open? Should we be in a hurry?"
"No idea," Bernard said.
"You're coming with us, right?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," he said.
"What about you two?"
"I'm going with Sarah," Evan said.
"And I'm going where Evan goes," Ewen said.
"What about Josh?" Sarah asked. "Will he spawn as an NPC in the first level or the next one?"
"No idea," I said. "But I don't think we should wait around for him."
"We can't leave without him," Sarah said.
"Let's bury Monde. We can decide what to do after that."
The others nodded in agreement. As we turned to the back of the auditorium, I saw a hobgoblin climb over the pile of dead dogmas. He didn't look happy.
"I found them," he shouted. "Come around back."
"We're too depleted to win another large battle," I said. "We've got to go. Now."
I walked toward the stage, motioning for the others to follow.
"But Josh..."
"He's a big boy who can take care of himself," I said. "We've got to go."
Three arrows whizzed by.
"Let's go," I said as I hopped up on the stage.
I waited for Evan and Ewen to step through the portal. Several more arrows flew by. Bernard stepped in front of the portal and took a deep breath.
"You got this," I said. "Hurry."
Sarah stood next to me as hobgoblins poured in through every door. One of them cast a spell.
"Go, now," I shouted.
Bernard stepped through the portal. Sarah looked in my eyes then followed him.
I glanced back one more time before stepping into the shimmering light.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 48 ::::>
What Can I Say? I'm Thrilled
SARAH
On the other side of the magical gate, I found myself back in the stone tower. The curved hall gave me a strange sense of calm. We were all still in our game gear.
“We all make it?” Eric asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “And no sign of Magi Inyontoo.”
“He’s probably in the second or a higher level,” Bernard said. “Who knows?”
“I do,” a tall man in plain white robes said from a few feet away.
Everyone turned to look at him.
“Well, well…Here we are,” he said, looking us over. “I’m the game master.”
I looked over at Eric then back to the wiry balding man.
“Excuse me, sir? I think there’s been a mistake. This is a game, but we’re trapped here.”
“No, you’re not,” he said, waving away my concerns with his hand.
“Why can’t we quit the game?” I asked.
He sighed.
“Can you be quiet and listen a moment? Please?”
“We have questions,” I said. “You need to answer them.”
He laughed.
“I don’t have to do anything because I’m the game master.”
“This is the worst game ever built,” I said.
He stopped laughing and stared into my eyes.
I glanced away.
“Are you done talking?” he asked.
I crossed my arms over my chest but said nothing.
“Good, he said. You did okay in the first level, but your alignment scores are low.”
“There’s crazy players in this game trying to kill us,” I said.
My heart pounded faster as I worked myself up.
“That’s the point of the game, isn’t it?” he asked.
“You need to give us answers,” I persisted.
“We’ll just stay in here and refuse to play the game if you don’t answer us,” Eric said.
“Oh, yeah?” he asked, nodding his head. “You think you’re tough? Watch this.”
You lose 500 xp.
You have 27,657 xp.
Eric turned.
“Did you lose xp?”
I nodded. We both looked back to the game master.
“Don’t mess with the bull, young woman. You’ll get the horns.”
“Eat my shorts,” I said, maybe taking it too far.
You lose 500 xp.
You have 27,157 xp.
“You’ll find resistance leads to a more difficult time in the game.”
“This game sucks,” I said.
“You just bought yourself another penalty, missy.”
The game master pointed a finger at me.
You lose 500 xp.
You have 26,657xp.
“Whatevs,” I said.
You lose 1,000 xp.
You have 25,657xp
“More xp gone. You wanna keep going?”
Eric looked over and mouthed the words, “Stop.”
I took a deep breath and turned. The game master fumed, his brow wrinkled.
“Now, as I was saying, the higher your alignment score, the more help you will get.”
Bernard stepped forward.
“Sir, I’ve got a high alignment score, and I’ve gotten no help.”
“You better keep quiet, Bernard.”
Eric and I looked at him as he stepped back, head bowed.
“That’s better,” the game master said. “I’m in control. The sooner you accept your reality, the better off you’ll be. Do we understand each other?”
“Cry-stal,” I said sarcastically.
“I’ve got my eye on you, missy.”
The game master pointed his finger to his eyes then back to me.
I kept my mouth shut. Brute force wouldn’t get us out of the game. Higher alignment would help us, but how? My mind turned the thoughts over quickly, searching for a solution, a way out.
“Are you ready to hear about the second level?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “We’re going back in time?”
“Very observant,” the game master said. “The second level of the game is still a beginner level, but it’s unique in that the way you play the game will affect events four-hundred years later in the first level.”
“Huh?” Ewen asked.
The game master sighed and rolled his eyes. Beads of sweat had formed on top of his hairless head. He wiped it away then rubbed his hands on his pants.
“You’ll have a chance to affect world events in level two. If they’re big enough, the first level will be different for incoming players.”
“There’s still players coming in the game?” Eric asked.
“And what about Josh?” I added. “Will he be in the second level?”
“He will. I had to bend the rules, but I want to see you three interact again.”
I but my tongue before I shouted about the unfairness of the game.
“You have the Amulet of the Party, so you’ll be able to have a party of up to twelve people. The question is whether you’ll change the Grabisco Isles enough in 842 CE to make the first level easier or more difficult for new players.”
He glanced from one face to another, this sick and twisted grin on his face.
I wanted to punch him, but I controlled myself.
“Where’s the other one?” he asked.
The smile faded as he glanced around.
I saw Evan sneaking up behind him.
“No, don’t,” I called out as Evan leaped forward.
He went through the hologram-man and landed on his stomach.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I kneeled next to him.
“Yeah,” he said. “I didn’t know he wasn’t real.”
Who are we trapped in this game with? I wondered as I helped the brownie up.
I looked around but didn’t see the game master.
“Where’d he go?” I asked.
Bernard shrugged.
> “Evan, we’ve got to talk, buddy,” Eric said. “You need to let us know what you’re planning, okay?”
The brownie walked over and hid behind me, his hands on my waist.
“I’m sorry, Sarah,” he said.
“You’re fine, Evan. We’re just worried about you.”
“He’s a bozo,” Ewen said.
“Enough,” I shouted, my voice echoing through the curved hall.
They all turned their attention to me.
“I want to go into the second level with two things on our mind. First, we should accept all party members until we find Josh.”
“And Monde,” Bernard added.
“I’m thinking she won’t be hard to find.”
“She might not be on the second level,” Eric said. “We might’ve blown it.”
“Regardless, we need to find Josh. Our second goal should be getting our alignment as high as possible. The more tips and help we get, the easier it’ll be to quit the game.”
“Good plan,” Eric said. “I concur and pass the mantle of leader to you.”
I cocked my head to the side.
“The mantle of leader?”
“I think he means title,” Bernard said. “Right?”
“Whatever you call it,” Eric said. “You’re smart, level-headed, and I’m ready to follow you to the end of the game no matter how long it takes.”
Evan leaped from behind me and raised his dagger into the air.
“All for one, and one for all,” he shouted then plunged through the portal.
“Here we go,” I said. “Let’s follow him.”
Ewen walked through the shimmering light, followed by Bernard. I stepped over to Eric and took his hand.
“We’ve got to stick together,” I said. “You’re the only one I trust completely.”
He nodded, not saying a word. I forgot all about him in his hover-chair and everything else as, hand in hand, we walked through the second magical gate of the first level of the tower.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 49 ::::>
Damage Inc: Circa 842 CE
JOSH
I stared at the tall, bald man as he lectured me in the plain white room.
“Do you understand?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
“This is important,” the man said. “You only have one more chance as a PC. If you die again, you’ll become a monster NPC, and it will be more difficult to exit the game.”
“Uh huh,” I said.
The man sighed in frustration.
“Off you go, then.”
He pointed to a glowing portal of magical energy in one of the walls.
I stood and stretched, loving my massively muscular body.
“You need to learn how to act right,” the man said.
I lunged forward and inch, causing him to flinch.
“That’s not funny,” he said. “I’m in control. You need to accept that fact.”
I’ll accept the fact Eric will die as soon as I find him again. The idiot had let me die. He would pay if it was the last thing I did in the game. Maybe becoming a monster would be better.
Full orc instead of half-orc maybe? That would be cool.
I stepped through the portal and back into the game
The sun shining down hit my eyes. I put my hand up to shield them.
An arena? I glanced up in the stands and saw tens of thousands of people.
“Out of nowhere, we have Jonan the Barbarian,” an announcer called.
The crowd booed as I glanced around and got my bearings.
On the other side of the sandy arena, a gate swung open. A giant of a man strode out and lifted his hands into the air. The crowd went wild, cheering and chanting.
“Kill the half-human. Kill him dead,” the crowd roared repeatedly.
The other gladiator howled with delight before he charged toward me. I dodged to the side at the last moment, avoiding any contact. He stopped and turned.
You now have the Dodge skill – Basic Level 1 of 10
Do I still have that barbarian rage thing? I need to figure out how to play this game.
Bad memories rose in a wave of anger that crashed against my brain and sent me into a chaotic rage.
The crowd cheered even more as I beat my chest with my fists. After a scream of my own, I rushed across the sand toward the other gladiator.
He cocked his head to the side, wondering why I’d charged him. I reached him as he raised a massive battle-hammer into the air. Our bodies crashed together.
We fell to the ground with me on top of him. I wailed on him with my fists, all the frustration of being trapped in a stupid game coming out of me as raw energy.
Minutes that felt like hours went by before two heavily armored men pulled me off the other gladiator. I kicked and screamed as they dragged me away.
The people in the stands went wild, re-energizing my fury. I broke free of the guards and ran across the arena. When I reached a wall, I leapt up and grabbed the top.
Pulling myself up, I saw people running away in every direction, trampling each other. I hopped over the wall and landed on my feet. Still enraged, I ran into the crowd.
Where were Sarah and Eric? Did I have a chance of finding them again in the stupidest game ever built? The odds were against me as I fled the arena with the mob.
Eric would pay for allowing me to die in front of Sarah.
I ran through the city streets until I found a horse.
You lose 10 alignment points for stealing a horse.
Your alignment score is now -10 (Breaking Bad)
Whatever it takes to get my revenge.
The rage consumed my mind.
I rode out of town fast.
No looking back.
Only forward.
Time to go.
Kill Eric.
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