by Paul Bellow
"Looks like you're already in trouble," he said. "What happened to your clothes?"
Sarah pulled what cloth remained closer together as he leered at her.
"The cleric shot fire at her," I said.
"I've been suspicious of this place since it showed up in the city," the man said. "My name is Captain Riggardo, and I'm the Captain of the Black Guard in this zone."
Bernard, Sarah, and I all looked from one to the other.
"Something wrong?" Captain Riggardo asked.
"No," I said. "We've heard good things about you."
"Yeah? Like what?" he asked.
Is it the same player from level one playing an ancestor of his other character? A loophole?
"Do you want to join our adventuring party?" I asked.
Captain Riggardo laughed long and hard.
"You're something else, kid." He shook his head. "Tell you what. Since you took out a menace for the city, and you're here to hunt gobs of hobgobs, I'm going to give you this building. Clean it up and make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
I stared into Captain Riggardo's eyes, wondering if he could be trusted.
Was he laying a trap for us? I checked him out with my skill.
[NPC] Captain Riggardo
(Black Guard Defender)
The ancestor of Captain Riggard appears as trustworthy as the man who died in the battle of the ruins of Esterhollow. If he thinks you're on his side, you'll have no troubles with him and may end up with great rewards for following his lead with the humans-only campaign.
"You want more?" he asked then laughed again.
"No, this is great. It's such a big offer. And we're new in the city."
"You're not trying to talk me out of it, are you?"
He chuckled, his armor not making a sound as he moved.
"Not at all," Sarah said, stepping forward. "Thanks for your kindness."
"Yeah," Bernard said. "We couldn't find any rooms in the city, anyway."
Captain Riggardo grinned, his chiseled, square jawline pointed out.
"You're welcome," he said. "Don't make me regret my kindness."
"We won't," I said as he turned and walked toward the door.
"And don't mistake it for weakness either," he said then stopped and turned around. "One more thing. Do you feel like taking on a mission for me? It pays well, and I'd owe you one."
"Maybe," I said. "What is it?"
"We need to block the dwarves from returning to the realm. There's enough trouble without them. I need someone to go to the Pit of Doom in the Mines of Oriam and seal it up. There's a nice sized reward in it for you."
"Let us think about it," I said, wanting to think it through and discuss it with the others.
"You have twenty-four hours to accept my offer or get out of the city."
He grinned, flashing surprisingly perfect pearly-white teeth.
"Where can we find you?" I asked.
"At the garrison in center of the city," he said as he turned and walked out the door.
I looked from Sarah to Bernard. Where are the brownies?
"What do you think?" Sarah asked.
"I wanted to discuss it with you two before we made a decision," I said.
Sarah smiled.
"Thanks, but I think we should do it. We're heading in that direction. I want to spend some time deciphering that map. Why don't you go accept his offer and work out the details for our payment?"
I looked at Bernard and asked, "Agreed?"
He nodded.
"Sounds like a plan," he said. "Do you think that's Captain Riggard from level one?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Maybe..." Sarah said without sounding sure of herself. "We're definitely not going to help him make the game human-only."
"No, we're not," I said. "In fact, maybe we should help the dwarves return to the game."
"I'm not so sure about that idea," Bernard said.
"Oh? Why not?" I asked.
He took a deep breath before speaking.
"I've been in the game a while, and I've heard stories. They're rough, and none of the other races like having them around."
"Are any player character dwarves?" I asked.
"No idea," he said. "Only one way to find out."
I smiled and turned to Sarah.
"Are we getting lucky, finally? You get a new spell or a ring of luck you haven't shared with us?"
She chuckled and shook her head.
"No, but I'm close to leveling. We're not really going to hunt hobgoblins, are we?"
"We'll strip this place of supplies and make our way toward the mines."
"I want to study the map," Sarah said. "He has a nice library here."
"We should stay for the night," Bernard said.
I nodded.
"Agreed. Now, where are those brownies?"
"I found something," Evan called out from the second floor.
"No, I found it, bozo," Ewen said.
I jogged toward the door then went downstairs. The two brownies were standing by an open door behind a bookcase in yet another room full of books.
"A secret door," Evan said, head bobbing up and down.
I smiled.
"Great job, buddy. You did good."
"Told you," he said then pushed Ewen on the arm.
"Cut it out, you two," Sarah said as she walked in. "What's behind the door?"
"I'll find out," Evan said then dashed through the doorway.
"No, wait," I yelled, but it was too late.
I walked over and followed him into a cramped room with wooden shelves on three of the walls. They were full of glass bottles and a few more books.
A mirror with an ornate base stood in front of the far wall. The smooth surface showed nothing but smoke, even when we stood in front of it.
"What's with the mirror?" Evan asked. "Looks broke."
He reached forward to touch it.
"Don't," I snapped, pulling him back. "We don't know if it's trapped or cursed or something else."
A figure appeared in the smoke-filled mirror.
Magi Inyontoo, I thought as I stared at our nemesis, a griefer of the highest order.
"Well, well, well," he said, rubbing his chin.
The black robe he had on looked three sizes too large.
"Where's Bernardo?" he asked. "Did you kill him too?"
"Yeah," I said. "And we're coming for you too."
"Such hostility from supposedly good aligned players." He shook his head. "And to think I get the bad rap in this stupid game."
"Where are you?" Bernard asked innocently.
Magi Inyontoo laughed.
"Nice try. You losers can try to stop me, but I've got a plan, and it's all falling into place."
"We're coming for you," I repeated, my voice calm, cool and collected.
"You're welcome to try."
I stepped forward and grabbed the sides of the mirror.
"Help me, Bernard," I said as I pulled on it.
"What are you doing?" Magi Inyontoo asked. "Resistance is futile."
"Don't you ever come up with your own lines?" Sarah asked, walking over to help.
Together, we managed to turn the mirror around so it faced the wall.
"I can still hear you," Magi Inyontoo said then laughed.
"Let's get everything else out of the room then close it up," I said.
The others helped carry all the items from the secret room into a meeting room on the second floor. We deposited all the loot on a long, wooden conference table.
"Not a bad haul," Bernard said, eyeing it all. "I wonder if Captain Riggardo knew about all this?"
"Probably not," I said. "We need to hide it before he comes back. In fact, I'll go tell him we accept his mission and will see if he gives us some help to start out."
"Good idea," Sarah said. "I'll stay here and identify all these potions and try to decipher the map. There's a note on the back."
"What about me?" Evan ask
ed.
"You and Ewen should go downstairs and start something for dinner," I said. "We're all famished and need to eat before our big journey tomorrow."
He nodded his head.
"I can do that," he said, rushing toward the stairs.
"Hold on," Ewen said as he waddled after him. "I'm the better cook, and you know it."
Sarah smiled and shook her head at them.
"I'll be back soon," I said. "After dinner, we'll see what we have for this journey."
"The brownies might need my help with all that food," Bernard said. "If you don't mind."
I smiled.
"Go ahead. You've earned it. I'm surprised you didn't level again."
"I'm close," he said. "Still deciding what path through Rogue to take."
"We can discuss it more later," I said. "Magi Inyontoo knows where we are right now, so leaving as soon as possible is a good idea."
Bernard nodded then walked out of the room.
"Good luck with all this," I said.
"Thanks," Sarah said. "It's fun."
I left to find Captain Riggardo at the garrison and tell him we would accept his mission. We might get lucky and get even more supplies for the long journey ahead.
As I walked, I once again enjoyed the simple sensation of walking with my own two legs. Would the game try to take them away from me? I wondered, remembering my fall from the Tower of Sherlock.
We've got to play smarter. This game might be bending the rules. Maybe it's time we tried the same thing. I grinned to myself as I walked out of the temple and down the street.
Being trapped in the best virtual game ever created had its perks. I hoped Sarah came around and realized the opportunity we had in the game.
My father would come home eventually and let us out. Until then, we should enjoy it as much as possible. That was my philosophy.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 3 ::::>
Armor of Orc Odors is Treasure?
SARAH
Hands on hips, I stared at the table full of potions and a few other items I thought might be magical in nature. While the others secured the temple, I got down to work.
After an hour of casting Identify, I had a complete list of all the magical items found in the Temple of Magictology. Could we hang onto the place for ourselves?
Having a base of operations on level one-two would help us in so many ways. Level one-one had been about going from one end of the realm to another.
After travelling so much, I understood why Bernard had wanted a stable life as an NPC. He'd been through so much in the game. I couldn't even imagine.
Should I tell the guys about the armor or Orc odors? I wondered as I scanned the list of items. They would notice the odor if Bernard tried it on.
Could be worse, I thought then sighed as I read over the list one more time.
4 potions of minor healing (heal 2d20 health)
3 potions of major healing (heal 5d20 health)
2 potions of enlarge (double your normal height)
5 potions of remove poison
2 potions of restore mana (5d20 mana points)
Chain Mail of Orc Odors (+35 Armor Class, odors from armor gives -5% to hit on all nearby foes and friends.)
+2 mace of detect alignment (+10% to hit bonus, 1d10+2 damage, detect alignment 2x/day)
The mace would help Bernard, our pseudo-cleric. And potions were always helpful. Not a bad haul. Had the game finally thrown us a break? We'd cleared the entire temple quickly.
Was it trying to trick us? What do you think, Charlotte?
"Can we talk normally, Kali? I need to practice."
"Sure," I said, glancing at her on my shoulder. "We're about to level-up again soon."
"I'm so excited," Charlotte said. "What new abilities will I have?"
"You've not had anything other than being able to talk out loud to others so far."
"I know, Kali. But the possibilities are endless."
"Can you help me figure out this note on the back of the map to the Mines of Oriam?" I asked as I spread it out on the table.
"I can try, Kali."
She crawled down my arm and walked onto the map. I sat back and studied the strange characters.
"Did the cleric have a dwarven translation book?" Charlotte asked.
"Genius," I said, standing up. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
I walked down to the office on the first floor of the temple. Ewen and Evan looked over and waved as I walked past them in the main room.
"I'm guarding the doors, Sarah," Evan called out.
"Great job," I said, wondering who the two had been outside of the game.
Eric appeared to have no trouble being stuck in the game with no escape until his father came home and rescued us, but I didn't look forward to years away from reality.
On the plus side, I would come out of the game wiser than when I came in because of the time dilation. Would I gain real-world wisdom in the game? I was intrigued by the idea.
When I reached the office on the first floor, I scanned the bookshelves for anything with the same characters as on the map. Nothing stood out at first, but I quickly saw something.
"Bingo," I said, pulling out a black, leather-bound tome.
Dwarven Rosetta Codex. I tucked the book under my arm and made my way back upstairs to the magic items and map. Charlotte stood on it, some of her eyes looking down at the writing.
"I found something," I said, placing the book on the table and opening it.
"Good job," she said.
"It's going to take some time, but I should be able to translate it."
"You're the best, Sarah."
"Oh, I'm Sarah now?"
I chuckled.
"Should I call you Kali?" she asked.
"Of course," I said in a reassuring tone. "Do you want me to call you something other than Charlotte?"
"No," she said. "I like my name. You gave it to me."
I smiled, falling more in love with my familiar.
"Let's get to work..."
After cracking open the book, I looked up one word after another.
Over an hour later, I had the complete message translated and written on the inside cover of the dwarven dictionary. I read it one more time.
Dear Magi Inyontoo,
As a dwarf myself, I'm outraged at your recent lecture on exterminating all the dwarves from the realms. The Pit of Doom in the Mines of Oriam exists for a reason and having it guarded by a black dragon so dwarves can't enter this realm is against everything I've learned in my hundred years. While still a youngster in Dwarven years, I've seen enough to know you're in the wrong. Rest assured, I'll do my best to stop you. I'll be living openly in the Woodshore Forest if you dare come to find me. You shouldn't try to stop me unless you're ready to face my wrath. The black dragon – and you – will die.
Fierce and free,
Axelrod
I read the note three times, wondering if I'd messed up the translation somehow.
"Does it make sense to you?" I asked.
"He's connected to Magi Inyontoo. We should go find him and see if he's still alive."
"Good idea," I said. "Might be time to slay our first dragon. Having a dwarf along will be helpful."
MAIN QUEST: Banish the juvenile black dragon blocking the dwarves from entering this crucial realm. The actions you take on this quest will affect the first level of the game, so tread carefully and mind your alignment score all the time. No experience points will be rewarded for completing this quest, but it will allow you access to level one-three.
I wondered if Eric and the rest of our party got the same notification.
"Let's go find the others," I said, putting my hand on the table.
Charlotte scurried up my arm to her favorite spot on my shoulder. I walked downstairs as Eric walked in the front door, laughing heartily.
"What's so funny?" I asked as I walked over.
"Nothing," Eric said, still smiling. "Captain Riggardo isn't offering anything
other than the temple and everything in it for our journey, but it'll be more than enough."
Evan stood and raised his hands into the air.
"I'm gonna slay the dragon," he said excitedly. "Best quest ever."
"The note on the map is translated," I said as I stopped in front of him.
"What's the note?" Eric asked.
"I'm going to check on dinner," Evan said then walked toward the kitchen.
"Ewen, keep an eye on the door. We're going upstairs," Eric said.
"Got it," he said. "But I still say I'm the better cook."
I turned then went up the stairs to the room with all our loot. Eric followed close behind.
"We have magic armor of stink and a decent mace of detection for Bernard," I said as we walked.
"Cool," he said. "What about all those potions?"
"Good ones," I said. "There's a list upstairs."
"What was the note all about?"
"Some dwarf named Axelrod is mad at Magi Inyontoo because a black dragon began guarding the Pit of Doom which the dwarves apparently use to get into this level."
"This game is nuts," he said, shaking his head.
"You're telling me."
We stopped at the room with the items and the map.
"Elves first," he said, smiling again.
He stepped back and waved his hand for me to enter.
I walked into the room.
"This whole only human trope is getting a bit old," I said.
"It's messed up," Eric said. "Killing the dragon is our main quest for this level, but it said we need to watch our alignment and the changes we make on this level which affect level one."
He shook his head.
"I'm sorry for getting you into this mess."
"Don't worry," I said. "Your father will come home eventually. He better. I don't want to be trapped in here for twenty or thirty years. I love you and all, but..."
My voice trailed off. Had I just dropped those words? Now?
He nodded. Maybe he hadn't heard me? Was the game changing him too?
"We should leave soon," Charlotte said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Yeah," Eric said. "I'll go tell Bernard about the mace and armor then we can all go eat. Hopefully Evan does know how to cook."
"He tracked the old man here," I said in his defense. "And about the armor. Do we really want it stinking up friends and foes?"