by Dawn Chapman
As the rogue threw a knife, Aimer and the halfling fired. All three hit the same creature, the bullet catching an arm, the knife embedding in a shoulder and the arrow finding a leg. Somehow, the mornspawn didn’t stop, letting out a screech that sounded even worse.
The first animal bit down on Terris’ arm as he tried to get his sword between them, but before I could summon up some wind to knock it back, another arrow appeared, sticking out of its eye socket. Aimer hadn’t missed that time. Terris pulled it off as the monk managed to pummel another creature until it toppled into the fire.
I retched as its fur went up in flames and the smell assaulted all of us, but there was still one left, and seeing its companions die only fired it up further. Thankfully our halfling had kept her head and had reloaded her gun. Her next shot was more accurate, catching the beast in the chest. It toppled back and the cave went silent.
“Owww oww oww.” Terris pulled a face as the battle haze wore off him and his attention was brought back to the bleeding wound on his arm. The monk stepped forward again and pulled some dust out of a pouch. He sprinkled it on the bite, making Terris sigh almost instantly with relief. But the relief we all felt was only momentary, the smell of the burning creature and the hot, sticky blood from the others affecting us all.
It was enough to make me feel sick.
The rogue turned and threw up against one wall. Aimer went and fetched his arrows from the bodies. Trying not to look, I summoned a light breeze, pushing the smells away from myself and the rogue. Instantly, she looked at me, grateful, but she was the only person who did so.
“Some of that magic would have been useful in the fight,” Terris said, drawing the attention to me.
“First fight,” I mumbled, knowing it wasn’t a good excuse and feeling heat flush in my cheeks at the embarrassment. The monk just clapped me on the shoulder.
“It’ll be easier next time,” he said, smiling despite the looks on everyone else’s faces. He moved forward again, picking up his light stick and taking it on himself to lead the party onwards. It was only then that I caught Aimer’s expression, a thoughtful look making him frown, his eyes locked on me.
I bit my lip and tried to ignore it. Somehow, I had to carry on. I couldn’t let the team down, but it seemed that was going to be easier said than done.
Chapter 5
As we’d plodded on through the network cave, it seemed to grow dull. We’d stopped once to have drinks, and I’d noticed the growing splodge of black in the lower left corner of my vision had grown smaller again. It seemed if I didn’t take care of myself, the game had a way of warning me. Given the glitches, that was a comfort.
“Did you hear that?” Aimer asked, everyone immediately stopping to listen. Somewhere up ahead we could hear the sound of more screeching and yelling, both human voices and those of creatures like the ones that had attacked us.
“Sounds like another team is close enough to hear,” I said, hoping I was right but worried I wasn’t.
“We’d better hurry, then,” Terris replied, nodding to the monk to carry on. Relieved to have at last contributed at least a little something, I walked on, hoping it wouldn’t be much longer now. My feet were starting to ache, and I was worried about how long we’d been gone from the real world. Would Mum know we had snuck into the game system yet?
This time the monk upped the pace, making it even harder for me and the rogue to follow on, but it was the halfling who struggled most, her legs significantly shorter. Twice I almost bumped into her as she lagged behind while I was eager to keep up.
Hoping it would help, I generated a small breeze again, blowing it at her back as we hurried, as the sound of yelling and screeching grew louder. She glanced at me and nodded her gratitude. If nothing else, it kept our pace up and showed I could work in a team, but I had no idea how long I could keep it up. I’d not pushed myself much yet.
Suddenly we came out into a large cavern and ground to a halt. In the centre was a pillar, a large stalagmite and stalactite that had met in the middle long ago and since been broken and hewn, the bottom forming a platform while the top hung a long way above. On the platform sat a golden shimmering lyre—the relic we’d been sent for.
The floor close to us dropped away into a blackness so deep that the bottom couldn’t be seen, and a rope bridge traversed the gap from us to the pillar. Before we could even contemplate making our way across, another team appeared at a similar entrance to our left. They were faced by the same obstruction: a flimsy little bridge that looked like it had seen better days.
The eyes of each team locked onto each other, then Aimer and their own elf darted forward, braving the bridge before anyone else could. My eyes widened. I wasn’t sure I could have run headlong for the item, the bridge swaying and creaking with every movement.
Somehow Aimer managed to make progress faster, beating the other elf to half way. It encouraged the rest of us, and we started cheering for Aimer as a third team appeared, looking bloodied and battle-weary. The noise increased as the other teams cheered on their fastest member, masking the noises of distress each bridge gave.
Suddenly one of our bridge ropes snapped, making the bridge lurch horribly to one side and Aimer stumble, but he managed to right himself and carry on. One hand rail had gone, but the other ropes were somehow holding.
“Do something,” the monk said near my ear, just loudly enough I could hear. “Use your wind to support his weight and lend him speed.”
I nodded, cross at myself for not thinking of it, and concentrated. Aimer visibly picked up speed, his feet almost flying as I pushed my powers to lift and propel him forward, creating updraft after updraft.
A fraction of a second before the elf to our left, Aimer made the platform around the pillar and grabbed the lyre off it. Immediately, we cheered and he stood triumphant, grinning from ear to ear. There were groans from the other teams, but before I could react at all, I was tackle-hugged by our rogue and halfling, a chuckle coming from the judge now directly behind us.
“Nicely helped at the end there, Jessica. You’ve got a lot of raw talent. And well done the rest of the team. That was one of the best displays of team work I’ve seen in a long time.”
While the judge was speaking, Aimer slowly made his way back over the rope bridge, bringing us the lyre.
“So, what does this thing do?” Terris asked when Aimer handed it over.
“I believe it makes music,” the judge said, grinning and flicking a wink at all of us. The halfling let out a snorted laugh, but Bodwick looked less than impressed with the answer.
“I mean besides music.”
“Oh, nothing. This wasn’t a real quest, just one to see whether you could handle some basics. All our recruits do the same test. Here, we’ll need to put it back for the next trial.” The elderly man took it from us as he touched the frayed rope. In front of our eyes, it lifted itself back into place and reattached the bridge securely.
He beckoned us after him as we joined one of the other groups on the small island in the middle. After putting the lyre back on the stand, we were all ushered off to the left where the team who’d almost beaten us stood with their judge, looking dejected.
“Come, we’ll all go back to the wagons this way. It’s the shortest route of the three.”
Hearing that made me feel smugger. Not only had we won, but we’d not had the easiest route to follow. Now all I had to do was let Desiree know and see what she could tell me about my sisters.
As the rest of my team were taken off to their respective areas of the guild, I stood and waited, hoping it wouldn’t be long before I was shown where I would be reporting to.
“Right, both of you come with me,” the woman who’d healed me earlier said to me and Aimer, the only two who were left. “You’ll both answer to the intelligence and reporting offices. Aimer, you’ll be a scout and join the expedition teams. You’ll be expected to gather information and use your natural elven traits to further the goals of the guild. Jessica,
you’ll become part of the archive and accounts team. Don’t worry, it’s more exciting than it sounds. You’ll have access to our records and our library.”
I grinned, not the least bit worried about the excitement level. My position would give me a chance to gather information, learn the game and see if I could find out where my sisters might be without finding myself in too much danger. We dropped Aimer off first, and then I was led to a small office with a desk covered in books and ledgers, many open and scattered across the top. A thin layer of dust covered everything.
“The previous mage in here, Cale, helped keep the accounts and make sure everyone was paid fairly. He also liked to research old artefacts and items that we might find useful. He went on a quest alone several months ago and didn’t come back. We’ve had to assume he’s no longer coming back.”
“No one went after him?”
“No, my dear. We couldn’t if we wanted to. He’d been following clues wrapped up in riddles and codes, a barrel of enigmas, and no one else has been able to solve them. We couldn’t even find any notes of his to follow. Although I won’t insist on it, I won’t deny it would be kind of you to see if you could find out where Cale went, even if we have to send a team rather than a solo person to find him.”
With that, the woman turned and left. No sooner had I walked into the room than a window popped up in my view with a ping. It contained another quest, some of it in gibberish again, but I could make out enough to tell I was being offered the very task I’d just been told about. Solve the clues and find my predecessor.
For a moment I hesitated, not sure I wanted the distraction, but when I thought how I’d feel if someone I cared about was missing, how I felt about my sisters, I knew I had to accept. Perhaps finding the mage would aid me in my journey to find them. Either way, I had a job to do, and it began with tidying. I sighed and stepped towards the dusty mess.
As I picked up the first ledger, one with columns of numbers and scrawled figures I didn’t yet understand, the layer of dust stirred. Almost immediately, I had to turn and sneeze.
Frowning, I put the book back down. I needed some way to clean this up without just billowing it up in clouds around me. An idea came to me, making me grin.
Flinging wide the window and taking a step back, I concentrated my powers and let a breeze blow across the top of the desk, picking up the dust as it flipped a few pages and taking all of it out the window. I had to admit, if I could clean up like that at home I’d never have minded doing the chores.
Before I could get any further, I heard a cough from my open door. Aimer stood there, holding two books.
“Apparently these belong in here,” he said. “Something to do with a Cale guy who went missing.”
“Oh, great, thanks. I’ve just accepted the quest to find him,” I replied, grinning as I took them. It was only as he frowned that I realised what he’d said.
“You are another player, aren’t you?”
It took only a glance at his face to know he’d never believe me if I lied, so I nodded, hoping he’d skirt the issue.
“Amazing. I didn’t think I’d meet one of the other hundred so soon. I’ve got a quest that popped up to help you, though. Something about finding your sisters?” Did you each manage to get a ticket? I didn’t think more than one was allowed per family. To stop the really rich buying up all of them.”
“I... uuuhhh...” With no other choice, I told him everything. How my sisters and I had snuck in and how we’d got separated, the game glitching on us. His eyes widened with each sentence until I finished, then he frowned and looked at me.
“So why don’t you just log out?” he asked.
“I can’t find the button. Everything is in some kind of gibberish.”
“Oh, that’s okay. There is a button, but you can also just relax and think it. Try it now,” he said as he grabbed my chair and motioned for me to sit. I sighed, but obeyed, hoping it would work. Closing my eyes, I thought ‘Log out’ as loudly as I could in my head, but nothing happened. When I opened my eyes again, feeling frustration grow, Aimer was just looking at me.
“Okay, I’ll try and help you navigate to it. Can you open your settings?” I nodded and did just that. “Brilliant, down at the bottom is a button that looks a bit like a cog—press that.”
He paused while I looked for what he meant. I couldn’t see a cog, but there was a little red cross at the bottom, the same kind you get when a picture doesn’t load on some computer systems. I clicked on it.
“Then in the new window, bottom box is log out.”
I navigated to it and clicked on it with my mind, even reached up and pressed through it with my finger, but nothing happened. The whole window merely flashed red angrily, like I was asking to do something it didn’t like.
“Didn’t work?” he asked. I shook my head. “That’s so strange. Here, let me try and just check it’s you and not the whole system.”
He sounded strangely at ease for someone who’d just suggested either I or both of us were stuck inside this virtual world and ushered me out of the chair. I let him sit and watched as his avatar appeared to fall asleep in an instant.
Not sure what else to do, I poked him. He didn’t move or wake. It was just me then. Great.
Chapter 6
While I waited for Aimer to come back to the game, I made myself busy, tidying up and stacking all the books neatly back on the bookshelves dotted around the room. It took a while, as some of the contents were not obvious, but eventually I worked out the system already in place. One stack of shelves held the guild’s finance ledgers, something I was evidently now responsible for, and the other three were each dedicated to books in different languages, English and two I couldn’t read.
Comparing the symbols for each of the languages I didn’t recognise, I managed to work out where all the books belonged, and then I turned my attention to a stack of papers held down by a heavy figurine of a dragon-like creature. I was just reading the first one, a mission report of sorts, complete with loot breakdown and the cost of anything consumed or damaged in pursuit of the quest, when Aimer stirred.
Immediately, I got up and rushed to his side.
“How long have I been gone?” he asked, fixing his eyes on me for a second before he spotted the now almost entirely tidy desk.
“Hours,” I replied.
“Wow, it was only minutes for me. Sorry.”
“What were you doing?” I asked, not entirely sure I wanted to know as I pictured him rushing to the toilet, or scoffing a piece of cake.
“I was talking to your mum, Jessica.”
I frowned, realising she must know where I was.
“She’s a bit freaked out, but glad you’re okay. Asked if you could tell me what happened again, and said she and Simon were working on fixing your glitches.”
“Great. Does she know where my sisters are?”
Aimer shook his head. “No. Just like you weren’t coming up until you told me who you were, they’re not registering as playing either. It’s like the game or some glitch in the game is hiding you.”
“Oh.”
“They’re hoping you’ll be automatically ejected after a week of in-game time. The current safety protocols should kick in.”
“They’re hoping?” I asked, suddenly feeling fear squeeze at my stomach. He gave me an apologetic smile and I shuddered. I didn’t want to be stuck in this game. I just wanted to go home, where it was safe, and where my family was. Except two of them weren’t, and it seemed the game knew I needed to find them.
“So what now?” Aimer asked. “The game has only offered me a quest to help you. It’s got no info on how.”
“Desiree, the woman who found me, said she might be able to help. Since it’s almost night time,” I said, glancing out the window, “I’m going to head back, see what she has to say, and come back first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds like a plan. In the meantime, I’ll see if anyone else around here has heard of someone dropping in
from nowhere. I’ll start with those who travel most. They mentioned something about keeping tabs on where guild members are.”
I nodded, relieved we had some kind of plan. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep without knowing we were still working towards some kind of rescue plan. I didn’t doubt this body needed sleep as well. It had needed food and drink, so sleep made sense.
Hoping Desiree would have more info on how to proceed, I made my way back out of the guild building, only getting lost once. The streets outside were less busy, but a few people still meandered back and forth, and a cosy glow came from the inn as I wandered past, almost tempting me inside.
Before I could get back to the healer’s small house, the woman herself appeared, coming out of the front door down the road. She saw me and waved.
“Come in, my dear, and tell me about your adventures today. I already heard the guild accepted you. I knew they would.” Desiree smiled as she spoke and led me into her house.
Over dinner we talked of everything that had happened, although I left out all the information about me being a player. I told her someone had agreed to help me find my sisters, and then I stopped, not sure how to ask her to explain her words earlier. She’d made it sound like she might know something, but she’d not said what.
“I asked around about your sisters today. Asked if anyone had heard of any other young powerful mages. They said there were rumours of one down by Limolan town but no one else had heard of anything. Some of them will get back to me, but I think the guild will be the most help, especially if your new friend works in the members’ records office.”
I nodded, trying to hide my disappointment at how little she’d uncovered. I was facing the possibility that I was going to have to find my sisters the hard way, travelling around this whole game until I heard of them or met someone who had. And if I was to do that, I needed to learn as much as I could.