by Paul Bellow
Leena looked up, frowning. “It was for your own good,” she said.
Bernard continued shaking his head.
“After all that time we spent together, you still didn’t trust me?” he asked.
“It’s not like that, Bernard.” She stepped toward him. “I care for you.”
He continued shaking his head, pursing his lips together.
“Please, Bernard.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t be mad.”
“I can’t believe you lied to me for that long…”
He pulled away from her and walked away.
Josh stepped toward the fire, his shoulders covered in freshly fallen snow.
“What’d I miss?” he asked.
“Leena helped design the game,” I said. “She knew my father.”
“Ohhhh…” Josh said, nodding his head as if he understood.
“How exactly did you know my father?” I asked.
“I need to go study my spells,” Leena said, walking away.
After a deep breath, I settled down near the fire as Josh wandered off.
Might as well assign my skill and stat points.
I called up a list of my current skills.
Black Market Connections – Basic Level 4 of 10
Dodge – Basic Level 4 of 10
Monster Lore – Basic Level 5 of 10
Weapon Craft – Blades - Basic Level 10 of 10
Weapon Craft – Dual Wield - Basic Level 5 of 10
Weapon Craft – Throwing Dagger - Basic Level 1 of 10
Climbing – Basic Level 10 of 10
Climbing – Advanced Level 3 of 5
Stealth - Basic Level 4 of 10
Create Item - Basic Level 1 of 10
Identify Item – Basic Level 7 of 10
Language: Human, Common
Sense Motive – Basic Level 6 of 10
Bargaining – Basic Level 3 of 10
I considered dumping more skill points in my dual wield or throwing dagger skills. They could be raised with more real-world practice too, though.
After looking it up and seeing that identify item at advanced level allowed the identification of magic items, I placed on point into that skill. When I tried to increase my advanced climbing skill, I learned it took five skill points to move one spot for advanced skills.
Oh well. My last point went into dodge to help me survive. I called up my stats next.
Alignment: 45 (On the Right Path)
Health: 146(146)
Strength: 85 (+20% to hit, +4 damage)
Dexterity: 75 (+10% DEX saves)
Constitution: 65 (+5% CON saves, +1 HP per level))
Intelligence: 75 (+10% INT saves)
Wisdom: 55 (+0%)
Charisma: 44 (+0%)
I’d lost five constitution points recently, but I hadn’t gone down enough to get rid of the bonuses. Should I replace the five CON I lost, or dump it into strength?
After checking the tables and seeing my to-hit bonus would go up five-percent and my damage another two, I dumped all five stat points into strength.
“Do you want the first shift?” Derringer asked, startling me.
I glanced up and said, “No, I need to sleep. Get me up for the last one?”
He nodded then walked away.
I curled up in a thick fur blanket. Meager heat from the fire kept me warm as I gradually fell asleep.
“Eric,” Who said in my mind.
I sighed.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going out of range for a while.”
“Okay. Be back before you change into a figurine.”
“Will do, Eric.”
I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 13
Forest of Magictology
Eric
Derringer woke me what only felt like a couple minutes after I closed my eyes. I sat up, the ground in the distance covered with snow.
“Sorry,” he said. “I gave you an extra hour of sleep.”
“Thanks.” I stood and looked around.
Bernard, Josh, Leena, and the two boys were sleeping comfortably near the fire.
“Let’s give them some more sleep too,” I said.
As Derringer nodded, I heard a war-horn coming from the forest.
“Wake up!” I shouted, spotting a group of gnolls and giant wolves.
Josh mumbled something about five more minutes as the others stirred.
“We’ve got company,” I said in a firm, commanding voice as I drew my swords.
Leena stood and yawned, stretching her arms into the air.
“A bunch of gnolls and their pets?” she asked as she stepped beside me. “Really? You woke me for this?”
“I’m being careful,” I said, not liking her tone.
“Watch and learn, grasshopper.” She stretched out her arms and chanted an incantation while moving her feet in a weird pattern. “Go with fear!”
Her voice boomed, but in a cone away from us, protecting our ears. Two of the giant wolves yelped then turned and ran back into the forest. I saw Who fly from the trees, soaring toward us.
“Eric, it’s the Forest of Magictology.”
As I watched, the owl turned back into a figurine in mid-flight, dropping into a snowdrift. How long had I slept? Why hadn’t the owl flown back sooner? I better not lose such a cool magic item.
No answers at hand, I ran forward, keeping an eye on the spot where it had fallen to the ground. The gnolls turned and ran with the other wolves when they saw me and the others charging toward them.
I stopped at the spot where Who had fallen and snatched it up. After only a few uses, I’d become attached to my owl companion. Could I eventually make him a full-time owl?
As I turned and walked back toward our camp, I saw the others acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Mid-level characters scaring gnoll mobs. That’s all.
“Ready to clear the Forest of Magictology?” I asked as I walked up to them.
“Didn’t we settle this last night?” Leena asked.
I shook my head. “No, we didn’t.” I pulled out one of my two remaining Everlast potions. “Maybe I can clear the forest all on my own.”
“Don’t do it,” Leena said, stepping toward me.
I flipped the cork off with my thumb.
“You’re not the boss of me,” I said.
“At least don’t take it yet,” she said. “Wait until we know we need it. This one won’t last as long as the other or work as well.”
“Fine,” I said then turned to the boys as I replaced the cord. “You two can stay here until we get back. We want to check out at least some of the forest.”
The little boy shook his head.
“Forget that,” the older one said. “We’re leaving for Fishguard. Thanks for the supplies.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
Both boys nodded furiously.
“We hate that forest,” the older boy said.
“And we’re gonna chop it down when we grow up,” his younger companion added.
I smiled, wondering again at the intense complexity of the NPC characters in the game.
“Be safe,” I said.
The two boys gathered the meager belongings we’d given them before heading south, following the road to Fishguard.
“My owl had a strange message before it transformed,” I said. “Forest of Magictology. That’s all he said.”
“Sounds like a useless scout to me,” Josh said. “Can I go back to sleep now?”
“Maybe Shockly Forest is the source of the undead,” Derringer said.
“Doubtful,” Leena said. “Still, we should check it out. I want to stop Magictology wherever I find it.”
“Bernard? What about you?” I asked.
“We have a side-quest to stop the source of undead on this level,” he replied. “I’m down for clearing the forest and looking for Sarah.”
“Great,” I said. “The owl wasn’t very helpful, so I’ll do some scouting of my
own this morning. Want to come with me, Bernard?”
“Sure,” he said.
I smiled then glanced at the others.
“Can the rest of you pack up our stuff and meet us at the edge of the forest where the boys and gnolls ran out?”
Lenna nodded, saying nothing.
“If we run into anything too dangerous, I’ll take the potion. You’ll probably hear the mayhem.” I turned to Bernard. “You ready?”
“Ready as ever,” he said.
“Let’s go,” I said then turn and trudged through the snow toward the forest.
While I didn’t see any plumes of smoke rising into the air, that didn’t mean anything in a fantasy adventure game. Players had created all sorts of items to keep warm. The gnolls likely had a camp nearby. Bernard and I walked side-by-side toward the trees.
“Your wife, huh?” I asked then glanced over and grinned.
“Let’s not talk about it, okay?” He stared straight ahead. “Love makes you do stupid things sometimes.”
“You’re telling me,” I said.
As we approached the game-trail leading into the woods, I slowed down, taking time to notice my surroundings. I became one with nature as we crept into the trees. Both of us kept quiet as we walked, carefully taking each step. The deeper we made our way into the dense forest of trees hundreds of feet tall, the worse a noxious odor became. A canopy of bare branches overhead stopped most of the snow from reaching us, but it was still cold.
What had Who meant by Forest of Magictology? The question tickled my mind as we crept forward, sometimes inches at a time.
I focused on the task at hand, quietly moving from tree to tree as the smell got worse. Bernard tugged my arm then pointed to the right to a clearing ahead. Gnolls and other humanoids had begun construction on a structure.
Another Temple of Magictology? Here in the forest?
I crouched and moved toward the edge of the clearing. Bernard caught up as I stopped behind an evergreen bush and peered toward the encampment. Work on the temple structure had only just begun from what I could tell.
As I scanned the area, counting at least four dozen gnoll workers, a shaman with bones wrapped into a man-bun sat atop a barrel nearby. He occasionally barked orders at the grunts.
I also saw several dire wolves sleeping on the far side of the clearing. We had approached the clearing downwind, so I wasn’t too worried. Bernard shook my shoulder then pointed.
My eyes widened. Three men in black robes sat in a circle, humming and chanting. Bones near them began to meld together – skeletal Frankenstein warriors. This isn’t good.
“Go get the others,” I whispered.
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, pulling out an Everlast potion. “Hurry.”
“This isn’t a good idea, Eric.”
“I appreciate the concern, Bernard, but we’ve got to stop this temple from being built.”
He frowned then nodded slowly. I watched as he ran away with his head crouched low. The workers and others were all preoccupied and hadn’t noticed us. I thought about strategy and defeating the encounter in the woods.
The gnolls would have no chance against me once I took the Everlast potion, but was it worth using another potion? How many undead could they create? I needed to go after the shaman or the three necromancers.
Who first? I wondered.
On the other side of the clearing, near the clerics, I saw two brownies walk out of the trees. They were too far away to notice any details, but I could tell it was them by how they walked. Anger raged through my body as I saw them. With the potion at the ready on one hand, I strode out into the clearing.
“I’ve come to talk with Evan and Ewen!” I shouted.
Everyone turned their attention to me. I hoped I’d timed it right to give the others enough time to get back and help.
“Who’s that?” Evan, slightly shorter, said as he stepped forward.
Ewen followed behind. As they got closer, I realized they were no longer smiling. What happened to them? Are they still brownies? I kept my eyes on them as they came closer.
“I’m here to talk,” I said. “You need to explain yourselves.”
Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, I thought as a few gnolls woke the napping wolves. Three freshly created skeleton warriors stumbled toward me.
Evan and Ewen stopped when I raised my swords.
“That’s close enough,” I said. “Why did you do that to Sarah? She was so nice to you. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Evan snickered, looking even more sinister without his smile.
“Magi Inyontoo gave us an offer we couldn’t refuse,” Ewen said.
Evan pushed the other brownie and said, “Shut up, bozo.”
“No, you shut up,” Ewen countered, also pushing.
I sighed, hoping the others would hurry. Had something happened to Bernard on the way back? Was I on my own? I glanced down at the Everlast potion as Evan looked at me.
“Magictology is the real deal,” he said. “We’re behind Magi Inyontoo all the way, and I don’t care if you know it. In fact, there’s a bounty on you and the rest of your party. Why do you think we killed stupid Sarah?”
“She’s not stupid,” I snapped.
“I think he’s protesting too much,” Evan said, sounding more intelligent.
Had their simple ways been a mind-game disguise all the time?
“You killed Magi Inyontoo’s father,” Evan said. “Prepare to die.”
What was it with that phrase? I recognized it from the book Princess Bride which my father had read to me as a child, but I didn’t know Magi Inyontoo or his father. Were they just using it to be funny? Had they been fans of the book?
“Kill him!” Evan shouted as he pointed at me.
Several gnolls nearby grunted, sending a pack of dire wolves my way. The acolytes and shaman also stood. Surprise is good. I can work with this.
As they came toward me, I swallowed the contents of my second-to-last Everlast potion. Power instantly surged through my body as a game notification popped up.
**) EVERLAST (**
STR + 89
DEX + 98
CON + 87
INT +45
WIS +98
CHA +76
Health Double (+146)
To-Hit: +75%
Damage: Double
2x attacks per weapon
2x experience points
Effects not permanent
I quickly scanned the battlefield then backed into the woods. After running a few hundred feet away, I came back out and sprinted toward the three clerics.
While I wanted to kill the brownies for what they’d done to Sarah, the spellcasters were more dangerous. They all began casting as I reached them, but I stopped that nonsense.
Your slash INJURES the necromancer cultist for 14 damage.
Your slash INJURES the necromancer cultist for 15 damage.
The necromancer cultist is dead!
Your slash WOUNDS the necromancer cultist for 18 damage.
Your slash WOUNDS the necromancer cultist for 16 damage.
The necromancer cultist is dead!
Critical Hit!
Your pierce MAULS the necromancer cultist for 27 damage.
Your slash DECIMATES the necromancer cultist for 34 damage.
The necromancer cultist is dead!
Adrenaline and pure magical energy coursed through my veins as I stepped back and examined the changed battlefield. Bernard, Derringer, Josh and Leena had arrived and were fighting the gnolls and dire wolves.
Someone had already killed the handful of skeletal soldiers raised by the necromancer cultists. Who should I kill first? Shaman? Or the brownies? I decided on the shaman, another spellcaster. The brownies could wait.
The shaman had jumped down from the barrel and was heading toward the major battle between my other party members and the dozens of gnolls. I ran faster, already feeling the effects of the potion waning s
lightly.
I attacked ruthlessly, not giving him a chance to get off a spell.
Your pierce WOUNDS the gnoll shaman for 19 damage.
Your slash INJURES the gnoll shaman for 15 damage.
Critical Hit!
Your pierce DECIMATES the gnoll shaman for 37 damage.
Your slash DECIMATES the gnoll shaman for 34 damage.
Your pierce MAULS the gnoll shaman for 27 damage.
Your slash DECIMATES the gnoll shaman for 31 damage.
The gnoll shaman is dead!
What remained of his body fell to the ground in a pile. Good thing I took the acolyte necromancers out, I thought as I took another snapshot of the battlefield.
The brownies were talking with each other next to an open wooden container. Were they arguing? Evan pushed Ewen aside then pulled something from the chest.
I walked toward them, ready to exact revenge. As I picked up my pace, Evan drank a potion, grinned evilly, then ran toward me with his dagger raised. What did he just drink?
Evan zoomed past me, attacking four times in quick succession with two separate knives.
Evan’s slash HITS you for 9 damage.
Evan’s slash INJURES you for 17 damage.
Evan’s slash WOUNDS you for 19 damage.
Evan’s slash WOUNDS you for 21 damage.
You have 226/292 health remaining.
Did he take an Everlast potion of his own? Or just speed?
I screamed then attacked, keeping an eye on Ewen as he approached the chest.
Critical Hit!
Your slash DECIMATES Evan for 38 damage.
Your slash DECIMATES Evan for 32 damage.
Critical Hit!
Your pierce DECIMATES Evan for 37 damage.
Your slash DEVASTATES Evan for 42 damage.
Your pierce MAULS Evan for 27 damage.
Your slash DECIMATES Evan for 31 damage.
Evan has noticed you.
**) Everlast: 5 minutes remaining (**
How’s he still alive? Did they have more Everlast potions?