by Seth Ring
*Ask him*
SmilingBandit’s day had started totally normally, boring even, but when his friend had called him up a moment ago and told him that Maandell was having some sort of surprise event, he had logged on. He had been on Rasyn since he started playing Nova Terra. But the last few months had been really strange, and he was not sure that he liked the direction it was going. When his friend mentioned that there were people fighting against the Maandell city guard, he thought it would be a great opportunity to join in on the fun.
After logging in and grabbing a torch from the wall of the room where he spawned, SmilingBandit joined up with his friends and they rushed toward the city gate where the action was going to be. The recent changes to the game had drastically reduced the automatic penalty for disorderly conduct in the cities, and according to his friend’s reports the Maandell city guards had been downgraded to normal NPCs.
The gate had just come into sight when a massive shadow appeared in the alley that he was running past and SmilingBandit found himself flying through the air as an irresistible force seized him by the back of his armor. The world spun for a moment, and then he was dropped at the feet of a beautiful golden eyed Elf. Standing at her side was an old man who seemed as surprised to see him as he was to see them. On the other side was a short red-haired witch pointing the glowing end of her wand at his face. SmilingBandit gulped and glanced behind him, looking for a way out.
Instead of the empty alley, he found himself looking at two thick bronze pillars. On a closer look, the bronze pillars turned out to be the legs of a huge armored figure with a wolf head helmet. The huge figure gestured to him and then stood quietly behind him, the helmet’s glowing eyes casting a soft light on him.
*ding*
Hey, where’d you go?
Quickly replying to his friend’s message and telling them not to worry, SmilingBandit was ecstatic. Normally, getting grabbed off the street by a giant metal Wolfkin and dragged into an alley was the stuff of nightmares. Even though Nova Terra was a game it was getting more and more realistic all the time, and rumors had been circulating that the NPCs were not acting normal anymore. At first he had been tempted to log out immediately, but the beautiful Elf standing in front of him made him change his mind.
“Excuse me…”
“SmilingBandit, my name is SmilingBandit.” Rising to his feet, the young man brushed himself off and bowed as gallantly as he could. All Elves were naturally beautiful, but the Elf in front of him nearly took his breath away.
“It is nice to meet you, SmilingBandit.” Velin gave the enthusiastic player a small smile. “Can you tell me what is going on out there?”
“You haven’t heard? Slave revolt. The slaves have rioted and are ripping the city apart. There are also a whole bunch of mercs that are looting. Pretty exciting time! Oh, and the guards outside the city are trying to keep the gates from opening so the slaves can’t escape.”
“Tch.” Mina clicked her tongue in annoyance. “How are we supposed to leave if they are blocking the gate from the outside? This is turning into a mess.”
“Are you trying to leave?” SmilingBandit looked between Mina and Velin.
The Elven War Priestess’ brow was furrowed, though it did nothing to lessen her beauty. Baxby stepped forward and addressed SmilingBandit.
“Yes, we need to escape from the city as soon as possible. We are being chased by the slavers. If only there was someone who could help us.”
“Hey, do you need help? I can help you. I can even get my friends!” These were the words that SmilingBandit had been waiting for.
“Well, I’m not sure it would be fair to get you involved in her majesty's troubles.”
“No, no, I insist.” Cutting off Baxby’s words, SmilingBandit waved his hands in the air. “I’ll just call a couple of my friends and we’ll get you out of here.”
Taking a step to the side, he glanced back at the giant in metal armor who was standing perfectly still. More convinced than ever he called up his friends and told them to double back to meet him.
What are you going on about? Did you find a quest?
I think its a hidden quest! I found an Elf who I think is a queen or something. Maybe a princess, I don’t know. Just get over here. She is running away from slavers, so we have to figure out a way to get her out of the city.
Are you serious?! I’ll be right there! Do you want me to call ObsidianBlade and the guild?
And have them steal our quest? No way! Don’t tell anyone for now. Who knows how big this quest is! It could change the whole island!
After completing the rapid-fire exchange, SmilingBandit smiled at Velin in what he hoped was a reassuring way.
“My friends are on their way and then we’ll come up with a plan to get you out of here. But where are my manners? Let me introduce myself properly your highness. My name is SmilingBandit, but you can call me Smile. I’m a Sun Blade with a specialization in longswords. It is my pleasure to meet you, your highness.”
Giving the bowing player a strange look, Velin looked at her party, unsure what she should do about this misunderstanding. Thorn just shrugged and Mina was covering her mouth, trying not to laugh. Baxby, the only helpful one, nudged her and whispered for her to play along. Taking another step forward, he patted the bowing young man on the shoulder and smiled like a kindly old man.
“The sun god must have been smiling on us today. We thank you for your timely assistance young man. You will be well rewarded once her majesty successfully arrives at her home. For now, we must focus on escaping this wretched city.”
“I am at your command!” His eyes burning with enthusiasm, SmilingBandit put his hand on the hilt of the longsword sheathed at his hip as if he could not wait to draw it.
A few minutes later the sound of feet echoed down the alley and two other players came into view, freezing when they saw Thorn’s massive metal silhouette. Spotting SmilingBandit, they hurried over, passing Thorn gingerly.
“Hey, what’s up? Oh, excuse me.” The taller of the two players, a burly, barbarian looking player holding a thick cudgel, noticed Velin and bowed his head. His companion, a ranger of some sort with a shortbow, nodded his head.
“Alright, we’ve got to get her majesty and her friends out of the city. They are running away from slavers, so we’ll need to be careful.” Grabbing his friends, SmilingBandit pulled them close and began to explain the situation. “There are guards all over, but the city is in chaos, so now is the time. Any ideas?”
“We could smash the gate!” The barbarian mashed his cudgel into his fist.
“Are you an idiot? There are tons of other players, NPCs, and guards all fighting at the gate. How are we supposed to get through? Plus, if we use the front gate, how are we supposed to hide them?” Rolling his eyes, the ranger pointed at Velin and the rest of the group. “A short witch, a metal giant, an old guy, and an Elf queen. You couldn’t miss a group like that if you were blind. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a hidden chain quest and that to fully complete it we’ll have to get the queen safely back to her hidden Elven village!”
“True, and once we’re there we’ll be the only players who know where it is! Just wait till I post a picture of the hidden Elven village to the forums! Everyone will be so jealous! Hah, that’ll teach ObsidianBlade to mess with me.” Excited by the visions of glory floating through his head, the barbarian laughed excitedly.
“Shhh. Keep it down. We need a plan.”
Listening to the young men sinking deeper and deeper into fantasy as they whispered together, Mina stifled a laugh. This whole trip had been nothing but one false assumption after another. Still, if it helped them get out of the city, she was not about to correct them. After a few more minutes of whispering, SmilingBandit lifted his head and faced Velin.
“Your highness, thank you for your trust. Let me introduce my companions to you. Boon here is a Raging Barbarian of mighty strength, and OneArrowKiller is a Nature Warden. He specializes in tracking and counte
r-tracking and will be very helpful. We’ve come up with a plan that we think will work to get you out of the city. Our idea is fairly simple.
“There is a merchant who often often hires travelers like us to move goods out of the city through a secret pathway. If we can get there, we might be able to use that path to get you outside. Then we can either head toward the mountains or we can use the river to pass by the city. There is a town at the crossway that will take us right up to the Great Forest.”
“Thank you.” Maintaining her graceful image, Velin put her hands in front of her chest and bowed.
“Of course, no problem.” Boon answered before SmilingBandit could, scratching the back of his head as his face reddened. The Raging Barbarian turned to his friends, mumbling to himself, “Man, this game is way too realistic.”
“Idiot.” OneArrowKiller rolled his eyes and stepped forward. “We better get moving. Do you have any way to hide yourselves? I don’t mean to be impertinent, but your group is rather, uh, conspicuous. It would be nice if you had cloaks or something like that. At least something to hide your faces.”
“Of course, what a great suggestion, young man.” Baxby turned to Thorn who had produced spare cloaks from his inventory and passed them out. The fight in the arena had destroyed Velin and Mina’s cloaks, but Thorn was carrying plenty of spare gear for them.
Once everyone was covered, OneArrowKiller led the way while Boon walked at the rear. SmilingBandit did his best to walk next to Velin, but Mina and Baxby stuck to her sides like glue, making it impossible. His efforts frustrated, he could only walk in front of them, making awkward small talk over his shoulder. Thorn towered behind Velin with Boon following.
They wound through the alleyways as OneArrowKiller led them toward the southwestern part of the city. Most of the guards had rushed to the markets in the central area or attempted to fight for control of the main gate in the eastern wall of the city, so they came across very few people as they walked.
“You mentioned that we would have to take the river to get past the city, right?” As they walked, Baxby took pity on SmilingBandit who was trying in vain to make conversation in an effort to integrate himself with Velin.
Relieved that someone had finally responded to his attempts at conversation, SmilingBandit flashed a set of perfect teeth and nodded.
“Yeah, there is an old sewer exit where the refuse carts used to pass. The gates there haven’t been used in quite a few years since the city swapped to magical waste disposal, but the path is still there. Very few people still know about it so we shouldn’t have too much trouble getting out. Once we’re outside we might need to hitch a ride on a boat, but there should be plenty on the river.”
“We’re just about there.” OneArrowKiller called from the front of the group.
“Any guards?”
“No, not that I can see at least. But with all this chaos, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Hup is taking the opportunity to send goods through. We’ll need to keep an eye out because once we’re inside we won’t be able to tell what is in front of us.”
“Marius Hup?” Baxby’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he asked.
“Yeah, he’s a pretty well known merchant. Do you know him?”
“Haha, Mr. Marius is quite difficult to forget.”
“Heh, true, true.”
OneArrowKiller had led the group up to a small, well-built house in a quiet street near the western wall. The house was one of many like it with a small backyard that butted up to the large city wall. Well kept, both the yard and house reminded Thorn of something a well-to-do worker or small business owner would live in. Leading the way to a side entrance of the house, OneArrowKiller ducked behind some shrubs and opened a large trap door, revealing a flight of stairs that dropped down into the earth.
“This is it. The passageway leads us to the old tunnel, which will lead us straight out of the city. If you want to wait here I can scout the way to make sure it’s clear.”
“Arrow, I don’t think we have time for that.” Boon hurried over to the Forest Warden, pointing down the street where flickering torchlight and the clashing stomp of metal boots announced the presence of city guards coming their way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Are they chasing someone?” Baxby peered down the dark street.
“It looks like some slaves. We need to leave now if we don’t want to be seen.” OneArrowKiller’s eyesight was particularly good in the dim light and he could make out a small group of slaves running down the road, their bare feet silent on the cobblestones. There were four slaves in the group, wearing little but rags as they fled from the guards. One of the slaves had found a sword from somewhere and another held a broken spear.
Silently they sped forward, their tall, thin forms blending in and out of the shadows as they passed by the flickering lights from the houses. Despite how nice this section of town was, Maandell was a rough merchant hub so the normal magical lights were missing. At the front of the group, one of the two slaves without a weapon suddenly collapsed, tumbling to the ground despite the efforts of the other three.
Just then the guards rushed around the corner, their torches casting dancing shadows across the street. Seeing that one of the slaves had fallen, forcing the others to stop, the guards shouted triumphantly and charged forward, their swords waving.
“Capture them! Remember not to hurt the girl if you can help it!” A potbellied guard shouted as he urged the others forward. Quickly they caught up, half surrounding the slaves, weaponry aimed at them. The two armed slaves stood in front of their companions, holding up their broken weapons.
Thorn’s eyes narrowed under his helmet. The slaves he had seen in Maandell made him quite uncomfortable, and the idea of leaving these fleeing slaves to the guard’s blades did not sit well with him. Still, OneArrowKiller was right, getting into a scrap right now was not the right choice if they were trying to sneak away. As he was hesitating, he heard Velin’s whisper by his side.
“Thorn, we need to save them.”
Without pausing to ask why, Thorn drew his tetsubo and crouched slightly, the pistons in his legs compressing and releasing as he activated [Predator's Leap]. With a whooshing sound he disappeared from beside Boon, leaving the Raging Barbarian stunned.
*BOOM*
Thorn’s landing shook the street, sending the slaves and guards alike staggering. Only the slave with the broken spear was able to keep his feet as he spun to face this new threat that had appeared out of nowhere. Ignoring the slave’s vigilant golden gaze, Thorn took a big step past him and swung his tetsubo, sending three guards flying, the spikes on the end of the metal weapon ripping through their armor.
Seeing that the rest of the guards had started to back off, Thorn turned and pointed toward the hidden entrance, waving for the slaves to go that way. The screech of metal on stone alerted him that the guards were advancing so he spun back around, blocking two swords that were stabbing toward his waist. Behind him, the slave with the broken spear hurriedly helped the others up and led them toward the area where Thorn had pointed.
As Thorn delayed the guards, they arrived in a small grassy yard. Looking around they couldn’t see anything except the large city wall rising up into the night sky.
“Sir, do you think…” his face pale, the slave with the sword couldn’t help but whisper.
“Nonsense. That looked like the war construct who was reported to have started the revolt.” Turning carefully, the slave with the spear looked over the yard warily.
“Hey, come this way.”
Without warning Mina blinked into the center of the group, startling the slave with the sword so badly that he dropped his weapon. Hearing Mina’s chuckle, he flushed and picked his sword up, following the others into the hidden entrance to the tunnel.
Out on the street Thorn was fighting the guards when he heard a set of boots pounding on the street behind him. Taking a quick step back, he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see SmilingBandit and Boon thr
ow themselves into the fight. Thorn had just decided to clean the guards up quickly, but when he saw them come he restrained himself in case he accidently hit them.
SmilingBandit looked quite dashing as he rushed into battle, his grey and blue armor contrasting with his dark skin. The tight dark curls on his head swayed as he moved, his long sword reflecting in the light as he danced through the guards. Flashing his trademark smile, he really did resemble a smiling bandit.
Far from the elegant style of SmilingBandit, Boon’s fighting style was exactly what his class made it seem like. His thick arms glowed with a red luster as his muscles expanded. Roaring, he smashed his way through the guards, sending them tumbling to the ground. The two fighting styles, while seeming utterly opposed, worked together in perfect harmony.