by Seth Ring
“Good.” His voice turning flat, Thorn’s eyes locked onto the scarred thug. Stepping forward, his hand shot out like lightning, swatting away a vain attempt to block and grabbing him firmly by his chest armor. Lifting the thug, whose face had paled, Thorn turned and launched him with all his strength.
*BOOOM*
A nearby building, unable to withstand the force of a human smashing through its walls, collapsed in a storm of splinters and plaster.
The rest of the thugs, who were in the middle of drawing their weapons, paused. As one, their eyes fixed on the now collapsed building that Thorn had thrown their leader through. They looked at Thorn, then at the building, then back at Thorn. With a clang, they put their weapons back in their sheaths and turned to walk away.
“Hey,” Thorn had barely gotten a single word out when the bandits broke into a mad dash, disappearing before he could get his second word out. “Aren’t… Okay, I guess not.” Thorn looked at Oberlin who shrugged. Shaking his head, Thorn walked out of Vermin.
“You know, Thorn, you could make a pretty awesome warlord,” Oberlin announced as they walked.
“Sorry, not interested.” Thorn shook his head, changing the subject. “Did you get your soul back?”
“Yes, thanks to you keeping the High Priestess busy.” Oberlin pulled a glowing orb out of his inventory.
“Wow. I have to say, that is impressive. I did not see you take it and I was staring at the table pretty much the whole time.”
“There is a reason my class has ‘Master’ attached.”
“Did you get your new class?”
“Yup, [Infinite Key Master]. Makes me even better at opening locks. There are a couple of other bonuses, but it is pretty focused on getting into things that other people want to keep you out of.”
“Well, I know who to call if I lose my keys. Does this make you the only person in the game to have mastered a dual category class?”
“Possibly.” Oberlin was not as excited as Thorn imagined. “It is pretty much impossible to know. There are a lot of players that don’t talk about their game time. Unless you are getting the information from Eve herself, I would take everything you hear with a grain of salt. For example, I have no idea what that business about avatars was about. I thought all the gods fell to the dragons. Everyone has their own secrets.”
“What are your plans now that you have gotten your soul back? You’re free to go anywhere now, right?”
“Helping you of course. I only got the orb back because you helped me. There is no way I would have managed to sneak it out otherwise. For now, you’re stuck with me.” Oberlin grinned, looking happier than he ever had. “I am still working on the chests, it seems like the locks require specific quest items to open. As soon as I figure out what we need to find I’ll let you know. Until then, I am going to walk around behind you since you make about the best shield there is. You threw that guy through a building. Isn’t that cheating or something?”
Continuing to chat, they made their way toward Berum. Nova Terra had no fast travel system so Thorn expected it to take more than a day to make the trek. If he had been by himself he could have run, shortening the time it would take, but Oberlin lacked Thorn’s stamina so he set the pace.
As they camped that night, Thorn spent some time looking through his messages, replying to his aunt and a note sent by his sifu. Mina had gotten back to him as well, setting up a time and place to meet, her excitement and nervousness obvious by the tangled tone of the message. Thorn was still not sure what he was going to do when he met with Mina and Velin, but he felt that he should at least try to restore the relationship.
As he stared up at the stars Thorn knew that they were fake and yet, he could not help marvel at their grandeur. There was a feeling of freedom in his heart as he lay under the stars that Thorn had never experienced before. Before the dark expanse of space, how small he felt, and how wonderful that was. As his appreciation of the beauty of the night sky grew, the problems in his heart melted away.
It took two days for Thorn and Oberlin to travel to Berum. Oberlin was so happy that they were done walking that he nearly cried. Ignoring him, Thorn nodded to the city guards who were looking at him with suspicion. Though completing the [Trouble at Embersplit Mine] quest had cleared the [Criminal] title, the last memory the guards in Berum had of him was trying to find chains that would fit around his massive wrists.
Much like regular people, the natives of Nova Terra had long memories. Just because he had been cleared of his crime, they did not forget that they had thrown him in jail not too long ago. Already nervous when they had to arrest Thorn, they were even more nervous now that he had gotten out and returned to Berum. Thorn, on the other hand, barely thought about it at all. He walked past them into the city, leaving Oberlin sitting on the ground where he had collapsed in exhaustion.
“Hey, wait up.” Oberlin dragged himself off the ground and chased after Thorn’s massive back. “You are meeting up with some of your old party members, right? When?”
“Tonight. We are meeting at a bar near the courthouse at six. Still, a couple of hours, so I am going to get something to eat.”
“Sheesh, do you ever stop eating? You were eating almost all morning as we walked.”
“There is a lot of me to keep fed.”
“Fair point.”
The last time he had been in Berum, Thorn had been a regular at an inn called the Speckled Hen. As he walked in that familiar direction, Thorn began to realize that the townsfolk were staring at him. Every time he turned down a street the players would move out of his way, but otherwise ignored him. On the other hand, the natives were much more concerned about him, pointing and whispering to each other.
“You are pretty popular.” The attention was so obvious that even Oberlin noticed.
“I’m not sure why. Last time I was here no one paid any attention to me.”
“Sure, but you also were not a violent criminal. Killing someone in town is not common. And who knows when you’ll snap and kill someone else. Haha,” Oberlin laughed at his own joke. “But seriously, the last thing the townsfolk remember about you is that you were arrested. Your size makes you easy to remember. Don’t be surprised if your reception is less than friendly.”
Arriving at the Speckled Hen, Thorn ducked through the door, Oberlin following him. Thorn had picked this inn because of the tall ceilings that let him stand freely. As they entered, the innkeeper hurried up a big smile on his face.
“Thorn! It is great to see you! It’s been a long time. Were your charges dropped? There were some terrible rumors going around about you, but I know you. There’s no way they could have been true.”
“Hello, Gerald,” Thorn smirked at Oberlin who was standing next to him, his mouth hanging open in shock. “Yeah, I was able to get the confusion cleared up. Is Elsie still cooking lunch? I know I’m a bit late, but I’m starving.”
“Of course, of course. You go get a seat and I’ll let her know you are here!” Gerald pointed them to an open table in the corner that had a large tree stump instead of a chair and bustled off toward the kitchen.
“What was that?” Oberlin was still confused as he pulled up a chair to the table. “Are you related to him? He treated you like his long-lost son.”
“Haha. No, this is where I ate when I stayed in Berum last time.” Thorn waved at one of the waitresses who recognized him.
“So? I eat at lots of places...oh.” Realization dawned on Oberlin’s face. “You mean this is the only place you ate? And they are still in business? Your appetite must have been smaller back then.”
“Yeah, my meals generally cost me about a gold a day. Half a gold on days I am getting food to go.”
“Sheesh. No wonder he likes you. Really shows the power of gold, huh?”
Soon, steaming plates of food arrived, filling up the table and half of another table that Gerald pulled up. Watching the food rapidly disappear into the bottomless pit that was Thorn’s stomach, Oberlin could
only shake his head and do his best to get food before it was gone.
Once the food was gone, Oberlin leaned back and looked at Thorn.
“What next? You said you need to do some research to try to find the location of a castle, right?”
“Yes. Greymane Keep. I need to meet someone tonight who, depending on how the meeting goes, may be able to give us a hand figuring out the right location. If not, I was planning on digging through the library to see if I can find any references.”
“Library is good. There are some groups that specialize in game knowledge, but that can get expensive fast.”
“Money won’t be an issue,” Thorn stated with certainty.
“In that case, we’ll want to talk to Avalon. They have the deepest understanding of Nova Terra. Most expensive, of course, but if you have the coin there is almost nothing they can’t find.”
“How do we get in contact with them?”
“You’ll need a referral.” Oberlin fished around in his pouch for a minute, pulling out a silver-bordered card with a large embossed A. “They have people all over. Look for a shop with this symbol on the sign and then have a former customer introduce you. I’ve picked up info from them before so I can make the introduction.”
“Shops?”
“Yeah, The Children of Avalon are one of the biggest merchant guilds in Nova Terra, though their primary business is information.”
“Alright. Then I’ll rely on you if this meeting doesn’t work out.” Thorn nodded and rose to his feet, dropping a gold coin on the table.
A few hours later he found himself standing in front of the bar where he was going to meet Mina and Velin. All day he had been able to remain calm, but now, faced with the reality of having to see them again his stomach was in knots. Oberlin had noticed how tense Thorn was getting as the time for the meeting approached and had slipped away, leaving Thorn alone. Taking a deep breath, Thorn pushed the door open.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The interior of the bar was bustling, filled with players and natives drinking and talking. In contrast to the rowdy atmosphere, the table where Mina and Velin sat was quiet. Velin was as expressionless as ever, though there was a tension beneath her calm exterior. Mina, on the other hand, could not stop fidgeting nervously.
“Do you think he will come?” Mina clenched her cup.
“Probably.”
“But what if he is still mad?”
“We’ll have to see.”
“I want to apologize, but I don’t know how I am supposed to face him.”
“Mina, I’m sure it will be fine.” The table lapsed into silence.
“But what if he doesn’t forgive us?”
Not bothering to respond, Velin closed her eyes. Mina had been a bundle of nerves ever since she got Thorn’s short response. And Mina was not the only one. While it might not show on the outside, Velin could feel the tension in her shoulders. They had done something terrible and she could feel the weight of it. And who knew if Thorn was going to forgive them.
Her eyes still closed, Velin could feel the moment Thorn walked into the room. The general hubbub died down as people glanced over at the sound of the door, their voices pausing at the sight of the giant. Taking a deep breath, Velin opened her eyes, looking first at Mina who was so nervous she had forgotten to breathe.
Thorn crossed the room, his big strides putting him in front of the table within a few steps. Moving the extra chair out of the way, he gestured to the table.
“Mind if I squat here?” Despite his initial butterflies, Thorn found it as easy to interact with the girls as before.
“P... Please do.” Mina obviously did not.
“Thanks.” Thorn pulled a large rock from his inventory and sat down on it. As he did so Velin pulled out a small pyramid and activated it, creating a bubble around the group. For a moment the three of them sat in silence, looking at each other.
“Thorn…” Mina’s courage evaporated as Thorn’s eye’s turned to her and her voice died out. Panicking, she looked at Velin who took a deep breath.
“Thorn, what we did was terrible and unkind and cruel. They say that there is no medicine for regret but both Mina and I deeply regret our actions and we hope that you will someday forgive us. If there is anything we can do to make it up to you, please do not hesitate to say.”
Time seemed to pause for Thorn as his mind and emotions raced. His chest was a giant ball of conflicting feelings and it took him a moment to gather his thoughts. He had rehearsed this conversation so many times in his head, but he was still not prepared. Now that he was faced with his betrayers his mind was a jumbled mess.
Velin and Mina had both abused and abandoned him once, what guarantee did he have that they would not do it again? They tossed him aside for profit, yet here they were asking for forgiveness. All the raw emotion that Thorn had worked so hard to get under control during his time in the mine threatened to bubble up and it took a few moments before he was able to get it under control.
Thorn’s head grew clear and his emotions calmed. They did not deserve his forgiveness, but that did not mean he couldn’t forgive them anyway. As Thorn examined his heart, he found a desire for reconciliation. His goal in playing Nova Terra was to be free and if he allowed himself to be bound by what they had done he would never reach it. Others might see his choice as weakness, but he thought differently.
“Let’s make one thing clear.”
Hearing his solemn tone, Mina paled.
“I forgive you.”
“What?” Both Mina and Velin exclaimed at the same time, unable to believe their ears.
“I forgive you.” Thorn breathed out, his chest feeling much lighter. “I’ve thought a lot about this and I am going to make the choice to forgive you. What you did sucked and it hurt me and don’t you dare do something like that again, but I am not going to let it define who I am and what I do. If we can, I would love to restore our relationship. I’m sure there was more to the situation than I realized and on some level, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“You did not do me any permanent harm, so let’s move past it. I’m not saying that everything will magically go back to normal because it won’t. But I think we can work on it. I would enjoy questing with you and I think that with time and effort we can repair what has been broken.”
“But we stole your destiny points!”
“Sure, I understand.” Thorn nodded at Mina who was almost hyperventilating. “But destiny points are not necessary for playing the game. And I still think you are my friends, otherwise, you would not have sent me that message last week.”
“Thorn, I’m sorry. I was the one who came up with the plan.” Velin, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke.
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. It is kind and generous of you to extend forgiveness, but I need to take responsibility for my part. I am sorry for hurting you, and I will try my best to see that it doesn’t happen again.”
“Yeah, me too,” agreed Mina, nodding her head. “I’m sorry that I killed you like that.”
“Thank you for your apology, you are forgiven. And Mina, I didn’t die.”
“What do you mean you didn’t die?”
“You only knocked me out. Due to a technical issue, the game did not recognize me as dead, so once you left, and combat ended, my body healed and I woke up.”
“Oh, wow. I thought since you met Jorge on the stairs to the temple that you had respawned. He was going there to check if you logged back in.”
“Ah, yeah. I was there to be healed. We had some words.”
“I don’t think ‘had some words’ covers it. He has barely logged in since then. What did you do?” Velin asked, her eyes narrowed.
“Um. Well, I got a bit angry and might have thrown him at the wall.”
“You threw a player at the wall so hard you had to go to jail for multiple weeks? So that means he died? How did you get past the damage reduction?”
“Damage reduction?
”
“In towns, all players have pretty severe damage reduction applied to them. This is to prevent accidents and make it hard to assassinate other people. The most that should have happened is that his health would have dropped and you would be fined by the guards.”
“Ah, I did not know about that.” Thorn smiled. “No wonder everyone looked at me like I was a monster while I was in jail. As for how it happened?” Thorn reached over and picked up Mina’s metal mug, tossing it in his hand a couple of times. Then, without any effort, he crushed it into a little ball and dropped it on the table. “I’m pretty strong.”
“Well, no wonder he has not logged back in. I imagine that was quite a traumatizing death. Plus, I imagine that he is worried he might meet you again.”