The Mayor of Noobtown

by Ryan Rimmel

  “Your tracking skills are undoubtedly better than mine, and I need to find them quickly.”

  “Who got taken that is so important?” I asked.

  “My family,” he replied. “I know you are much higher level than me. You have no reason to help, but I don’t know if I can do it myself.” The last words came out like a crossbow bolt being ripped from his leg.

  You have been offered a Quest: Help Fenris find his family. Reward: increased loyalty from Fenris.

  “Of course, I can,” I smiled, “We will go together to find them.”

  Fenris thanked me profusely and we walked back to the main group.

  We finally crossed out of the forest and everyone got a good look at the village. To me, it had started out as a broken down ruin. To them, the reaction was slightly different.

  “It has a town wall!” gasped OttoSherman, as he actually wiped his eyes at seeing the place.

  “Well, it's damaged, but I’m sure we can fix it,” I replied, scanning for goblins. For once, they thankfully appeared to be absent. Actually, looking at the wall, there were a few large rents in it, but those would not be impossible for this many people to seal off.

  “What’s that blue tint?” asked Jarra, as she stood mesmerized at the town. With the clouds behind it, the blue tint of the magical barrier was quite visible against the backdrop.

  “It has a barrier to keep the goblins out,” I replied. “You said to take you to a safe place.”

  “It still has a barrier?” questioned SueLeeta reverently. Several of the people collapsed to their knees. A few wept openly.

  “Just how rare are barriers?” I asked, gauging the mood of the group.

  “Extremely,” replied Fenris. “It is said that the Dark Overlord of Legend destroyed most of them in his great war with Grebthar the Destroyer. A few remain, but they are all in the Royal Cities. It was thought that only the kings still had them.”

  “That’s interesting,” I said. “Shall we continue? It’s almost lunch time and I’d like to get something to eat.”

  “Wait, that’s a town,” stated Jarra. “We need to ask the mayor for permission to enter. Who is the mayor?”

  “I am, of course,” I replied.

  “The mayor is named Jim,” said nearly everyone in unison.

  Chapter 27: The Mayor of Noobtown

  Despite my temptation to leave everyone outside, I relented, mainly due to the near constant string of apologies. Jarra even vowed to rename her dog. Eventually, we got to the barrier and everyone took a turn pressing their hand into it. Each and every one claimed they could feel it as they stepped through.

  I brought up the town menu and changed them all to residents, beginning with the children. No need to start an accidental fire.

  I showed my 87 new neighbors the road to the market square in the center of town, which had the giant velociraptor symbol on the map. They could set up camp there and figure out what to do next. I took Fenris and started off towards the Creek House, hoping food would be available for the noon meal.

  “I would prefer to go out looking immediately,” he said, as we walked.

  “I would prefer to get one warm meal in us before we go,” I countered.

  “We must hurry, though,” said Fenris, after a moment.

  I agreed and we walked at a brisker pace. The village wasn’t tiny, but it wasn’t large either. We had only been walking few minutes when I saw the outline of the Creek House. It was still in much the same shape as when I left, complete with a small amount of smoke from the chimney’s near constant fire.

  Then I saw JoeClarance and realized that I wouldn’t be getting a hot lunch. Fenris made a choked cry and started running before his mind caught up with him. JoeClarance heard the noise and looked over at me. His attention was then drawn to my companion. The boy shrieked, before he, too, began to run. Fenris was on him in seconds, grabbing the boy to his chest and sobbing.

  AvaSophia heard the commotion from inside the house and came out brandishing a cudgel, only to drop it. She also ran towards Fenris. EveSophia, seeing her mother depart the residence, followed her out. The little girl also ran towards her father.

  That was an easy quest, I thought, as I noticed Kappa’s head pop up in the window with a look of utter confusion. Now was probably not the best time for Fenris to discover his family’s new pet. I shook my head at Kappa and gestured for him to go out the back. He frowned but disappeared. A few moments later, the Warg stepped out the side door, holding his carpet in his mouth. He flipped it over the banister in a practiced motion and then trudged off the porch towards the southern fields. Off to do some hunting, I supposed.

  I turned around to leave but was stopped by Fenris calling out. “Did you know?”

  “I wasn’t sure,” I replied, “and I didn’t want to be wrong.”

  “You saved my family and brought everyone else here to safety,” he asked, “why?”

  “Because I am the mayor around here?”

  “Because I’m a goddamn legend?”

  “Because you are a heartless asshole who won’t even open one little Demon Door,” whispered Shart, through our bond.

  “Because no one fucks with the Mayor of Noobtown.”

  The End… for now.

  Thank you for reading. Get ready for Jim’s continuing adventures in the next book: The Village of Noobs.