by Paul Bellow
“Thanks for being honest with us,” I said.
“You sly, old dog,” Eric said, patting him on the back. “The sneakiest priest I’ve ever met.”
I turned to the old woman.
“Do you have healing potions?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said, not getting down off her stool.
“And something to cure poison,” Eric added.
“I’ll get them,” Benji said then shuffled behind the counter.
As he ducked down, I turned to the woman. She stared back, showing no emotions.
“Here we go,” Benji said, popping up.
He walked out and set five potions down.
“This should be enough healing to get us the thirty miles outside of town to get your book,” he said. “We can’t afford much more.”
“What about the cure poison?” Eric asked. “They’re important.”
“Oops…” Benji walked behind the counter again. “Hold on.”
After bending over, he came back with three more potions.
“There we go,” he said, setting them next to the others.
“All the bottles look different,” I said. “Are these safe?”
The woman on the stool cackled again, her body shaking.
“I’ve used them plenty of times,” Benji said.
“We’ll take them,” I said. “How much?”
“Three hundred gold for all eight,” the woman said.
“No way,” Eric said. “That’s too much. By my estimation, they’re worth a hundred gold at the most. We’re not paying above that.”
I turned to our priest. He nodded, lips pursed together.
“We’ll give you eighty,” Eric said. “Our final offer.”
“Ninety,” the woman said, not taking her eyes off him.
“Seventy,” Eric countered.
“We’ll pay you eighty gold,” I said, digging out the coins.
I wanted to get it over with and move on.
“No,” Eric insisted.
I sighed and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
“Let’s just pay it and go, okay?”
“Bargaining to save ten gold might save us later in the game,” he said.
“We’ll find more gold,” I said. “We are adventurers after all.”
Benji stuck his head in between us and smiled.
“A group of three if you let me join your party,” he said.
When neither of us answered, he awkwardly stepped back.
I continued staring at Eric, ignoring the pushy NPC.
“Will you trust me for once?” I asked. “Please?”
“There’s nobody else I’d rather be with right now,” he said. “And that’s the truth.”
I turned back to the shopkeeper.
“Thank you,” I said. “We’ll take them for eighty.”
She smiled then said, “Leave the money. Come again.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Eric said, moving toward the door.
I scooped up the potions then placed them in a larger satchel slung over my shoulder.
Benji and Eric stood in the street outside.
The limited healing potions would have to do until I leveled up and had a better idea of what we needed to survive in the game.
“Where next?” Eric asked.
“The cartographer,” Benji said.
Eric and I both nodded.
“We definitely need a map,” Eric said. “Lead the way.”
Benji turned then walked down the side street back to the crowded main thoroughfare. People gave him a wide berth as he passed.
I wasn’t sure if it was his stench or his reputation.
Either way, I needed to keep an eye on him for a bit longer.
A few blocks over toward the docks, Benji opened the door of a sturdy and clean brick building. Two large, painted maps were displayed in the front window. Eric waved for me to go inside first.
“Thank you,” I said then walked in.
Maps of all sizes covered all the walls. They ranged from full color affairs to black and white masterpieces. I glanced around in awe.
A well-dressed man stepped forward, peering down his nose at us.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
He sighed then frowned as he saw Benji.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said, words dripping with contempt.
Does everyone know him? And is that a good or bad thing?
“We need a map,” Benji said. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“No one wants trouble,” the dandy shopkeeper said. “But it never has a problem finding you, does it?”
“Do you two know each other too?” Eric asked.
“Yes, we do,” the shopkeeper said. “But it’s none of your concern, I’m sure. The likes of you wandering into my establishment.”
“No need to get nasty,” Eric said.
“We want to buy a map,” I said. “How much for that one on the wall of the whole world?”
The shopkeeper laughed at the very idea of us purchasing it.
“You could never afford such a map,” he said. “It’s twenty five hundred gold pieces.”
“What?” Eric exclaimed. “Are you insane?”
“I assure you,” the man said. “I’m not insane.”
“Do you have anything cheaper?” I asked.
“We have free maps by a local artist,” the shopkeeper said. “But the quality is questionable. Take as many of them if you want. I should probably pay you to take them all away.”
“Are they accurate?” Eric asked.
The man laughed again at the audacity of his question.
“You’ll find them over there in a pile by the door,” he said. “Please take them all on your way out.”
“Come on,” I said, grabbing Eric’s arm. “Let’s go.”
I could sense his temper flaring up.
“The free maps will be fine,” I reasoned. “We’ll save gold.”
Eric shook his arm free but followed me to the door. We all grabbed a handful of maps drawn on cheap parchment by the door. Outside the shop, I took a few steps away the building.
“I’m not sure about these maps,” Eric said as he examined one.
“We’ll look at it more closely when we leave the city,” I said. “Do we need any more supplies? Maybe horses?”
“You can’t afford horses,” Benji said.
“Not with maps costing that much,” Eric said. “And all the gold we spent on bacon and drinks.”
“Mmm, bacon,” Benji said, rubbing his stomach.
“How did you know that guy?” I asked.
Benji straightened his posture.
“He’s not a friend,” he said. “The shop is known for overcharging because it’s a money laundering scheme for several politicians in the city.”
“Wow,” I said. “Maybe we’ll invite you into our party soon.”
“Really?” Benji asked, looking excited.
“Soon,” Eric said. “We still don’t know how you handle yourself in a battle, and that’s likely to be important.”
“I can kill ten rats easily,” Benji said.
Eric reacted surprisingly well to the teasing.
“Let’s go find this book,” I said.
“Yeah.” Eric nodded his head as he stared at two of the maps. “Maybe we’ll run into something to kill or find some treasure.”
“Or your missing companion,” Benji added.
“That would be good,” I said, missing Josh.
As I played longer in the virtual reality, I found it more difficult to remember the outside world.
“We should get going,” Benji said.
“Hold on a minute,” Eric said. “We’ve got a problem.”
I sighed.
What now?
9
Can we negotiate my payment?
ERIC
I looked up from the two maps I’d been comparing.
“What is it?” Sarah asked.
“Look h
ere,” I said, pointing to Fishguard on one of the maps.
“What about it?” Benji asked.
“Look at this other map.” I held out the other one. “Fishguard is in an entirely different location.”
“Oh,” Sarah said. “I see.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Benji said. “I know my way around the realms really well. We don’t need free maps to help us find the way.”
“Good,” I said. “We don’t mind paying you for your service.”
Benji smiled.
“Let’s go get this book,” Sarah said. “It’s almost noon. We slept in too late. I was up studying and you two were carousing.”
“Don’t worry,” Benji said. “I know exactly where it is currently.”
“What do you mean currently?” I asked.
“They move the books around because there are some forbidden texts among them,” he said. “At least if we’re thinking of the same people.”
“Like a public library bookmobile?” I asked then chuckled.
OOC Penalty:
-10% xp next encounter
“Cut it out,” Sarah snapped.
Benji tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand me.
“Hold on,” I said, motioning for Sarah to follow me.
I stepped away, and she followed.
“What?” she asked.
“I went OOC on purpose,” I said. “We need to keep our eyes open. This game has been throwing a lot of trouble our way since the beginning. Maybe there’s a glitch in the game or something, and that’s why we can’t quit.”
She nodded and said, “I thought it was just me, but some of the stuff happening seems forced. Like Benji. Why would an NPC want to join our party? For the experience points?”
“Exactly,” I said. “We’ll be okay if we stick together and don’t go crazy. First, we need to clear this level.”
“But what about...”
Her voice trailed off.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” She looked away. “Forget about it.”
“You can tell me,” I said. “We don’t have much OOC time left.”
She turned, a certain sense of sadness on her face.
“I’m worried about Josh,” she said.
“We’ll find him.” I gently squeezed her arm. “Promise.”
Sarah smiled then peeked over my shoulder.
“Benji is looking at us strange,” she said.
“We need his help for now,” I said in a low voice. “But until he chills out with asking to join the party, we shouldn’t let him.”
“Agreed,” she said.
“We should get going,” Benji yelled.
“Hold on,” I shouted then lowered my voice. “Are we good?”
“We’re good,” she said.
I let go of her arm. We both walked back over to Benji. He stood by the side of the road, staring at us.
I stopped next to him. “Ready to go?”
“I’ve been thinking,” Benji said. “We could get a used cart and an older horse with the gold we have left. Beats walking. I know this guy just outside of the city.”
“Figures you know someone,” I snickered.
“He’s right,” Sarah said. “If we can splurge for bacon, we can spend the money on a horse and wagon.”
“This farmer I know isn’t too far,” Benji said.
“Lead the way, ever-resourceful priest,” I said.
Benji smiled then turned and led us toward the eastern gate of the city. I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of all the people around us.
The longer I spent in the game, the more real it felt. Going to sleep and having dreams added that special touch for total immersion.
A guard watched us as we walked through the eastern gates and onto the main dirt road leading out of the city.
Benji raised a hand in greeting as we passed.
“You know him too?” I asked.
“I don’t,” Benji said. “At least I don’t think so.”
We walked in silence for a few minutes. The fields of tall grass on either side of the road reminded me of home. A mile or so down the road, Benji veered to the left; Sarah and I followed.
Could we trust him to help us?
Up ahead, behind one of the fields, I saw a farmhouse in disrepair. Benji slowed and looked back.
“Let me do the talking,” he said. “It’ll be best that way.”
“Fine with me,” I said, keeping my eyes open for rats.
The grass gradually shortened the closer we got to the farmhouse. I saw a few chickens clucking around in the yard.
“Hello,” Benji yelled in his hypnotic and charismatic voice.
A man wearing tattered, earth-colored clothes stepped onto the porch.
“What do you want?” he asked in an abrupt, no-nonsense tone.
Benji stopped a few hundred feet away. The man on the porch pulled out a knife. I drew my sword, ready for anything.
“Hold on,” Benji said, lifting his hands in the air. “We’re only here to buy a horse and cart. I thought you might need the gold.”
“You still owe me,” the man said, still brandishing the knife. “Don’t tell me you forgot. It’s not a lot of money to someone like you, but it’s mine, and I want it back.”
“My new employers will pay what I owe you if you sell us a horse and wagon,” Benji said then turned to me for confirmation.
“How much do you owe him?” Sarah asked.
“Thirteen silver,” Benji said. “Not much.”
“And interest,” the farmer yelled.
He continued holding the knife in a menacing—yet comical manner.
“Okay,” I said. “How much for a decent horse and wagon?”
“I ain’t got no more horses since the famine, but I have a mule,” the farmer said. “That and the cart is thirty gold.”
“No way,” I said, shaking my head. “We’ll give you ten.”
“Fifteen, and it’s yours,” the farmer countered.
“And you’ll forgive Benji’s debt?” I asked.
“Sure.” The man smiled. “What debt?”
You have learned a new skill.
Bargaining – Basic Level 1 of 10
You know how to haggle fairly well.
“Go get us the cart and mule,” I said. “We’ll get your gold ready.”
The farmer turned and walked around the house to a barn in the back. After he disappeared from sight, Benji turned around.
“Thank you,” he said then bowed slightly.
Is he going to ask to join the party again?
“Not a problem,” Sarah said after a few moments of silence.
Are we being too hard on him? Having an NPC in the party might help. Did he even get experience points as an NPC?
Probably not.
“The mule isn’t fast, but it’ll help us get your book and be back behind the city walls before it’s dark outside,” Benji said.
“Is it really that dangerous after dark?” Sarah asked. “I came all the way from the northern tip of Shockly Forest, and I made it okay.”
“There’s new dangers afoot,” Benji said in an ominous tone.
We stopped talking as the old man wandered back with a mule pulling a rickety cart. I thought it might break before it reached us.
“You have the gold?” he asked, holding out his free hand.
“For that?” I shook my head. “Five gold.”
“What kind of trick is this?” the old man asked.
“It’s more than fair,” Benji said.
“Fine.” The old man continued forward. “Good luck with it.”
Benji walked over and took the reins of the cart, stopping the mule. I gave the farmer five gold coins.
“Let’s go find this book,” I said. “We’ve wasted enough time.”
“Agreed,” Sarah said.
I climbed onto the front of the cart. Sarah sat next to me in the middle. Benji took the other outer position.
“Yah,
” he yelled, pulling on the reins.
Surprisingly, the wooden cart held up as we slowly rolled away from the farm. I hoped we finally had another encounter.
After spending so many of the first few hours passed out from the poison, I wanted to enjoy the game a bit until we got out.
The three of us rode in silence, enjoying the afternoon breeze. Benji turned back onto the road leading north. The wagon rolled on.
* * * * *
Four bumpy hours later, we made it to a remote encampment on the plains north of the city. The hardwood and bumps had me hurting.
Benji pulled back on the reins and shouted, “Whoa…”
The mule, unconcerned as ever, stopped at its own pace.
“Is this it?” I asked him, looking at the dozen tents pitched in a circle.
“Yeah,” he said. “They only talk to magic users.”
A couple of tall men in robes looked in our direction.
“Stay here,” Sarah said then hopped out of the cart.
I watched as she walked over to the group of men in red robes outlined with gold. Benji burped next to me.
“Excuse me,” he said. “I saved some of the bacon from this morning.”
I turned and saw him holding half a slice while chewing contentedly.
“Got anymore?” I asked.
He popped the last of it into his mouth.
“No, sorry,” he said.
We both fell silent for a few awkward moments.
“How far through the realms have you traveled?” I asked.
“All over,” Benji said then ran his tongue over his teeth.
I saw Sarah crouch and go into one of the tents.
“She’ll be fine,” I mumbled to assure myself.
“I’m sure she knows how to take care of herself,” Benji said.
For an NPC, Benji had a wide range of emotions and dialogue. I wondered again why my father hadn’t wanted me to play the game.
And what was up with not having a quit option? Had my hack broken the feature somehow? Or was something else going on?
Small bugs always had a way of working themselves into code. If I found a terminal, I might be able to hack our way out.
Benji nudged me with his elbow.
“She’s coming,” he said.
