by Paul Bellow
“How far do we have to go?” I asked.
Sylvar ignored my question and continued forward.
Bernard shrugged then turned and walked on.
We stomped through the woods another hour or two. Time got all wibbly-wobbly at some point. Having a hangover didn’t help.
“Maybe your tracking skills aren’t as good as you thought,” I said.
Sylvar stopped and raised a clenched fist in the air like some kind of Special Forces soldier back in the real world.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “The tree trolls are staying away for some reason. It might be your human smells.”
He turned and looked directly at Bernard.
“I don’t smell any worse than you guys,” Bernard said.
“We can try again tomorrow,” Sylvar said.
“No.” I shook my head. “We’ve been out here all day. You gotta have a better method of finding them.”
“I’m out of spots to check,” Sylvar said. “There’s a surefire way to attract tree trolls, especially this time of year, but we’re out of luck.”
“What’s your idea?” Sarah asked.
“Bait,” Sylvar said. “We need bait.”
“Bait?” Bernard asked.
Sylvar nodded.
“Tree trolls love fish,” he explained. “But I don’t think we could catch enough to make a difference without fishing for a few days.”
Sarah smiled.
“I’ve got a spell that can help,” she said. “Where’s that stream we’ve been passing all day?”
“Follow me,” Sylvar said then stepped between two trees.
“It better be close,” I said.
We followed Sylvar to a slowly moving stream nearby.
“Perfect,” Sarah said then cast a spell.
Dozens of dead fish floated to the top of the water.
“That enough?” she asked.
“More than enough,” Sylvar said. “Now we hide and wait.”
“How long?” I asked.
Sylvar shrugged.
“Can we break for lunch?” Bernard asked. “I’m starving.”
Before anyone can respond, a screech rang out in the canopy above.
“Get ready,” Sylvar said, grabbing his bow.
“I’ve got to get mine fixed soon,” Sarah said. “I keep forgetting.”
“Battle positions,” I said and unsheathed my shiny scimitar.
I looked up as the screeches got louder.
How many were coming for the fish?
As I watched, a wiry tree-like creature fell from above. It fell on Bernard, knocking him over then biting his shoulder.
“Get it!” I yelled as I ran toward the monster.
Sarah started a spell as I reached the strong, lithe creature. It stood at least six feet tall and looked strong. I swung.
Your slash INJURES the tree troll for 12 damage.
This scimitar isn’t bad, but I need a better magic weapon.
Bernard struggled to his feet as Sarah shot a disc of lava at the tree troll. The molten lava hit it, sending a shower of sparks into the air.
I stepped back as the tree troll flailed about, making it worse.
“Brilliant,” Sylvar yelled. “They can’t regenerate fire damage.”
Four more tree trolls dropped from the canopy above.
“Attack!” I ran forward with my sword in the air.
I hacked at one, causing bark to chip off and fly into the air.
Your slash HITS the tree troll for 8 damage.
Bernard, back on his feet, ran for another. Sarah stepped back to cast a spell while Sylvar stood doing nothing.
“Do something, Sylvar,” I yelled at him, waiting for a chance to attack.
The elf ranger shouted something that sounded like a sick goose. Birds, squirrels, and two mean-looking raccoons ran up. As they attacked, distracting the tree trolls, I swung my sword.
Your slash HITS the tree troll for 9 damage.
How much health do these things have?
Sarah sent two more Flaming Discs of Lava at one of them while Sylvar fired arrows at the last one.
The tree troll’s claw GRAZES you for 5 damage.
You have [53/58] health remaining.
“Die, troll!” I shouted, working myself into a fury.
I chopped at the arm again.
Your slash INJURES the tree troll for 12 damage.
The tree troll dropped to the ground—still moving.
“Need fire over here,” I yelled as I assessed the situation.
Bernard looked okay, but I worried about Sarah getting hurt.
She cast another spell—Flaming Disc of Lava hit the tree troll I’d dropped, catching it on fire. As I ran toward her, ready to chop down another, the fire grew. The flames sent the three remaining tree trolls dashing into the woods, shrieking and howling the entire way.
“Should we give chase?” Bernard asked.
“No,” I said. “We need to extract some of their blood before they burn up completely.”
“The fire must be put out to extract their blood,” Sylvar said.
“But they’ll keep healing,” I said, shaking my head.
“I know,” Sylvar said. “Can’t you hit it with your sword if it gets up?”
“Sure,” I said, gripping my weapon tightly. “Someone keep watch. The others might come back.”
“I’m on it,” Sarah said.
Sylvar stomped out the fire on the tree troll.
When it sat up, I struck it with my sword.
“I need a tap and bottle,” I shouted.
Adrenaline pumped through my game body.
“Here,” Sylvar said.
He thrust an iron spigot into the tree troll’s chest.
As it shrieked in horror and pain, Bernard rushed over with a bottle.
“It’s coming out,” I said. “Don’t waste it.”
Thick, syrupy tree troll blood dripped out of the spigot.
“It’s super thick,” Bernard said.
“All clear,” Sarah said. “But hurry it up.”
Several tree trolls shrieked in the distance.
As Bernard moved to fill a second bottle, the tree troll popped up. I pierced its throat with my sword, sending it back down.
“Hurry,” I said.
“I’m going as fast as I can,” Bernard snapped. “This stuff is sticky.”
“Don’t get any on your skin,” Sylvar warned.
“Why not?” Bernard asked.
“The bottle is full,” I said then hit the tree troll on the head again.
Bernard swapped it out with a third.
“It’s slowing down,” he said. “Will this be enough?”
“We only need a little,” Sarah said. “But I wanted extra.”
Bernard stood, still holding the third bottle of tree troll blood.
“Light him up,” Sylvar said. “But be careful. We don’t want to set the forest on fire.”
Sarah shot another Flaming Disc of Lava at the tree troll.
Its sad death-shriek filled the forest air a moment before it died.
Combat is over!
You get 1600 xp divided by three party members.
You get +533 xp.
You have 15,011 xp
You need 989 xp for Level Five Rogue
I smiled—one small step closer to level five.
With a bit of luck, I’d make it before long.
4
Two Wizards Walk into a Bar
Sarah
* * *
After clearing the combat-is-over message, I glanced at Eric.
Would he be jealous all the time with Sylvar around? I hoped not.
“I’m jealous too,” Charlotte said, surprising me.
Before I could answer, Sylvar stepped over and put his hand on my shoulder. He smiled, making me want to drop my defenses.
“Great job with the magic,” he said, not letting go.
I smiled, a
ppreciating the attention.
Eric walked over and put his hand on my other shoulder.
“Yeah,” he said. “Good job.”
I stepped away from them and smiled.
“This calls for a celebration,” Sylvar said. “And it’s better if we go before more tree trolls come to gather their fallen friend.”
“I could go for some bread and more elven wine,” Bernard said.
Eric stood by the three jars of tree troll blood.
“We need to get going now that we have what we came for.”
“You can stay one more night, can’t you?” Sylvar asked.
“We’re staying,” I said as I bent to pick up the glass bottles. “We should rest with Sylvar tonight and leave in the morning.”
“I vote for staying another night,” Bernard said.
Eric sighed like a spoiled brat but said nothing.
“One more night won’t kill us,” I said.
After putting the last jar in my sack, I turned to Sylvar.
“We appreciate your hospitality,” I said.
He smiled, his elven features perfectly symmetrical.
“We’ll have a grand evening,” he said. “And I have one more night to persuade you to take me with you on your quest.”
“That would be great,” I said. “We could use the help.”
“A ranger in our party won’t hurt,” Bernard added.
“You can’t join our party,” Eric said as though the decision was his alone. “But you can ride with us. We’ll pay you for your services.”
“I’d love to join you,” Sylvar said. “I’ve been all over the realms.”
“Bet you have,” Eric said.
I shot him a nasty look.
“Don’t pay attention to him,” I said to Sylvar. “You’ll be a welcome addition to our group. We could use someone like you.”
Sylvar smiled. “Follow me.”
I took off after him. On the way to his tree house, Eric grumbled behind me.
I ignored him and concentrated on staying sane.
The game had sucked me in so deep, I found myself not thinking about the real world as much. How could a game change my mind?
I pushed the hard questions down and concentrated on Sylvar. Would he turn out to be another player? How did he get into the game?
Sylvar glanced over his shoulder.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
I smiled. After a long day of trekking through the woods and battling tree trolls, I looked forward to relaxing with friends.
The game could be deceptively fun at times. While it might be hard, the AI behind the scenes seemed fair enough. Sylvar stopped.
I stared up at the massive tree where he’d built a home. The impressive structure looked even more amazing during the day.
“You’re something else,” I said.
Eric and Bernard caught up.
“I apologize,” Sylvar said. “But I need to go attend to a matter. Feel free to make yourselves at home.”
“Where are you going?” Eric asked.
Sylvar, tight lipped, stared at him.
“Away,” Sylvar said. “I won’t be long. Eddie will get the rope for you.”
The weasel scurried down the elf’s body then up the massive tree.
“I’d like to know where you’re going,” Eric said, not letting up.
“He’s not in our party,” Bernard said. “Cut him a break.”
“There’s another bottle of wine,” Sylvar said. “You can start without me.”
“We’ll see you whenever,” I said. “But hopefully soon.”
His cinematic smile returned, and I looked away.
The thin, magic rope fell. Bernard climbed up without hesitation as Sylvar walked into the woods. I turned to Eric.
“We did well today,” I said. “Let’s go celebrate with some wine.”
“I don’t know about him.” Eric stared at where Sylvar had slipped into the woods. “There’s something I don’t trust.”
“You say that about everyone.” I walked forward and put my hand on his arm. “You mean a lot to me. More than him.”
I hated that I had to spell out my feelings for him all the time.
“You sure?” He looked at me.
“Don’t be so jealous and clingy,” I said.
“I just want to see us succeed…”
His voice trailed off. The look in his eyes told me he wanted to talk OOC but not enough to take the experience point penalty.
“You’re just jealous,” I said.
Eric started up the rope ladder.
“I’m not jealous of an elven ranger,” he said over his shoulder.
After waiting a few seconds, I followed him up.
Bernard had already gone inside and found the wine.
“Anyone thirsty after a long day of work?” he asked.
“I’ll take one,” I said. “Eric needs a stiff one.”
Bernard chuckled then finished pouring our drinks.
I sat down next to Eric on the leather couch. Bernard sat cross-legged on the floor, his back against one of the wooden walls.
“Sylvar is pretty cool,” he said.
Eric turned to Bernard.
“You really think he’s cool?” he asked.
Bernard nodded.
“Most likely a trapped PC…Ugh…” He sighed then added, “One more OOC penalty won’t kill me.”
“I’m glad you did it,” I said. “We need to talk about Sylvar. I want to find out more about him. Maybe he can help us.”
“Doubt it,” Eric said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.
“I do too,” Bernard said. “A lot of players say they know something about the game, but not many really do. I’m not even sure if I believe your dad worked on the game.”
Eric’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really?” he asked. “Why do you say that?”
Bernard shrugged.
“Just a hunch,” he said.
“Eric lies about a lot of things,” I said. “But that’s not one of them.”
“He’s going to get us out of this game soon.” Eric sat back. “I know it.”
“That’s just a story that other players tell,” Bernard said.
He took a long drink of the dark red elven wine. I sipped mine.
“When’s your father supposed to be back in the real world?” Bernard asked.
I turned to Eric as he answered.
“No more than an hour or two,” he said.
Bernard nodded.
“Still, we don’t know the exact time-dilation code,” he said. “It could be weeks, months, or even years.”
“Don’t talk that way,” I said. “We need to stay positive.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Bernard said then lifted his glass.
“Cheers,” I said, lifting mine with a smile.
The more we drank, the less we talked about the game. It became more about the memories we’d accrued so far.
As Bernard started in on yet another story of his many years in the game, I fell asleep on the couch and curled up cozy. Sylvar appeared in my dreams, seducing me with words—my dream-self didn’t mind. He comforted me all night long.
* * * * *
I woke the next morning refreshed and ready to take on the game. We would find a way out. Eric was one of the smartest gamers I knew.
When I walked in the dining room, I saw the others sitting around the table. They looked up as I entered. Sylvar smiled, lifting my mood.
“Good morning,” he said. “I hope you slept well.”
“About as well as you would expect,” I replied.
Sylvar poured me a mug of coffee as I sat.
“Thanks,” I said then took a drink.
All good games have coffee, I thought.
“Games?” Charlotte asked. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you later. Let me wake up.”
“Have you thought any more about letting me into
your party?” Sylvar asked.
Eric glanced over at him, silently chewing on the pancake in his mouth.
“Not yet,” I said. “We drank a bit too much last night.”
“Again,” Eric said. “We need to focus on our quest.”
He took a drink of his coffee while watching me.
“You’re right,” I said. “After breakfast, we need to leave.”
“I’ll come with you either way,” Sylvar said. “But it’s been so long since I’ve been in an adventuring party, if you know what I mean.”
Was he hinting that he was a player character?
Eric backed his chair up then stood.
“I’m going to check on the horses.” He turned to Bernard. “Want to help me?”
“Sure, boss,” Bernard said. “I’m not as hungover today.”
I grabbed the last two elven pancakes and put them on a plate in front of me. Bernard and Eric left the tree house. Sylvar stared at me.
“You can go help them,” I said, chewing quickly.
“I love watching you.” He reached forward and brushed a strand of my hair back. “You remind me of someone.”
Because he probably wanted me to ask who, I stuffed my mouth with more pancake and ignored him. He continued smiling.
“I’m heading downstairs,” he said eventually. “I need to summon a horse.”
“Cool,” I said, covering my mouth as I chewed. “Be down in a few.”
After he left, I stood and glanced around the ranger’s tree fort.
Could we trust him as a member of our party?
None of his possessions told me otherwise. I grabbed my sack then climbed down the rope ladder.
Bernard and Eric stood next to their horses.
Sylvar had summoned an impressive black stallion.
“We can stock up on supplies in Talbot,” Sylvar said. “Everyone follow me.”
He led his horse down a path by the flowing stream. I waited for Bernard and Eric to fall in line behind him before bringing up the rear.
No one spoke as we walked through the early morning woods. The path gradually widened before breaking through the trees completely.
