by Paul Bellow
“You’re quiet this morning,” he said, glancing over at me.
“It just feels wrong to kill goblins trapped in the area,” I said.
Monky stopped on the side of the road and glanced around. “Hold on,” he said.
I turned and walked to him, not seeing anything strange.
“What is it?” I asked. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Not at all,” Monky replied. “Can I trust you?”
I furrowed my brow, unsure of what he meant.
“Trust you with what?” I asked. “Are you trying to test me?”
Monky smiled and shook his head.
“Not at all,” he said. “I want to show you something to lift your spirits.”
“Okay,” I said, not really convinced.
“I need to show you a magic item, but the others can’t know about it,” Monky said. “Can I trust you to keep this secret?”
“Sure.” I wondered why he was making such a big deal out of it.
Monky reached into his pouch and pulled out a silver ring. He slipped it on a finger then held out his hand and said, “You need to touch me for this to work.”
“What?” I stepped backward.
“Hold my hand,” Monky said. “Trust me like I’m trusting you.”
I hadn’t trusted people since I’d been ridiculed in the sixth grade after my parents bought me the wrong type of folder for my papers. My best friend at the time had led the charge, making fun of me and my plain white folder.
“Fine,” I said, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect.
Monky gripped my hand tightly then whispered under his breath. We blinked from the road next to a field and appeared at the entrance of a cave high up a mountain. I let go of his hand and peered over the edge.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yeah, it’s great, but why did you bring me here?”
“I thought you needed a break from routine,” he said. “Was I wrong?”
“No, you weren’t,” I admitted, continuing to stare out at the natural beauty. “This game can be so beautiful at times.”
“And dark.” Monky turned toward the cave. “Come check this out.”
I followed him inside, marveling at the smooth stone walls. We walked into a spacious room with a bed, shelves, a desk, and other furniture. A black fur rug covered the floor.
“My secret hideout,” Monky said. “I come here when I need a break from the others.”
“Which is often, I’m betting.”
He smiled and nodded, saying. “Please don’t tell the others about this place.”
“You’ve got my word.”
I walked over to a padded chair and sat down.
“Comfortable,” I said as I sank into the soft material.
Monky smiled and took a seat across the room.
“I don’t come here often, but knowing it’s here makes everything easier,” he said.
“You’re something else,” I said as I glanced around the carefully carved room.
Shelves made into the walls contained a variety of knick-knacks.
“How did you make this place?” I asked.
“Magic mostly,” Monky replied. “How did you get in the game?”
“Wow,” I said, leaning back in the comfortable chair. “That’s a big one.”
“You can trust me,” he said. “Like I’m trusting you. I know a little bit of your story.”
“Oh? What did you hear?”
“You broke in here with two friends for fun,” he said.
I bounced my head back and forth.
“Kinda, but not really. My girlfriend’s friend told her he had access to a hot new game. We didn’t know what we were getting into.”
“I’m sorry,” Monky said.
“Not your fault,” I said, waving my hand. “What about you?”
“Prisoner,” he said. “Debt crime. My brother became disabled, and I tried to help his family out, but you know how things are these days.”
I nodded, not telling him I had grown up in the lap of luxury.
“Crazy,” I muttered.
“You’re telling me.” Monky leaned back. “Do you have any questions about the game?”
“Only a million,” I said then laughed.
“We can’t stay that long, but I can answer a few.”
“Do you know anything about my penalty for not having a PIN? I know you guys had to come and find me, but how does that work exactly?”
“Great question,” Monky said. “The game has done it before for various crimes committed inside the game, so you’re not unique. Basically, the gamemaster AI clones a level. It’s the same but without any other players. Using time dilation, it can make you feel like an entire year has passed even though others might not experience time the same way.”
“This game is nuts,” I said, shaking my head.
“Magi Inyontoo taught us to infiltrate the special zones the gamemaster AI creates,” Monky said. “He figured you would be sent to one, but it took us a while to find you.”
“Being a slave wasn’t fun.”
“I bet,” Monky said. “We found you, though. Now, we just need to run down your timer before taking you back. The gamemaster AI likely knows you’ve left, but it’s probably watching to see what you do. I swear I think the whole system has gone nuts sometimes.”
“Killing myself passed through my mind more than once before you guys found me.”
Monky frowned. “That’s not a good idea,” he said. “If you kill yourself as an NPC, you spawn as an NPC with even less control. Things get worse when you work against the gamemaster.”
“I don’t understand how people could think it was a good idea to throw a bunch of prisoners in a virtual game with killing,” I said.
“The violence is virtual,” Monky said. “The gamemaster is always watching what you do in here. You could kill anyone and everyone, but if you do, there are penalties. I’ve heard crazy stories about the gamemaster going after certain players until they were rehabilitated.”
“Sarah better be okay,” I muttered.
“If she doesn’t fight the gamemaster, she should be fine.”
After chuckling, I said, “You don’t know Sarah.”
“I’m just trying to help you,” Monky said. “I wish someone would’ve helped me in the beginning. Things might’ve been different for me.”
“How long have you been in here?” I asked.
Monky leaned back in his chair and looked up. “I don’t even know any longer. Time is so fuzzy in here.”
“Right?” I sat up. “Do you have any food here? I’m hungry again.”
He smiled and stood before walking across the room.
“The teleportation makes you hungrier,” he said. “I’m not sure why, but I have a store of supplies here just in case things get too bad with Rizzo and the others.”
Monky waved me over to the shelf he was standing by. I stood then walked over as he pulled out a couple of packages wrapped in paper.
“Have you had elven bread yet?” he asked.
I stopped in front of him and shook my head. “No. Is it any good?”
“You’re in for a treat,” he said then offered one of the packages to me.
I unwrapped it and saw what looked like angel food cake. After tearing off a piece, I popped it into my mouth. Succulent flavors danced over my tongue.
“That’s good,” I said after swallowing the first bit.
“Don’t eat too much,” Monky said. “It’s filling.”
“Thanks for bringing me here,” I said. “Means a lot.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Monky took a bite of the elven bread. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and getting to know each other better. That evening, he teleported us back to the road outside of Esterhollow. I knew my routine would continue, but having a short break helped.
* * * * *
The next morning, things got w
orse. Sylvar and Thero thought it would be cute to replace my sword with a wooden replica. Both laughed as I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Give it back,” I said.
“Or what, barbarian?” Thero asked.
I wondered if he ever took his armor off.
“Tell you what,” Sylvar began, “if you find it without our help, I’ll buff you before you go kill goblins. Sound fair?”
“Just give me my sword,” I said.
“Make me,” Thero said, puffing out his chest.
“What are you, five?” I sighed. “Screw you both.”
I walked in between them, bumping Sylvar out of the way.
“Watch it,” Thero barked.
“Or what?” I called over my shoulder as I walked toward the door.
“You’ll find out what,” Thero said.
Outside in the hallway, I saw Monky holding my sword.
“Here,” he said, offering it to me. “Those two can be childish.”
“You’re telling me,” I said. “They make being here even more intolerable.”
I took the sword from Monky then sheathed it.
“Things could always be worse,” he said.
“I don’t see how.”
Sylvar and Thero came out of the room.
“Hey,” Thero said. “You found the sword.”
He turned to Monky who crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’m leaving,” I said then headed downstairs to the dining area.
After eating the gritty soup they passed off as food, I headed to the east of the city to continue my leveling. They hadn’t told me how high of a level I needed to be, but I had to be close. I hoped they would take me to Sarah soon, even though I wasn’t sure if I could kill her.
On the way, Monky stepped out from behind a tree, startling me.
“Hey,” I said. “Are we going on another adventure today?”
I smiled, hoping for more of his elven bread.
“No.” Monky glanced around. “You didn’t tell anyone about my ring, did you?”
I shook my head. “No. Why?”
Monky frowned, his brow furrowing.
“I think they suspect something,” he said. “Because I helped you with your sword.”
“You’re being paranoid.”
“And you don’t know this game very well,” he snapped back.
“You’re right,” I said with a shrug.
As a low-level character in unfamiliar surroundings, I wasn’t sure what to do to make my situation better. Monky himself had said things could always be worse.
“Why are you keeping the ring a secret from them?” I asked.
“Do I really need to answer that question? You know those guys.”
“Fair enough…” I glanced over my shoulder then looked back at Monky. “You can trust me. I enjoyed our getaway yesterday. Can we go back?”
“I don’t have time,” he said. “There are things I need to do.”
“Go Magictology,” I cheered dryly.
Monky smiled then said, “This is something else.”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “What are you up to?”
“I’ll tell you later,” he said. “Maybe.”
“Everyone’s so secretive in here,” I said.
“There’s good reason to be. You’ve not been in here long enough to know how bad it can get. If you have the gamemaster and other players coming after you, things can get messy.”
“I understand.”
“We’ll talk more later. I just wanted to check that you hadn’t said anything to them.”
“You can trust me,” I said.
Monky smiled then walked back toward Esterhollow. I watched him for a bit then continued on my way to grind a bit closer to the next level. When I leveled enough, they would take me to Eric and Sarah, and I could finally decide what I wanted to do.
4
Not a Victimless Crime
Josh
A week later, their hazing still hadn’t stopped. I took it in stride, not letting their actions control my emotions. Or, better put, I tried. They pushed me too far one morning.
I woke to a bucket of freezing water being dumped unceremoniously over my body. After screaming and jumping to my feet, I saw Sylvar laughing near the door. Thero stood next to him, holding an empty wood bucket.
I took a deep breath as I felt myself losing control over my emotions.
Don’t let them get to you. Stay in control.
No matter what I told myself, my rage burned brighter as their laughter continued. I got up, yelled, then rushed at Sylvar, hoping to get at least one hit in before they stopped me.
Right before I reached him, Rizzo appeared and raised his palm in the air. Once again, I froze and toppled over, landing on the hardwood floor.
“Knock it off,” Rizzo said then unfroze me.
I sat up, breathing heavily after my quick sprint.
“We’re just hazing him,” Sylvar said. “No big deal.”
Monky walked into the room and said, “You’ve hazed him enough.”
He offered a hand to help me up. Once on my feet, I stared at Sylvar, not saying a word even though I wanted to give him a piece of my mind.
“We need to level you up today,” Rizzo said.
“Killing those other new players will be fun,” Sylvar said with a snicker.
“Have you heard from Eric or Sarah?” I asked.
Rizzo shook his head. “Don’t worry. You’ll see them soon enough.”
He and the others left my sleeping quarters. After taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I went downstairs for a meager breakfast. The food tasted as awful as their company. I ate it anyway, not knowing when I’d get more nourishment.
They kept me hungry.
* * * * *
Later that morning, our group of six journeyed east of Esterhollow to another farm outside the city. It was another location where Magictology was breeding creatures to kill then turn into zombies. I wasn’t entirely sure how the plan would help get us out of the game.
“What are we killing today?” I asked.
“They’re constructs,” Monky explained as we walked down the dirt road leading out of the city.
“He’s too dumb to get it,” Sylvar said. “I’m just not sure if he’s roleplaying his character or if he’s as stupid as he acts sometimes.”
“Don’t pay attention to him,” Monky said from beside me.
We slowed our pace to give ourselves a bit more space from the others.
“Are you worried about killing your friends?” he asked.
Should I tell him the truth? Or make something up?
“Yeah,” I said, choosing the former.
Monky nodded thoughtfully. “They won’t really die,” he said.
“Right, but I’m just not sure…” I lowered my voice. “Does Magi Inyontoo know what he’s talking about? I’m hearing so many conflicting stories.”
“He’s...an interesting character,” Monky said, apparently choosing his words carefully.
I nodded, letting his words sink in.
“Hurry up, you two!” Sylvar snapped.
I glanced up and saw another tall fenced-in field. The others stopped when they reached a wooden archway similar to the one in goblin park.
After Monky and I caught up to the others, I stepped toward the white circle in the grass, ready to get going for the day.
“Whoa, big guy,” Harvey said as he grabbed my arm.
I looked down at his hand then dragged my eyes to his face.
He let go and raised his hands.
“We’ll all be going this time,” Rizzo said. “Wait.”
I turned and saw the others preparing for battle. Thero slashed at the air with his sword while Harvey and Rizzo talked about their various spells.
Monky sat on the ground, meditating, while Sylvar quaffed a few potions. As always, they were keeping information from me. The more time I spent with them, the less I trusted them.
; “What’s on the other side this time?” I asked. “And what’s with these places anyway? It almost feels like we’re cheating somehow.”
Sylvar snorted. “Naive and stupid. He’s dual-classing, boys,” he said.
The others, except for Monky, laughed at the playground bully.
I kept my mouth shut, biding my time.
Can I catch up to their level? Find someone to help me kill them? Or should I go ahead and kill Eric and Sarah for Magi Inyontoo?
Unanswered questions swirled around in my head like fish in a holographic aquarium. I watched as the others finished getting ready for the new zone.
“Bearbugs are on the other side,” Monky said.
He stepped over to me, looked up, and smiled with a face full of wonder. I turned to Rizzo and the others standing nearby.
“What are bearbugs?” I asked. “Can I take them at my level?”
“Maybe a baby bearbug,” Sylvar quipped.
Only Thero laughed this time. His armor shook as he did.
“Remember to protect the barbarian,” Rizzo said then turned to me. “Leveling with so much extra experience will give your stats a slight boost.”
“My strength?” I asked. “That’s already high.”
“No kidding,” Harvey said.
“A random stat,” Rizzo said. “But we’re building your character right.”
I nodded, realizing the depth of the game system.
“Can you tell me more about this place?” I asked. “Are you guys all prisoners?”
Thero stormed over and shoved me. “What about it?” he asked. “You got a problem?”
He and the others could easily kill me, so I kept quiet.
“Thought so,” Thero said then backed away.
“It’s not polite to ask real-world stuff like that,” Monky said. “But it’s okay. You didn’t know.”
He smiled.
“Thero, front and center!” Rizzo shouted. “Stick to the plan.”
“Are you going to share your strategy with me?” I asked.
The heavily armored tank walked into the white circle followed quickly by Sylvar, Harvey, and Rizzo. Monky turned to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me.
