"Go!" I shout and push at Aidan as the big guy takes a swing at him.
The man's fist collides with Aidan's face and he stumbles backwards, fingers going to his nose. I pull on Aidan’s arm as the man swipes at him again.
Aidan stares down at his blood-soaked fingers. I watch in horror as the blood glows, as if someone shone a fluorescent light on. The blood appears to pool into perfect circles on his fingertips and as the big guy swings a fist, Aidan flicks his fingers at him.
A spot of glowing blood hits the man on the forehead and he halts, eyes widening as the spot spreads across his forehead like insects crawling over his skin. I should run. Like really run, but the spectacle freezes me in space.
I glance back at Aidan, whose eyes glow red to match his fingers, and the purple hue grows on his skin.
Shit.
"Aidan!"
He stares ahead, face thunderous as the blood drips from his nose.
"Back off," I warn the speechless goblin and his friends, silently willing Aidan not to transform. "I don't know what he's capable of."
"Yeah, we'll give you a chance to leave," says the goblin, voice wavering as he moves closer to his big friend. "But if you come back, we'll be waiting."
I hide my relief with the haughtiest look I can give. "Good luck."
The goblin sneers at me, his thin green lips curling. "Good luck? You're the one with the warlock using blood magic. That shit's dangerous."
Blood magic?
"Aidan." I stand between him and the group, then shove him in the chest. His eyes meet mine and a chill sweeps through my blood. This isn't the Aidan I know. These aren't his eyes. I rarely see Aidan angry; he's somebody more likely to avoid conflict than have things out with people and solve the issue at hand. My dad was the same and it never ended well—the anger erupts at some point.
Such as when you're a warlock in a game and suddenly things aren't easy anymore.
I touch his cheek and his skin hardens beneath my fingertips, leathery and turning purple. "No, no, no," I say. "Aidan, don't change."
In my mind I want to joke about the Hulk, but my gut tells me Aidan's magic could hurt a lot of people and quickly. The man Aidan’s blood hit now writhes on the floor, howling like a child.
I seize Aidan's hand and drag him backwards. "It's El. You're okay. I'm okay. Stay calm."
To my relief, Aidan follows, and I grip his clawed hand tighter in case he changes his mind. Back in the main part of the inn, heads turn, but little attention is paid to us. I guess brawls are a regular occurrence here.
Until an elf stands, his mouth forming an 'o' before he lifts his hands. “Demon!”
Not wanting to know if he'll use magic or force, I push forward. Zara, interrupted in her activities by our noise, stands at the foot of the stairs and gapes. I shout at her to wake Dean.
He doesn't move and the last thing I see before I run from the inn is Zara tipping a jug of mead over Dean’s head.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Jay's glowing figure disappears around a corner and I race to catch up. I managed to interrupt Aidan’s transformation and he now follows, muttering something about his nose hurting. Several sets of footsteps sound behind. I throw myself around the corner too and find myself in a narrow back alley, a small space squeezed between two brick buildings.
One where three men stand at the dead end, in front of an impassable wall.
I groan inwardly. This night never ends.
They're tall and slender, faces covered by bandanas, their hair close-cropped. These people are identical as if somebody cloned them—or the game developer ran out of models.
Yes, you're in a game. Please be in a game.
They don’t move or speak.
Jay groans and the white magic fades as he slides his hands down his knees, doubling over. "Out of fucking magic energy," he mutters.
"Oh, fantastic. Just as we might need your healing spells," Aidan retorts and points at the guys. “Where did that spell in the inn come from?”
“Levelled up. Protection spell,” he pants out.
I look at my friend, whose face and eyes have morphed back to normality. Behind him, Zara and Dean skid around the corner and then halt.
"For fuck’s sake," says Zara. "You're on your own with this. I've had enough."
Dean rests against the wall, hair plastered to his head and water dripping down his nose. "What's happening?"
My arm tingles as the fear drives the flames towards my fingers. This time, Aidan takes my hand.
"No. Look."
One guy steps forward and he speaks, voice muffled by the scarf. "Did Ethan send you? Because if he did, you are foolish to draw attention to yourselves."
"Ethan?" I meet the man's eyes. No. Elf’s eyes. I can see the runic marks written across his face, obscured by the material.
“We need to get out of town, now,” says a second man, voice gruff.
He steps up to his friend and they are alike—as if they’re twins. “Dax will find more of his dumb bodyguards and slice your throats in your sleep.”
My mouth dries. The goblin boss? “Best I don’t sleep, then.”
“We have horses.” The first guy waves toward the edge of the alleyway. “Out of town. We’ll meet you there.”
He steps back into the shadow created by the building’s overhanging roof.
“Hang on. How do we escape the town?” asks Jay.
The second man gives a low laugh. “That’s your problem. I suggest you run.”
The elves disappear and the air moves around me, but I don’t hear a sound as they pass.
“Zara’s right,” complains Jay. “I’m tired of this shit.”
“You started this shit,” I retort. “What the hell were you doing fighting in a cellar?”
“Winning. Until they cheated and two of them jumped me.”
Aidan huffs. “Can we go?”
“I can hear voices,” calls Dean. “Aidan’s right.”
I break into a run out of the alley and back into the street. There’s a fountain between us and the inn, just as in the other town, but this town has an angry mob charging towards us.
Awesome. Not.
The group, led by the burly bodyguards, charge towards us and instinctively I lift my hands upwards. A fire pillar falls from the sky, crashing into the ground and spreading outwards. The flames lick along the stone, growing into a fiery barrier over a metre tall. The group pursuing us halt and back off, but the flames don’t spread.
A wall of fire separates us from the rest of the town, stretching from building to building but stopping short of setting fire to the structures.
“Nice one!” exclaims Dean. “You’re awesome.”
I push hair from my face. How much more adrenaline can my body take? My band flashes as my stamina bar drops along with my magic energy. I should’ve eaten at the inn.
I stagger backwards, but I’m determined not to stop now. Not yet.
Leaving the barrier between us and a violent end to the evening, I lurch away towards the countryside.
I hate walking around this world at night. No streetlights. No knowing what lies behind each order or tree. We move further from town, leaving yelling voices in the distance. As we traipse along the main thoroughfare leading away from the town and Grunwald, I’m concerned we won’t find the masked trio. A man appears from the shadows, a mile from the town, and my heart skips several beats, body priming for self-defence, until I realise who it is. A second materialises beside him.
The elf nods. “This way.”
He leads us through a clearing. The moon’s silver glow picks out three horses and third man standing alongside them.
“You blocked Zara with your fire barrier,” whispers Aidan. “How will she find us?”
“She wanted to leave us,” I say as we creep after the two elves.
“She’s part of the group,” he says.
“But is she?” Dean appears at my side. “I don’t know. Zara seems odd.”
“Exactly!” I say and smile at him. Someone who shares my concerns.
“Whatever, she decided to piss off on her own.” Jay speaks after remaining quiet on our short trek from the town.
“One less body for the horses since she isn’t here.” I wave a hand. “There are three between seven of us. How do we manage that?”
“One will walk.” He nods at the third guy. “He can move quickly.”
“I can’t ride a horse,” says Dean.
“Nor me,” I add. “And I’m not sure if I’m jumping from the frying pan into the fire here.”
The elf steps forward and pulls down his scarf. He smiles, and my anxiety drops at his friendly expression. “Adventurers always say the most curious things. And don’t worry. We’re friends who want to help you. My people always helps adventurers who pass our way.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Jay scrambles up a horse before the elf can say anything else.
I ride with the first elf, behind him, gripping the saddle. He introduces himself as Loran and the other as Arahan. The third elf disappeared as soon as we were all mounted. The stars and moon light our way as we follow a barely visible path through the trees. Jay sits with Aidan which causes some grumbling, but the elves take an instant dislike to the warlock and won’t ride with Aidan, so Jay hasn’t any choice. I'm concerned how slowly our party moves along, unworried about angry mobs the way I am. A couple of times I catch a glimpse of something shadowy in the trees. Spiders or wolves? Neither, I hope.
The elf smells odd. I'm unsure how I expected an elf to smell. His scent is a mixture of tree bark and the earthy smell on days after the rains have come after a dry spell. I surreptitiously sniff myself. I bet I smell bad to him.
The trees grow denser before clearing into a small circular patch where the moon shines directly down. As we approach, the shaft of moonlight seems to focus the way my fire did and light streams through the copse.
The horses halt as a woman steps into the light.
Dorianna
High Priestess
Dryad
Level 50
Non-aggressive
She's as tall and slender as the other elves and her silver-white hair shimmers in the moonlight. The dress she wears flows to her feet, light blue like the summer sky, and her cloak matches the colour of her hair. She steps closer and I can't help but stare at the runic marks circling her arms. I have a heavily tattooed friend, Stace, who'd be jealous how they glow violet in the moonlight.
Her serene expression drops away and eyes glint darker when her gaze rests on Aidan. "This one cannot enter."
"He's one of their party," says Loran. "He won't cause harm."
"He will. The warlock stays here." The harsh tone is at odds with her friendly appearance, and I glance at a pale-faced Aidan.
“He won’t hurt anybody,” I implore. “Aidan doesn’t attack friendly people.”
“No.” She points a long finger at Aidan. "The warlock must remain outside our village. He's ignorant of his strength. How could he know what he's capable of?"
"Maybe because I'm low level I'm no threat?" he suggests.
"Low level?" Dorianna frowns and steps close to him. They hold each other's gaze. "Yes. Farens are base creatures."
"Maybe do something to get your rep up?" suggests Jay.
Arahan tips his head. "What spell is ‘rep’?"
"Faren could guard him?" suggests Loran. "He's powerful enough to kill a warlock, if he feels it’s necessary."
Aidan chokes in horror and the elven woman blinks slowly. "Where is Faren?”
I tense as the trees nearby rustle and am seconds from gripping onto Loran when a huge animal walks from behind the trees on four paws. He's black, but not a panther or a dog; something in between. The paws are lion-sized and powerful muscles shift in his haunches as he pads closer. He circles Dorianna, winding around her legs the way a domestic cat would before sitting beside her.
"Holy shit," mutters Dean. "I haven't had enough alcohol to deal with all this."
Dorianna looks back to Aidan. "Human or demon form, Faren will rip your throat out and feed you to his pups if you cross us. If you feel you can control your magic, warlock, you may come into my realm. But if you have the slightest doubt about your self-control, I'd advise you to stay here."
Aidan looks at me and he's a world away from the dangerous man I saw at the inn. The fear in his eyes burns as strongly as the fury did before. A fear I've seen in each of our party members' eyes since I arrived here.
One they've also seen in mine.
"Why the stress?" Jay climbs down from the black steed that waits patiently for his next instruction. "If he dies, it's temporary anyway."
Arahan snaps his head around. "How? Is he a necromancer?" he growls.
"No. I work in an electronics store," mutters Aidan. "Life was easier then."
An awkward silence drops, and I plough on before the priestess can waver in her decision.
"Is this the Grove of Tranquil Waters?" I ask. “We can do what we need and leave straightaway.”
"The Grove you seek is half a day’s walk from here and you will need a guide to find the pool." She gives a tight smile. “You may rest here tonight, but tomorrow you must complete your task and leave us.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Wooden seats, hewn from tree trunks, surround a fountain. But no water flows from this one, which pours with shining blue magic, circling around in the same way water would. A group of elves gather around, some on the floor and others on the seats. Their low conversations intersperse with laughter chiming around the clearing. The same scent as Loran lingers in the air around.
They don't notice us at first, and I sit on a bench to take in the strange tableau in front of me. Despite the different races in the towns, this is the first place I've been where I truly feel as if I'm in another world. Not only the sight and sound, but the sky’s purple-blue colour that stretches to the ground, and the way the trees blend into their surroundings, trunks a pale blue to match.
Two girls dance in front of the fountain, dressed in more revealing garb than their priestess. I glance at the guys, positive the shimmying elves and their sensual moves would grab their attention. But Dean's staring at the sky and Aidan at his hands. Jay lowers his large frame onto the bench and shifts closer to me.
"Sorry, El,” he mumbles.
I shake my head. "Did you just apologise to me?"
He scratches the corner of his eye and leans forward, elbows on his knees. "There was a reason I got into that fight today."
I can barely hear his words spoken to the floor, and I lean forward too. "What do you mean? I thought you walked in for the brawl and for money. Zara said you were showing off.”
He shakes his head and fumbles in his pocket, watching the elves carefully. We're under scrutiny but that drops off as the evening's entertainment grows. Shifting to face me, Jay holds his hand out, which is tightly curled into a fist.
"Are they watching?" he whispers.
I shake my head. Jay uncurls his fingers and a stone rests in the palm of his hand. "I found another one."
The symbol we've seen before is painted on the stone in thin black lines.
"Who had that?" I ask.
"It was in the room. There was a pile of rewards for the winner and this was in there. I had a quest to go down there and talk to the goblin. I didn't realise they were holding a paid fight and was swayed by the huge gold reward.. That’s why I decided to tell them I was a good fighter. Then I saw how many brawlers took part and changed my mind. I was about to leave, when I saw this. We need these, don’t we?”
I take the grey stone and squeeze it. "I think this is important. Thank you, Jay."
"Don't you feel like we're off course? I know you believe everything Ethan tells you, but wandering around in the woods with elves might not get us far. Especially as they don't like Aidan."
"I think this potion is significant, Jay. I need to tell you what Ethan
said to me and Dean the day you...disappeared.”
“Died. You can say it.”
In a wavering voice I fill Jay in on the events with Ethan and his belief I’m the key to whatever is happening to us. Jay listens, stares at the floor, and doesn’t interrupt. I wait for scorn but he remains quiet.
“That’s some weird quest,” he says eventually.
“If it is a quest and not something more.”
Jay puffs air into his cheeks and looks upwards. “It’s a quest to make a potion, gain experience and move onto the next.”
“Don’t you agree it’s significant?”
His shining eyes meet mine. “Everything that happens in this world is significant. Whoever Ethan is, he’s tied to whatever shit is happening to us. As a mysterious ‘lost’ player? Probably not. He’s a quest giver.”
I play with the stone in my hand spirits sinking that Jay doesn’t believe how important this is. But he’s here and helping, which is more than Zara.
Jay places his hand in his pocket again. "I had another quest to give you this."
This time, his palm contains a shining emerald. The starlight catches the edges and the gem shines greater than any emerald I've seen. I quickly close my fingers over it.
My band flashes.
Dragon’s Eye
Summon a dragon to aid you in battle
(One time use: he wants his eye back)
"This could benefit you if you had it made into an amulet or something," I say. "Why give it to me?"
"Because the quest said."
"What was the reward?"
"Ten gold."
"That's a lot."
He shrugs. "You know I don't like feminine things. Jewellery. Ack." We both smile at his self-mocking and I place a hand over his. I never noticed exactly how large his hands are; mine look like a child's beside his.
I'm overwhelmed by the urge to hug Jay. I attempt to wrap my arms around him but they barely fit around his broad chest. He tenses for a moment before enveloping me in his arms instead. My cheek presses against his solid muscle, and he smells of alcohol and perspiration mingled with the lavender we use in water to bathe.
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