by Paul Bellow
Can we negotiate my payment?
ERIC
I looked up from the two maps I’d been comparing.
“What is it?” Sarah asked.
“Look here,” 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.
I glanced over and saw Sarah approaching with a smile on her face.
She held up a leather-bound book.
“Is that it?” I asked.
She nodded excitedly.
“Level two, here I come…”
“We should get going,” Bernard said. “It’s getting late.”
“This is such a cool game,” she said. “Except for trapping us in here and everything.”
Benji tilted his head and stroked his beard.
“You’re speaking that strange tongue I don’t understand again,” he said. “Are you two going to kill me?”
I laughed.
“We’re not going to kill you,” I said.
“At least not yet,” Sarah said. “You’ve been helpful so far.”
“Ruthless,” Benji said. “I love it.”
He grinned, showing his yellow teeth.
“Let’s go,” Sarah said. “I want to get back and read this book.”
She walked between Benji and myself then climbed onto the cart. I took the same seat I’d had before. Benji took the reins again.
As we turned the cart around, I heard a young boy scream on the other side of the encampment. Benji and Sarah both turned.
Three vicious dogs chased a boy dressed in plain, cotton clothes.
“Hyenas,” Benji said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Your Monster Lore Skill Has Increased!
Monster Lore Basic Level 2 of 10
Sarah shook her head.
“We need to help that boy,” she said.
I nodded and hopped off the wagon.
“She’s right,” I said, drawing my sword.
“That’s what I meant,” Benji said. “We need to save the boy.”
I stepped toward the frightened boy.
“Battle formation,” I yelled even though we didn’t have one yet. “We need to save that boy.”
Sarah stopped and cast a spell. A moment later, golden bolts of energy shot out of her palms, striking a hyena dead on.
“Attack!” I screamed, rushing forward with my sword held high.
Without a proper tank in our party, I needed to step up and fill the role. Benji drew his mace and yelled somewhere behind me.
The boy darted to the left, narrowly escaping the hyenas.
“Over here,” I yelled. “Come and get it.”
The vicious beasts stopped and turned toward us.
I slowed down to a walk but kept moving forward.
A forcefield went up around the tents.
I guess the other wizards aren’t helping us. Time to kill or be killed.
“Die, yapping beasts,” I yelled as I swung my sword.
Your slash HITS the hyena for 9 damage.
The hyena is dead!
Benji ran up beside me and struck one of the nasty beasts on the snout with his mace. The hyena yelped. Energized by the battle, I swung again.
Your slash GRAZES the hyena for 5 damage
A hyena snarled, turned, then lunged at me.
I dodged to the left, getting out of the way.
The hyena misses you.
As Benji continued battling the one in front of him, I delivered a killing slash across the back of the hyena in front of me.
Your pierce HITS the hyena for 8 damage.
The hyena is dead.
I turned to see the last beast fall lifelessly to the ground as several more energy bolts hit it. A notification screen popped up.
The hyena is dead.
Combat is Over!
You get 1,288 xp divided by two party members.
You get 644 xp – 10% OOC penalty.
You get 580 xp.
You have 2,205 xp.
* * *
Welcome to Level Two Rogue!
* * *
To advance to level two, you can choose a trainer (quicker and more thorough) or use a training manual. Seek Gord-En the Rogue to advance beyond level three. See help files for more on training.
Not too shabby. At least Benji isn’t getting a cut as an NPC.
Maybe that’s why he wants in our party?
But why would an NPC want experience points?
I pushed the thoughts aside as Sarah walked toward the boy. He’d curled up in a fetal position on the outskirts of the encampment. I followed her, looking around for any new threats.
“We might need your healing, Benji,” I said then waved him over. “But keep your eyes open for more hyenas.”
“Or gnolls,” he said. “The hyenas had leather armor on which isn’t a good sign. I think the rumors are true.”
“We’ll worry about that in a minute,” I said, stopping near the boy.
Sarah had knelt beside him and was rubbing his back.
“Are you okay?” she asked in a soothing voice.
“No,” the boy sobbed. “They killed them all.”
His pain pierced my hobgoblin armor.
“Who killed who?” I asked.
“Tell us what happened,” Sarah said. “We can help.”
Cautiously, the boy sat up.
“The monsters are moving into the forest,” he said. “I tried to warn my family, but it was too late. When I ran away, the dog-men saw me and sent their pets after me. I almost didn’t make it.”
He burst into a fresh round of tears.
“The gnoll rumors are true,” Benji said.
“What rumors?” I asked.
He frowned and shook his head.
“I’ve been hearing rumors in the taverns that there’s a band of gnolls wanting to set up a com
munity in Shockly Forest,” he said. “This is probably an advanced scouting team.”
“We should investigate,” I said then glanced down at Sarah.
She stood and took a deep breath.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Sounds like something we need to do.”
“Will you help us, Benji?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said. “What kind of priest would run away right now.”
“It’s settled,” I said. “We’re going to take out these gnoll scouts before there’s an infestation.”
A notification screen popped up.
New Quest – A Hunting We Will Gnoll
* * *
Stop the gnoll advanced scouting party from setting up permanently in Shockly Forest. On completion of this quest, you will receive 2,000 experience points and all their treasure.
“You get that?” Sarah asked.
I nodded and opened my mouth to reply in-character—but before a sound came out—I heard a deep, throaty voice yell out in an unknown language.
Sarah looked around.
“What now?” she asked.
“Gnolls,” Benji said, pointing across the field. “Can we negotiate my payment now? Maybe some hazard pay?”
I grinned but kept my mouth shut as the terrified boy leapt to his feet and ran toward our wagon.
“Wish those wizard friends of yours would help,” I said, nodding my head toward the tents protected by magic.
“It’s not their fight,” she said. “Besides, we’ve got this.”
“Easy,” I said, drawing my sword again.
Across the field a gnoll warrior with two hyenas at his side approached.
“Let’s do this smart,” I said. “Kali, get a hyena or two if you can. Benji, back her up. I’m going for the big guy. Ready?”
Sarah nodded then cast a spell. Her golden bolts of energy killed another hyena outright. Benji ran forward, keeping the other hyena busy.
I ran to meet the gnoll warrior head on. The longsword in his hand was larger than mine, but it was all about how you used your weapon.
As he swung, I dodged to the left, almost avoiding the blow.
The gnoll scout GRAZES you for 6 damage.
