by Paul Bellow
“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 a
head 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.
“Come on,” he said. “Stick with me.”
We teleported to a desert. A sun a hundred times hotter than the one we’d left behind beat down on us. We were surrounded by sand dunes and out in the open.
“Incoming!” Harvey shouted.
Thero and Sylvar ran forward with their swords drawn. I looked past them and saw a swarm of twisted insect-mammals. They had the body of a spider and the torso and head of a bear.
“Is this for real?” I asked. “Where are we?”
“Shut up!” Rizzo shouted then cast a spell.
Golden bolts of energy shot out of his hands and hit the oncoming swarm of foot-high creatures. Shrill screams filled the air as even more of them appeared.
“Double swarm,” Harvey shouted. “Twelve o’clock.”
I twisted around and saw another blanket of bearbugs heading toward us. Time to show my worth. I screamed to get my blood pumping as I ran toward the second swarm.
“No!” Monky yelled from behind me.
I stopped as the bearbugs approached, wondering if I had bitten off more than I could chew. Monky ran by, his orange and red robes rippling in the wind like he was in an old kung-fu movie.
He leaped into the air and dove onto the foul creatures.
A belly flop? What’s this all about?
Over a dozen bearbugs came at me. I swung my sword, killing a dozen of them quickly.
After dispatching them, I glanced over at Monky. Now completely covered in bearbugs, he shouted. The sound pierced the air like an ancient gong, a definitely inhuman noise.
When it ended, a heat wave pushed all the bearbugs off his body, frying them. The wave rippled wider and took out quite a few of the other buggers.
I grinned as he leaped to his feet and surveyed the scene. The bearbugs, now scattered, took a moment to refocus into a large group. I ran forward, attacking with my sword.
A loud explosion behind me caught my attention. I glanced over and saw a huge fireball go off a second time. The other swarm had grown in size compared to ours.
“Save the wand!” Rizzo shouted. “Don’t be a bleaking idiot.”
“Don’t get distracted,” Monky said as he whizzed by me.
A wave of bearbugs followed him, darkening the sand.
Sweat rolled down my face and chest as some of them bit me. I killed a few more before a notification appeared.
Combat is Over!
You get 12,000 xp divided by six party members.
You get 2,000 xp
You have 3,200 xp
Level Up!
Welcome to Level 2 Barbarian
You only need 100 xp for level 3 Barbarian.
Bonus Stat Increase!
You get +16 Charisma!
Monky walked over. “What’d you get?” he asked.
“Charisma, but it’s not enough to make a difference,” I said.
The others joined us. Harvey looked beat up and close to dying.
“Not bad overall,” Rizzo said. “We need to work better together, though.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll kill those other new players all on my own.” Sylvar turned to me. “Especially that elf girl.”
Why did he always insist on clicking my rage button? I took a deep breath to calm myself as Rizzo stepped over to the white teleportation circle on the ground.
“Back to the temple,” he said. “We need to talk.”
As Harvey, Sylvar, and Thero followed him, Monky grabbed my arm.
“Hold on,” he said. “I need to tell you something.”
“What?” I asked as the others teleported away.
Monky took a deep breath. Was he paranoid about me giving away his secret ring?
“It’s about...why I’m in here,” he said. “I was a prisoner, but I’m not a bad person. Someone stole my identity and used it to commit fraud. I couldn’t prove my innocence, so they locked me up.”
“That’s what all prisoners say, isn’t it?” I smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
Monky frowned and glanced around. “There’s something else, but you have to promise not to tell the others,” he said.
I stared down at the shorter man.
“Promise?” he pressed.
“Yeah,” I said. “You can trust me.”
“There’s a reason I follow Magi Inyontoo,” he said. “I don’t know what my life would be like without him. He’s crazy sometimes, especially lately, but he’s not all bad.”
I nodded while closely watching his face. “Did he do something to help you?” I asked.
Monky nodded.
“In the real world,” he began then took a deep breath, “I’m a woman.”
He looked up at me as if hungry for my reaction.
“Oh,” I said, taken off guard. “That’s cool.”
“You don’t understand,” she said. “Most prisoners must play as their gender in the real world. I had problems with some other players, and Magi Inyontoo helped me. When he changed me to a male character in here, it made all the difference.”
“This is...a lot to take in,” I said.
She (with the face of a man) nodded.
“I’ve been having second thoughts about Magi Inyontoo, but I can’t forget what he did for me, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said. “He might really have a way out of this game.”
“We should go before the others get suspicious,” Monky said. “I’m trusting you. Please don’t betray me.”
I nodded. She turned and walked over to the white circle.
My mind tried to fathom why she would tell me such personal information. We’d only known each other for a short time, but she was trusting me. Could I trust her? I stepped into the circle to teleport back to the others.
Later that evening, after helping place tiles on the roof of the temple all afternoon, I walked back inside for something to eat. Voices in the kitchen caught my attention.
Sneaking as quietly as a huge half-orc can, I crept toward the closed door. Harvey yelled something I couldn’t make out. Sylvar replied, then it was followed by laughter.
Are they discussing something without me? I thought we were a group.
Curious, I pressed my left ear against the wooden door, trying to hear mor
e.
When it flew open unexpectedly, I almost stumbled. Thero stood on the other side, laughing along with Sylvar and Harvey. Rizzo stepped over.
“What do you want?” he asked in an annoyed tone.
“Is this a group meeting, or what?” I asked.
“Go oil your biceps or something,” Sylvar said.
With practice and self-discipline, I was finding it easier to control my emotions around him.
“Enough,” Rizzo said then pulled out a wand.
After he waved it through the air, I could see their mouths moving, but I couldn’t hear any words. Monky frowned before I turned and walked out of the forsaken Temple of Magictology.
Outside, I sauntered toward the city center, taking in all the wonders of the game. While I hated the Tower of Gates, I had to give it up to the designers for the realism.
Instead of taking me out of the game, the statistics and game notifications enhanced the experience. The smell of barbecued meat hit my nose, almost pulling me off course, but I kept walking toward my destination. A certain sword at the market had my name on it.
I’d been thinking about it ever since I first saw it about a week earlier. Almost a level three barbarian, I deserved a better weapon, especially with our gruesome task of killing mass mobs to be turned into zombies. The death in the game surprised me.
Why would they lock prisoners in a game that rewarded violence? No answers came to me as I continued walking down the middle of the street. Both men and women moved as I approached, giving me as much room as I needed. I liked being a half-orc.
Thoughts of Sarah hit me. Could I kill Eric and her? The more I thought about everything, the less I trusted Magi Inyontoo. And Monky’s confession had thrown me for a loop, too.
Why had she shared that information with me? Maybe she was lying about being a woman in the real world? But why?
I reached the edge of the market and stopped. Dozens of stalls had been crammed into the limited space in the center of the city. They had everything for sale. All other thoughts drifted from my mind as the game pulled me in deeper.
There she is, I thought as I walked toward a booth with weapons on display.
