Brute

by Paul Bellow

  Aaron frowned and nodded before bowing his head and staring at the thick green grass.

  “That explains some of it,” I said.

  Monky walked toward a fence with a gate on the other side of the lawn.

  “Come on,” she said. “We don’t want to get in trouble with the City Watch.”

  “Are they anything like the City Guard in Midgaard?” I asked.

  “Worse,” she said.

  I followed her and the Four Wizards to an alley behind the house where we had appeared. While not as evil as their counterparts, they appeared to be just as bumbling and eccentric. Maybe I could find another way back to find Eric and Sarah?

  As we emerged into a main street, I noticed a distinctly different vibe in the city. The people I passed wore grey, bland clothes covering most of their body. Everyone avoided eye contact as they passed on one side or the other.

  “Wiley will be waiting a few blocks away,” Monky said as we walked.

  I glanced to the right and saw a man in dark grey plate mail scowling at everyone. When he made eye contact with me, I turned away and kept walking.

  “Can we actually win tomorrow?” I asked. “Everything’s happening so fast.”

  “We’ll be fine,” she said. “You still don’t realize how special you are, do you?”

  I glanced over and asked, “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t have a PIN,” she said. “That’s rare in here.”

  “Does it give me special abilities or something?”

  Monky shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “You’ve been very lucky so far.”

  “Lucky, huh?” I snorted then shook my head.

  “Things can always get worse in here. Don’t forget it.”

  “Is every city on this level so dark?” I asked.

  “No,” Monky answered. “A few are nice.”

  I turned to my left as Aaron walked up to us.

  “Before Magi Inyontoo, all the city-states worked together,” he said. “I’ve documented some of the history of the downfall. The story is a sad one.”

  “Will they be checking for enchantments before the match tomorrow?” I asked.

  Part of me wanted to experience the thrill of enhanced abilities in the arena one more time, but I also dreaded the eventual come-down period.

  “We’ll help you,” Aaron said. “Don’t worry.”

  “In a safe way,” Monky added. “Not like the other four.”

  “This game is something else,” I said.

  I twirled the ring that allowed me to talk OOC. Throughout everything, I had kept it with me. As I spent more time in the game—almost an entire year—I found it more difficult to remember events from the real world. They seemed dreamlike, somehow unreal.

  We prepared all night for the battle the next day. I had some idea of what to expect, but with eight wizards and a dragon in the arena, things might get strange.

  35

  Battle of Eight Wizards

  Josh

  The next afternoon, a few hours before the sun would begin its descent on the horizon, I stood underneath the coliseum with Monky and the Four Wizards. Between her mind-control tricks and their arcane knowledge, we had picked up quite a few magic items. With no rules and anything permissible, I wanted to have my revenge on the evil clones who had kept me as their toy for far too long. I went over the list of my new magic items as we waited for the opening match to finish.

  +30 Ring of Strength

  +30 Headband of Might

  Boots of Speed

  +30 Bracelets of Defense

  +40 Two-Handed Sword

  Medium Sized Sack of Stuff

  Potion of Heal All Wounds x12

  Potion of Flying

  Potion of Extend Rage

  Potion of Enlarge

  +20 Longsword

  While only a level nine barbarian with two-hundred and twenty-three health points, the original Four Wizards increased my total health with a spell safer than the ones their evil counterparts had cast on me. Basically, it doubled my health for ten hours.

  I doubted the battle would take that long. Even if it did, they each had their own Sack of Stuff full of magical wonders. I glanced over at Monky and saw her in long red and orange robes. She caught me looking and smiled. I motioned for her to come over.

  As the Four Wizards talked to each other, Monky stepped toward me. She stopped about a foot away, glancing up at my face. Happy to see her, I grinned.

  “I’m so glad you’re still alive,” I said. “And I forgive you for that gruesnipe trick.”

  “We all have to do what’s necessary sometimes,” she said in a serious tone.

  I took a deep breath, wondering if we could defeat the other wizards.

  “Will they have someone fighting with them?” I asked. “Do you know?”

  She nodded and said, “Probably. They’re very wealthy.”

  I pushed thoughts of getting back to the lower levels of the game out of my mind as I prepared for the fight ahead. Even after countless battles in the arena, I still dreaded the forced conflict. Smug people like Artemis only made it worse—the idea they would make money off it.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  I chuckled. “Were you reading my mind again?”

  “No, but I can read people’s auras well,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  I nodded, not sure if I believed her. Then again, we were in a virtual world where stranger things had happened. She reached out and put a hand on my arm.

  “We’ve got this,” she said. “Don’t worry. We’ll win.”

  I nodded again, still not convinced.

  Tommy Two-Toes walked by and nodded his head. I returned the gesture, surprised he hadn’t been killed already. A couple of the other fighters I knew also walked by, some nodding and others looking down and avoiding eye contact. Did they know something?

  A horrific shriek sounded outside in the arena. The Four Wizards walked over.

  “Ready?” Ferris asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “We’ve got this.”

  Monky smiled but said nothing.

  “Remember,” Aaron began, “concentrate on freeing Wiley. He’s the key to winning this battle. And try to help out anyone on our team who’s in trouble.”

  “I’ve done this before,” I said.

  “A battle this big?” Sherlock asked.

  “No, but I’ve got a good feeling about this.” I turned and walked up the ramp, calling over my shoulder, “You guys don’t want to live forever, do you?”

  When I reached the top of the familiar dirt ramp leading up and into the arena, I stopped and looked around, not hearing the audience. Six large wooden poles with giant green gems on top of them surrounded the brick walls protecting the fans.

  The others made it to the top and looked around. I saw Wiley chained to a huge boulder in the center of the arena. Everything felt surreal without the sound of the crowd going wild. I didn’t see the evil Four Wizards or anyone else on the far side.

  “Remember the plan,” Ferris said. “We need to free the dragon.”

  “That’s a big boulder,” I said.

  On the other side of the arena, I saw the other Four Wizards appear. How different were their spells? I wondered. Several dozen fighters, including Tommy Two-Toes, walked around and in front of the wizards. This isn’t good.

  While I could defeat any one or two of them separately, a few dozen of them could overpower me easily. They understood how to win arena battles. I drew my sword and held it in front of me with both hands. The steel felt good in my hands.

  “Any ideas on the boulder, guys?” Thom asked.

  Before anyone answered, the other wizards launched their first salvo. Several fireballs arced through the air, barely missing the green forcefield covering the battlefield. Aaron and Ferris stepped forward, chanting and waving their hands.

  The fireballs slammed into a clear wall they threw up in front of us. Each of the three exploded, but n
one of us were hurt by the blasts. I reached in the Sack of Stuff slung over my shoulder and pulled the Potion of Extend Rage.

  Wiley thrashed about, his mouth muzzled, preventing him from spewing fire. He polymorphed to human form momentarily, but the chains changed to fit him. I activated my barbarian rage then ran forward with a blood curdling scream.

  Over a dozen fighters from the other side rushed to intercept me. A couple of fireballs and an extremely thick lightning bolt arced overhead, landing on the other side of the dragon. I ran past Wiley, not wanting to accidentally attack him.

  Between the potion and my rage abilities, I could control and focus the rage a bit better, but it was still a gamble. Tommy Two-Toes came ran at me, leading the few fighters still alive after the magic barrage. I swung my sword, chopping off a leg.

  “That’s my last two toes!” he cried.

  I left him on the blood-soaked ground as I rushed at the next gladiator, a man I had fought beside a few times. He raised a trident and threw it at me.

  The trident MAIMS you for 55 damage.

  You have [391/223+223] health remaining.

  The flimsy weapon bounced off my chest. I plowed into the poor guy. He didn’t stand a chance as I swiftly swung my sword three times.

  Your slash EVISCERATES the gladiator for 134 damage.

  Your slash DISEMBOWELS the gladiator for 114 damage.

  Your slash DISMEMBERS the gladiator for 167 damage.

  The gladiator is dead!

  I danced and weaved around another dozen fighters before my rage died down.

  “Help!” Monky shouted behind me.

  I spun around and saw her next to Wiley, struggling with his chains. As fireballs exploded around me, I took off toward them, hoping to help free him.

  “Nice job taking out most of the fighters,” she said as I stopped next to her.

  “Thanks,” I said, glancing around the arena to take stock of the situation.

  “I can’t get the chains off,” she said.

  My brawn wouldn’t solve the situation. I needed to think.

  “Incoming!” Thom yelled as he ran past us.

  Wiley covered Monky and me with his left wing as several Flaming Discs of Lava landed. His resistance to fire would come in handy if we freed him. I ran out from under his wing and looked up. The muzzle around his snout looked uncomfortable.

  “Cover me,” I said then rummaged in my Sack of Stuff.

  I pulled out the Potion of Flying and the Potion of Enlarge.

  Time to get a bit creative, I thought as I quaffed the first.

  As I flew into the air, I uncorked the enlarge potion. When I flew past Wiley’s head, I dumped the contents between his lips. The liquid barely went in, but it was enough. I flew backward as the dragon grew, doubling in size and breaking his chains.

  Wiley roared then shot an immense cone of flame toward the opposing wizards. I saw Sherlock’s beard catch fire as they quickly used a staff to heal themselves. My Boots of Speed wouldn’t allow me to fly faster, but it didn’t matter. I dropped behind what remained of their front line. Ferris and Thom both whipped around, their eyes wide open. I yelled and ran forward, sword out.

  Your pierce MAIMS Ferris for 54 damage.

  Your slash MUTILATES Ferris for 69 damage.

  While part of me wished I could go into another rage and finish them off, my darker side enjoyed watching them squirm. Caught between a double-sized dragon and me, a revenge hungry barbarian hopped up on buffs, the evil Four Wizards scrambled.

  “Now!” Sherlock, missing the lower half of his beard, shouted.

  Aaron stepped out from behind him and pointed a wand at me.

  Why am I fighting these wizards? They’re my friends!

  “Come here,” Ferris said in a nasty tone.

  I landed then walked over to them.

  “You will follow my commands,” he said.

  “I will follow your commands,” I repeated.

  “Kill the dragon!” Sherlock shouted.

  I ran past them toward Wiley.

  The giant-sized dragon, barely able to fit underneath the green force field protecting the crowd from us, turned its scale head in my direction. As I got closer, I briefly wondered why I was attacking a friend. My mind fought the idea but couldn’t overturn it.

  “You’ve been charmed,” Monky said in my mind.

  I slowed then stopped, looking around and wondering if I should kill her first.

  “Over here,” she said. “To your left.”

  I turned my head and saw her red and orange robes nearby.

  “Fight it,” she continued. “You can do this…”

  Once again, I wondered why I was attacking the dragon. This time, I caught a foothold and managed to pull myself up out of the fog. As the spell broke, I turned and saw the evil Four Wizards whispering to each other and pointing.

  Monky walked over as I reached up and grabbed my pounding head.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Two lightning bolts whizzed by and hit Wiley.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “We need to kill them.”

  Aaron walked up and said, “We have an idea.”

  “Keep talking.” I glanced back at the other wizards. “Make it quick. They’re casting something big, and I don’t know if we can handle much more.”

  “It’s the green gems,” he said then looked up at the nearest one. “If we had them, we could cast a spell to kill the evil wizards.”

  “That’s all?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Incoming!” Thom shouted then ran past us.

  Aaron, Monky, and I ran behind Wiley. The dragon continued menacing the other side while offering us a bit of protection from all the craziness.

  “You need the gems,” I said. “You’ll have the gems.”

  “Wait…” Monky said as I ran toward the nearest pole.

  “Be careful,” she continued in my mind.

  As I lifted my arms to take flight, I realized the potion had worn off. I had no official climbing skill, but I didn’t let that stop me from shimmying up the pole. My slow progress made me a perfect opportunity for pot shots. A dozen or more golden bolts hit me.

  The Golden Bolts MAIM you for 59 damage.

  You have [332/223+223] health remaining.

  I ignored the pain and kept climbing. Down below, the battle raged on. I glanced over at the audience. They looked almost peaceful as they jumped around and moved without any sounds. An explosion popped in the air next to me as I reached the top.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wiley, still huge, gallop toward the other four wizards. I wished him the best of luck and examined the green gem. For something so vital, it wasn’t attached to the pole very well. I grabbed it and yanked.

  The green field surrounding the arena dimmed. I could faintly hear the crowd cheering. Another pop nearby brought me back to the moment. I dropped the green gem on the loose dirt far below then climbed down as quickly as I could manage.

  Aaron stood at the bottom, holding the giant green gem like a baby.

  “Great job,” he said. “Can you get the other five?”

  I sighed as I glanced around the battlefield. The evil Four Wizards had constructed a thick wall of stone around them for protection.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Give me a few.”

  “Hold on,” Aaron said. “I can help.”

  After carefully setting the gem down, he waved his hands to cast a spell.

  You are invisible.

  You can fly.

  I grinned even though Aaron couldn’t see me.

  “Be back in a bit,” I said then jumped into the sky.

  I flew to the next pole, easily removing the green gem. The sounds of the audience grew louder as I slipped it in my Sack of Stuff for safe keeping. I continued to the next one, getting it easily too. When I made it to the fifth green gem, I hit a snag.

  The evil Four Wizards must’ve realized what was happening, because they emerged from their stone fortre
ss and flew toward the sixth gem on a pole. By this time, the cheers and jeers of the crowd couldn’t be missed. I pulled the fifth gem and bagged it.

  Several lightning bolts shot toward me after I snagged it. I flew up the to the left, heading for the center of the arena. Why didn’t I ask how long these spells would last? I asked myself as I floated in the air, looking for an easy way to snag the last gem.

  The invisibility and flying spells both wore off at the same time. I tumbled to the ground, taking some damage. Monky rushed over as I sat up and rubbed my head.

  “We need the last one,” she said.

  I stood and peered over at the evil Four Wizards huddled around the last pole. A brute would rush them and hope for the best, but I needed to be smart.

  “Can you make them think it’s falling?” I asked.

  “Maybe,” Monky said.

  She bowed her head and chanted some words before looking up at the evil wizards. I saw the four of them step back then cast a spell on the pole, toppling it over. The green gem on top broke off and rolled away. I ran toward it as the crowd cheered.

  The four good wizards stood on the far side of the arena as I rushed toward the magic gem. Sherlock ran toward me, but I pushed him out of the way. After scooping up the gem about the size of a football, I ran as fast as I could toward the good wizards.

  I remembered my footballs days as I zig-zagged across the arena as lightning bolts and colored beams flew around me. Keep your eye and mind on the goal line, I told myself as I kept running at full speed. The ground shook, but I continued toward the others.

  The crowd chanted my name as I got closer.

  “Got them!” I yelled as I approached.

  I dropped the gem in my arms then unslung the magic sack from my shoulder. The Four Wizards ran up and grabbed them. Aaron and Ferris held two each while the other two wizards held a single green gem. I glanced back at the other wizards.