Quest into Hidden Realms (Hidden Realms LitRPG Series Book 1)

by Tom Gallier

  Three main roads snaked through the farms to three large gates. There were few travelers on them, with lots of peasants tending the fields. Since there were no homes on any of the patches of land divided by low stone walls, Killum assumed the farmers all lived within the villages.

  As they neared the city walls, they spotted a few structures within wooden walls. Some of them were burned to the ground. Lots of horses, oxen, wagons, and carts were inside the standing enclosures, along with central log cabin type structures and outbuildings.

  "Are those corrals or stables or something?" Tiana asked.

  "I think those are inns," Fergus said. "Apparently, these folks have an enemy that requires everything be inside walls."

  There were a lot more armed and armored guards at the gates and atop the walls, too. Their armor was all brightly polished steel, and the guards all were big, burly, and very grim looking men. The battle-mage checked a few out, and all were mobs. Lots of NPCs to kill if they were of a mind to do so.

  "I wonder if they are at war, or the Dread Ones are a bigger threat here?" Killum wondered aloud.

  "Yes, that must be it. Lord Kathro and his undead Dread Ones," Tiana muttered. "I'm starting to think Warlord's Castle might be too tough a nut to crack."

  They'd crossed paths with another dozen Dead Ones between Goblin Gully and Knaresburg, but easily dispatched them. On the road the Dread Ones roamed in groups of two and three. None of them were pleased to discover that vampires, ghouls, and zombies roamed the land in broad daylight. At least the vampires should only come out at night.

  "There's no nut too tough for my battle-axe to cleave open," Rand said. "Once we sell our loot and buy more and better armor and weapons, then we'll be ready for anything."

  "It's the little guys who are always the meanest," Fergus said.

  "And the toughest," Rand said.

  They grinned at each other. Killum ignored them, too busy studying the walled enclosure they were walking past. It looked like a mule caravan of traders was preparing to leave. There had to be three dozen pack mules, with handlers and merchants all around. The most telling thing was the twenty well-armed and armored guards on horseback watching over it all.

  "Every one of those men, from the mounted guards to the merchants and workers is a player," Fergus said. "What's up with all these players taking mundane jobs?"

  Good question. Asha had pretty much confirmed that they were all trapped in the game, and the Game wouldn't allow them to fret too much on it. Maybe those other players had given up and been forced into earning a living.

  "That is a little worrisome," Killum said. "Let's hope we don't give up and this becomes just another mundane world to us. If I'm trapped here forever, then I don't want to spend day in and day out on some soul numbing grind of a job."

  "Getting a real job inside a game has to be an oxymoron or something," Rand said.

  Fergus shook his head, rolled his eyes, and spoke to the heavens. "The runt doesn't even know what an oxymoron is."

  "I know enough to know you're a moron."

  Fergus grabbed and shook one of the horns of the dwarf's helmet. "Guess that makes you the ox."

  "Can I start calling you 'Oxy' now?" Tiana asked.

  Rand just gave her a dirty look. By that time they reached the gate, and the guards were eyeing them suspiciously. Killum stepped out front before Rand said something to get them into trouble.

  "Greetings," Killum said. "We're travelers heading north. May we enter your fine town to rest for a night or two?"

  "You got money?" one of them demanded.

  They all indicated the fat purses hanging off their belts. He nodded and waved them toward the gate. Killum held back.

  "May I ask a question?"

  "You can always ask, mister," the NPC guard said, though looked away.

  "Are you at war? We came up through Oxenbluff, and their villages are not walled like yours," Killum asked. "Plus you have more and bigger guards protecting the gates."

  "No. The villages are walled against goblins," he said. "The tribes surrounding us are more numerous and less friendly than the ones around Oxenbluff."

  "The Dread Ones aren't a threat here?" Tiana asked.

  "No. Baron Gerald's wizards put wards up against the undead."

  Killum followed the others through the gate. There were more guards inside, but they looked a bit more relaxed. Like in Oxenbluff, there was a large plaza inside the gate. Street hawkers barked their sales pitches, urchins and dogs raced around making a god-awful noise, and the locals passed through on their business.

  The vast majority of the people were humans. Orks, a troll, some hobgoblins, were all mingled into the crowd. The humans mostly ignored them, though he spotted a few giving the nonhumans wary or dirty looks. Among the humans, he noticed his first blacks. He spotted a minotaur wearing Arabic clothes, who was leading a long coffle line of naked slave girls. And no one was giving the slaver or his slaves a second look.

  "Knaresburg is more cosmopolitan than the last town," Killum said. "Let's find somewhere to hock our loot and then find a pub or inn near the gate. I suspect Asha will show up before dark."

  He spotted a trio of orks, including a rare female. She was a player, six foot five, and made Killum think of She-Hulk with small tusks sticking up from her lower jaw. If he ignored the massive jaw and tusks, she was pretty damn fine in her shaggy black pants, boots, and black leather halter top.

  The battle-axe in her hand made the battle-mage hesitate engaging her in conversation. But he was a big fan of She-Hulk comic books. Who didn't love a big, muscular green girl?

  Katissa. Ork shield maid (Lvl 16). -1 Dark. PK: 1.

  Oddly enough, the two male orks with her were mobs, but both Level 35 warriors. Killum figured the orks would know where they could sell their battle trophies. He walked straight up to Katissa and gave her a friendly nod. Her dark eyes narrowed, but she returned the nod.

  "Greetings, Katissa. I'm Killum. My friends and I have some assorted weapons and gear to pawn off," he said. The battle-mage winked at her. "Just a few things picked up on the road, you know?" She glanced at the two pack mules. "Would you know where we could sell our stuff?"

  She spoke with a faint lisp, like she still hadn't gotten used to the tusks. "Sure. Take this street up to the next intersection. The Street of Charms is to the left and Armory Row is to the right. You'll find someone to buy anything you won in battle on those two streets." Then she leaned in close. "And if you like to play rough, I'm staying at the Raging Bull Inn. I'll be there all night."

  She pointed across the plaza. The Raging Bull Inn was a three floor, half-timbered building, with lots of dormer windows in the thatch roof. He saw a dwarf leaning out one of the attic windows, so that was probably the top floor, making it a four story. Katissa's two companions were already halfway across the plaza heading for it.

  "Don't get too drunk before I get there," he said, and their gaze lingered a second.

  After Katissa left and Killum rejoined his friends, Fergus shook his head. "That ork girl is going to break you in half tonight."

  "I can only hope," he said.

  Tiana made a disgusted sound and headed up the street, leading one of the mules. Fergus had the other mule, so followed her. Rand came up grinning.

  "Ask her if she has a friend for me."

  Tiana stopped and looked back and forth between Killum and Rand. "I swear, you boys can't look at a girl without getting a boner. Grow up."

  "Why is liking girls a bad thing?" Rand asked. "I like you, and you're a pretty girl."

  "She's probably a sixty year old guy playing a girl," Fergus muttered just loud enough to carry. He grinned at Killum. "Just saying."

  Killum wasn't sure if Fergus meant Tiana, or Katissa. Either way, he didn't like it. It was a problem he worried about.

  Tiana made another disgusted sound, before continuing up the street. Killum and Rand followed up to the intersection. Tiana turned onto Armory Alley, at which point al
l four of them began asking others on the street where they could sell their loot.

  "Yasolf's Battlefield Pawn is the most often mentioned," Fergus said. He pointed his chin down the street. "It's right there. Shall we?"

  The pawn shop was huge. It included a walled yard to one side for larger weapons and things like wagons. The floor was hard-packed dirt, with heavy-duty shelving creating row upon row of used arms and armor. Workers in plain gray tunics moved about polishing and oiling the iron and steel pieces. Killum noticed the shelves up close to the front carried the more battered, cheaper pieces.

  The owner, Yasolf, was a seven foot tall half-minotaur, and more than a little on the chubby side. His horns were short and blunted, and he was covered with a fine light gray fur. His face was the most human looking Killum had seen on a half-minotaur, and a long bovine tail twitched behind him. He wore fine black linen robes with white trim and looked very successful.

  Yasolf. Half-minotaur human trader (Lvl 46). Neutral.

  Killum liked it when merchants were aligned anyway but Dark. Despite having a blended bovine/human face, he looked like a friendly guy. Though, he still found it odd finding players in such mundane, sedentary roles.

  Killum stepped forward and took over. "Greetings, Yasolf. We're interested in buying, selling, and trading today."

  "Welcome, Killum," he replied. Yasolf gave Tiana an appreciative look, before his dark eyes turned to the heavily laden mules. "I'm always eager to make deals with victorious warriors."

  With four workers, Yasolf quickly unloaded the mules and had everything spread out. After they haggled over every weapon, he led them around the shop. Yasolf had both mundane and enchanted arms and armor. Everyone spent roughly the same amount.

  Killum asked, "Do you have anything to store our extra weapons and gear?"

  "Not at the moment," he said with a shrug. "I had an enchanted satchel with a dozen slots, but sold it yesterday. I suggest you look for something over on the Street of Charms, but be prepared to pay a small fortune."

  In the end, Killum replaced his Knight's Sword with a Power Sword that had an enchantment that made his thrusts and strikes X10 normal. Fergus bought a matched pair of Bound silver rings. One ring turned into a powerful bow, while its companion provided endless arrows. Yeah, the elven ranger was giddy with delight, despite costing almost all of his money. Rand purchased a Bound set of enchanted armor and helmet that helped repulse swords, knives, and arrows, while selling Yasolf the armor he bought in Oxenbluff. Tiana bought a ring that gave her short bursts of speed.

  They debated on whether to sell one or both mules while heading over to the Street of Charms. They finally found a shop to sell the Staff of Calling, after five shops refused to allow them inside with the powerful Dark Object. Ernest the Enchanted Reseller eagerly bought it, and paid far more than Killum anticipated. He also bought the Bracer of Subjugation and its accompanying collars.

  The battle-mage found a shop of spells and charms to spend his money. A witch named Miss Ellie owned the shop, and she had a family of pixies flying around and causing mischief. The youngest members of the pixie family fluttered around Tiana, who squealed with delight. Rand and Fergus watched the giggling, laughing pixies with distrust, both holding their purses tightly.

  Miss Ellie was a half-elf human witch, but a NPC. And she was quite the enchanting beauty, too, distracting Killum, Rand, and even Fergus. The battle-mage found it hard to concentrate on all of the spells, charms, and potions she showed him. In the end, he bought more healing and mana restoring potions, and a single spell. A spell he hadn't seen before.

  After reading the Spell of Magical Sight, the paper evaporated. When he looked around the room, every enchanted item had a faint glow. Some glowed white, others blue, green, purple, and red.

  "Do the colors mean anything?" he asked. In some games, color could indicate level and power.

  "Yes. Different kinds of spells glow different colors, but it's not an indication of the magic's strength. Color doesn't hold the importance it does in other games."

  He nodded. Color hadn’t held any mystique in the previous realm, either.

  "Best money I've spent in this realm," he said to her pleasure.

  Truth was, he was pretty sure she charmed him into spending more than it was worth. It was still a good deal in his mind. And he still had most of his money.

  "It's getting late. Let's head back down to the gate and wait for Asha," he said. "Once she arrives, we can decide whether to leave right away or spend the night."

  "Raging Bull Inn?" Rand asked with a smirk.

  Chapter 23

  They emerged from the woods to a bright, cloudless day. Asha walked between Coop and Joss. Her mind was calm as she gazed upon the town she'd left just hours before.

  "Enjoy the view, sweetie," Joss said. "We're going to shop you two pointy-eared beauties to local cathouses. You'll probably never leave that building until some customer beats you just a little too much, and kills you."

  The sorceress accepted that without thought or concern. Joss stared at her face a long moment, before showing her frustration.

  "That's the problem with these stupid subjugation collars. The slaves don't care about a damned thing," Joss muttered. She scowled at Asha, and then at Deidra. "I want to see these two prima donnas' fear and dread, but all I get is blank eyes."

  "Once we sell them and remove our collars, these two will go crazy," Krakus said. "That's always my favorite part."

  "Also, you'll get one third cut of at least ten silver shekels," Coop said.

  "Oh, that reminds me," Joss said. "Asha, what spells do you have?"

  She responded in a soft, casual voice. "I have simple fire, fireballs, Slow as Molasses, and Hover for thirty seconds."

  Joss waited a moment. "That's all?"

  "Yes."

  "Wow. Okay. I expected more," the witch said. "I always thought your reputation was unwarranted. Gift your spells to me."

  "I don't know how."

  "Just say, I give you blah blah blah spell, and it will transfer from you to me."

  "I give you Simple Fire," Asha said, and felt a rush of coldness leave her. "I give you Fireballs." Another rush of coldness. "I give you Slow as Molasses." A more intense rush of coldness flowed outward, followed by Joss sucking in a sharp breath. "I give you Hover."

  With that last rush of coldness, Asha felt a strange sense of emptiness. She realized Joss had truly destroyed her. She was now nothing but a helpless slave. Even if freed from the collar's magic, she'd be just as helpless and vulnerable.

  A tiny hint of fear crept in.

  "Ha-ha! I've stripped you of all magic," the witch crowed. "God, it feels good to grind you beneath my heel, you stuck up bitch." She handed the Dagger of Wrath back to Asha. "Now give me the dagger."

  Asha handed it back to her. "I give you the Dagger of Wrath."

  Once again, there was a rush of coldness out, and Joss smiled wide.

  "Awesome. I now own a Bound weapon, and you have nothing but the clothes on your back," Joss sneered. She grabbed Asha's top, giving it a little yank. "I'd strip you out of those clothes, too, and parade you naked through the streets, but Oxenbluff doesn't allow public nudity."

  "Wow, Joss, you have an awful lot of hostility bottled up," Krakus said. "If it makes you feel better, after we sell her you can strip her and start wearing her clothes."

  "Right. You'd like that."

  "Yep."

  Coop calmed Joss down, and led them toward the town. In the shantytown, they stopped to get Asha and Deidra cleaned up, arrange their hair more attractively, and found a shop to buy Deidra's ranger's leathers, and put her in a simple tunic that was about three sizes too small, so showed off her body quite well. They thought Asha's outfit showed off her body well enough.

  "We're going to make a killing off these two elfmaids," Coop said. "We won't have to work for six months."

  The gate guards ignored Asha and Deidra after being told they were slaves. The fir
st brothel they visited offered to trade one of their girls for Deidra, with no money exchanging hands, but they refused. The other woman wasn't nearly as pretty as the elfmaid. The second brothel they visited was the Naughty Cock. Asha vaguely remembered Rand saying something about it earlier that day.

  The middle-aged owner looked upon the two elfmaids with eager eyes. He had a thick head of curly gray hair, silk robes, and lots of flashy rings and necklaces. Asha checked Mikus out.

  Human brothel Owner. -2 Dark.

  She wasn't surprised by his alignment with Dark, but was surprised to see that Mikus was a mob. Not so surprising was the boldness of his hands as the brothel owner examined the two slaves offered for sale. Her clothes offered no protection, so his examination left her flushed and panting, despite the collar around her throat.

  "The dark-haired elf is much more responsive," Mikus said. "I'll take her."

  As her captors began haggling with Mikus, Asha heard a man and woman coming down the stairs, still a couple of floors above. The male voice was familiar, but Asha's mind was too numb to dwell upon it. Whoever it was, he was with a giggling woman.

  "Sold," Joss said, beaming with pleasure at Asha. "For eight and a half silver shekels."

  A brothel worker moved up behind Asha, brushing her hair aside to unfasten her clothes. At the same time, Krakus stepped before the elfmaid and started fumbling with the enchanted collar. And when the collar came off, Asha was hit with fear, revulsion, and a deep sense of doom.

  "No!" she cried, but Krakus swept her up in a fierce bear hug that pinned Asha's arms to her sides. Then she heard a cry of rage from the stairs, and looked over the ork's shoulder to find Rudolf pointing at her. "Oh shit."

  "You!" Rudolf shouted. "Your ass is mine, sorceress!"

  The Dark wizard charged her. Coop, Joss, and Krakus reacted by turning on him. Asha knew they didn't care about her fate, but didn't want him to keep them from collecting their money from Mikus. The brothel workers also charged the wizard.