by Baron Sord
I took a quick look at my character sheet, and noticed my Armor had jumped 4 points up to 43, probably because of the Speed increase. Not bad for an hour’s work.
We were both sweating from the heat and exertion of all the basic swordplay, wink wink. Layna had stripped off her leather jacket, pants, boots and was back down to the leather bikini and barefoot because of the heat. The only thing that could possibly make this moment more awesome, besides the obvious, would be a cooler of cold beers.
This place was paradise.
After a brief rest, we resumed training for the next hour. At one point, we paused to watch the approach of a flying lion with a scorpion’s tale and big eagle wings. Some guy in red robes rode on the back.
“That beast is a Manticore,” Layna said. “And the rider is a Fire Mage.”
“Meaning he casts some kind of fire magic?”
“Exactly,” she smiled.
I smirked, “Like flaming farts?”
“Something like that.”
The Fire mage tied his Manticore to one of the giant lily pad stalks before heading to the ladder. He was dressed to the nines in his fancy red robes and looked like a male model. I’m sure his Beauty stat was higher than mine, not that I was jealous. But he was drooling at Layna when he passed her, his eyes all over her tanned cleavage, flat stomach, and long legs.
“Is this your friend?” Layna asked innocently.
“I’ll be your friend,” the wizard drooled, his tongue practically hanging down to his toes.
“Keep walking, buddy,” I grumbled. Too bad Layna had wasted my only lightning bolt for the day, otherwise I would’ve shot it at him for staring.
Layna didn’t seem to mind the attention.
A bit later, a Pegasus landed. White horse, white wings, the classic look. The rider was female and wore a gauzy white toga. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in a classic Greek style. She was pretty damn hot and nearly naked in her see-through toga.
Yeah, I stared. But only a little.
“Hey,” Layna grumbled, poking the point of her sword in the ass of my loincloth. “Eyes this way.”
I turned and smirked, “I didn’t see you complaining earlier when that earth wizard was staring at you.”
“He was staring at me,” she argued. “I wasn’t staring at him.”
“Oh, right.” I laughed guiltily.
Shortly after, a flying carpet came in for a landing with three short dudes in leather armor sitting on it. In the middle of the carpet was a hookah, which the dudes were puffing on. They didn’t look quite like dwarves. I’d seen plenty down below in Cliffside. These guys looked like… I wasn’t sure. “Hey, Layna. What are those little dudes on the carpet who look like pot smoking gnomes?”
“Pot smoking gnomes,” she said dryly with a hint of a smile.
“Right,” I chuckled. “Back to sword fighting.”
Layna was definitely growing on me.
After two hours, we were both exhausted from the heat, the training, and the waiting. We walked under one of the big lily pads to get some green shade.
I sighed, “I wonder what’s taking Jason so long?”
“Is Jason your friend?”
“Yeah.”
“There he is!” A deep voice boomed from the ladder that led back down to the elephant’s booth.
Layna and I spun.
Three Orken clambered onto the plateau. Beside them was a Gorillan. They all looked really pissed.
“Look who it is,” I chuckled. “The Porken dorks.”
Layna snickered when she saw them. “Do NOT say that in front of them.”
I tossed her a devilish smile.
She laughed.
The lead Orken shouted, “That’s the human worm who sold us your banana farm!”
The huge gorilla growled when he saw me.
Oh fuck.
Unlike the Orken, who were either level 9 or 10, the Gorillan was a beast.
Gorillan Mercenary
Level: 30
Health | Stamina: 1550 | 1250
Mana | Mind: 0 | 320
Size: Large
Armor: 190
===============
Good | Evil: 160 | 150
Law | Chaos: - | 290
===============
All that Stamina was good for a LOT of power attacks. Worse, he carried two huge swords. Both were finely crafted and possibly magic. I was willing to bet Reternity had a beheading power attack of some kind and this guy probably could do it with both those big blades. I didn’t think Layna and I had any chance of taking him and the 3 Orken. Did anybody have any parachutes? I was ready to take up base jumping if they did. So what if it was at least 1000 feet to the bottom of the canyon? Plenty of time to deploy a chute.
Layna stood with her hand on her cocked hip, not even caring. “Oh, Logan,” she sighed, amused. “Why am I not surprised this is happening?”
“Hey, I was cursed. Oh wait, that was last night. Oops.”
The gang of four lumbered up to us and puffed out their chests, which were already as big as barrels. They also blocked out the sun.
“Hey guys,” I smiled. One thing I’d learned as a bouncer was that you could diffuse a situation if you tried. I had my mind powers, but with the Gorillan’s 320 Mind, I didn’t think I’d be able to push him into submission with my 350. I had to do this the old fashioned way. Lots of fast talking.
The Gorillan was furious. “These three toads said I owed them money.”
The Orken acted insulted. The third mumbled, “We’re not Toadax.”
The Gorillan ignored him.
I said to the Gorillan. “Then you better pay them. They don’t look too happy about it,” I smiled.
“Hmph. Smart guy, eh?”
“Who, me?”
“You swindled them. Took their money. Then you told them I owed them.”
“That’s not exactly how it went. See, I—”
“You lied, is what you did.” He held out his huge leathery gorilla palm. “You need to pay up, mouse. Pay them and pay me for wasting my time.”
“Wasting your time? Look at this view.” I motioned around the plateau. “It’s incredible up here. Are you telling me you’d be up here right now enjoying the sun and perfect weather if it wasn’t for me?”
He cracked a smirk. “I like you, mouse. But I’d like you even more if you paid them their money. And paid me for my troubles.”
“Sorry, bud. I spent it.”
“Not my problem, mouse.”
I held out my palms. “What can I say? I’m broke, buddy.”
“You’ll be broke if you don’t pay.”
“Touché.”
He chuckled. “That sword of yours looks nice.” He lifted his gaze to Layna. “Your woman looks nice too.”
“Nuh uh,” I warned. “Don’t even go there.”
“He can try,” Layna chuckled confidently, arms folded across her leather bikini.
Gorilla Man curled a hungry smile. “Maybe we can work something out, woman.” He glared right at her, showing a bit of gorilla fang.
Okay. I just have to say, the idea of him and her was just too much for me to handle, in so many ways I couldn’t begin to imagine. “Sorry, friend,” I smirked. “She’s with me.”
“If there’s no you…” he drew one of his swords slowly. Then the other. He held both at the ready. “…then there’s no reason she can’t be with me.”
The three Orken took their cue from Mr. Soon To Be The Gorilla Killah and drew their blades.
“Hey, cover your blades!” I barked. “No untied weapons in Cliffside!” It was the only thing I could think of.
They chuckled menacingly and skulked toward me.
“Layna,” I swallowed hard, “I think you better run.”
She laughed and stood her ground, “I want to see how this turns out.”
“SCREEEE-OOOOOAAAARRRR!”
I wasn’t much into gaming, but I did love movies, and I’d seen every Godzilla mo
vie ever made. That radioactive lizard had a roar that could knock down the Empire State Building. Nobody fucked with Gojira. Nobody. The roar that had just split the sky wide open behind me could only be described as something similar to Godzilla’s primal roar, except louder. And scarier.
The entire plateau shook beneath my feet.
Hot wind blasted my back. I didn’t turn around.
Two of the Orkens fell on their asses. The third fell to his knees. Although Gorilla Killah managed to keep his feet, he did stumble back a step, and he stared at the roaring thing behind me like it was the end of the world.
You know what my most favorite Godzilla movie was? Godzilla vs. King Kong. The 2020 remake. The one where Godzilla kicked that monkey’s ass.
I smirked at Gorilla Killah, channeling every ounce of Godzilla I could.
Gorilla’s eyes were wide with fear. Sadly, he wasn’t afraid of me. He was afraid of Godzilla or whoever was behind me. That was fine with me. My goal was to use this situation to my advantage. If for some reason he and his Porken Pals ran away with their tails between their legs, problem solved.
More wind pounded my back. Layna raised her arm to block the dust and debris being blown up by whatever was landing behind us. The plateau shook dramatically as something huge touched down.
I still didn’t look. Just stared Gorilla Killah in the eye. Showing him I wasn’t afraid. Maybe that would gain his respect.
A load clattering of something rolling across the plateau was followed by another roar.
“SCREEEE-OOOOOAAAARRRR!”
The Gorillan winced in fear as hot breath blew over us like a hurricane.
I arched a confident eyebrow at Gorilla Killah that was supposed to say, Are we done here, frightened one?
Fists on hips and suddenly unafraid, he furrowed his brow and smirked at me, “About that sword of yours, mouse.”
So much for my power trip. I sighed at him, “Look, man, I need to keep it. It has sentimental value.” I wasn’t about to tell him Layna had given it to me. I’d look like a pussy. “My dad gave me this sword,” I lied. “He died in battle.”
The Gorillan cocked his head to the side, “He give it to you before he died in battle or after?”
“Huh? Oh, before.”
The Gorillan curled a smirk, “Bet you feel bad knowing your dad died in battle without his sword. Probably would’ve survived if he’d had it with him.”
“I meant after,” I added quickly.
“Uh huh,” Gorilla Killah nodded, not believing me.
Shit, he was too smart for me and I was losing control of this situation.
He held out his big leathery palm. “Give me the sword and we’ll call it even.” He waved his fingers. “Hand it over, mouse. Or I’ll be forced to take it myself.” He was more than capable.
I swallowed hard. Oh well. I tried.
“HOLD!!!!”
A voice louder than dynamite boomed behind us. It was so loud, I literally couldn’t move. Neither could the Gorillan, the three Orken, or Layna. I tried to move, but I was paralyzed. Behind us I heard slow rattling and clanking and creaking. I had no idea what it was.
“Looks like the law has arrived,” Gorilla Killah grumbled appreciatively. “We can let him sort out our little disagreement.”
The law? I tried to turn my head to look. To my surprise, I could. The sight that met my eyes bowled me over. Only mentally, because the rest of my body was paralyzed like a statue.
What I saw was a sight to behold.
Two enormous scaly dragons rested on their haunches, one pure white, the other pure black. They made the allosaurus yesterday look like a velociraptor by comparison, and that thing had been huge. These dragons were as big as buildings. Steam billowed from their snouts as they snorted and looked around. Their stats were identical, except one was good, the other evil. Interesting.
White Dragon of the Law
Level: 77
Health | Stamina: 22,222 | 19,999
Mana | Mind: 99,999 | 44,444
Size: Gigantic
Armor: 2112
===============
Good | Evil: 777 | -
Law | Chaos: 777 | -
===============
Black Dragon of the Law
Level: 77
Health | Stamina: 22,222 | 19,999
Mana | Mind: 99,999 | 44,444
Size: Gigantic
Armor: 2112
===============
Good | Evil: - | 777
Law | Chaos: 777 | -
===============
They were harnessed to a very large white-and-black war chariot by huge chains. The chains and harness on the white dragon were black; on the black dragon, the chains and harness were white, a stark contrast. The color scheme of the chariot was similar, like a yin-yang symbol, mostly black with white trim on one side of the chariot, the reverse on the other. The driver, who was still behind the reins, wore elaborate white and black plate armor with a similar yin-yang style color scheme and a similar cape that draped down his or her back. A white wing on one side of the visored helmet and a black wing on the other swept upward like horns. The man (or woman) wearing it was an imposing figure in any plane of existence. Not quite godlike, but damn close.
“Is that your friend?” Layna marveled.
“No way,” I scoffed. Where was Jason anyway? He should’ve been here by now. Had he gotten lost? Had an accident? I never knew with Jason. In the real world, I worried about his frail ass all the time.
Off in the distance, puttering through the air was a flying donkey. Yes, a donkey. The donkey flew erratically, hee-hawing as it wobbled up and down. It banked raggedly in the air and headed in for a landing. Clearly, the rider was a first time pilot. The donkey would be lucky if it didn’t die or break a leg when it landed.
I winced as its hooves galloped in the air, desperately grabbing for the ground like the donkey wished it had never learned to fly. Finally, it touched down and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Whoa!” The rider hollered as he bounced on the donkey’s back and slowed to a stop. “Whoa, girl. Whoa.” The rider patted the donkey’s neck affectionately before swinging off the saddle. He led the donkey to the side of the landing pad where he tied it to one of the giant lily pad stalks. The Manticore tied nearby looked at the donkey hungrily, licking its chops and whipping its scorpion tail with agitation while the donkey’s knees knocked together. Poor thing. I hoped the leash on the Manticore held.
The donkey rider walked toward us. He wore a wide brimmed hat and a scarf around his face. Probably to keep the bugs out of his mouth when he was flying. As he approached me, it became clear this wasn’t Jason. Too short and stout. The guy unwrapped his scarf. Definitely not Jason. It was a bearded dwarf.
Did Jason play a dwarf in Reternity?
“Jason?” I muttered
The dwarf tipped his hat, bright brown eyes twinkling merrily, “Do I know you, friend?”
“I guess not.”
He also tipped his hat at the Gorillan and the Orken. They exchanged polite hellos before the dwarf climbed down the ladder at the edge of the plateau.
I hoped Jason was okay, wherever he was.
The white and black knight from the war chariot approached me and Layna, the Orken dorks, and the Gorillan. He stood at least 7 feet tall and his armor clanked as he walked. A huge two-handed white & black sword was slung on his back.
“What’s the problem here?” the knight asked, his voice metallic and almost robotic.
“No problem, sir,” Gorilla Killah said respectfully. “We were just conducting a little business with this mouse.”
Meaning me.
“I see.” The knight stared at me through the slit in his white & black visor. “What business?”
“Well,” Gorilla Killah said like he was the basement janitor talking to the CEO of the world, “the thing is, sir,” he paused to bow his head slightly, “this mouse—”
“Me,” I said.
The Gorillan smiled politely, “This mouse tricked my good friends here out of a substantial amount of gold.”
“How much?” the knight asked. This guy had about as much personality as an engine block.
I took a moment to examine him. When I did, it felt like someone was pushing their thumbs into both my eyes. My entire head vibrated and felt like something was crushing it. I was about to give up when the knight’s stats popped up.
Justice of the Law
Level: 111
Health | Stamina: 44,000 | 22,000
Mana | Mind: 260,000 | 333,000
Size: Medium++
Armor: 3600
===============
Fame | Infamy: 777 | -
Good | Evil: 1111 | -
Law | Chaos: 1111 | -
===============
Holy shit. I blurted a laugh. I couldn’t believe those stats. This guy was a godlike badass who could probably pulverize the entire town of Cliffside, and the cliff on which it was built, with a wave of his hand.
“Well, sir,” the Gorillan continued, “they estimate somewhere between 2 and 3 hundred.”
“Which is it?” the knight asked blandly.
“I’m sorry sir?”
“2 or 3?”
“Sir? Oh! Right, sir,” the Gorillan chuckled nervously, “Well, you know how Orken are with counting, sir.”
“No better than Koboglins.”
The 3 Orken grumbled, all of them offended.
The knight held up a gauntleted hand, palm up. A puff of air the size of a basketball swirled an inch above the gauntlet, like a flickering miniature white and black windstorm. It coalesced and shrunk in on itself, collapsing into a golden blob about 6 inches in diameter. “This should cover it. And then some, for your troubles.” He dropped his arm and the gold blob remained floating.
All 3 Orken gasped.
The Gorillan reached for the gold blob with tentative fingers. “May I, sir?”
“It’s still molten,” the knight said. “I suggest you let it cool.” He turned to me, “And you, mouse. Have you any explanation?” His metallic voice echoed out from the visor. “Can you explain why you swindled these innocent demi-humans?”
