by Paul Bellow
"He's a smuggler. Maybe he'll join our party or know someone who might."
"It's worth a try," Bernard said.
We strolled through the sea of tables to the corner. The man looked up, his right lips twitching. Stubble covered the lower half of his face.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said, tapping my shoulder. "We need your services."
The grizzled man glanced around before motioning for us to sit.
Bernard and I sat down across from him.
"You do all your business here in the open?" I asked.
"I know the people who run Esterhollow," he said. "No one's going to bother us. What do you need?"
"We're looking for men or women to join our adventuring party."
The man snorted then shook his head.
"No one's going to touch you guys," he said. "Not after you killed that liger."
"You know about that?" Bernard asked.
"I know everything that happens around here," the man said. "With the curse of the liger all over you guys, no one's going to travel with you. I'm surprised Captain Riggardo hasn't run you out of town yet."
"He actually rewarded us," Bernard said. "We've taken over the Temple of Magictology."
"I know that too," the mysterious man said. "The question I have is whether you're mixed up with that cult or not. Are you?"
"Not at all," Bernard said.
His charismatic ring had even me liking him more.
"We're out to close up the Pit of Doom and stop the dwarves from streaming into the realm," I said.
"Stupid, ignorant dwarves," the man said. "The realm will be better without them."
"Can you find us some help?" I asked.
"No, and I told you why. Best for you two to leave now."
"Your loss," I said as I pushed my chair back.
Bernard and I both stood. Instead of walking toward the door, like him, I jumped up on the wooden chair. It barely held my weight, but I'd be quick.
"We're looking for a few good men," I shouted. "Anyone brave enough to join us should come outside and talk."
"Shut-up, Gob-lover," someone yelled.
The rest of the tavern erupted in laughter.
Bernard tugged at my arm.
"Let's go," he said. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
I grinned. Those were usually the game's best moments.
"A full share to anyone brave enough to join our party. Who's with me?"
"Go back to Gob-town you Gob-lover," the heckler from before called out.
I hopped down from the chair to the floor.
"Come here," I said, a hand on the hilt of my sword.
"We need to go," Bernard said as I scanned the tables.
"No one brave enough to join us?" I asked. "Everything I've heard about Esterhollow is right."
"What've you heard?" someone yelled.
"That you're all weak, lazy, and scared of battle."
"Frig you, liger-killer," a man in black chain mail said as he stood. "If you draw that sword, you'll never live to use it again."
"Come on," Bernard said. "We should go."
"Listen to your funny man-friend," the man said then smirked.
His friends at the table all laughed.
I turned and walked with Bernard toward the front door. Before reaching it, someone stuck out their leg and tripped me. I crashed to the floor, causing another eruption of laughter.
"You okay?" Bernard asked as he bent over and offered a hand.
"I'm fine," I said as I stood up. "Hold this for me."
After taking off my belt and sheath, I handed Bernard the sword.
"This isn't a good idea," he said.
"Maybe I'll prove to someone we're worthy adventurers, and we'll get some help."
"I doubt it," he said.
Everyone in the tavern had their eyes on me as I lifted my fists.
"Who wants some?" I asked.
"This is stupid," Bernard said. "Let's go."
"I'll fight you," a man in black chain mail said.
He walked over as the others in the tavern cheered him on.
When he reached me, I put my arms down and waited.
"You think you're tough, huh?" he asked.
"Not as tough as your mother," I said.
He snarled and swung his arm back. The chain mail slowed him down enough for me to easily dodge out of the way. I grinned as I gave him a left-hook to the face.
"You want more?" I asked, dancing away.
"Why you little..."
He charged forward like a bull. I nimbly danced aside, causing him to crash into a table full of people.
"What's your problem?" a rough-looking man asked as he got to his feet.
"Get him," another yelled.
The tavern erupted into a full-fledged fist-fight. Bernard grabbed my arm and pulled me outside. We hurried down the street, him half-dragging me.
"What's your problem?" he asked.
"That guy got to me," I said. "What's the big deal?"
"We have a quest, and we can't go off starting fights we might lose, especially if they're meaningless."
"My honor isn't meaningless," I said, pulling my arm away from his grasp.
"It's not like anyone's around for you to impress," he said.
"You mean Sarah?"
He nodded as he adjusted the Amulet of the Party around his neck.
"It's obvious you have a thing for her," he said.
"And?"
"Well, you're always acting like you need to impress her or something. Chill out, dude. Trust me."
"Oh, you've been with a lot of women, have you?" I asked.
"I told you I was married to a fishmonger for many years."
"You weren't lying about that?" I asked.
"Why would I lie?" He shook his head. "You're something else, Eric."
"Let's not tell Sarah what happened, okay? I don't need another lecture."
"Maybe you do." Bernard said. "You've got me wondering whether I should be in your party or not."
"Seriously?" I asked. "You'd leave our group?"
"Maybe. There's other players. Once we get past level one-three, we'll meet more of them."
"I thought you didn't explore the later levels of the game," I said.
He sighed.
"I didn't, but I've heard things."
We walked in silence the rest of the way to our temple. Neither of us were in the mood for more recruiting. For whatever reason, the entire city was dead-set against joining our group.
₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪
Back at the temple, we found Sarah, Evan and Ewen sitting in the main chamber. The lack of pews or seating made the room appear huge.
As we entered, they all looked up.
"You didn't find anyone?" Sarah asked, her back against one of the stone walls and a book in her hands.
"No," I said. "We need to go."
"Yeah," Benji said. "I think we need to go find this dwarf hiding in Woodshore Forest."
"We don't see dwarves much anymore," Ewen said. "And that's not a bad thing."
"Cut it out," Sarah said as she stood. "Are you two hungry?"
"I could eat," I said.
Evan leaped up.
"Me too," he said. "Want me to cook?"
Before any of us answered, the massive front door of the temple opened and Captain Riggardo barged in with a half-dozen of his men dressed in black plate armor with swords drawn.
I turned around.
"What's this about?" I aksed.
"You're all under arrest," he said in a serious tone.
"For what?" Sarah asked.
"That barfight wasn't my fault," I said.
"You think I care about that?" Captain Riggardo snickered. "You are the dumbest people in all the realms."
"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked.
The men moved around the room, surrounding us.
"You're here to grow an army like Bernardo the
cleric," Captain Riggardo said.
"What? You're crazy." I shook my head. "We have nothing to do with him or Magictology. That's why we killed him."
Captain Riggardo crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
"You're working with Magi Inyontoo, and that's against the law of the land."
"We're not working with him," I said.
Two men grabbed me by the arms. I struggled briefly to get away.
"Oh, you're not? Then why have you been communicating with him in that magic mirror?"
Captain Riggardo stepped forward.
"You don't understand," Bernard said. "This is all a misunderstanding."
"Nice try, smooth-talker," Captain Riggardo said. "Don't worry. You'll get your day in court. We're not savages like the goblins. Our system of justice works."
"But how do you know we have a magic mirror?" Sarah asked. "Have you been spying on us?"
Captain Riggardo grinned.
"Yes. I had magic items installed to keep an eye on this place when it was built. We were about to bust Bernardo when you five rolled into town and took him out."
"This is all too much," Sarah said.
"Like I said, you'll get your day in court." Captain Riggardo turned to a man on his left. "Make sure you get all their weapons and magic items too."
"Wait, no," I said. "That's not acceptable."
"I have two-dozen more men waiting outside. You really want to take us on?"
"No," Sarah said. "We'll go with you. The trial will be fair, right?"
"You'll get a representative," Captain Riggardo said. "But the evidence we have is conclusive."
"Hold on," Bernard said. "If you heard us talking to Magi Inyontoo, you heard that we're not working with him, right?"
"We've got other witnesses too." Captain Riggardo motioned at us with a nod of his head. "Lock them up."
"Drop your weapons and anything magic," a man next to him said. "We'll check you again back at the garrison, so don't try to be brave."
I glanced over at Sarah and nodded. She mimicked the gesture as if she understood we should go quietly. Evan broke free from the single man holding on to him.
He ran about ten feet before two other men grabbed him.
"Take it easy with him," Sarah said.
"Don't resist," the man in charge said.
"We're surrendering," I said. "We're innocent, and that'll come out in court."
The man near the door snickered but said nothing.
A minute later, a pile of weapons sat on the floor of the temple.
"Is that everything?" the guard asked. "We better not find anything else."
"That's everything," I said. "You want our clothes too?"
"You'll get stripped and put into proper attire back at the garrison, don't you worry."
Some of the other guards laughed quietly, snickering and whispering to each other.
They led us out of the temple and toward the garrison a few blocks away. A ten-foot high fence surrounded several brick and wood structures in the center of the city.
Had Esterhollow always been so militaristic? Or was it something Magi Inyontoo or other players had done when they passed through level one-two?
I hated giving up all our possessions, but I felt confident we'd get them back. Once we proved we had nothing to do with Magi Inyontoo, we'd be okay.
We'd even fought against him, although that was in the future of the realm on level one-one. The complexity of the Tower of Gates game lured me in deeper.
At the garrison, they separated us. I ended up in a tiny ten-foot square cell with no window. Someone had scratched "Justice is Never Free" on one of the brick walls.
I concentrated on my breathing and staying calm. With luck, our attorney could help us get past the trumped-up charges against us. That was the only plan that made sense.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 6 ::::>
An Attorney Will be Provided
ERIC
With time to spare in the makeshift prison cell, I went over my new stats. The charisma ring had been nice for Bernard, but I needed to find ways to buff my prime stats.
The black dragon wouldn't be an easy foe even with the help of a renegade dwarf. I pulled up my numbers on a game screen in the air.
Name: Drexmao ("Drex")
Race: Human (Special)
Class: Rogue -> Bounty Hunter
Level: 7
Experience Points: 23,911 (11,089 for next level)
Alignment: -5 (Breaking Bad)
Health: 104(104)
Strength: 85 (+20% to hit, +4 damage)
Dexterity: 75 (+10% DEX saves)
Constitution: 70 (+5% CON saves, +1 HP per level))
Intelligence: 75 (+10% INT saves)
Wisdom: 55 (+0%)
Charisma: 44 (+0%)
Your Current Skills
Black Market Connections – Basic Level 4 of 10
Dodge – Basic Level 2 of 10
Monster Lore – Basic Level 5 of 10
Weapon Craft – Blades - Basic Level 9 of 10
Climbing – Basic Level 5 of 10
Stealth - Basic Level 4 of 10
Create Item - Basic Level 1 of 10
Identify Item – Basic Level 7 of 10
Language: Human, Common
Sense Motive – Basic Level 6 of 10
Bargaining – Basic Level 3 of 10
The numbers and letters blurred together in my heads-up-display. I closed the virtual screen and stared at the lonely brick walls of my cell. Were the others okay?
I wondered if we should've fought the Black Guard and ran. The risk had been too high, I concluded again. We didn't want to end up as NPCs in the game.
A guard approached the steel bars of my cage. I stared into his eyes, not detecting any signs of humanity. Why were the Black Guard so down on other races?
They didn't appear to be working with Magi Inyontoo. Had another rogue player shaped this level to affect the first one?
We were playing 3D chess with Scrabble pieces. None of it made sense.
The guard opened the door and stepped back a few feet.
"Get out here," he barked.
I meandered through at my own pace, looking down the halls for signs of the others. Nothing.
"This way," the guard said.
"Where are we going?"
"Keep your trap shut," he said.
I obeyed. He led me down the hall, pushing my back a few times.
"Stop here," he said as we approached a wooden door. "Open it."
Inside, I saw a windowless room with a rough-hewn table in the center. Sarah, Bernard, Evan and Ewen all sat on one side. A man with light-mocha skin and no hair sat across from them.
"Eric," Sarah said, relief washing over her face like a cool summer breeze.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded.
"You made it," the bald man said, looking up from papers on the table in front of him.
He looked over at the guard who had escorted me in and said, "That'll be all."
The member of the Black Guard left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Have a seat," our attorney said, motioning with his hand.
I sat down next to Sarah in the last remaining seat on the end.
"My name is Omar Persyn, and I'll be representing you today."
The man smiled nervously. He's going to represent us? I shook my head.
"We're already going to trial?" Sarah asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"As the military is handling all matters of justice currently, you'll have a speedy trial," Omar said. "Now, as I read here in front of me, you're charged with running a cult."
"It's not true," Bernard said.
While they talked, I examined our lawyer more closely.
[NPC] Omar Persyn
Unlike anyone you've met in the Grabiso Isles in any time-period thus far, Omar Persyn looks different. He obviously takes pride in the fact he's not the same as everyone else. You can te
ll practicing law and defending people in military tribunals is not what he prefers to be doing.
Omar looked up from the stack of papers on the table in front of him.
"You might be innocent," he said. "But they've got convincing evidence of you using...hold on...a magic mirror to contact someone named Magi Inyontoo. Are you involved with him?"
He looked up and into my eyes. I didn't look away.
"No, we're not involved with him. In fact, we're adventurers on a quest to stop his madness once and for all in this and all other realms."
Omar nodded.
"I see," he said. "You're adventurers."
He jotted a few words on a piece of parchment.
"What evidence do they have against us?" Sarah asked.
"Magic eyewitness testimony from Captain Riggardo himself," Omar said. "And seeing how he's the judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one these days, he'll believe his own evidence."
"That's messed up," Bernard said.
"I agree," Omar said, still nodding his head.
The light from torches set in the walls reflected off his shiny head.
"Do we have any chance of winning this?" I asked.
Omar frowned and shook his head.
"Not really. This is more of a formality, to be honest. To win, I'd have to cheat as much or more than the prosecution."
"Can you do that?" I asked.
Omar took a deep breath, looking from one set of eyes to another.
"You know," he said. "I've grown tired of being an attorney in Esterhollow. I never meant to be stuck here. My dream is to one day join a group of adventurers and cast my die in life."
I smiled, seeing where this revelation might lead.
"Tell you what," I said, not having time to discuss it with the others. "You get out of this with all our equipment and no charges, and you can join our party."
"What?" Sarah asked, looking over at me.
"Sure, he gets in super easy," Bernard said.
I turned to my left, still sitting down.
"We need more people in our party anyway," I said.
"Yeah, but an attorney?" Sarah asked.
"I've studied the magic arts in the past," Omar said. "In fact, if I were to join a party of adventurers, I'm sure all my old skills would return."
He reached a hand down the front of his white shirt and pulled out a sizable pearl.
