by Paul Bellow
"It wasn't my fault," Eric said. "You're just not good at this game."
"You don't think I'm good at this game?"
Josh laughed.
"Well, you've been turned into an NPC more times than me," Eric said.
"Cut it out, you two," I said. "We've got to work together."
"Being an NPC isn't all bad," Bernard said.
"That's what I'm saying."
Josh smiled, his huge half-orc teeth showing.
I glanced from him to Eric then back again.
"Good to see you, Josh," I said. "Did you know we were on trial or was that just a coincidence?"
Everyone turned to look at the half-orc barbarian.
"Aren't you going to let me join the party, first?" he asked.
"Yeah, about that," Omar said.
"Is everyone agreed?" I asked.
As soon as we all agreed, we added Rusty, Omar and Josh to our party.
Yokan a Half-Orc Barbarian has joined your party.
Omar Persyn a human Wizard has joined your party
Rusty a human warrior has joined your party.
"I've been following you for a while," Josh said. "The game dumped me here about a year ago."
"You've been here that long?" I asked.
He nodded then said, "It's good to see you."
"Yeah," I said. "You too."
"Are they still chasing us?" Eric asked.
Omar pointed behind us.
"If you open that latch, you can see out the back," he said.
Eric twisted around and opened a small viewing slit.
"Well?" I asked.
"They stopped at the edge of the city," he said.
"I think they're going to have something else to worry about," Josh said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He grinned, displaying his scary teeth.
"I've met a few friends over the last year, and they're causing a disturbance to help us escape."
"Brilliant," I said.
"Good to have you back," Eric said.
Josh looked at him and nodded.
The inside of the wagon grew silent as we rolled toward Woodshore Forest. Every time the wagon hit a rock or hole in the road, we all bounced around.
I wanted to ask Josh about his adventures as an NPC, but the timing wasn't right. No one had said a thing since we learned no one was following us.
With so many thoughts and questions going through my mind, some quiet time to think would be helpful. I closed my eyes to rest them but soon fell fast asleep.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 8 ::::>
Random Encounter Resources
SARAH
Later that evening, a few dozen miles from the city, we stopped to make camp for the night.
"Can we trust these new people?" Charlotte asked in my mind.
We can trust Josh for sure. Keep an eye on the other two.
"I will, Sarah."
After stepping out of the wagon, I stretched my arms to the sky. My entire body ached. Sleeping in a cell on the floor the night before had taken its toll.
"You okay?" Josh asked, putting his hand on the small of my back.
I turned my head, nodded and smiled.
"Yeah. What about you?" I asked.
"It's been crazy," he said. "I'm so glad I found you."
"We were looking for you," I said.
He stood next to me as we watched the others unload supplies from the wagon.
"I've been looking for you this whole time," he said.
Eric walked over, stopping in front of us.
"I'm going to scout around," he said. "You want to come, Josh?"
His offer took me by surprise.
"Sure," Josh said then leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "We'll be back."
Eric looked away, not saying a word.
"Be safe, you two," I said as they walked away together.
I hoped they didn't plan to talk about me.
"Are you okay, Sarah?" Evan asked to my left.
I looked over and down and smiled.
"You and I need to have a little talk," I said.
He glanced down at the ground, still smiling.
"I'm not mad, but you've got to learn not to blurt out information only our party should know, okay?"
Ewen walked up, shaking his head.
"What did you do now, bozo?" he asked.
"Nothing," Evan said.
"Both of you are doing great, but it's going to get more dangerous. We all need to work together."
I looked from Ewen to Evan.
"Understand?"
"Yes, Sarah," they both said simultaneously.
Had they been twins in the real world? I wondered.
"Sarah, we could use your help," Bernard called out.
"Coming," I said then walked over.
Him and Omar were standing beside all our belongings.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Genius here forgot to pack any food or water," Bernard said, nodding his head toward Omar.
"I told Rusty to pack it, but he must've forgot. My name is Sheldon, by the way."
He reached out his hand. I shook it, noting the firm grip.
"I'm Sarah," I said. "What do you know about the Tower of Gates?"
His face went white as if all the blood had rushed from his head at once.
"I'll tell the story to everyone later tonight," Sheldon said. "Thanks for letting me in the party. We should get prepared before the sun goes down. There's a lot of big cats and other creatures around."
"What about your friend?" I asked. "What's his name?"
"Rusty? I'm not sure. After being turned into an NPC, I got stuck in Esterhollow working for the racists. Rusy and I haven't really talked before."
"Can we trust him?" I asked, glancing around. "Where is he?"
"He's trustworthy," Sheldon said.
"Where'd Eric and Josh go?" Bernard asked.
"Eric asked him to scout around with him," I said. "They should've taken Evan since he's such a good tracker, but oh well."
"Do you think they're going to fight or something?" Bernard asked. "I don't know all the back story between you three, but Josh seemed upset about dying back at the Chong Monastery."
I took a deep breath.
They wouldn't fight each other, would they?
As if in answer to my question, Eric screamed in the distance.
Ugh. I sighed then ran toward the sound, the others following me.
Across the field where we'd stopped, I saw Eric and Josh battling two living trees.
I rushed through the tall grass, hoping Bernard and the others kept following.
The closer I came to the battle, the more I realized we were in for a major fight.
One of the two trees the size of a two-story building had wrapped four of its branches around Josh. The barbarian yelled in rage as it squeezed him. Meanwhile, Eric slashed at the second one.
"It's a Moontree," Bernard said behind me as we ran closer.
We stopped running a hundred feet away.
Omar, Rusty and the brownies showed up a few seconds later.
"What's a Moontree?" I asked. "What should we do? How do we fight them?"
"Same way we fight any other creature in this crazy game," he said, drawing his mace.
"Go help Josh," I said. "Evan, come with me to help Eric."
I ran closer to Eric, watching as a tree limb swept up his legs and knocked him to the ground.
That's it, I thought as I cast a spell, four flaming discs for twenty mana.
Your Flaming Discs of Lava WOUND the Moontree for 17 damage.
You have 68/138 mana remaining today.
The tree burst into flames where the discs of lava had hit it. Eric rolled then got to his feet. I took a deep breath, preparing to cast another spell as the Moontree reached for me with a branch.
"Careful," Josh shouted behind me. "You're hurting me too."
"I've got to cut you out," Bernard said.
Eric chopped at the limb reaching toward me, slicing it clear off. I cast another four lava discs.
Your Flaming Discs of Lava WOUND the Moontree for 15 damage.
You have 48/138 mana remaining today.
The tree-creature continued burning. Acrid grey smoke rolled off it and billowed upward.
"Careful," Eric shouted as he chopped at the trunk. "We don't want to let everyone know we're here."
I hated when he was right. Most of my offensive spells were fire based. Next level, I had to mix it up more. All that could wait. The most important thing was to win the battle with no one dying.
As Eric attacked the burning Moontree, I turned to check on the others. Bernard, Ewen, Rusty, and Evan surrounded the tree, hacking away at it with their weapons as the creature hugged Josh.
"Don't kill Josh again," I shouted angrily as I ran over.
Bernard dodged a tree limb.
"We're trying," he said.
I ran forward and cast Mystic Therapy for ten more mana.
When I touched Josh's chest through the branches, he glowed briefly.
"Watch out," Bernard yelled.
A tree limb swung down and hit me. I tumbled to the ground.
"Die evil tree," Evan yelled, sticking the trunk with his dagger.
Bernard hit the limb with his mace as I scooted backward. A few feet away, I stood and thought about how to spend my last thirty-eight mana without setting the second Moontree on fire.
Josh yelled and went into another rage. How many times a day can he do that? I wondered as he acted like Samson or Hercules and broke the branches restraining him.
After breaking free, he rushed toward me, arms flailing and eyes open wide with raw rage. I cast Freeze Person for thirty mana, leaving me only eighteen.
Josh stopped a few feet away from me. I stared into his eyes, amazed at the rage displayed on his face, frozen in time. What had I seen in him?
Evan screamed, breaking me out of my thoughts. I looked past the frozen barbarian and saw a willowy tree limb had pinned the brownie to the ground.
"Help him," I yelled.
"We're doing our best," Bernard said then smashed his mace against the trunk.
Some bark came off, but the Moontree kept attacking.
"I've got this," Eric said behind me then rushed by.
He pierced the trunk of the tree with his sword.
Combat is Over!
You get 9,600 xp divided by eight party members.
You get 1,200 xp.
You have 38,297 xp
You need 14,703 xp for level 7 Wizard -> Warlock
Eric pulled his sword out. Sticky sap dripped off the blade.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked.
"Check on Evan," I said.
"I'm fine, Sarah," the brownie said as he stood. "Sorry about not doing better."
"You did fine," I said, wondering again if he'd been a child in the real world.
"I got a splinter," Ewen complained.
"You'll be fine." I turned to Sheldon and Rusty. "What about you two?"
"That was insane," Rusty said. "I never knew adventuring would mean killing evil trees and running from the law..."
His voice trailed off.
"I'm having a splendid time," Sheldon said. "I can't wait to level and get new spells."
"Do you have any now?" I asked.
"We can talk about that later," Eric said. "We need to put out this fire before someone comes to investigate the smoke."
"I'm on it," Bernard said. "Wish someone would've remembered to pack water."
He glared at Rusty who frowned.
"You guys have been great," Rusty said. "But I'm going back to the city. Adventuring is not for me."
"Are you sure, Rusty?" I asked. "We haven't talked about your life out of the game."
"That's none of your business," he said. "Let me out of this party. You guys are nuts."
"Fine," I said, looking around at the others. "Anyone have a problem with him leaving?"
"No," Eric said. "Frozen Josh votes no too."
I shot him a "that's not funny" look.
"You're free to go, Rusty," I said.
Rusty the human warrior has left the party.
He turned and walked through the field toward the road, shaking his head.
"Evan, Ewen, go make sure he doesn't take the wagon," Eric said.
A little harsh, but maybe he's right. It's dangerous to trust everyone in this game.
"I've got most of the fire out," Bernard said. "Just don't ask how I came up with liquid."
He grinned as he tied his pants closed.
I shook my head, the madness of it all crashing down on me.
Maybe Rusty was right. We were a band of misfits, not a party ready to kill a black dragon. What chance did we have of finishing the main quest for level one-two?
Eric walked over and put his hand on my shoulder.
"We've got to talk to Josh about his barbarian rage," he said. "That'll bite us one of these days."
"I know," I said, pulling away from him. "He didn't do any damage to us yet."
"Don't get mad," Eric said.
"We don't have time for this," Bernard said. "We should ride a few more miles down the road before camping for the night."
"This is all so exciting," Sheldon said, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "You don't understand how long I've been waiting to get back into the game."
"How long have you been in the Tower of Gates?" I asked.
"Too long," he said. "What about you guys?"
"Over two months now," I said. "Time in here is so weird."
"Right?" Sheldon shook his head. "I've been stuck as an NPC forever."
"Well, you're with us now," Eric said.
The spell on Josh ended. He turned and yelled.
"Calm down, big guy," I said. "You don't want to go into another barbarian rage."
"Maybe I do," he countered. "At least I didn't die this time."
"Always a bright side," Eric said then smirked.
"Cut it out, you two," I said. "Seriously. We've got to work together. I don't think losing Rusty will hurt us much."
"Eric needs to stop taking lead in battles," Josh said.
"You're still too low level." Eric stepped toward him. "I'm the best fighter we have right now."
"Oh, yeah?"
Josh puffed his chest out.
"Let's go," I said, turning to walk back to the wagon.
"Aren't we going to get branches and twigs from the Moontree that isn't burnt?" Sheldon asked.
I stopped and turned around, cocking my head to the left as I looked at him.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Wow. You guys are new to the game, aren't you? Most wands and staves are made from the wood of the Moontree."
"Do you know how to make wands or staves?" I asked.
"No, I'm too low-level and so are you, but even if we can't make them ourselves right now, we can sell the wood in Westwood or somewhere for good money."
"Good idea," Bernard said. "I'm liking this new guy."
"Fine, let's get some branches," I said. "Any particular size we should make them?"
Sheldon shook his head.
"Nope. Get what you can. The burnt tree won't help, but this other one is fine."
He walked toward the fallen Moontree and struggled to snap off a branch.
"I got this," Josh said as he flexed his muscles.
Eric and Josh chopped and broke off enough material for seven staves and eighteen wands before we walked back to the wagon where the brownies waited for us.
"When will we be powerful enough to make our own magic items?" I asked as we walked.
"Around level ten," Sheldon said. "It's been so long since I was that high of a level."
"What happened?" I asked.
He bobbed his head back and forth as if he were considering something.
"I'll tell you later," he said. "We've got to find another campsite for the night."
> "Agreed," Bernard said. "Finally, someone else in the party with a bit of sense."
"We all have to work together better," I said.
Josh snorted in derision.
"I want to get out of this stupid game," he said.
"Me too," Sheldon called out over his shoulder. "And I've got a way to do it."
I looked from Josh to Eric. The three of us quickened our pace to catch up with Sheldon and Bernard.
"What are you talking about?" Josh asked. "Is there a way out of this game?"
Sheldon kept walking without saying anything.
"Hey." Josh grabbed his shoulder. "I'm talking to you."
"Don't touch me," Sheldon screamed, pulling away.
"Leave him alone, Josh," I said. "He'll tell us when he's ready."
"Yeah," Eric said.
I wasn't sure if he felt the same way as me or just wanted to antagonize Josh more.
We walked the last hundred feet in silence. I saw Evan sitting in front of the wagon, holding onto the reins with his ever-present smile.
"We ready to go?" he asked, bouncing up and down on the wooden bench.
"You're not driving, bozo," Ewen said. "Get down from there."
"I'll drive," Bernard said. "You guys can talk more in the back."
As Evan climbed down, muttering about taking orders, the rest of our party piled into the wagon. Eric and I sat facing the back with Evan between us.
Josh and Sheldon were on the opposite bench with Ewen between them. None of us had enough space to be comfortable.
"It's too small in here," Josh said, squirming.
"You can ride up top," Eric said.
Evan laughed. I looked at Sheldon.
"What were you saying about a way out of the game?" I asked.
He took a deep breath, a frown forming on his face.
I watched his head bob back and forth again.
"Go on," I said. "You can trust us."
"It's not that a don't trust you," he said. "I'm just not sure about it myself."
"Out with it," Josh said.
I shot him a nasty look.
Sheldon sighed.
"I'm a developer of the Tower of Gates."
Everyone turned their attention to him.
"Big deal," Josh said. "Eric's dad is one of the high-ups in the company that built it."
Sheldon looked at Eric.
"Really?" he asked.
Eric nodded.
