by Paul Bellow
"Would you, officially, care to join our party?" I asked. "We'd love to have you. Sounds like we both have the same goal right now – get out of this game as soon as possible."
He smiled, color returning to his face.
"I'd love to join."
[PC] Derringer the Dark Knight has joined your party!
"Welcome aboard," I said, sticking out my hand.
He shook it. Josh walked up and patted him on his metal-covered arm.
"No more of that hypnotic suggestion on me, okay?"
"Can't promise, but I'll try," Derringer said.
"What's the Dark Knight class?" I asked. "We didn't have that option."
"You know about the levels, right? Like, we're at the end of level one-two now."
"We know about the levels," I said. "You're saying new classes open up later in the game?"
"The game is always changing," he said. "That's the one constant I've found."
"We need to free the Dwarves," Axelrod said, ignoring all the emotions and information flying back and forth.
"Agreed," I said. "Any ideas, Derringer?"
"Oh, I've got a few, but I'm not sure you'll like them."
I nodded, already happy to have someone new in our party.
()xxxx[:::: Chapter 26 ::::>
Goodbye, Dear Friend
ERIC
I walked out of Ryu's room and saw Axelrod standing by the blue energy field.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing to a mysterious green glow within it.
"The portal to level one-three," Axelrod said. "Part of their plan was to drive people here to get out of the level then trap them while blocking the exit."
I shook my head.
"We've got to stop this guy. Magictology must end."
"First, we've got to free these dwarves," he said.
"How are we going to do that?" Sarah asked as she walked up.
She stopped next to me, her arm brushing against mine.
"Like I said before, we wait." Axelrod stared at the trapped players. "The black dragon can't renew the magic, so it'll fade in time."
"How long?" I asked.
"If I knew, I'd tell you," Axelrod snapped.
"You okay?" I asked, peering down at him.
"Guys," Bernard yelled from inside Ryu's room. "Get in here. I've found something."
Sarah and I left Axelrod and walked in.
Bernard stood next to an opening behind one of the bookshelves.
"I found a secret door," he said, beaming.
"Anything in there?" I asked. "And is it trapped?"
"Looks like his loot room," Bernard said. "There's piles of treasure in there from what I can see."
"The mirror," Sarah said, pointing.
I looked over the bodies of the two fallen Dark Knights and saw Magi Inyontoo appear in the mirror's reflection among the roiling clouds of smoke. He frowned, glaring at us.
"What have you done?" he asked in a haughty voice. "You'll pay for disrupting my plans. Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
I stepped forward, unafraid of the image before me.
"We know what you're trying to do," I said. "But we're stopping you."
He shook his head, a nasty frown etched on his face.
Derringer walked into the increasingly cramped room with Josh.
"You," Magi Inyontoo shouted, pointing. "You'll pay for your betrayal, guard-boy. I bet you haven't even told your new friends about your secret past before the game, have you?"
"I've told them," Derringer said, arms crossed over his gleaming, black breastplate.
"And we've got no problem with it," Sarah said. "You're an evil man, and we'll stop you."
Magi Inyontoo howled with laughter.
"You guys are the craziest newbs I've seen during my many years in this game. I'll enjoy wiping you from the game permanently."
"As if you could," I said. "We're all trapped in here. How long have you been in the game?"
Magi Inyontoo shook his head.
"If you guys were smart," he said. "You'd give up and join me. Don't you want to see if I'm telling the truth about getting out of the game?"
"We'll never join you," Sarah said.
"Such a pity. You're a cute elf. Maybe I should kick all of them out of the game next."
Josh stepped forward, knocking me out of the way.
"You leave her alone," he said, pointing at the mirror. "If you touch her..."
His voice drifted off.
Magi Inyontoo laughed.
"You'll do what? Do you want me to make you an NPC again?"
Josh screamed and raised his club. Before anyone could stop him, he brought it down, shattering the glass in the mirror. Real smoke filled the room.
I coughed.
"What are you doing, man? We could've gotten more information out of him."
Josh shrugged.
"Too late now. You got a problem with it?"
I bit my tongue, more interested in the loot waiting next door. The smoke dissipated.
"Let's go through the treasure," I said. "Sarah, can you identify everything?"
"I can," she said. "It'll take time, but I'll make a list."
"Great." I glanced around. "Now we wait."
I hated waiting, but we had no choice.
As everyone went about their business, I walked out into the tunnel to check on Axelrod. Neither of us said a word as we stared at the players trapped in the blue energy field.
₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪
Half-an-hour later, the magic had diminished some, but we still couldn't get through it to save the other players. I walked back into Ryu's treasure room to check on Sarah.
She looked up from the long, wooden table cluttered with items.
"How's it going?" I asked.
"Perfect timing. I'm finished."
She motioned me over.
I walked to the end of the table and stopped next to her.
"Here's the list," she said, handing me a piece of paper.
I glanced over the items as she stared up at me.
Scepter of Might and Magic
Meld into stone (unlimited use, wearer only)
Soften earth and stone (unlimited use)
Stone shape (twice per day)
Stoneskin (once per week, wearer only)
Passwall (twice per week)
Wall of stone (once per day)
Minor Bag of Holding – Weighs 15 lbs full – holds 150 lbs – up to 150 cubic feet
Helm of Fire Protection – (-50% damage from fire sources)
Crystal Statue (of a Hydra) inlaid with Silver (3000 gp) – non-magic
Violet Garnet (800 gp) – non-magic
12x - Lapis Lazuli (12 gp) – non-magic
Ring of the Wizard - +10 mana per level of wearer.
"Sounds like we got a decent epic item with that scepter," I said, dropping my hand with the paper to my side.
"Yeah," Sarah said, nodding. "There will be a fight over it. I know it."
"Not if I can help it," I said. "Axelrod is done leading our party."
I studied her face for any revelations about her feelings on the matter.
"That's not a bad idea," she said, not making me guess. "I've been thinking the same. How will we break it to him?"
"I don't know yet," I said.
"Break what to who?" Axelrod asked as he walked into Ryu's secret treasure room.
"Nothing," I said.
His Dwarven eyes widened as he pointed in middle of the table.
"Is that the Scepter of Might and Magic?" he asked bluntly.
"Yeah..." Sarah said.
"Mine," he shouted as he snatched it from the table.
"I thought we rolled for things more than one person wants," Bernard said as he walked in.
"True," I said, wondering what the Dwarf would do.
"No, it's mine," Axelrod repeated, backing away from the rest of us.
An eerie darkness emanated from his eyes. Was the Sc
epter of Might and Magic cursed? How would that affect the rest of our group? We didn't need a power-mad Dwarf slowing us down.
Josh walked into the room and casually said, "We roll for it. That's the way it's done."
"Never." Axelrod raised the scepter. "Don't make me use this so soon."
"Come at me." Josh stepped forward. "You got what it takes, little man?"
Axelrod lifted the scepter higher.
"Say that again," he said. "I dare you."
Before I could move in between them, a female screamed for help in the next room.
I ran through the secret opening and saw a dark-skinned, female Dwarf stagger into the room.
"Please tell me we're finally free," she said.
"Out of the way," Axelrod said, pushing me from behind.
I stepped out from in front of the doorway.
He walked over and put his arm around her back.
"Are you okay, my dear?" he asked.
"I wasn't... But I am now." She smiled, weakly. "My name's Sheena."
"They call me Axelrod. I'm King of the Dwarves. Maybe you've heard of me?"
She smiled as they stared at each other.
I rolled my eyes as Sarah and Josh walked in.
"Who's that?" Josh asked.
"The magic barrier must be down," I said.
Bernard also stepped into the room.
"We need more help outside," Sheena said, breaking the awkward silence. "Please. It's been so long."
"I'll go," Sarah said. "You guys watch the treasure."
"Be careful," I said.
She laughed.
"All that's left are friendlies. We defeated the level, Eric. Calm down and relax."
I clicked a mental picture of her smiling face as she turned and left the room to help the others.
"...this scepter means I'm King of the Dwarves," Axelrod said, raising the jewel encrusted symbol of power.
Wait, what? I hadn't caught the first part of his sentence.
"You're not going to give that up, are you?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Give up what? My Kingdom? Never again!"
His expression turned even darker, more menacing.
"Calm down," I said. "You're flipping out."
Axelrod stepped in front of Sheena.
"Don't tell me what to do," he said in a low voice. "You can heal up here, but I want you and the others gone by tomorrow. We've got work to do to clean up the Mines of Oriam and restore them to their former glory."
"You're quitting the party?" I asked.
Axelrod tilted his head back slightly and looked up at me.
"Do you have a problem with that?" he asked.
"No," I said. "We can make it official as soon as Sarah comes back."
"Fine," he said. "She's helping, so I don't have a problem with you taking the rest of the dragon's treasure. We have more than enough here in the mines, especially once we figure out that Roguelike game near the entrance."
"Sounds good," I said, stepping away.
Outside the room, Sarah screamed.
I turned and dashed through the doorway.
Hundreds of Dwarves were milling about, moaning, stretching, and getting accustomed to not being frozen while still conscious, a feeling I knew all too well.
I didn't see Sarah. She should've stood out among all the short players. Near the portal to level one-three, I saw two profiles that looked out of place.
"Hey," I shouted. "What are you doing here? And where's Sarah?"
As I stepped forward, the two hooded figures turned.
I saw the ever-smiling faces of the brownies looking at me.
My head cocked to the side as I continued walking over.
"What are you two doing here?" I asked, smiling.
Sarah would be happy to see them.
"You killed us too much, so we kill you," Evan said.
The anger in his voice shocked me.
"Yeah," Ewen added. "Sarah died first, but you're next."
"What are you talking about? Sarah's around here somewhere. We just defeated Ryu the black dragon."
Their smiles were more gruesome and disturbing somehow. As they both stepped to the side, my mouth dropped open. Sarah! I saw her body on the ground – not moving.
"What did you do to her?" I asked, stepping forward.
"Careful," Evan said, pulling out a vial. "We have strong magic now."
"No more your puppet-slaves," Ewen said. "We're Guild Magictology, and we've got real friends."
I stopped, not knowing what was in the bottle. Why weren't Josh, Bernard or the others coming out to help? Were they that wrapped up in keeping an eye on the dragon's treasure?
"Let's talk this out," I said, raising my hands and backing away. "There's been a misunderstanding."
"No, we understand perfectly," Evan said. "You used us for cannon fodder."
"Did you think we didn't realize how you treated us when we were cursed with a lower intelligence?" Ewen asked.
"You two were cursed?" I took another step backward. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because we were stupid and cursed, bozo," Evan yelled. "Magi Inyontoo is right. You're a bunch of evil, sick people who only want to do harm."
"Hold on," I said, my right hand dropping to my main blade. "Are you going to kill all of us in the party?"
Both brownies nodded, their creepy smiles were etched into my brain.
Not on my watch, I thought. They're just wo brownies. Can't be that much smarter or evil.
I pulled both weapons with flourish, brandishing them in a menacing manner.
"You killed a woman I love," I said. "Prepare to die."
"Hey, you're stealing Magi Inyontoo's line," Ewen said.
As I stepped forward, Evan threw the glass vial. Wild, thorny vines instantly grew, forming a wall around them and the portal to level one-three.
"Here lies Sarah," Evan said in a mocking tone. "As dumb as ever like the rest of her party."
"Deader and dumber," Ewen said.
They both cackled with laughter.
I slashed at the briars, cutting some of the branches. They grew back twice as bad.
"Help," I yelled, hoping the others came running.
Three of the recently rescued Dwarves who were now caught in the brambles yelled even louder.
Axelrod and the others rushed into the tunnel as Evan and Ewen hopped through the portal.
"They're getting away," I said. "Can someone dispel this?"
Derringer walked up and gently touched a vine.
"It's real," he said. "Not magic. We need to cut our way through. Or I could make a device to do it, but it would take time. I need to work on my crafting skill anyway."
"Sarah's dead," I said.
His demeanor changed like someone had flipped a switch in his brain.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Look," I said, pointing.
Josh and Bernard walked over. The latter put his hand on my shoulder.
"Why are three of my subjects covered in brambles?" Axelrod shouted. "Eric, what are you getting into now?"
He stomped over, still carrying his new, epic scepter.
"Get the scepter," Josh shouted, rushing toward the Dwarf.
"No," I yelled. "Don't be an idiot."
Axelrod raised the Scepter of Might and Magic.
Josh stopped, chest rising and falling rapidly as the adrenaline pumped through his virtual body.
"You need to get your treasure and leave this level," Axelrod said.
"Or else what?" Josh asked.
Axelrod whistled. Several of the male Dwarves appeared with heavy crossbows.
Where did they come from? I wondered, hoping we didn't get into another battle.
"You didn't think I'd trust a bunch of strangers like you guys for long, did you?"
He laughed as Sheena walked over to his side.
"With your Amulet of the Party," Axelrod continued. "Sarah will be on level one-three of the game. You need t
o go find her."
"I know," I snapped.
"Don't get testy with me, son," he said in a condescending tone.
"You're not my father," I muttered.
"Let's go," Bernard said. "Josh and I will get the treasure while you clear a path to the portal."
I gripped both swords still in my hands. Axelrod hadn't killed Sarah. Not directly. The Brownies had done the deed. And for that, they would pay. Magi Inyontoo as well.
"We need to hurry," I said. "We can't leave Sarah as an NPC on her own."
"Great," Axelrod said. "If you'll excuse me, I have a kingdom to run."
"Wait," I said as he turned to leave.
He stopped.
"What?" he asked over his shoulder.
"If you find out that Roguelike at the entrance to the Mines of Oriam is a way out of the game, let us know, okay?"
"You don't plan on coming back to level one-two, do you?" he asked.
"Not if I can help it," I said.
"Well, I don't plan on leaving this level ever again." He turned all the way around. "Still, you guys weren't all that bad. If I find a way out of the game, I promise to send word to you. Will you do the same for me?"
I nodded.
"On my honor," I said.
"Like human-goblin half-breeds can have any honor," he snorted then turned.
Several of the other Dwarves followed him as he walked down the tunnel toward the Pit of Doom.
Josh stepped over, invading my personal space.
"What?" I asked, irritated at him and everyone.
"Sarah is our main priority," he said. "I've been an NPC before, and it's not fun."
I nodded, not saying a word. While I'd hated Josh at first, after getting to know him, I realized he wasn't so bad. He liked Sarah too. I couldn't do anything about that fact.
We needed to work together to get out of the game. And meet new people. I glanced over at Derringer the Dark Knight as he worked on clearing the brambles out of our way.
Him, Bernard, Josh and I were a party of four. While not optimal, it would have to do.
Sarah was somewhere out there in the big-bad game world on her own.
No matter how strong and competent she was, I worried.
The Tower of Gates had a way of wearing you down.
I wasn't even sure how long I'd last in the game.
