by Thad Ward
“Yes, thank you,” Ada added, her tone sincere but suddenly shifting to incredulous. “Now that we’ve said that, what’s this about a dragon hoard?”
“Ah,” Warren said. Ike was beginning to respect the skill it took for him to wear a smile no matter what was happening. “About that. It was part of a quest for the good Baron. I retained Mr. Porter’s cooperation to complete it.”
Ada seemed about to press further when Ike held up a hand to calm her down. “Did you know the city was going to be attacked?” he asked.
Warren shook his head. “Not as such,” he said. “Porter told me his group was working with a band of goblins living in Blackstone Gulch. I knew what they were up to was probably illegal and dangerous.” Warren shrugged. “Just the way some people enjoy the game, I suppose. I’m sure the option’s there for a reason. The game designers really are brilliant, don’t you think? At any rate, the goblins have access to the dragon’s hoard and there’s something in it the Baron wants. With most of them dead or fled and Porter’s other associates unable to lay a claim, he’s free to obtain the item for me.”
“And a load of treasure to boot,” Ada said, her hackles rising.
Ike put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a serious look while speaking to Warren. “I’d say that makes us even,” he said gently. He turned his gaze back to Warren. “Right?”
Warren took a deep breath. “Whatever suits you, Ike. If I’m being honest, though, I was wondering if you’d given any thought to my earlier proposal.” Warren spread his arms in an offering gesture. “I’m more than happy to give you all of the treasure for, say, 30 minutes of your time in the real world? It is just a game, after all, but if it means that much to you…”
“I’ll pass,” Ike said. “Like you said, it’s just a game. There are plenty of ways to get gold, and this vacation has given me a new appreciation for my current job.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Raincheck, maybe?” Warren persisted.
It was Ike’s turn to take a deep breath. He didn’t like how Warren did business, but he was a useful ally in the game. Ike had also learned better than to burn bridges with a potential employer in the real world. “Sure. I’ll let you know when I’m open to new opportunities. We’ll do lunch.”
“Excellent!” Warren said, flashing teeth as he grinned. “Maybe I’ll see you in the capital sometime soon. We’re both associates of Baron Halvern now. I’m sure we’ll run into each other.”
“Maybe,” Ike said, turning toward the door. “Thanks again, Warren.”
Ike exited the shop with Ada, retrieved his gear, and wished Hamish a fond farewell before turning westward. He and Ada made sure to keep conversation minimal until they were well out of earshot. “Sorry about that,” Ike said first. “You deserve a share of that treasure. I just figured it’d be worth more for us not to be indebted to him.”
Ada shook her head. “A little gold would’ve been nice, but you’re right. He wants to sink his claws into you for some reason,” she said, reaching out to hold Ike’s hand as they walked. Her tone softened. “He can’t have you.”
Ike smiled. “Was he lying about the attack?”
“Not as far as I could tell,” Ada said. “Then again, I probably couldn’t if he has the Guile skill and it’s higher level than my Suspicion skill. He might have learned it from Porter.”
“I’d bet good money that he did,” Ike said. “We’ll just have to rely on gut instinct, then. My gut says we keep him at arm’s length.”
“Agreed,” Ada said with a firm nod. “By the way, what’s up with the subterfuge with him?”
Ike frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know,” Ada said. “It’s like he’s trying to say something without saying it. Not the compliments or anything; it’s clear he’s buttering you up to hire you. There’s more to it than that. The way he phrases certain things or the way he looks at you when he says them... it’s like he’s trying to pass you a secret message he can’t say in the game. Am I imagining it?”
Ike thought back to his encounters with Warren. “No, I don’t think you are. I’ve wondered that before myself. I have no idea what it… could…” Ike’s pace slowed as he trailed off, his forehead furrowed in thought.
“What’s wrong?” Ada asked.
“Nothing,” Ike said, shaking his head. “Something you said about passing a secret message. Let’s get back to the Weir Crest. There’s something I want to take a closer look at.”
The two entered the tavern to find the common room full of the usual suspects. Clay, Boudica, and Sky were still sitting together at a table. Dusty was braiding Milly’s hair into pigtails as the two sat on the edge of the stage. Maisy and Angus were eating breakfast at the bar while chatting with Fu.
Ike waved to everyone as he entered. He retrieved his backpack from his room and joined Ada at a table near Dusty and Milly, taking out his case of writing supplies.
“Wait, so you two need to go to the capital?” Ada said, clearly in the middle of a conversation when Ike arrived.
“That’s right, hon,” Dusty said, continuing to braid Milly’s hair. “Some nobleman saw our show last night. Reggie something-or-other. Said he’d sponsor me in a competition in the big city.”
“Reginald Halvern?” Ada asked.
Milly nodded. “He said he wanted me to play at court for the king and queen,” she said quietly. There was a tense sort of pride in her voice.
“Well, I’d say that settles it,” Ada said. “This game definitely has a way of nudging people into groups. Ike and I are headed there, too. Did you hear that, Ike?”
“Huh?” Ike said, his eyes unfocused. “Right. Road trip. I want to talk about it. Just give me a few minutes.”
“What’s up with Mr. Hero?” Dusty said, raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t mind him,” Ada said. “He’s just figuring something out.” Even though her tone was unconcerned, Ada cast a worried look across the table at Ike.
The clues had all been there. Ike had just been too distracted to see them. The last letter from the administrator should have tipped him off. Neil, the engineer in charge of his case, had told him to reference an issue number from their prior correspondence even though there’d never been an issue number. Ike had taken it as incompetence, but what if it was a secret message? What if Neil was telling Ike to look at those letters more closely?
What if the message wasn’t written in the letters themselves? What if it was in the code enchanting them?
“Did I hear right? You guys are leaving Weir?” Clay said, walking up next to the group.
“Looks like,” Ada said. “Do you have a quest for the capital, too?”
Clay shook his head. “I can’t say that I do, but I hear it’s a long haul. If we can get a wagon, I just got a Teamster skill to drive it.”
Ike barely noticed the conversation as he carefully scanned the comments from the Consignment, Confidentiality, and Illiteracy enchantments he’d harvested from the game master letters, making sure to read them in the order he’d received them. How had he not noticed before? The actual code was a thing of beauty. No programmer that meticulous would leave so many misspellings in their comments. Not unless they weren’t misspellings at all.
Ike carefully jotted down one letter at a time. As they started to form words, his hands began to shake. He dropped his quill and stared wide-eyed at Ada.
“What is it?” Ada said, circling the table and stooping down next to him. “What’s wrong?”
Ike could barely breathe. He pointed to the message.
“IKE. NO WAY FOR YOU TO LOG OUT. THE GAME IS WATCHING. SAY NOTHING. FIND SAGE KEYS. FIRST IN CAPITAL. DON'T DIE. - Z.”
Glossary
Ability – Anything a character or monster can do, such as an attack, skill, or spell.
Agility – A primary attribute measuring a character's accuracy, coordination, and reflexes. High agility is the mark of a deft acrobat able to balance on the edge of a knife.
&
nbsp; Attack – An offensive ability, or a rating denoting the amount of damage a weapon, character, or monster can inflict with such an ability.
Capacity – The number of enchantments an item can hold at once, expressed as current and maximum values. Capacity increases along with an item’s craftsmanship and rarity.
Character – A being from a civilized race.
Class – A character’s adventuring skill set. Many items, skills, and spells can only be used by members of a specific class, and some class abilities are learned automatically as a character gains levels.
Class Group – A broad category of classes, such as crafter, fighter, mage, rogue, or theurge. Many items, skills, and spells can only be used by members of a specific class group.
Confluence – An intersection of ley lines where area enchantments can be placed.
Cost – The amount of a resource expended to use an ability. The type of resource depends on the ability. For instance, spells cost mana.
Defense – A rating denoting an item, character, or monster’s ability to withstand damage. With a qualifier (e.g., “fire defense”), it indicates resistance to another damage type. Without a qualifier, defense indicates resistance to weapon damage and indicates the average rating over a character’s body.
Durability – An item or structure’s remaining integrity, expressed as current and maximum values. An object reduced to zero durability is broken and unusable but can be repaired. Broken objects that get repaired suffer durability drain, which is expressed as a reduced maximum and a negative number in parentheses.
Enchantment – A magical property given to an item or area.
Experience – A measure of a character’s growth through meaningful achievements and hardships. All characters gain experience through combat, while other ways to gain experience are limited to certain class groups. For example, crafters can gain experience through crafting. As a character gains experience, their level increases.
Health – A secondary attribute measuring a character or monster’s remaining vitality, expressed as current and maximum values. A character's maximum health is determined by the formula Vigor x (1 + (Level^2 x 0.1)), rounded to the nearest whole number. Monsters reduced to zero health are slain. Characters reduced to zero health are rendered unconscious and may be subsequently slain. Nourished characters recover health while resting. Serious injuries may apply health drain, which is expressed as a reduced maximum and a negative number in parentheses.
Insight – A primary attribute measuring a character's awareness, judgment, and intuition. High insight is the mark of a worldly sage able to see the truth in any situation.
Item – A carryable object. Items have many subtypes based on their use. For example, items that can be used to attack are weapons, items that can be worn are clothing or armor, items used in crafting are resources, and items with no use or value are junk.
Level – A measure of a character’s experience, a monster’s difficulty, a skill’s development, or a spell’s complexity. Levels are often related. For example, a character facing a higher-level monster is less likely to prevail, and a character cannot develop a skill or learn a spell of higher level than their own.
Mana – A secondary attribute measuring a character’s ability to enchant items and cast spells, expressed as current and maximum values. A character's maximum mana is determined by the formula Wits x (1 + (Level^2 x 0.1)), rounded to the nearest whole number. Nourished characters recover mana while resting. Enchantments apply permanent mana drain, which is expressed as a reduced maximum and a negative number in parentheses.
Mettle – A primary attribute measuring a character’s confidence, courage, and tenacity. High mettle is the mark of a fearless leader who never gives up.
Might – A primary attribute measuring a character’s brawn and athleticism. High might is the mark of a muscular champion who can strike down any foe.
Monster – A being from a monstrous race. Most monsters are hostile to characters.
Primary Attribute – An attribute that measures a character’s inborn potential or natural talent on a scale of 1 to 10. Except in rare cases, primary attributes do not change.
Race – A character or monster’s heritage, nature, or origin, whichever is more specific. For example, a human zombie’s race is undead. Many items, skills, and spells can only be used by members of a specific race.
Range – A weapon’s effective range, expressed as a number of meters. Accuracy and damage drop off dramatically at greater distances. Weapons without a range are only meant to be used in melee.
Secondary Attribute – An attribute derived from other factors, such as level, items, or primary attributes. Secondary attributes change along with the factors that define them.
Skill – A learned ability expressed as a name and level. There is no limit to the number of skills a character can develop given time and opportunity. However, many skills are restricted by class or race. Furthermore, the level of a skill can never be greater than the character’s level or the key attribute that governs the skill.
Spell – A learned ability that expends mana. There is no limit to the number of spells a character can learn given time and opportunity. However, many spells are restricted by class or race. Furthermore, a character can never learn a spell of a level higher than their own.
Structure – An object that is not carryable, such as a building or terrain feature.
Value – An item’s typical market value. Actual buying or selling prices can vary drastically from area to area and merchant to merchant.
Vigor – A primary attribute measuring a character’s endurance, fortitude, and vitality. High vigor is the mark of a stalwart defender who always stands their ground.
Virtual Dive Experience (VDX) – A computer system that exchanges sensory information and motor actions directly with the user’s nervous system, allowing them to experience simulated environments as if they were physically present.
Wits – A primary attribute measuring a character’s cunning, intellect, and resourcefulness. High wits are the mark of a clever scholar with an answer to everything.
World First – An achievement of special significance, granting the player receiving it special status and/or abilities. As the name implies, a World First can only ever be achieved once by any player.
Acknowledgements
T o my wife Jennifer Ward, my real life Ada: Thank you for being my first audience and talking through the story with me. I love you.
To my friend John Lilley: Thank you for your enthusiastic support. It was always encouraging to hear your feedback on chapter release days. Just remember not to read the scary words out loud next time.
To my friend Megan Wolff, one of the best-read people I know: Thank you for all of your thoughtful feedback as I was writing, particularly with the romantic bits. I meant to sacrifice a unicorn in your honor but couldn’t fit it in this time around. I promise I’ll work it into the next book.
To my tabletop buddy Scott Ferwerda: I’m glad you enjoyed the inclusion of Ibril. Thank you for becoming my first patron and fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a professional author. Now make a Will save.
To my friend Joshua Wallace, the original Fu Chur: Thank you for letting me use your most honorable personage in my book. I wish you luck on this adventure we call life. Please know that everything Ada said about Fu in chapter 13 is from the heart.
To the ragtag crew of sweaty LARPers at Shards of Orn: Say it with me. “Don’t be that guy.” Also, magic pants are dumb.
About the Author
T his photo of me, circa August 2006, was taken for a satirical article written by a coworker on a long-since-abandoned website. Yes, those are prosthetic elf ears. Yes, that is a Dungeons and Dragons manual. And yes, that is a Crown Royal bag filled with dice. In fact, I still use that d20.
For a long time, this image ranked on a Google image search for “D&D geek” and saw use in all manner of memes. Some of them are really flattering,
pairing me with the likes of Vin Diesel, Gary Gygax, or Matthew Mercer. Every few months a friend will happen across one and ask the question, “Is that you?” “Yes,” I’ll say, feeling a mixture of pride and regret, “I am the D&D geek.” Let it be a cautionary tale: The internet never forgets.
In many ways, this photo is still an accurate representation of me. I’m happily married to my high school sweetheart and we have two amazing boys (the astute observer will note the wedding ring and the baby gate in the photo). I play roleplaying games regularly, be they tabletop, video game, or live action; Shards of Orn, the LARP I founded with my wife and brother, will be running 12 years as of the date of this book’s publication. I’m a sucker for anime, especially isekai. And, of course, I’m a fan of litRPG books.
Thank you for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed taking a walk in Ike’s shoes, and I hope you’ll return for the sequel.
Thad Ward
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