Dave on the other hand preferred to be the character or characters. He played a thief and a mage who were currently trying to find the third ring of Xanak, the god of fire.
James set up his godwall and removed the dice and papers from his backpack. He always kept meticulous notes during his campaigns. Dave got his papers, dice, and the player’s rulebook. Once everything was ready, they began.
“Your mage and thief had infiltrated the Red Rogue’s Lair,” he began giving a brief recap of where they left off the day before. “You had just found a flight of stairs and began to descend.”
“On to fame and fortune!” Dave exclaimed with a grin. “My thief is checking for traps as they go down the steps.”
James nodded. “No traps were found. Upon reaching the bottom step, you discovered a long hallway stretching far into the darkness ahead. A sound could be heard coming from out of the dark, and it seemed to be coming toward you…”
The rest of the day went along pretty much as usual; classes, including the dreaded PE class that he was on the verge of flunking. He simply was not much into sports or anything else that required one to sweat. His gym teacher told him he needed to show more enthusiasm for the physical side of life, but his teacher’s arguments did nothing to sway him. It’s not that James was fat or anything, he actually appeared quite fit. He just didn’t go for the active side of life.
After school at the bike rack, Dave informed him that he planned to accompany him to the interview. For moral support, as he put it.
“You don’t have to come with me, you know.”
“I know. But you stand a better chance of following through if I do.”
James secured the chain beneath the bike seat then glanced to his friend. “Are you afraid I am going to chicken out or something like that?”
Dave flashed him a grin. “As a matter of fact, yes, yes I am!”
“I plan on catching the 512 at 9. If you’re serious about coming, meet me at the bus stop.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Okay, see ya tomorrow!” With that, James hopped on his bike and headed for home.
At dinner, he told his grandparents about his decision to go to the interview.
“Now remember, James,” his grandfather said, “when you are at an interview you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Never settle for conditions that you are not going to like. Be assertive.”
James nodded his head. “I will. I don’t plan on making any decisions on the spot. I am simply going there to find out about the job and how much it pays. It sounded interesting.”
Showing concern on her face, his grandmother said, “Be careful while you’re there. The last place anyone saw poor Seth was heading into town. Watch yourself.”
“Please don’t worry about me, I’m almost eighteen. Plus, Dave plans on coming along. I’m sure that between the two of us, we’ll be able to handle any situation.” Knowing that it was love that prompted his grandmother’s concern, he gave her a reassuring hug.
A little after dinner, James was in his room reading when a rap upon his door brought him out from a deep dungeon fraught with danger.
“Yes?” he hollered without ever removing his eyes from the pages of the book.
“James. You should come and see this.” It was his grandfather.
“Now what?” he mumbled. Slipping his bookmark within the pages, he set the book on his nightstand and made his way out to the living room. There he found his grandparents raptly watching the news.
“Another person is missing,” his grandmother said. “This time a girl.”
Interest piqued, James sat next to her on the couch.
An image of a young woman who looked to be in her teens was pictured behind the reporter. The newsman went on to say that this was the second person to come up missing in the past week. There were no leads, no connection between them. They came from different cities in the same area and disappeared without a trace. The report continued with interviews of family members of the two missing teens.
“This is serious.” his grandfather said. “You need to be extra careful tomorrow when you are downtown.”
“I will,” James assured him. He watched the report on the missing teens until the reporters began repeating themselves. Then he returned to his room where he resumed his position upon his bed and picked up his book.
He found it difficult to concentrate on the story. After realizing he read the same paragraph three times he decided that it was a lost cause and returned the book to the nightstand. Thoughts and worries about the interview tomorrow made him far too nervous to be able to concentrate on reading. The ad continued running through his mind,
…well versed in fantasy novels and role playing games…
…may need to travel…
It sounded exciting.
Maybe Dave was right. It could be a traveling magician.
Different theories and thoughts ran through his mind until it was time for bed. After crawling beneath the covers, he set the alarm for seven thirty before he switched off his reading lamp. He lay in the dark, and enjoyed the cool air as it drifted in through the window above his bed. Eventually, sleep triumphed over tomorrow’s worries and he was able to fall asleep.
It felt like he had no sooner fallen asleep than his alarm went off. Hitting the off button, he rolled onto his back and tried unsuccessfully to keep his eyes open. He was simply way too comfortable and almost didn’t have the energy to pull the covers off and get the day going. His sense of responsibility eventually overcame his laziness and he managed to drag himself out of bed. Also, Dave would never let him hear the end of it if he left him waiting at the bus stop.
After a quick shower, he threw on some of his better clothes. Not his church clothes to be sure, but ones good enough to look nice. Once he was dressed, he took his backpack and emptied his role playing paraphernalia onto his bed. He put a clean handkerchief in his backpack along with the book he was currently reading. Pausing a moment, he decided to take the two candy bars that laid in the pile on his bed and placed them inside as well. Shouldering his ever present backpack, he opened the door and went to see about breakfast.
Sausage, eggs and biscuits were already on the table. His grandparents were nice enough to wait for him before eating. “My, don’t you look nice,” his grandmother said.
Coming to the table, he gave her a grin. “Thanks. I better eat on the run, or I might miss my bus.” He threw together two sausage, egg, and biscuit sandwiches, wrapping them in a napkin. His grandmother’s “Good luck, James!” followed him through the door.
He hurried down the road to the bus stop where he would catch the 512, managing to finish his breakfast on the way. Dave was already there.
“Good morning,” offered a cheerful Dave. He always had been a morning person, which usually irritated James.
“Good morning yourself,” growled James somewhat moodily. He definitely was not a morning person.
Keeping an eye out for the bus, Dave said, “I hear they have a new laser tag area at the arcade. Want to try it after your interview? The loser pays for lunch.”
“You’re on, I can almost taste the burgers now,” boasted James as he, too, kept a lookout for the 512. When he saw it turn the corner he announced, “Here it comes.” Picking up his backpack he readied to board the bus. The 512 came to a stop and they waited a moment while an elderly woman departed. Showing the driver their passes, they moved to the back of the bus and took their seats. The 512 would take them most of the way. They would transfer to the 33 for the last leg to Commercial Avenue.
When the bus pulled out of the stop, Dave glanced to James. “Nervous?”
“A little. I’m glad you decided to come along; it’s partly the reason I am even here. When I woke up this morning, all I wanted to do was lay there. But knowing you were going to be at the bus stop waiting for me, helped get me out of bed.”
“I thought so, that’s why I’m here,” Dave grinned. He was glad h
e could help his friend.
“You know,” Dave began after a few minutes, “you didn’t have to go and kill my thief that way.”
Feigning indignation, James asked, “What do you mean? Is it my fault the guy had an IQ of a turnip? He never should’ve rushed in like that. He was greedy.”
“Maybe. But I’ve been playing him for over a month now. He was all the way to level five.”
“Oh well, that’s life.”
As they got closer, James turned quieter as he dwelled more upon the upcoming interview. Dave made a couple of attempts to get him interested in further conversation but his mind really wasn’t on it. Finally, Dave gave up and they rode the rest of the way in silence.
When the Park and Ride was announced where they needed to transfer to the 33, James grabbed his backpack and pulled the cord. When the bus pulled in, they disembarked and went to a nearby water fountain for a drink.
Dave glanced at his watch. “About five minutes before the 33 shows up.”
The 33 did a loop through downtown and passed right down Commercial Ave. Going over to Berth 4 where they would board, James and Dave stood in line behind several other passengers. Dave nudged James when he saw a pretty girl wearing short shorts and a snug t-shirt, but James was too preoccupied with his interview ahead to pay much attention. The mere thought of the interview made his stomach do flip-flops.
Once the 33 arrived, they boarded and took the last leg to Commercial Ave. Had James been alone, he would have stayed on the bus. But since Dave was there, he pulled the cord as a tall building bearing the numbers 1616 came into view.
The bus pulled to the curb at the next stop half a block away. Butterflies were congregating in James’ middle as he stepped to the sidewalk and turned toward 1616 Commercial.
Dave slapped him on the shoulder. “Come on. It won’t be that bad.”
James gave him a half-hearted grin and nodded. The butterflies in his stomach were turning into vampire bats.
Passing through the front door, they crossed the lobby en route to the elevators and Dave pressed the UP button. While they waited, Dave noticed James looking at the building’s list of businesses. When he moved to join his friend, James glanced at him,
“There’s no listing for 2334.”
Dave shrugged and said, “Maybe they just moved in and haven’t had time to get the sign adjusted.”
“You’re probably right. Or maybe they don’t want to advertise who they are. That way if they are well known and rich, the applicants won’t know to ask for more pay.”
Shaking his head, Dave says, “You and your conspiracy theories. You always think someone is playing an angle or something.”
Shrugging, James just smiled.
Ding!
The elevator door opened and they entered along with several others. James pressed the button for the 23rd floor. It took a few minutes before they arrived as the elevator made several stops to allow people on and off. By the time they reached the 23rd floor, they were the only ones remaining. Another Ding! and the door opened. Stepping out, they turned down the hallway to their right and came to the door marked 2334.
James paused at the door. He turned to Dave. “Should I knock or what?”
“Naw, just go on in.”
Marshalling his courage, James opened the door and entered. Dave followed right behind. The room was empty except for several chairs and two end tables, each boasting a neat pile of magazines and a couple of books. Across the room a door stood closed; it bore a sign saying Private in bold letters.
“I guess we should sit down and wait.”
Dave glanced at the door. “How are they going to know that we are here?”
“There’s probably an alarm to let them know someone’s here. Somebody will likely be out in a minute.”
Looking through the material on a nearby table, James failed to find anything of interest, so he crossed the room to the table next to the door marked Private. Lying atop the other reading material sat a small brown book with a peculiar design inscribed in gold leaf upon the cover. Intrigued, he picked up the book but quickly let it go when the contact resulted in a shock of static electricity. The book hit the edge of the table and tumbled to the floor. It landed on its edge and a piece of paper slipped out.
The paper was folded in half. Curious, he picked it up and opened it.
“Welcome and thank you for coming. Glad you found the book. If you would read the first page and then walk through the door, we can begin the interview. If you brought anything with you, feel free to bring it along.”
James picked up the book and looked at it with increased interest. He turned to Dave and showed him the book and letter. “Look at this.” When Dave joined him, he handed him the letter. While Dave read, James said, “That’s a dumb way to start an interview. What if I had never found the piece of paper? I could’ve been sitting out here for a long time!”
Dave looked up from the letter and shrugged. “You’re right. This guy must be some kind of an eccentric or something. In the ad, he mentioned role playing games. Maybe in his mind this is some kind of test.”
Nodding agreement, James sat in one of the chairs and opened the book to the first page.
Underlying Principles of Magic
The practice of magic is quite simple and basic. Magic is the process by which an individual taps into the reservoir of strength, or power within himself, and manifests it into changes of the world around him. Each individual contains the ability to manipulate this power. Some have the ability to do very little while others can literally bring down mountains.
Looking up from the book, James turned to his friend. “Unless I am mistaken, this book is going to explain the workings of a magic system. Not Houdini type, but more along the lines of Merlin or Gandalf. It’s talking about using the power within you to manipulate the world around you.”
“Weird. This guy must be a nut,” Dave joked.
“Yeah, but character or not, a job’s a job.” Turning back to the book, James finished the first page quickly. Closing the book, he climbed to his feet and the vampire bats returned in full measure. He glanced to the door marked Private. Sighing, he turned to his friend. “Wish me luck.”
“Luck!” replied Dave, and gave his friend an encouraging thumb’s up.
Slinging his backpack over his shoulder he gathered his courage, tucked the book under his arm and headed for the door. Pausing momentarily, he took a few deep, soothing breaths to calm his nerves, then opened the door and stepped through.
The crunch of dried leaves beneath his foot, coupled with the scene before him brought him to a stunned and sudden stop.
A meadow nestled within a forest of trees stretched before him. Birdsong filled the air and the wafting of a gentle breeze only added to the impossibility of it. Off to his right warbled a babbling brook that cut its way through the heart of this pastoral scene.
He remained rooted in dumbfounded shock as his brain tried to make sense of what he saw. He turned to ask Dave if he was hallucinating, but instead received another surprise. The doorway he had just passed through was no longer there. Instead, a stand of trees rose majestically to the sky not ten feet away.
Did I just cross over into the Twilight Zone?
Unable to believe what his own eyes told him, he rubbed them and then looked around the clearing. Trees swayed in the gentle breeze; birds soared against the backdrop of blue sky above. The soft trickling melody of the stream as it crossed the meadow gave this place a surreal feel.
Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention to the far side of the stream near a fallen log at the edge of the forest. What he saw nearly convinced him that he had lost his mind. Sitting atop the log was a strange little creature; about four and a half feet in height with skin a dark-greenish color. Wearing a blue vest and a crazy felt hat, it looked out of place in such a pastoral scene. Intelligence peered out from behind eyes of yellow and they stared right at James.
I’m having a halluc
ination. This can’t be real!
Unsure what to do, he walked through the grass of the meadow toward the creature. He paused at the stream in wary apprehension when he saw the creature hop off the log and get to its feet. When no hostile action was forthcoming, he leaped across the water and walked the few remaining feet until stopping before the creature. Staring into those yellow eyes nearly unnerved James completely. Somehow, he summoned the courage to say, “Hello.”
To his utter astonishment the creature replied with a coherent “Hello.”
James’ eyes widened in surprise. “You can talk?”
Putting hands on hips, the creature’s expression transformed into one that could only be considered sour. “Of course I can talk. Any intelligent creature can talk. But not many have anything worthwhile to say.”
Before James got out his next question, the creature said, “Where am I? Was that to be your next question? You’re not where you started out, boy. My master has set me here to get you started and that is all I intend to do. I am not here to hold your hand or wet-nurse you, do you understand?” The creature gave him an intent look as it waited for a response.
Nodding his head, James replied weakly, “I think so.”
“Good. Now listen up and listen well, for I am here to tell you some things and I will only tell you once.”
The creature held up a finger. “First of all, magic works here. Read the book you have in your hand. It will help you get a handle on it. Your survival may well depend on it. Scratch that. Your survival will depend on it.”
“Secondly, you can’t go home, at least not right now. Don’t try. We won’t stop you, but take it on faith that the way is simply not open to you.”
“Lastly, get your sorry butt to the village of Trendle.”
With that, the creature leaped backward into the air, and with a faint popping noise, disappeared.
Jaikus and Reneeke Join the Guild Page 24
