by Paul Bellow
Bernard smiled at me. “This is the life, boss.”
“I’ll be back with the wine in a moment,” Sylvar said.
When he disappeared to a room deeper in the treehouse, I looked down at the other two sitting on the floor.
“You two do remember we’re on a quest, right?” I asked.
Sarah giggled.
“You need to relax,” Bernard said. “You’re going to go insane in the game. Oh, crap. An OOC penalty.”
He laughed as if it didn’t matter in the slightest.
“No OOC tonight,” Sarah said. “It’s not fair to Sylvar the NPC.”
She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Sylvar asked as he came back in the room.
He set a silver tray down on a wooden table then poured us each a glass of a dark red liquid.
“Nothing important,” Bernard said. “We’ve been under a lot of stress lately, and it feels good to unwind.”
“You’ve not relaxed properly until you’ve had some ten year old elven wine. This is the last of my stash.”
I sat down on a pile of pillows in the corner, figuring such a small bottle wouldn’t get us too drunk. Sylvar handed out the glasses.
“Just sip,” he said. “It’s strong stuff.”
Bernard tipped his glass back and swallowed everything. His eyes widened briefly—in shock—before a smile spread across his face.
“Nice,” he said then settled deeper into a cushion.
I took a sip. The effects of the bitter liquid hit me immediately. A calm warmth spread through my body.
“Hey,” I said. “What is this? Are you poisoning us?”
My words echoed through the room as I spoke them.
Sarah burst into laughter while still holding her glass.
“It’s going to be a fun night,” Sylvar said.
When we finished our first round, he poured another. I resisted at first, but the strange, intoxicating wine wasn’t half-bad.
After our second bottle, things went hazy.
Deep in a dream about being chased by a grisly grizzly, I woke to the sound of laughter in an adjacent room.
Where am I?
I stood and stretched. A pounding pain in my head wouldn’t go away. I walked toward the loud sounds of mirth in the next room.
Bernard looked up from his spot at a round, wooden table as I walked in the dining room; plates of food covered most of it.
“You’re finally awake,” Sarah said.
I massaged my temples with my fingers.
“What happened last night?” I asked. “Don’t any of you have a hangover? That was some wicked wine.”
“Sylvar helped us with his magic brew,” Sarah said.
I sat down at the only open seat at the table.
“Can I have some?” I asked.
“Sorry,” Sylvar said. “All out.”
“Typical,” I muttered.
“Don’t mind him,” Sarah said. “He’s not a morning person.”
“The pancakes should still help,” Sylvar said. “But take it easy on the honey. Elven pancakes are my specialty.”
“His honey is so good,” Sarah said.
I nodded, trying to take it all in.
Did we really need his help?
“Can we talk about hiring you?” I asked then reached for a stack of pancakes. “Your knowledge of the woods will help us.”
“We can talk,” Sylvar said. “But why the rush?”
“Questing,” Bernard said then raised his cup to his lips.
I poured some honey on my pancakes.
“We’ve got priorities,” I said.
“I’ve not been adventuring in a long time,” Sylvar said wistfully.
Bernard and Sarah both turned to me, their eyes wide open.
Was he a PC trapped as an NPC? If so, why was that our problem? We had enough to deal with between the quest and getting out of the game.
The others chatted merrily as I ate three light and fluffy pancakes. My headache subsided as they worked their way through my body.
Bernard burped.
“It’s still coming up,” he said. “That’s the sign of a fine elven wine.”
Sarah and Sylvar laughed together while I watched in silence.
Breakfast went by quickly as I prepared myself for tree trolls. From what my character knew about them, we might have trouble. After eating, we climbed back down the ladder to the forest floor below.
I looked around the densely packed forest environment.
“Follow me closely in single file,” Sylvar said. “The forest can be dangerous during the day too.”
“Will there be any giant bees?” Sarah asked.
Bernard laughed but cut it off quickly.
“Very funny,” I said.
“No bees, but there’s other beasts to fear,” Sylvar said. “Follow me.”
He headed down a path leading away from his tree house. Sarah went behind him with Bernard behind her. I brought up the rear.
As we walked through the thick vegetation, I thought about the five items we needed to make Dawn Acid.
Could we finish the side quest?
We should’ve known the main quest wouldn’t be easy. I blamed myself for getting too cocky, but I’d make up for it by getting us out of the game.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice when Bernard stopped walking, and I almost ran into him. Sarah and Sylvar had also stopped for something.
“Never mind,” Sylvar said. “I thought I heard a tree troll, but it was the wind. Let’s keep going.”
“How far do we have to go?” I asked.
Sylvar ignored my question and continued forward.
Bernard shrugged then turned and walked on.
We stomped through the woods another hour or two. Time got all wibbly-wobbly at some point. Having a hangover didn’t help.
“Maybe your tracking skills aren’t as good as you thought,” I said.
Sylvar stopped and raised a clenched fist in the air like some kind of Special Forces soldier back in the real world.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “The tree trolls are staying away for some reason. It might be your human smells.”
He turned and looked directly at Bernard.
“I don’t smell any worse than you guys,” Bernard said.
“We can try again tomorrow,” Sylvar said.
“No.” I shook my head. “We’ve been out here all day. You gotta have a better method of finding them.”
“I’m out of spots to check,” Sylvar said. “There’s a surefire way to attract tree trolls, especially this time of year, but we’re out of luck.”
“What’s your idea?” Sarah asked.
“Bait,” Sylvar said. “We need bait.”
“Bait?” Bernard asked.
Sylvar nodded.
“Tree trolls love fish,” he explained. “But I don’t think we could catch enough to make a difference without fishing for a few days.”
Sarah smiled.
“I’ve got a spell that can help,” she said. “Where’s that stream we’ve been passing all day?”
“Follow me,” Sylvar said then stepped between two trees.
“It better be close,” I said.
We followed Sylvar to a slowly moving stream nearby.
“Perfect,” Sarah said then cast a spell.
Dozens of dead fish floated to the top of the water.
“That enough?” she asked.
“More than enough,” Sylvar said. “Now we hide and wait.”
“How long?” I asked.
Sylvar shrugged.
“Can we break for lunch?” Bernard asked. “I’m starving.”
Before anyone can respond, a screech rang out in the canopy above.
“Get ready,” Sylvar said, grabbing his bow.
“I’ve got to get mine fixed soon,” Sarah said. “I keep forgetting.”
“Battle positions
,” I said and unsheathed my shiny scimitar.
I looked up as the screeches got louder.
How many were coming for the fish?
As I watched, a wiry tree-like creature fell from above. It fell on Bernard, knocking him over then biting his shoulder.
“Get it!” I yelled as I ran toward the monster.
Sarah started a spell as I reached the strong, lithe creature. It stood at least six feet tall and looked strong. I swung.
Your slash INJURES the tree troll for 12 damage.
This scimitar isn’t bad, but I need a better magic weapon.
Bernard struggled to his feet as Sarah shot a disc of lava at the tree troll. The molten lava hit it, sending a shower of sparks into the air.
I stepped back as the tree troll flailed about, making it worse.
“Brilliant,” Sylvar yelled. “They can’t regenerate fire damage.”
Four more tree trolls dropped from the canopy above.
“Attack!” I ran forward with my sword in the air.
I hacked at one, causing bark to chip off and fly into the air.
Your slash HITS the tree troll for 8 damage.
Bernard, back on his feet, ran for another. Sarah stepped back to cast a spell while Sylvar stood doing nothing.
“Do something, Sylvar,” I yelled at him, waiting for a chance to attack.
The elf ranger shouted something that sounded like a sick goose. Birds, squirrels, and two mean-looking raccoons ran up. As they attacked, distracting the tree trolls, I swung my sword.
Your slash HITS the tree troll for 9 damage.
How much health do these things have?
Sarah sent two more Flaming Discs of Lava at one of them while Sylvar fired arrows at the last one.
The tree troll’s claw GRAZES you for 5 damage.
You have [53/58] health remaining.
“Die, troll!” I shouted, working myself into a fury.
I chopped at the arm again.
Your slash INJURES the tree troll for 12 damage.
The tree troll dropped to the ground—still moving.
“Need fire over here,” I yelled as I assessed the situation.
Bernard looked okay, but I worried about Sarah getting hurt.
She cast another spell—Flaming Disc of Lava hit the tree troll I’d dropped, catching it on fire. As I ran toward her, ready to chop down another, the fire grew. The flames sent the three remaining tree trolls dashing into the woods, shrieking and howling the entire way.
“Should we give chase?” Bernard asked.
“No,” I said. “We need to extract some of their blood before they burn up completely.”
“The fire must be put out to extract their blood,” Sylvar said.
“But they’ll keep healing,” I said, shaking my head.
“I know,” Sylvar said. “Can’t you hit it with your sword if it gets up?”
“Sure,” I said, gripping my weapon tightly. “Someone keep watch. The others might come back.”
“I’m on it,” Sarah said.
Sylvar stomped out the fire on the tree troll.
When it sat up, I struck it with my sword.
“I need a tap and bottle,” I shouted.
Adrenaline pumped through my game body.
“Here,” Sylvar said.
He thrust an iron spigot into the tree troll’s chest.
As it shrieked in horror and pain, Bernard rushed over with a bottle.
“It’s coming out,” I said. “Don’t waste it.”
Thick, syrupy tree troll blood dripped out of the spigot.
“It’s super thick,” Bernard said.
“All clear,” Sarah said. “But hurry it up.”
Several tree trolls shrieked in the distance.
As Bernard moved to fill a second bottle, the tree troll popped up. I pierced its throat with my sword, sending it back down.
“Hurry,” I said.
“I’m going as fast as I can,” Bernard snapped. “This stuff is sticky.”
“Don’t get any on your skin,” Sylvar warned.
“Why not?” Bernard asked.
“The bottle is full,” I said then hit the tree troll on the head again.
Bernard swapped it out with a third.
“It’s slowing down,” he said. “Will this be enough?”
“We only need a little,” Sarah said. “But I wanted extra.”
Bernard stood, still holding the third bottle of tree troll blood.
“Light him up,” Sylvar said. “But be careful. We don’t want to set the forest on fire.”
Sarah shot another Flaming Disc of Lava at the tree troll.
Its sad death-shriek filled the forest air a moment before it died.
Combat is over!
You get 1600 xp divided by three party members.
You get +533 xp.
You have 15,011 xp
You need 989 xp for Level Five Rogue
I smiled—one small step closer to level five.
With a bit of luck, I’d make it before long.
4
Two Wizards Walk into a Bar
Sarah
* * *
After clearing the combat-is-over message, I glanced at Eric.
Would he be jealous all the time with Sylvar around? I hoped not.
“I’m jealous too,” Charlotte said, surprising me.
Before I could answer, Sylvar stepped over and put his hand on my shoulder. He smiled, making me want to drop my defenses.
“Great job with the magic,” he said, not letting go.
I smiled, appreciating the attention.
Eric walked over and put his hand on my other shoulder.
“Yeah,” he said. “Good job.”
I stepped away from them and smiled.
“This calls for a celebration,” Sylvar said. “And it’s better if we go before more tree trolls come to gather their fallen friend.”
“I could go for some bread and more elven wine,” Bernard said.
Eric stood by the three jars of tree troll blood.
“We need to get going now that we have what we came for.”
“You can stay one more night, can’t you?” Sylvar asked.
“We’re staying,” I said as I bent to pick up the glass bottles. “We should rest with Sylvar tonight and leave in the morning.”
“I vote for staying another night,” Bernard said.
Eric sighed like a spoiled brat but said nothing.
“One more night won’t kill us,” I said.
After putting the last jar in my sack, I turned to Sylvar.
“We appreciate your hospitality,” I said.
He smiled, his elven features perfectly symmetrical.
“We’ll have a grand evening,” he said. “And I have one more night to persuade you to take me with you on your quest.”
“That would be great,” I said. “We could use the help.”
“A ranger in our party won’t hurt,” Bernard added.
“You can’t join our party,” Eric said as though the decision was his alone. “But you can ride with us. We’ll pay you for your services.”
“I’d love to join you,” Sylvar said. “I’ve been all over the realms.”
“Bet you have,” Eric said.
I shot him a nasty look.
“Don’t pay attention to him,” I said to Sylvar. “You’ll be a welcome addition to our group. We could use someone like you.”
Sylvar smiled. “Follow me.”
I took off after him. On the way to his tree house, Eric grumbled behind me.
I ignored him and concentrated on staying sane.
The game had sucked me in so deep, I found myself not thinking about the real world as much. How could a game change my mind?
I pushed the hard questions down and concentrated on Sylvar. Would he turn out to be another player? How did he get into the game?
Sylvar glanced over his shoulder.
“We’re almost there,” he said
.
I smiled. After a long day of trekking through the woods and battling tree trolls, I looked forward to relaxing with friends.
The game could be deceptively fun at times. While it might be hard, the AI behind the scenes seemed fair enough. Sylvar stopped.
I stared up at the massive tree where he’d built a home. The impressive structure looked even more amazing during the day.
“You’re something else,” I said.
Eric and Bernard caught up.
“I apologize,” Sylvar said. “But I need to go attend to a matter. Feel free to make yourselves at home.”
“Where are you going?” Eric asked.
Sylvar, tight lipped, stared at him.
“Away,” Sylvar said. “I won’t be long. Eddie will get the rope for you.”
The weasel scurried down the elf’s body then up the massive tree.
“I’d like to know where you’re going,” Eric said, not letting up.
“He’s not in our party,” Bernard said. “Cut him a break.”
“There’s another bottle of wine,” Sylvar said. “You can start without me.”
“We’ll see you whenever,” I said. “But hopefully soon.”
His cinematic smile returned, and I looked away.
The thin, magic rope fell. Bernard climbed up without hesitation as Sylvar walked into the woods. I turned to Eric.
“We did well today,” I said. “Let’s go celebrate with some wine.”
“I don’t know about him.” Eric stared at where Sylvar had slipped into the woods. “There’s something I don’t trust.”
“You say that about everyone.” I walked forward and put my hand on his arm. “You mean a lot to me. More than him.”
I hated that I had to spell out my feelings for him all the time.
“You sure?” He looked at me.
“Don’t be so jealous and clingy,” I said.
“I just want to see us succeed…”
His voice trailed off. The look in his eyes told me he wanted to talk OOC but not enough to take the experience point penalty.
“You’re just jealous,” I said.
Eric started up the rope ladder.
“I’m not jealous of an elven ranger,” he said over his shoulder.
