by Paul Bellow
Your Alignment has Changed!
Alignment: Minus 40
Killing other player characters is not encouraged on level one-one.
Your alignment is now +40 (Sometimes Good)
Bernard stopped walking toward the monk.
“Maybe not,” he said then grinned.
I rushed over to Monde.
“She needs healing,” I said. “Someone help her.”
The fact we’d lost alignment points for acting in self-defense didn’t concern me as I knelt beside Monde’s mangled body.
Eric walked over and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently.
“She saved me,” he said. “I owe her so much.”
“You really do,” Sylvar said behind us.
I turned, not liking the tone of his voice.
“We should leave her body here,” he said. “They’ll go crazy if we bring a dead gnome back to Westwood.”
“I don’t feel right about leaving her behind,” I said. “We can wrap her in a blanket and carry her on a horse or something.”
“There’s no time.” Eric turned to Bernard. “Can you get some pieces of the lava golem? Enough for us and this Captain Kashim guy back in Westwood.”
“You got it, boss,” Bernard said.
He walked over to the smoldering heap of hard, black rock. Using his mace, he chipped away, breaking off small chunks.
“We need to talk about Monde,” I said. “She was in our party.”
“I agree with our rogue,” Sylvar said, surprising me.
“About time we agreed on something,” Eric said.
Sylvar smiled, but I sensed him holding something in.
Eric continued barking orders.
“Check the other bodies for loot,” he said. “I can’t believe the red mage got away again. We need to kill him the next time we see him.”
“He’s powerful,” Sylvar said then walked away.
I turned to Eric, wanting to talk OOC so bad.
“Come on,” he said. “I want to find a place to camp tonight. We can go back to Westwood in the morning. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and the red mage will return.”
I followed Eric around the battlefield. We didn’t find much; a few gems but no magic items.
Had the red mage carried everything away during the battle?
“I doubt the mage will come back,” Eric said. “But if he does, we need to be ready. Who wants the first shift?”
“Me,” I said, lifting a hand.
All the adrenaline still rushing through my virtual body would have me awake for hours. Battles always did that to me.
“I’ll take the last one,” Eric said. “But wake me if anything happens.”
“You can count on it,” Bernard said.
Eric turned to Sylvar.
“Can you find us a good spot to camp?” he asked.
Our elven ranger almost looked as surprised as me.
“Sure,” he said. “Follow me.”
We walked back up the hill overlooking the scene of the battle. Sylvar stopped at the top and found a spot near an out of control shrubbery.
“This is good,” he said.
Eric dropped to the ground. As the others found a spot, I walked off with Charlotte still perched on my shoulder.
“You did good today,” Charlotte said out loud for the first time.
I barely heard her tinny voice.
“You can talk now?” I asked.
“My powers will grow,” she said. “Like yours.”
“We should talk in our mind for now,” I told her.
“Okay, Kali.”
I stopped near the peak of the hill. Sitting on a patch of long grass, I stared at the mountains in the distance. They reminded me of my home in Colorado.
“What happened to the dwarves, Charlotte? Do you know?”
“No, Kali. I’m not sure about the dwarves.”
Both of us fell silent again.
I soaked in the surroundings as I came down from the rush of combat. We’d handled it well…except for Monde.
Thoughts of the real world flittered to the dark recesses of my long-term memory as I wondered about the game world.
Would we survive?
Finishing the first quest and clearing the level would tell us so much. As usual, I wanted to hurry ahead and rush to the end of the game.
The sky turned a dark purple before lightening up as the sun rose on the other side of the mountains. I watched in complete awe.
After a few hours, I woke Bernard for his shift and went to sleep. The light bothered me at first, but I was so tired that I drifted off.
7
There’s No Place Like Gnome
Eric
* * *
I felt someone poking my arm and opened my eyes.
Bernard looked down at me, his burgeoning beard flying in all directions.
“Time for your shift,” he said in a cheerful tone.
I sat up, dreading another day locked in the game. While cool as hell, I feared being trapped for decades—if not longer.
“Does it get easier?” I asked, hoping Bernard knew what I meant.
He shook his head and said, “No, but there’s always a chance to meet new friends. Like you and Sarah. You’re the best.”
I stood and stretched, smiling at the new day.
“Any signs of the red mage?” I asked.
“No,” Bernard said. “And Sylvar’s gone.”
My arms dropped to my sides.
“Why didn’t you lead with that?” I asked.
Bernard stepped back and shrugged.
“Didn’t think you’d miss him,” he said.
“Is Sarah still asleep?”
Bernard nodded.
“I can wake her if you want,” he said.
“You two talking already woke me,” Sarah said.
I turned and saw her sit up.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Sylvar’s gone,” I said.
“Like a thief in the night,” Bernard added.
Sarah got to her feet and stretched.
“We’ll keep our eyes open for him.” I walked over to the horses. “We can eat on the way to Westwood.”
“Nothing like the best for us,” Sarah said sarcastically. “No wonder Sylvar left.”
Bernard walked over, stopping next to his horse.
“He wasn’t technically in our party,” he said. “Maybe that’s why he left.”
“We offered to let him join more than once,” I said. “There’s something about him that never sat well with me.”
“He doesn’t sit well with me either,” a soft voice said from Sarah’s shoulder.
I did a double-take.
“Your spider talks now?” I asked.
She smiled and nodded.
“Cute, right?”
“It’s creepy if you ask me,” I said bluntly.
Sarah looked at it on her shoulder.
“Don’t listen to him, Charlotte,” she said.
“We know what we need to do next,” I said. “Get to Westwood and give some of the lava golem to Captain Kashim in exchange for the Gnome Oil.”
“Original recipe,” Bernard added.
I grinned at the insanity of it all.
“We might as well get Monde’s body,” I said. “The gnomes might want to give her a proper burial.”
“Probably not,” Bernard said.
He walked to the other side of the hill and looked down.
“She’s gone,” he said.
I walked over and scanned the battlefield from the night before.
“Maybe Sylvar took her body,” Sarah said.
“Why would he do that?” I asked.
She shrugged.
“Come on,” I said, walking back to the horses. “We can make it to Westwood before dinner tonight if we hurry.”
“I want to rent a room and sleep in a bed tonight,” Sarah said. “My back is killing me after sleeping on the ground all night.”
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“We’ll rent a room and make plans for the rest of the Dawn Acid ingredients,” I said as the others walked over. “The side quest is our priority.”
“Agreed,” Bernard said.
We all got on our horses. Sarah handed out cold rations as we rode west in single file toward the city of gnomes.
I rode in front, eyes open for a potential ambush. We needed to be ready for anyone or anything. The other two kept quiet the whole journey.
When we arrived at the eastern gates of Westwood, the guards let us in without any fanfare or fuss.
I glanced around, marveling at the city.
No foul smell hung in the air like in Fishguard. The architecture was years beyond anything found in Harrisburg or Talbot. Even Mednia didn’t compare.
The gnomes had improved the city over many years, and it showed.
We rode down the main avenue side by side, all of us completely exhausted.
“We have a few hours of daylight left,” I said. “We should go look for Captain Kashim now before anything else happens. I’ll sleep better knowing we have the original recipe Gnome Oil in our possession.”
“Agreed,” Sarah said.
I wasn’t sure if she was too tired to fight or if she really agreed with me. Either way, we kept riding down the main thoroughfare.
“The general could’ve told us where to find him,” I said.
“He’d never implicate himself in our shady dealings,” Bernard said. “That’s not the way he operates.”
“Are you going to tell us how you know him?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah,” I added, wanting to hear the story.
Bernard stopped his horse on the side of the road. Sarah and I did the same. He took a deep breath as if weighing something in his mind.
“It’s been about ten years,” Bernard said. “He was in this group who believed that living life as an NPC made the most sense. I followed him around a while until he became general of the gnomish army during the Great War.”
“Sounds like that was a bad time to go through,” I said.
Bernard shook his head as if remembering all the details.
“Horrible,” he said. “That’s when Magictology and all the PvP started happening. I got killed and decided to stay as an NPC. Until no new players started showing up on the first level, I got stuck as one. That’s why I’m so glad you two showed up.”
“And that we finally let you join our party,” I said then grinned.
“I was worried there for a while,” he admitted.
“The game had a small message warning about who you let into your party,” Sarah said. “Both of us took it to heart.”
“Maybe too much,” I said.
“Nothing lasts forever,” Bernard said. “Not even in this blasted game.”
“Thanks for taking the OOC penalty,” Sarah said. “I hate that so much.”
“Me too,” I said. “How are we going to find this Captain Kashim guy?”
“We could ask,” Sarah said.
“Never,” I said then turned to Bernard. “You have any ideas?”
He was looking down the street toward the marketplace.
“Don’t you guys see that?” he asked, nodding his head.
I looked at a few of the colorful booths, not noticing anything.
“A cartographer,” Sarah said, pointing excitedly.
I finally noticed a man with a full, bushy beard standing next to a booth displaying maps.
Could we easily pick up some side quest xp?
“We need to be cool about it,” I said. “Let’s tie up the horses here and walk over. We won’t seem so intimidating that way.”
“Good idea,” Sarah said.
She dismounted along with Bernard and me. We tied the horses up in front of a dress shop then turned toward the market.
“He doesn’t know us,” I said. “This should be easy.”
“Easy as Sunday morning,” Bernard said.
“Follow my lead,” I said then walked toward him.
Bernard and Sarah walked behind to my left. I slowed as we approached the make-shift selling space near the edge of the market.
The man, glancing against a pole, straightened up as we approached. I stopped in front of his booth, looking at all the maps on display.
“Best maps this side of the mountains,” he said. “What can I get for you?”
“Are all these maps yours?” Sarah asked.
I stifled my anger at her rash decision.
“Yeah,” the man said. “I’m running a special today if you’re buying.”
“We might be,” I said to take control of the situation. “How much gold do you want taking for a map of all the realms?”
The man turned to the board with the maps tacked to it.
“I don’t have a full one of all the realms, but I can put together four or five maps,” he said. “You’ll never be able to tell the difference. The detail is amazing.”
“Does the name Sam mean anything to you?” Sarah asked.
Argh. She’s the worst detective ever.
The map-thief quit talking as he stared from one of us to the other.
Was he sizing us up? I put my hand on the hilt of my scimitar.
“Let’s not be hasty,” the man said. “The gnomes hate violence in their city.”
“Who said anything about violence?” I asked.
He slipped a wiry hand into his front pocket. I kept my eye on him as Sarah stepped forward, getting in his face.
“Did you steal these maps?” she asked. “Be honest, and we’ll go easy on you.”
We didn’t have time to deliver the man to Castle Casteel, but maybe we could finish the quest by getting him to turn himself in?
The would-be map maker withdrew his hand and raised it, palm up. He blew into it, causing a cloud of dust to burst into the air.
“I can’t see!” Sarah screamed.
The man pushed her into me then took off running.
Sarah rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands.
“You’re making it worse,” Bernard said. “We need water.”
I glanced around. Several other vendors watched us closely.
“Can we get some water, please?” I yelled.
A young gnome boy ran up with a flask. I hoped it contained water as I lifted it.
“Lean your head to the side,” I said. “Let me flush it out.”
“It stings,” she sobbed, stomping her left foot on the ground repeatedly.
“Should I go after him?” Bernard asked.
“No,” I said. “Sarah’s our main concern right now.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, still sobbing in pain.
“Not your fault,” I said. “Now hold still.”
I poured some of the water over her eyes. She screamed, pulling away.
“That hurts,” she said.
“One more time,” I ran more water over her red eyes.
“That’s better,” she said. “But my vision is blurry.”
“We have potions left, don’t we?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “But I don’t want to waste it.”
“I’d rather not see you casting spells while blind,” I said.
“Funny,” she said then smiled.
She took a small vial out of her sack then drank the contents.
“I can see,” she said, looking past me.
“Did I miss something?” Sylvar asked.
I spun around, ready to yell at him.
“Where’d you go?” Bernard asked before me.
“Yeah,” I added. “And why did you come back?”
“I went to make arrangements for Monde’s body,” he said. “I didn’t feel right about leaving her to rot.”
“That’s sweet,” Sarah said. “I feel bad about leaving her, but we had to go.”
“I’ve also found Captain Kashim,” Sylvar said.
“How did you find him?” I asked.
“I’m an urban ranger too.” He turned t
o Sarah. “Sexy, huh?”
“Not very,” I said.
Sylvar stopped smiling.
“You don’t need to be so rude,” he said. “It’s not like you three have found out where to get the ORGO.”
“The what?” I asked.
“Original Recipe Gnome Oil,” Sarah said. “It’s much easier to say.”
Sylvar crossed his arms over his chest.
“Well?” he asked.
I mirrored his pose.
“Well, what?” I asked.
“Cut it out, you two.” Sarah stepped in between us. “We’ve got enough to worry about without bickering.”
“She’s right,” Bernard said.
Overwhelmed by people I trusted and loved, I backed down.
“Can you please take us to Captain Kashim?” I asked.
“I’m so ready for this day to be over,” Sarah said.
“For you, my dear, anything.” Sylvar’s smile returned. “Follow me.”
Sarah walked after him—mesmerized by his charisma and charm.
“Leave your horses here,” he said as he walked a few feet ahead.
Bernard and I followed them. We ended up on the bad side of the city; most of the mansions were only three stories. So sad.
“He’s here tonight,” Sylvar said. “An old gnome buddy of mine told me.”
“Do you trust him?” I asked, wary about the situation.
“I trust him more than I trust you,” he shot back.
Sarah stifled a laugh.
“Very funny,” I said. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I’ve got the lava golem pieces,” Bernard said.
Sylvar took the lead again and walked up to the front door of the smallest, most discreet mansion on the entire street. He rang an elaborate bell.
The door opened. A pudgy gnome with a long, wavy, black as night hair, stood on the other side. His black royal armor gave me some idea of his rank.
“What do you want?” he asked. “The servant entrance is in the rear.”
I stepped forward.
“Are you Captain Kashim?” I asked.
“I’m asking the questions around here,” he said. “What do you want? And who are you? I’ll question you all night before I answer anything.”
“We’ve got pieces of lava golem,” Bernard said.
Captain Kashim’s gaze shot to our second rogue.
“He’s finally dead?” he asked.
